<p>Thanks, PackMom. Alas, Son didn’t make it to the October boards. His app is now complete and we’re hoping he’ll go in November. I’m interested in October notification as a way to guesstimate whether we could get his news before Christmas.</p>
<p>It’s early yet. If your son goes in November and is selected then he should hear before Christmas.</p>
<p>
[quote=]
- Financial aid - being awarded a ROTC scholarship will cause any financial aid already awarded by the college to be adjusted. You can’t make money off going to school. In other words, your total aid, including ROTC can’t be higher than the Cost of attendance.
ROTC (except for some AF programs) pays full tuition and fees and books.
If you EFC at USC is $27000 and you would only be responsible for room and board of about $12,000 where is the issue?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Coast Guard - the USCG is a very small service. You can commission from the USCGA, US Merchant Marine Academy as well as a Maritime school; i.e. SUNY - Maritime, Maine Maritime, Cal. Maritime etc. You can also wait and apply for OCS after you have your degree.</p></li>
<li><p>Service - Why not Army? If you want to fly helicopters, there are plenty of opportunities there. I understand you want a sea service but understand if you go Marines you will probably be boots on the ground. AF is not a sea service.
Think about if you want to serve your country and what skills you will bring to that service. If you think Navy and Marines are “safer” think again.
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</p></li>
<li><p>I know schools will change my EFC and stuff if I do ROTC in school, but does it change just by winning it? Like I said, I’m not sure if I want to commit to one branch, so I guess the question I’m asking is, if I apply for a NROTC scholarship and say I win it, but then I decide to wait 4 years to see where life has taken me and what I want to do. Even though I turned down the scholarship, will USC still change my EFC from 27 grand, to something over the COA, like 55,000, because I COULD have accepted the scholarship? Or can I notify them in April before I send my deposit in, to see if they will change my EFC back down?</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, I know the USCG is extremely small, its the branch I’m most familiar with.
[UNITED</a> STATES COAST GUARD: COLLEGE STUDENT PRE-COMMISSIONING INITIATIVE](<a href=“http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-your-fit/officer-opportunities/programs/college-student-pre-commissioning-initiative]UNITED”>http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-your-fit/officer-opportunities/programs/college-student-pre-commissioning-initiative)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>This is the program I was talking about…and it looks like they changed the requirements recently. Last spring, it was aimed at minorities, but anyone could apply if they went to a school that was >25% minority. Now it appears to only be available for students at HBCU, Hispanic-serving U’s, etc… None of the schools are on my radar list, so it looks like I can cross this program off my list…</p>
<ol>
<li>Something about the Army has just never appealed to me and if I want to go to a combat service, I always just thought about the Marines.
And, I think it is safe to say, overall, the USMC is the most dangerous branch in the military. But that is just my opinion and I’m not going to join the Marines because I think it is “safer”.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>They reevaluate your financial aid when you are offered and accept the scholarship. This is true with any scholarship you win and accept. Your EFC doesn’t change. It is just the the scholarship is used first in making up the difference. For instance if USC costs $35000 for tuition and the coa is $47,000, the scholarship will pay $35000. If you efc is $12000 or more then you won’t get any additional aid. </p></li>
<li><p>You are right - the colleges are very limited. check out the coast guard academy and the maritime colleges.</p></li>
<li><p>If serving appeals to you I urge you to put away your prejudices and check out the Army. There are many different jobs and branches in the Army. The Army has the most options to paying for college. Right now there is a shortage of Army officers and Army ROTC scholarships are plentiful. It is much easier to get a Army scholarship than Navy or AF.</p></li>
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<p>coollege, I suggest you seriously put AFROTC on your list, up a little higher. As a former AFROTC scholarship holder, AF pilot and current airline pilot, I admit I’m a little biased. But if you think you are truly interested in flying, well, the Air Force is where the action is. Most everything in that service is built around aviation. Yes, the thought of flying off a carrier is thrilling (though alot of people I know might describe it as terrifying), but (sorry Navy guys), I’m here to tell you that the saner pilots are in the Air Force and you Naval aviators know what I’m talking about! The Army has an important mission, but flying helicopters after you get out of the military is a very tough market, good luck getting a job with a dependable income. Right now the airlines aren’t doing so hot, but it still is a great career field for many of us, pay is still great for doing something enjoyable. And the Air Force has lawyers and many technical jobs also if you change your mind. You can fly fighters, cargo or tankers, there are many, many options. I’m not sure why you aren’t considering AFROTC first if you’re interested in flying.</p>
