If $ is a non-issue, which public schools would you prefer to private ones

Parent Cafe
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<p>S2 is an die hard ROTC hopeful. In order to get the best shot at getting a full tuition scholarship, he will be submitting the ROTC scholarship application next June (a full 6-7 months ahead of the regular college admission deadlines). </p>

<p>In the application form, he needs to pick up to 10 schools he can use the scholarship in should he be lucky enough get one.</p>

<p>Note that regardless of the tuition amount, the Army will pay. So, the amount of tuition will be a complete non-issue.</p>

<p>So, given $$$ is completely non-issue, under what circumstance would you pick a public school (in state, out of state again does not make any difference for us) over a COMPARABLE private school with SIMILAR academic standing and reputation with COMPARABLE ODDS OF ACCEPTANCE?</p>

<p>My instinct is to only consider private schools (except, one on the list since it's they want you to list at least one public school as part of 10). All the scary things one hears about budget cuts and what not in public schools worries me. Large class size and such do not sound good. Our instate flagship is rather uninteresting. I am not crazy about the homogeneous student body makeup in most state schools (predominantly in state kids). </p>

<p>I am asking this question because if I am just biased baselessly, and missing out on some important factors that shoud direct me to look at more state schools closely, I need to be gently chided so that we will have time enough to make a course correction now.</p>

<p>I believe this question may have relevance to some other folks who are not just in the ROTC camp.</p>

<p>By the way, for the time being, let's assume that he is the kind of kid who can target top 30-60 schools in the USNWR. Depending on the school, ROTC scholarship can be considered a major hook (not for the Top 20, but for schools below that range). If we are considering an OOS, we would rather not go for the southern schools. </p>

<p>Thanks for your input in advance.</p>

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<p>The only state universities I would ever attend if money wasn’t an issue is William and Mary, New College of Florida or St. Mary’s of Maryland I am a LAC guy obviously.</p>

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<p>My husband and I are from Minnesota but we live in Ohio. Our daughter has had an excellent educational experience so far at the University of Texas. 34 foreign languages offered there.
[University</a> of Texas: Languages web site](<a href=“Languages | College of Liberal Arts | The University of Texas at Austin”>Languages | College of Liberal Arts | The University of Texas at Austin)
Is your son at all interested in Arabic or Persian?<br>
[University</a> of Texas: ROTC Language and Culture Program](<a href=“Middle Eastern Studies | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin”>Middle Eastern Studies | Liberal Arts | UT - Austin)
My daughter is in an honors program and has had small classes and received individual attention. I didn’t know anything about UT before she decided to apply. (It was her top choice; she chose it on the recommendation of a professor she had in a high school program, mostly for the outstanding faculty in the Arabic department.) We have been pleased. They are generous with AP credit. Lots of school spirit - the students love their Longhorns football team. There is a nice quality of life in Austin, Texas. Pleasant weather during the school year, great music, great parks, great restaurants. It does not have a “southern” feel to it; Austin is a liberal city and the school is liberal as well.</p>

<p>SmallCollegesFTW, I think even you might have been happy in the Plan II or Liberal Arts Honors programs at UT. There are a lot of smaller programs within the big university. </p>

<p>So, if the University of Texas is an option, I’d recommend it. (#47 on USNews National Univerisities List) The application process was not difficult, but I will note that is harder for out-of-state students to get into than many out-of-state publics.</p>

<p>Another thought for the OP: is UVA an option? Based on the happiness of smart students we have known who have gone to UVA, you can’t go wrong with UVA.</p>

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<p>U of Mich. for sure.</p>

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<p>UCLA over many privates. I don’t know what the ROTC scene is like there.</p>

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<p>William & Mary (on the small, more LAC-like side).</p>

<p>U Michigan and UVA (on the large side). Though I don’t know what impact the current economy in Michigan would have on U Michigan (not casting aspersions, I just haven’t looked into it).</p>

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<p>UVA is often selected over private schools.</p>

<p>whoops crossposted w/MidwestMom2Kids_</p>

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<p>My advice will depend on the answers to these questions -
What is his intended major?<br>
Is he applying for Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC? I am thinking Army - right?
Will he be able to afford an expensive private school without the scholarship?
How important will it be for him to have his ROTC unit on his campus - as opposed to a cross-town school?</p>

