<p>I can only speak from personal experience and don't want to generalize -- and I don't have any specific exposure to the Harvard/NROTC/Marine combo you are looking at.</p>
<p>But... I do have exposure to other NROTC programs, and to midshipmen at the Academy who were in NROTC at civilian colleges before accepting their appointment. From what I've experienced, and what the mids tell me, the leadership training at USNA far exceeds what they experienced in NROTC.</p>
<p>That said, there is no reason to believe that the leadership opportunities in the fleet, or in the Marines after graduation, couldn't fill the gap. Nor does it imply that every USNA grad is equally adept at leadership simply by virtue of attending. </p>
<p>As an employer, nothing is ever cut and dry (or easy for that matter). When I say I would take the Academy grad over the Ivy I meant to imply "all other things being equal" but, of course, they never are! My recommendation to you is to evaluate whether leadership training, in your own personal set of priorities, is the first and foremost experience you are seeking. If the answer is yes, the Academy just might be the right choice. But the answer doesn't have to be yes -- you can pursue other routes and still become a phenominal leader, you just might have to focus differently during your years of active duty.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting this link. My other daughter attends a civilian college and has said that at least 1 guest speaker was very offensive to an ROTC student in uniform - until the student left the lecture hall. The anti-military feeling is pervasive and many people really can't seem to differentiate between anti-war and anti-military sentiments. </p>
<p>So what are our schools doing to foster critical thinking?</p>
<p>Dad2B- Thanks for the post; definitely interesting reading. Now I know what my uncle was talking about when he asked me "Do you really want to go to a school that accepts money from terrorists?" </p>
<p>That obviously disgusts me and turns me away; then again, maybe by attending there I could fight for change and advocate stronger support of the military...if they are really "liberal" and "open-minded", shouldn't they be accepting of ALL views? of course, those efforts to expand military tolerance could be futile in such a setting, but if no one tries, we'll never know...(I haven't made a decision or anything yet though, lol).</p>
<p>What do you guys think of the AFROTC program at USC (the one in CA)? I'm a new cadet there so I was just wondering what other people thought of it (if anything).</p>
<p>Hmm...It seems that all of you have left out one of the most professional units in the country...the Husky Battalion here at the Univ. of Washington, Seattle.</p>
<p>If any of ya'll are lookin' to spend a few years in Seattle (if you can tolerate the rain in the winter), feel free to ask any questions about the unit. Despite the fact that I'm a 4/C, I feel I've experienced a good deal of the unit during the past few months, and am looking forward to taking a position of leadership during the next command period.</p>
<p>boston USMC - Being an intellectual liberal doesn't automatically give one a sense of toleration. I attended Boston Univ in the 70's (grad 75) and all Ivy League campuses have dropped ROTC programs. The student bodies will constantly undermind you, goat you to "argue" with them. Not a bit of tolerence exists at Harvard - MIT - BU - BC & ect..
when a uniformed student shows up. A good ROTC program at a College/Univ that has a unit on board is where you want to be. Intellectually most campuses can assist with your quest for knowledge - but the effort is all yours. My son looked at Wake Forest, Duke, George Mason and Penn St. rotc programs. Now that he's gotten his LOA to USMA and senatorial nomination, he most likely will be at WP. Find two good choices and better yourself to achieve either one.</p>
<p>Rockymnt - thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was just trying to be optimistic, lol. I do have my Appointment to USNA and acceptance to Harvard (after that I threw out all my other applications!), and so now i just have to try to get as much information as possible in order to make a decision where I won't have any regrets. I've realized that I've been VERY biased towards USNA since I've spent so much time there, so I have a couple visits to Harvard scheduled (some with ROTC kids) so that I can get a better feel for what it's like to be in uniform there. </p>
<p>If I still can't decide, well, then there's always the coin flip! :-)</p>
<p>I heard some positive things about Illinois Institute of Technology's ROTC. The administration is very supportive of ROTC (they will pay whatever the ROTC scholarship does not), and the students I talked to seemed either neutral or supportive of ROTC members.</p>
<p>My son applied on line for AFROTC, he listed his 3 schools including IIT. They emailed him the next day. Welcoming any questions and hoping to meet with him soon. It seemed that they really were interested in him.</p>
<p>it doesn't matter where you do rotc. you end up in the same place. pick a college, not a rotc program. nobody gives a damn what the program was ranked. they hate on ring knockers and they hate on rotsi-nazis. you'll still be a butter bar, and people still wont salute you.</p>
<p>Hi - I just read your worries about reporting any traffic violations or other minor infractures of the law on your application statement. From what I understand, these things would not be deal breakers for attendance at a service academy or for winning an ROTC scholarship. It's more of a test to see whether or not you are willing to admit your past mistakes. The academies know that candidates and cadets, and surely officers earn their fair share of speeding tickets. The point is, can you start living the model of speaking the truth now, in your application process. The statements will be compared with what pops up on your initial security clearance with the local police - not the way to get your acceptance into an academy revolked - but it has happened for that reason alone!</p>
<p>dozermn1119, I don't know what part of the country you're interested in but my S just finished his soph. year of NROTC at North Carolina State University. It is the largest unit in NC (bigger than both UNC-CH and Duke) His experience with the unit there has been very good.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how difficult (impossible) it would be to transfer to a different college and take his NROTC scholarship with him? Wondering if S gets to his college - Tulane - and is not happy there...anyone heard of transfering to a different school/unit either at the end of the semester or end of the year? I don't mean to sound negative--but always want to have a 'fallback plan"...</p>
<p>I think if that situation arises you would need to call the NROTC unit at the school he wishes to transfer to. They would probably have some say in whether there is a slot available in their unit. If there is room, it doesn't seem like it would be a big problem. I know with my S's unit quite a few dropped out during and at the end of the first year.</p>