<p>Tuition payment was not a problem, but we did have to pay for books up front and then get reimbursed. However, it’s more difficult with my #2 son who did 4yrs active duty in the Coast Guard and is now going to college on the GI Bill. He attends a state school and tuition is paid for but sometimes we have to pay up front before all the paperwork (& money) come through!</p>
<p>aglages is right. It was not unusual for the ROTC money to be absent from the student acct. when the semester started but the school knew it was coming so it never caused S any probems. We were never asked to pay and his schedule was never dropped for non-payment or anything like that. The money usually came through in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>My son has an NROTC scholarship. While his monthly stipend started immediately in the fall (direct deposit into his checking account) and his book stipend was deposited into his checking account several weeks into the semester, his fall tuition payment showed up on December 8. He account accumulated several hundred dollars worth of late fees in October, November, and December, but his college reversed those charges when we asked them to. (On the advice of some moms on another forum for Navy types) His small LAC is a cross-town affiliate for a unit at a large university and hasn’t had an NROTC student on campus for four years, so communication between the bursars office, the unit, and Pensacola may have been a little bit of an issue during the process.</p>
<p>For those of you not familiar with university fee payment processes, it is not unusual for a school to have a “priority” (for classes registered up until that date) fee payment deadline a couple weeks before classes start for a term. At this cutoff, students who haven’t paid (or made other arrangements) are dropped from classes and those openings are made available for all students to claim. There is then another payment deadline for any classes made after the “priority” deadline. </p>
<p>This process is used to clear any students who change thier minds about enrolling during the enrollment period (usually a few months preceeding the first day of classes). In these days of limited class opening due to budget cuts at colleges, it becomes more important to make sure all class seats are available to students who intend to attend.</p>
<p>That being said, it is wise to check with the PMS or other appropriate Cadre officer at the school to see if there are procedures in place to avoid having your registered classes dropped for non-payment of fees in the event that the scholarship money is not in your account before this deadline. Nobody wants to risk losing classes (trust me other students camp out for those openings) to a procedural SNAFU. Sounds like things were in place for PackMom’s son. Trust, but verify.</p>
<p>Our son has his heart set on SMC (has been accepted to VMI) and, at our insistence, has also applied to private universities and a state college, all with on-campus AROTC. (Fingers crossed for the next scholarship Board review!) We understand that the SMC offers the 24/7 military experience not found at the private and public schools he has applied to. Does anyone have insight into the pros/cons that our son should consider before making his final choice?</p>
<p>Early on, S thought about a SMC (visited two) or USNA but ultimately decided that NROTC would be best for him.<br>
He reasoned that since he would be living the military life 24/7 after college, he really wanted to enjoy/take advantage of all aspects of college and be able to live the “regular college student” life while also participating in NROTC to reach his military goals.
For him, doing NROTC at a big state u. gave him the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Thanks PackMom - my H and I have the same philosopy as your S - - plenty of time after college for the full time military life!</p>
<p>Another interesting point made by an AROTC Admissions officer (himself a graduate of USMA) is that at the time you receive your commission, your GPA will play a role in whether you get assigned to your preferred branch of service. He said it didn’t matter whether you “studied basketweaving at Podunk U or studied nuclear physics at Big Name U” - your GPA is the determining factor (similar to the OML.) It was his feeling that it would be easier to focus on your academics in a ROTC program at a non-military school. Granted, he is the AROTC Admissions officer at a private university to which S is also applying, so he may be trying to “sell” his program - an interesting point, nonetheless.</p>
<p>Pollyanna - He is partly right, IMO his comments are a bit twisted.
Branch selection from USMA - for male cadets Congress requires that 80% branch into a Combat Arms branch. No such requirement for ROTC grads. If one KNOWS they don’t want a Combat Arms branch - they could be better off going ROTC.<br>
USMA does their branch selection first, then the ROTC grads go. There may be cases where one would have a better chance from West Point. In peacetime there can be slim pickings but since we are fighting two wars over 90% of West Point grads get on of their top two choices for branch.</p>
<p>ROTC branch selection - GPA counts but is not the only factor. A cadets score at LDAC counts a lot too. Cadets also are assigned “points” during their ROTC career earned by participating in athletics, clubs (leadership), ROTC events and drill if they are in the Reserves or Guard.