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<p>My kid applied to Michigan and Berkeley, and would have been happy to go to either. Both have faculty and resources better than all but the tippy-top privates (in some cases, better than them, too). Yes, there can be scheduling issues. ( A friend who was Director of Undergraduate Studies in the UCB Economics Department described his job as telling one crying student after another that there was no way they could complete their degree requirements that year.) And you have to walk the same streets as some students who had no hope at all of getting into Harvard, and some of your classmates may be having more fun than your mom wants you to have. The horror! Intro classes are huge, advanced classes no larger than they are anywhere else. They are both colleges that some people DO choose over the equivalent privates, although rarely at the same cost.</p>

<p>A note about Berkeley – it turned out to be the most expensive option my kid had, and not because of the tuition. Room/board and fees were through the roof. You can cut that down by not living on campus, but (a) who wants that as a freshman?, and (b) living off campus in Berkeley is STILL really expensive.</p>

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<p>“Will he be able to afford an expensive private school without the scholarship?”</p>

<p>And along that line: Which would he like to attend if he isn’t awarded an ROTC scholarship, or would he want to remain at if he drops ROTC?</p>

<p>Nephew3 was in Marine boot camp when a non-life-threatening but military career-ending medical issue was uncovered that gave him a permanent medical discharge. Would your son have a decent back-up plan if something like that came up? Nephew3 is now technically a veteran and so qualifies as an independent student for financial aid purposes, I don’t know if that would hold for a ROTC candidate with a medical discharge.</p>

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<p>Another question he should consider is if he wants to live in a corp of cadets setting. Texas A&M and Virginia Tech are 2 of the larger public university corps. There are several other private schools with corps.</p>

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<p>thanks for your input so far! Keep it coming. Any further input regarding your experience with public school within the USNWR 30-60 range would be great.</p>

<p>To answer questions by some of you:</p>

<p>(1) yes, if push comes to shove, we can pay a full sticker price for a private school, though we prefer a full tuition scholarship (don’t we all :slight_smile: ), especially given S1 is just starting at a private school - full pay. </p>

<p>(2) It’s Army ROTC he is looking at. He is not a math/science guy, and Navy ROTC scholarship is primarily given to sciency kids and the program requirements include science/engineering courses. Not for him. </p>

<p>(3) it is highly unlikely that S2 will change his mind and drop out of the ROTC program. It has been his dream since he was a toddler. He is already participating in Army encampment program (boot camp), and active in mountain search and rescue program (real hardship EC). So, he is not saying “go army” with a romantic fantasy a la “Gentleman and Officer”.</p>

<p>(4) His major is not cast in iron yet. He would like to serve in the army for about 6 years, get out, and pursue a public sector career (politician? Ah… what a horror, but that’s another subject matter). His initial interest is in IR, poli sci, in that direction</p>

<p>(5) given his future aspiration beyond Army (expressed thus far), we are seriously looking at DC schools that offer wonderful DC internship opportunities. There are three private schools that fit the bill: Georgetown, George Washington, American (all served by the same ROTC unit). I don’t think S2 has a shot at Georgetown. GWU and AU are possibilities. Does anyone have any idea whether UMCP has DC internships and such opportunities that seem to be available at DC schools?</p>

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<p>One thing that worries me about the public school is, some horror stories I hear about not being able to graduate in 4 years due to the difficulty of meeting the requirements for the chosen major because of scheduling conflict and lack of enough sessions offered to kids.</p>

<p>He has to be commissioned and ship out in four years. He would have no flexibility there!!!</p>

<p>Any thoughts?</p>

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<p>OP, my son is in the middle of the ROTC process right now. If what I’ve quoted is true, it gives us great hope. How did you come to know this information about ROTC hooks?</p>

<p>Also, the app only allows for 7 schools, not 10. I know this because Son submitted his app on Sept 7.</p>

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<p>We put our state flagship (UMCP) on Son’s list just so they wouldn’t reject the app based on cost. There was one “low cost” private (Elon), and five expensive privates.</p>

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<p>This is very true at UMCP, especially for anyone who changes majors. Maryland has what’s called LEPs (limited enrollment programs). These are majors that you enter as a new freshman, but are very hard to enter as a major change in subsequent years. </p>

<p>And, yes, UMCP has tons of internships in DC. That was one their selling points when we toured.</p>