<p>Well, I have been looking at the AF a little bit and the AFROTC, but don’t like 85%+ of their scholly winners have to be science or engineering majors? I’m looking to major in Econ or political science. I thought NROTC had less stringent requirements like that, but according to the NROTC guy who came to my school, he said you could major in whatever you what, from electrical engineering to women’s studies and the Navy will pay for it. </p>
<p>So, I’m still going to apply and hope for the best, but not expecting anything. </p>
<p>Apparently, the AF has the highest quality of life, but my cousin has been stationed in places that were in the middle of nowhere, like South Dakota. Of course, there is the opposite, Hickam AFB is one of my favorite military bases and Andrews AFB and the one in Biloxi was pretty nice. Of course that is a petty reason to look at a future career, but where you live is kind of important.</p>
<p>Another thing about flying, is that I wear contact, but I believe my vision is correctable to 20/20, so apparently that should not be an issue. PRK sounds a little scary…</p>
<p>And the thing about helicopters is, I’d only like to fly them for the Coast Guard. Fixed wing sounds like a lot of fun, but flying search and rescue in a Jayhawk sounds like one of the most self-rewarding careers out there. Other than search and rescue, I don’t really think I want fly helicopters, which would make my parents happy, because they think they are still made with the “Jesus pins” (Which a Coastie pilot told me that they haven’t used that technology in a while). </p>
<p>Thanks, and yeah, I’m definitely going to look into AFROTC. Even if I can’t fly myself, being around planes would still be fun.</p>
<p>Yep, you are right, Navy bases are pretty much all located in places people like to live, and the AF does have some miserable assignments. On the other hand, you generally do have some choice in the matter (depends) and you will never have to do a tour on a boat or a submarine. I’d take Minot ND over that any day!</p>
<p>As far as the 85% tech/non-tech scholarship rule, I read on this thread that was for NROTC, and the policy had just changed to that. So verify what the recruiter said to you. ALWAYS verify what a recruiter says to you. I have no idea about AFROTC, I’d imagine they are heavy into technical scholarships also. When I went through, they said anything technical, math, engineering, comp sci, whatever. A friend of mine changed her major from engineering to communications and lost her scholarship, but kept her ROTC slot.</p>
<p>Don’t know about the specific vision requirement or what PRK is, sorry. Yes, flying fixed wing is definitely fun. You can fly medivac, and fly all sorts of rewarding missions. It was exciting watching the news, and every time there was something going on in the world–in a week you’d be there, involved in history. Many people think the US military is there purely to break things and kill people—but it is the largest humanitarian operation in the world. Any sort of disaster, we’re there, doing whatever we can.</p>
<p>A family member of mine was a Coast Guard rescue pilot for a long time. He did think it was very rewarding, but became irritated often when the rescues they were doing were these idiots who had gone out boating in terrible weather, and got themselves into trouble. So here they were costing the taxpayers money, putting people at risk by their own stupidity. But the Coast Guard does have great bases and a motivated and intelligent group of people to work with. I love all the services, but have a definite affinity for the AF and CG.
Good luck to you!</p>
<p>The 85% technical major / 15% non-technical majors for scholarship awards is now in effect for NROTC now as well.</p>
<p>Naval aviation (and prob. AF too) requires perfect vision. Pilots cannot wear glasses/contacts. PRK is allowable but under NO circumstances should you get PRK without prior approval. At USNA many midshipmen get PRK so they can be eligible for an aviation slot. </p>
<p>My S (Navy) wanted a SpecOps slot which also requires perfect vision. He found that Lasik is now acceptable for SpecOps so had the surgery over Winter Break of his junior yr. Anything of that natue must be approved or you can be considered medically disqualified.
Last I heard PRK was still the only approved surgery for pilots.
You can be a Flight Officer (back seat guy) with less than perfect vision.</p>
<p>Our DS is an AFROTC scholarship recipient, he got the full ride and he is a GOVT and Politics major. They do give them out, but you need strong stats to get one of them.</p>
<p>We are also biased as Bullet was a F-15E flyer for 20 yrs. Yes, there are some crappy bases, Almogordo is not the hottest place in the world, but then again, to some people they would take that over Norfolk.</p>
<p>DS also will be getting PRK next yr on the AF dime, it is not really that scary since they do it all the time.</p>
<p>
definitely check out Army ROTC.<br>
You could get lucky and get Schofield barracks.<br>
Forget “quality of life”. All of the good AF bases in really desireable locations have been closed. You, too could end up in South Dakota. But then that is why you get 30 days of leave a year. Even if you do end in up a really nice place, it will probably be short-lived then you will end up in a crappy base. </p>
<p>Know that if you go NROTC and major Econ or poli sci - you still need two semesters of Calculus AND calculus based physics. </p>
<p>Flying helicopters - you can do SAR in the Navy and Army too. It is scary thinking about flying helicopters when you wake up and see two crashes in the news. If you would let that bother you then don’t even think about flying them.