Selection also is not strictly from the top down, GPA wise. In each branch some spots are left open for those on the bottom of the class GPA wise as the Army recognizes that being a good officer is not just about having a good GPA.</p>
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<p>S2 attends a smaller private univ and his ROTC detachment is at a nearby state university. He is AROTC and I think his tuition payment from the Army didn’t hit until well into the spring. The financial aid office was totally relaxed about it. They told S2 that it was typical for it to be slow to get started, but that after that first payment they tended to come in on time. He didn’t have any problems with being dropped from classes or anything like that. That may be an advantage to a smaller school “where everybody knows your name.” :)</p>
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<p>S1 attended Texas A&M, an SMC, and it was an awesome experience for him. He felt that it was the best of both worlds. He was at a “normal” school and got to do normal college stuff, but the training he received was (in his opinion) superior to that received by friends he knew who were in ROTC at other schools. He visited USAFA on several occasions for conferences and things like that, and he was always struck by how much more freedom he had at his school.</p>
<p>Now “freedom” is a relative term. His freshman year was pretty ridiculously difficult. I am sure all SMC’s are. As you know, at an SMC, the cadets live in dorms with their units, wear uniforms every day, and stuff like that. So that means upperclassmen are yelling at you for wearing your brass 1 millimeter off where it should be, making your shine your shoes all the time, and generally trying to impress upon you that you are a worthless excuse for a cadet. It’s part of the training of course, and in the end they are grateful for it. But unlike at the service academies, they are generally free on the weekends.</p>
<p>As someone else said, the points a cadet earns at LDAC (summer after junior year for AF, as I remember) are very important in determining a cadet’s ranking which affects his branch selection. According to S1, SMC cadets pretty much breezed through it, while some other ROTC cadets struggled because they just weren’t as prepared.</p>
<p>S2 is Army ROTC at a regular (non-SMC) ROTC program. I can definitely see the difference in the preparation he is receiving. It’s not as good.</p>
<p>Now…career-wise, it is always beneficial to have attended a service academy as opposed to being ROTC. Yes, there are generals who went through ROTC, but there are a lot more of them who went to academies. They look out for their own. S1 does not feel that it is a big handicap or anything, though. He says that if you are a good officer, you’ll do fine. (And he’s a 2nd Lieutenant, so he should know!) ;)</p>
<p>^^^S1 (Ensign) says the enlisted ask him first thing if he went to the Academy and are happy when he says “no”.</p>
<p>timely - I agree “freedom” is a relative term. Frankly I find it distateful when those at SA’s and SMC’s refer to their civilan college counterpart’s as lazy, drunken college students who dont go to class (because they are not forced) and party every night.</p>
<p>As far as LDAC - there is much each individual ROTC cadet can do to prepare himself or herself for LDAC. Those who are active and seek out certain opportunites will be prepared. Those who do the bare minimum - not so much.</p>
<p>JustAMom is right. There are basic requirments for every midshipman/cadet but if a kid has a goal in mind, a unit they want to be selected for, then it is up to them to put in the extra hours outside of ROTC to get themselves ready and put themselves in position to get that slot. S1 trained for years (outside of ROTC PT) to be competitive for the slot he wanted.</p>
<p>"Now…career-wise, it is always beneficial to have attended a service academy as opposed to being ROTC. "</p>
<p>I am not sure that is true in all cases anymore . S has found that where you went to college may make a difference, and how you perform your job. Personality and drive are considered as well. The army is actually trying to promote non-academy officers in order to get a more diversified talent pool that may consider actually making a career out of the military, and not just serving four years and out. </p>
<p>( I know because S is a 1st Lieutenant…;)</p>
<p>In addition to what 1sokkermom said, I recently saw stats indicating that the Army’s officers come from…</p>
<p>15% West Point
15% OCS
70% ROTC</p>
<p>So, since WP grads are such a minority, I’ll choose to believe that there are plenty of coveted assignments left over for the ROTC cadet who applies him/herself.</p>
<p>Where you go to college has no affect on branch selection at all and your performance on the job is much more important for jobs or promotions. You might get some help from networking and your undergrad resume may help you snag a graduate opportunity.</p>
<p>For several years the Army has had a serious shortage of Captains and now Majors. Everyone is getting promoted early in the Army. Junior officers are routinely making Captain (O-3) in three years from graduation - even ROTC graduates.</p>
<p>I recently read a report that said ROTC grads are much more likely to remain in the Army after their commitment is over than a West Point graduate.</p>
<p>I have a wealth of information regarding NROTC, if anyone is interested. I applied in late Septemeber and just received the scholarship a few days ago, to my top choice university, which is a very expensive private one. I have gone through the entire process, including DODMERB.</p>
<p>Congratulations Rupee2! Which NROTC unit?</p>
<p>Congrats rupee2! :)</p>
<p>How long did your kids wait for the DoDMERB exam? Son was “scheduled” at a walk-in office for 1:00 pm. H just texted me that he was finally called back to the exam room at 3:20. </p>
<p>Drat! The delay means they have to reschedule the vision exam, which was booked for 3:30. So much for making the most of school holiday. </p>
<p>:cool:</p>