<p>what do you all think about the ROTC scholarship?</p>
<p>i'm planning on applying next year; however, i do not want to put the financial burden on my parents..and I neither want to graduate with huge debt...but i also want to go to graduate/law school afterwards..so...idk?</p>
<p>-you recieve a full tuition (+room & board, food, etc) plus a monthly stipend</p>
<p>but you have to spend 4 years as a "reserve" in the military..</p>
<p>is it worth it?</p>
<p>this is really your decision. would you be willing to go to iraq for penn?</p>
<p>i would be in the reserve..which means that there would be a possibility that i didnt go..
its just scary to think where America will be (in the global perspective) some 6 years from now, considering the direction we're headed in. </p>
<p>i have time to think about it..but i guess i should rephrase my question..
would you do it if you were given the opportunity?</p>
<p>my uncle and cousin are both in the reserves. my uncle is on his third tour in iraq and my cousin recently came back from his first. they are both proud to serve their country. i'm glad that there are people willing to serve in the military and respect them immensly. i however, would not want to be in the military. it just depends on whether or not you are one of those people. rotc is a great chance for people who could not otherwise afford it to attend a college they love, but it comes with a price tag. if you are fine with being in the reserves and understand that there is a real chance that you will see action, then go for it. if you cannot commit to this, it would probably be best not to do rotc.</p>
<p>I really have to recommend against this action, and not just for the reasons stated above. I believe you are better off taking loans and working through college than doing it with ROTC.</p>
<p>First, you've got to count the money you get as payment for the time you'll work along with a risk premium (explicitly, the risk of your life being lost in Iraq). Every hour you spend with ROTC (which are quite a few, judging by the folks I know in it here) could be spent at a job. Think of the tuition they pay for as payment for a job you're working off. A strong alternative to ROTC could be an amount of loans and some time spent working on campus. These will not put your life at risk, and will not ruin your life while you're in college.</p>
<p>Further, ROTC is not something valued at Penn. Penn's a very liberal place and this isn't one of those campuses where the military is respected or ROTC is honorable. While I personally disagree with most of Penn there, it's a fact of life. </p>
<p>You're going to a place like Penn for an investment in your future. That means that you should view those loans as worth it. If you're afraid of being hugely in debt after law/grad school, you may wish you consider somewhere cheaper for undergrad. </p>
<p>Would I do it if I were given the opportunity? Well, I along with nearly everyone else here have the opportunity. We don't take it because it's a dangerous field, it's a lot of time committed while you're in school, and quite frankly you can make the money another way. In today's climate, you're almost definitely going to spend some time overseas with the military - and if you can stomach that, then ROTC may be worth it to you. I personally believe that John Kerry was on to something - you go to school at a place like Penn to keep yourself from getting stuck in Iraq.</p>
<p>If you are doing it for money and don't relish the idea of military service, don't do it. You are almost guaranteed to be deployed at some point, with the world as it is today. Also, the military likes to send officers to graduate school. Law school is not high on the military's list of priorities (except for JAGs). Do not expect to be able to go straight to law school unless you plan on becomming a JAG. Even then, it is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>If military service appeals to you in some way, it is a great opportunity. Just don't do it solely for money.</p>
<p>*Wow, nice insult matt! i no al r militarry is dumm and edukashun & r miltarry donnt micks! Which is exactly why there are university representatives at most bases and why the military has its own college system.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I believe Penn is Naval ROTC. Unless global warming has kicked in and made a Sea of Baghdad, your odds of being deployed in Iraq are rather slim.</p></li>
<li><p>Moreover it is highly likely that in 4 years, we will either have pulled out entirely (in which case we all get screwed and probably drafted later to clean up the mess we made), or the situation will have stabilized into a Kosovo-type peacekeeping operation where we are there for years and years and years waiting for civil society to rebuild, but nobody really gets killed...</p></li>
</ol>
<p>By that point you'd be safer as a soldier in Iraq than as a policeman in Philadelphia (thank you John F Street)]</p>
<ol>
<li>Penn is not Berkeley. Nobody is going to riot against the ROTC kids here. The far left has a minimal presence at Penn (which is one of the many reasons it is my very favorite Ivy)</li>
</ol>
<p>They have all of the ROTC branches offered through other Philadelphia schools. </p>
<p>Penn's not Berkeley but you're certainly not going to be respected on campus. It's a fact of life. You're still safer in Philadelphia than in Iraq, tard.</p>
<p>You go into the military, you get brainwashed. I know that's not comforting to America's heartland, and I know that's another factor that made John Kerry seem like an elite, but it's true. ROTC is not a wise way to pay for school in today's world. Maybe 10 years ago it was, but today you're looking at service.</p>
<p>so it's not "respected"..or looked upon favorably on campus? i didnt know that..</p>
<p>so how are all of you paying off the college tuition (for those who are already in) and how much does Penn give for grants (maximum)? One girl from my school got a pretty nice grant, but i'm not sure how much she actually received.</p>
<p>Matt, please take your agenda elsewhere. "You go into the military, you get brainwashed" is about as stupid as saying "you go into California, your IQ drops." </p>
<p>"...today you're looking at service." Really?--the military serves?...It always has! </p>
<p>Make an educated decision that is right for you.</p>
<p>Raimius,</p>
<p>I see you've already been unfortunately brainwashed. I'm sorry no one warned you earlier. Besides, this is the Penn board, not the board for the academies. You've brought your agenda here, not vice-versa.</p>
<p>Erimiri,</p>
<p>Penn gives anywhere from nothing to everything, depending on "need". They're committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need, but how they calculate it may vary from what you'd expect. Sit down, have a long conversation about your assets and financial status with your parents, so you have an idea of whether you can afford private school tuition. Look at the FAFSA paperwork to get an estimate of what your scenario will look like.</p>
<p>erimiri, yes, please discuss this with your parents before you apply to Penn. Calculate your EFC and see whether your parents can afford to pay that. Since you plan to go to grad school, it is not advisable to apply to a college to incur a big debt.</p>
<p>Matt, I guess I can't really debate you. You'll just dismiss my opionions as those of a brainwashed idiot...thanks...</p>
<p>It is the Penn board, but the OP was asking for advice on joining the military. Since I have some idea of the pros and cons, I thought I would add to the discussion.</p>
<p>I'm glad to find that my choice of college has brainwashed me so thoroughly that I cannot be taken seriously. Who knew college could be so influential as to completely define my opionions? I must be missing the connection between marching to lunch and being brainwashed into a neo-con minion. I'd be interested in hearing the connection.</p>
<p>Please try to assume less and argue merits rather than ad hominem comments. I'll try to do the same.</p>
<p>Mattwonder: don't make a fool of yourself - you represent a good school.</p>