If you want to do what they do in the movie The Guardian then forget the other services and apply to the CGA or enlist and become a rescue swimmer.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Eglin, RAF Lakenheath, Ramstein, Aviano, Hill, Vegas, Randolph, Hickham, Shaw, Elmendorf, Bolling and Langley all still exist.</p>
<p>JAM is right you could also get hit with Canon, Mt Home, Pope, Minot or Korea too.</p>
<p>For the AF it really does come down to the jet that you fly on where you go. You will spend your career rotating out of those bases. For example, F-22, you will be at Langley or Elmendorf. Heavies you would be based out of Mildenhall, Shaw, Dover, Maquire, Pope, Hickham, etc. Strike Eagles you will be at Mt Home, RAF Lakenheath, and Seymour Johnson. Thus, you could be at some great places or some crappy ones, but it is driven by the airframe, the only time you will be able to select is when it comes time to fly a desk, and typically you will chose to go to a command, which is Hickham, Randolph, McDill, Ramstein or DC. All pretty cool places you get to go to.</p>
<p>Never join a service for any other reason than you want to be in that service. If you really want helo’s you need to go Navy, CG or Army. The AF does have helos, but very very few, thus, career wise it is not as beneficial as flying a fixed wing air frame.</p>
<p>Many people also do prefer the AF over other branches because of family life and deployments. In the AF people typically do a 1 yr remote, but they usually plan it and take it for a perk…i.e. xtrain into another plane or get to Hawaii or Alaska. The AF usually only does 4 month tours every 18 months in the sandbox, that is because of SOFA with these countries, thus, they rotate the jets out frequently. Those are things that people think about when signing papers.</p>
<p>Finally realize, if only flying appeals to you, please re-think it. You should have a goal, but be realistic there are a lot of hurdles you will need to clear before you get the wheels in the well. If you ask yourself what would I do if I don’t get my wings and you answer there is nothing I would want to do, than question if the military is a good fit for you. 8 yrs after pinning on the butter bars is a long time to serve in a job you hate.</p>
<p>
[quote=]
Finally realize, if only flying appeals to you, please re-think it. You should have a goal, but be realistic there are a lot of hurdles you will need to clear before you get the wheels in the well. If you ask yourself what would I do if I don’t get my wings and you answer there is nothing I would want to do, than question if the military is a good fit for you. 8 yrs after pinning on the butter bars is a long time to serve in a job you hate.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, I know definitely. Honestly, if I don’t get selected for flight school or something happens that DQs me, I’ll be disappointed, but it won’t be the end of the world. I’m thinking about trying to become a military aviator, but I like other aspects of all the branches. So if life takes me another direction, I’ll just go along. Flying would be nice, but it is not the be all end all for me. </p>
<p>Ok, with the 85/15 thing, when the Navy recruiter said it was a full ride scholarship and the Navy will let you major in whatever you want, that they don’t have quotas, my ears kind of perked up and I thought I should check up on it. Glad I did. </p>
<p>Base life and surrounding areas aren’t that important to me, but its a small consideration for me. But a family member in the CG has been stationed in the following places: Mobile, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Honolulu, NYC, DC, San Fransisco, and chose to retire in Cleveland(2nd tour there). Not too bad, all close to the water and some really neat cities on there. I know if I become an aviator, my options of where I could be sent are limited, but like I said, location is just gravy. </p>
<p>I know the military is the largest humanitarian organization in the world, but the CG is only branch that isn’t combat oriented and I like the saving lives part, no matter what job you have in the Coast Guard. </p>
<p>thanks everyone.</p>
<p>Good luck…you might want to check out [United</a> States of America Service Academy Forums - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“http://www.serviceacademyforums.com%5DUnited”>http://www.serviceacademyforums.com)</p>
<p>There is a great guy over there called LineInTheSand (or as we call him LITS) he is in the Coast Guard and may give you more insight.</p>
<p>There is a subsection for ROTC, which will help you with more info.</p>
<p>I would definetely check into the Navy ROTC 85/15 because for the AF typically only 15% will be offered to non-engineering majors, a lot of that section goes to people majoring in desired foreign languages.</p>
<p>As far as the bases/locations…trust me when you are assigned to Ft Dix, Edwards AFB or Norfolk for 3-4 yrs you will definetely care about the location.</p>