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<p>dougbetsy,</p>

<p>I heard about this “hook” by calling and talking directly with the commander of the unit serving the school. His unit serves several schools. He said, “School X: I have no influence. they don’t care other than that it’s one fewer student to worry about for FA. School Y, if he gets scholarship approval from Army, I can get him in with 85-90% chance by talking directly to the adcoms”.</p>

<p>There are a few other tid bits I managed to extract from him by asking various leading questions. PM me if you have questions: I may be able to answer. I hope to hear from you through this admission process how things worked for your son also.</p>

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</p>

<p>UCLA has Army,
[Welcome</a> — Military Science](<a href=“http://www.milsci.ucla.edu/]Welcome”>http://www.milsci.ucla.edu/)</p>

<p>Navy,
[About</a> the Unit UCLA NROTC](<a href=“http://www.navy.ucla.edu/home.htm]About”>http://www.navy.ucla.edu/home.htm)</p>

<p>And Air Force ROTC
[Det</a> 055](<a href=“http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/afrotc/public/home/home.php]Det”>http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/afrotc/public/home/home.php)</p>

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<p>hyeonjlee -
Georgetown has a terrific AROTC battalion. So he should apply to all of the schools you mentioned. Being cross town in DC is not a big deal.</p>

<p>Don’t rule out a state school just yet. If he doesn’t change his major wildly (from history to engineering) he should definitely be able to graduate in 4 years. They will see to it.
UMCP may be a great choice if he would like a big school. He may also want to consider George Mason. What I would try and avoid is a school with a cross town unit many miles away - esp if he wants to be really involved. If he wants to be in the MD/Va/DC area some other schools to consider are Loyola, Johns Hopkins, UVA, W&M, James Madison, University of Richmond.</p>

<p>He should pick 7 (or 10) schools - the max they allow, even if he may not apply to all. They will at least be in the system. If money is no object - he also may want to apply ED/EA.
If your son is qualifed (don’t forget he needs to pass the physical) - he WILL get a 4 year scholarship. They are there for the taking. I have not seen any evidence that this will change in the coming year (not so for AF or Navy).</p>

<p>It is true that at some schools, a ROTC scholarship can affect an admission decision.<br>
Your son is in a good position - if Georgetown is his first choice, he should go for it with some backups.</p>

<p>As far as internships go - he may be able to snag some through ROTC as well. There are opportunities for Cadets in the summer - and he would get paid by the Army.</p>

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<p>Hello hyeonjlee!</p>

<p>I met my husband while he went through college on an NROTC scholarship (he’s a US Marine.) It’s hard for us to believe, but he is going to retire within the year. Some of the time goes by very slowly but, overall, it’s gone by pretty darn fast. I just wanted to share something with you. You wrote:</p>

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<p>If he is serious about ROTC and serving in the Army, he needs to stop talking about getting out. He should not talk about it with anyone except his family and never with anyone associated with the military.</p>

<p>As you are finding out, ROTC is competitive but that is nothing compared to how competitive things are once on active-duty. The specialized schools, training and jobs that it takes to make a career out of the Army are highly prized. If word gets out that someone is just in it until their first committment is up, they will not be taken seriously. </p>

<p>And, really, why should they? The Army is not investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in ROTC cadets in the hopes that will get out in six years. </p>

<p>There is no downside to maintaining a public stance that he is in for the long haul. None. I’ve known just as many people who surprised themselves by staying in as I have who surprised themselves by wanting to get out. And, sadly,a few who “knew” they would get out after X number of years, changed their minds and found out that the military was no longer interested in them due to their lack of competitive choices along the way. </p>

<p>The military is a different culture with different rules, many of them unspoken. But if he remembers that loyalty is a key value, that will help a lot.</p>

<p>Also, my kid is interested in American! He’s not looking at ROTC, in fact, it got on his radar because it is know for being gay/lesbian friendly. I think it’s a great school to look into.</p>

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<p>PDK:</p>

<p>If he is not giving Military a try because of their Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, what a shame! Can’t believe in this 21st century, we are still dealing with issues like this! If this is not the case, please forgive me for being presumptuous.</p>

<p>Your point about not talking loudly about his eventual ambition is well taken. It will be a private discussion among ourselves.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input and good luck with your son!</p>

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<p>Why not look at the Military academies?</p>