<p>There is one thing all military installations share in common regardless of the branch, right outside of the post as you drive up you will say OMG what have I gotten into since it is filled with Pawn shops, bars and disgusting hotels :D</p>
<p>That’s true, why is it that outside of every military installation the surrounding area is terrible! And the difference between the AF Bachelors Officers Quarters and Navy is extreme…compare a hotel to a small jail room. But they do have nice locations.</p>
<p>^^My Ensign S and his Ensign roommate are sharing an apt in FL. The BAH helps out.</p>
<p>BOQ’s are not permanent housing, you only get to stay in one if you are on TDY. For exmaple, the BOQ’s at SJAFB are very nice, (bedroom, kitchen, living room.dining area) but SJAFB is a “training” base, which means they will be there for @6 months or less. Go to Pope, and they are not pretty, they are hotel size. Pope does not expect the officer to be there for more than a few days. Again, it revolves around the mission of the base.</p>
<p>If you are pcs (moved) you only get a few weeks in the Q’s. The military makes it as uncomfortable as possible so you will move out quicker, and that starts with only giving 10 days of TLA (paying the Q’s). It is not uncommon for young officers to rent a home together when they PCS. Harder for someone who is a non-flyer. The reason is that training units have start dates, so a bulk of young officers come in together. These same officers will graduate at the same time and be sent to their operational squadrons at the same time, thus, they live in the q’s during that short training and when they go operational they already have some people they know and can decide to room together before their feet hit the base. The Public Affairs officer comes in by themselves, thus, it is harder for them.</p>
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</p>
<p>Yes, that is what I was going to mention, too. If you are really not a “math person”, you might need to reconsider NROTC. S1 also received an AFROTC scholarship as a non-technical major, but those are not easy to get.</p>
<p>
I guess this is a case of “your mileage may vary”. S1 reports for active duty next month at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, TX (another one of those NOT desirable bases), and is scheduled to begin UPT (undergraduate pilot training, aka flight school) in April of 2010. He will be staying in a BOQ, even though he will probably be there for a year and a half or so. They are not authorized to live off base unless they are married. </p>
<p>As for vision, S1 doesn’t remember exactly, but it’s something like if it’s 20/70 or 20/50 correctable to 20/20, then you don’t have to have PRK to be a pilot. For navigator, it can be slightly “worse” but still correctable to 20/20. He can’t remember the exact numbers, but if your vision is worse than that, then you must have PRK to be selected…period. Don’t do that ahead of time. You need to go through the ROTC office at your university to get the paperwork and approval to do that. You are lucky, Bullet; we had to pay for our son’s PRK! Also, only a certain percentage of pilot selections go to those who have had PRK.</p>
<p>S1 suggests that you go to [WantsCheck.Com</a> Military Flight Planning and Cadet Resources](<a href=“http://www.wantscheck.com%5DWantsCheck.Com”>http://www.wantscheck.com) . He said that every piece of info you could ever want about pursuing a pilot slot is there.</p>
<p>Finally, I would suggest you apply for ROTC scholarships from all of the branches. It doesn’t hurt to apply for Army ROTC. If you get Navy, then fine, but if you don’t, you can consider the Army option. You are not under obligation to accept the scholarship if it is offered to you.</p>
<p>Another thing…Bullet, you may know the answer to this…but I would think that all of the Navy’s planes are not fighters…in other words, they don’t all land on carriers. Is this correct?</p>
<p>S1 and his fellow future pilots are just sweating and hoping that they are not “selected” for flying drones.</p>
<p>Timely, you are correct. There are other types of Navy planes that are not assigned to carriers.</p>
<p>Also right about the Calc. and Physics. S’s NROTC unit lost several who just couldn’t make it through the classes.</p>
<p>
[quote=]
Know that if you go NROTC and major Econ or poli sci - you still need two semesters of Calculus AND calculus based physics.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote=]
Yes, that is what I was going to mention, too. If you are really not a “math person”, you might need to reconsider NROTC. S1 also received an AFROTC scholarship as a non-technical major, but those are not easy to get.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh, yeah I know. If I chose to major in Econ, I’d imagine I’d have to take a calc class or two and I’m not bad at math, but I’m certainly not going to major in it. Physics interests me, as far as sciences go, but I’m having a bad experience with it in H.S. </p>
<p>Thanks timely, that was very helpful and I’ll check out the link tomorrow.</p>