NROTC and grad school?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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<p>Wow! I was shocked by the all of the replies, but I REALLY appreciate it! You guys are awesome. I've been hearing the same things about how it is better/easier to not do NROTC, but to get into a top law school and then apply for JAG. However, I'm still confused on how the Navy helps you pay for law school. Do they help you pay off loans or something??</p>

<p>The medical school scholarship program is called the Navy HPSP, and basically, it's a scholarship that you apply for during the senior year (i think) of your undergrad career and it pays for medical school plus a nice stipend each month. I think that it is similar to NROTC, but I'm not sure about the specifics of the Navy HPSP program. I do know that the other branches have the similar programs and I even think that they might go by the same name, like ROTC. If anybody knows anything else about either a) the law school program for JAG and/or b) the Navy HPSP please post a repsonse! Thanks again to everyone that replied.</p>

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<p>rovee, you are SO right! Everyone here is extremely helpful, unlike some of those in other threads. The JAG website answered a ton of my questions, so you might find it helpful to you as well. Here's one of the questions I found interesting.</p>

<ol>
<li>HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO OBTAIN A COMMISSION IN THE NAVY JAG CORPS?
Competition for commissions is extremely keen. Selection boards competitively screen candidates against the applications of their peers and are limited to a maximum 50% selection rate at each Board. There are no specific keys to selection. All candidates are judged on the whole-person concept and the best-qualified individuals are offered appointments contingent upon successful completion of the commissioning process (i.e. medical examination, background investigation and reference checks). Selection Boards review the following to make recommendations for commissioning: undergraduate academic performance, law school academic performance, LSAT scores, extra-curricular activities while an undergraduate and in law school, legal employment experiences, employment and athletic history while attending undergraduate and law schools, letters of recommendation (if submitted by the candidate), communication abilities, leadership and teamwork potential, motivation and the candidate’s reasons for seeking a commission in the JAG Corps as expressed in a written motivation statement. All applications include a formal appraisal interview by a senior Navy Judge Advocate as discussed in paragraph # 31 below. Candidates are reminded that recommendation for commissioning by a Selection Board is contingent upon successful completion of other vital commissioning requirements, as discussed in paragraph #29 below.</li>
</ol>

<p>All this time I thought I would go into NROTC if I didn't go to the Academy, but if I want to be a JAG officer, it doesn't look like I'll be doing either. :( It would be tough for me to let the scholarship and appointment go, but if this is what I decide I truly want to do, it doesn't look like I have much of a choice. For years I thought I would be an engineer. </p>

<p>And I thought just deciding between Harvard and the Academy were tough decisions. Ugh! Here I go again!</p>

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<p>Navgirl:</p>

<p>Good luck with your many decisions! I hate to say this, but it is entirely possible that you will change your mind again. My oldest daughter entered school thinking about a possible history/education major and ended up in International Relations and is now in her first year of law school. It wasn't until she was in school and was exposed to some interesting and exciting classes coupled with study abroad that she developed her choice of career path. It is a bit of a switch to move from history teacher to working in international law! That is part of the maturing process. It is quite alright to let your interests develop over the next years. Very few enter school knowing exactly what they want to do! If you are unsure, perhaps you are better off not being locked into a scholarship or appointment that will give you less flexibility. Again, best of luck.</p>

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<p>Navgirl-- lol, I know what you mean about making decisions. For me, it seems like I have different scenarios or paths I will take depending on scholarship decisions, school acceptances, financial aid pacakges, etc. and it's driving me crazy! :-)</p>

<p>Good luck w/ whatever you decide to do and make sure that it is something that you want to do. Like nyminute said, you might want to rethink being bound to something if you are unsure about what it is you want. (Good advice nyminute!... I thought it was cool that your daughter ended up majoring in Int'l Relations, going to law school, and I assume, wants to work in International Law because that is a lot like what I am interested in doing!)</p>

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<p>on changing your mind ... please do not feel you need to know what you are going to for the rest of your life now ... but do figure out what is the right thing to do now. Life is a journey and for the vast majority of us there will be changes in directions, some very big, almost all not predictable too far in advance. But that is OK ... our growth and experiences help us understand ourselves better and take us to new places and to new decisions. There is a string in the parent forum where people describe their personal and career histories ... look how many of them have switched around a fair amount in their careers ... in addition, I bet 90% could not, at age 18, have come close to guessing where they would be at 45. But that is the fun part ... explore, learn, and enjoy the trip as you figure out who you want to be when you grow up (a place I hope to never totally get to)</p>

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<p>Navgirl~It is wonderful that this issue was raised. We had looked into this earlier last summer. Whatever your choice remember you don't have to committ until year 2 at the Academy and after the first year of NROTC. There may be some advantage to "figuring it out" as you go. Your Harvard acceptance isn't based on ROTC either. It's sure a great place for undergraduate work towards a law degree! Have faith that you will figure it out! JM :-)</p>

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<p>"I read a recent post from a newly commissioned USNA grad. The post indicated that the military plans and anticipates their manpower needs well into the future. (5 to seven years) According to this ensign, he has received communication that there is an anticipated surplus of junior Naval officers."</p>

<p>My sources within BUPERS tell me that the information provided above is 100% wrong.</p>

<p>DeepThroat</p>

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<p>" I also know that the Naval Academy increased the number of billets for the Marines this year and decreased the number of pilot spots. I think that this was as a result of more mids wanting to join the Marines- but it there is probably more of a need for officers in the Marines than the Navy."</p>

<p>The number of Marine billets is fixed by Congress as no more than 1/6th of the graduating class . . .</p>

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<p>DT:
What is BUPERS?</p>

<p>I hope you are correct. I was only reporting a communication I had received and had been told I could pass along.
CM</p>

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<p>DT:
You are correct. Also, if an applicant is absolutely positive that he/she wants to be a Marine, then another route might be a better choice since a Mid is not guaranteed Marine option from the academy. I heard 240 Mids from this upcoming graduating class requested Marine Corps and only 170 something got it. Just something to think about.</p>

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<p>nyminute & JM, </p>

<p>As if my choices weren't tough enough, I received a likely letter from Yale the other day. I had my interview on the 17th, along with another one the same day for Princeton. I have yet to hear from Princeton, though. My parents went to Princeton and Yale, so I'm a legacy.</p>

<p>One of my very good friends got into Princeton ED (I applied RD) and he says I should wait until I hear from all the schools I applied to before making a decision. Says I shouldn't sell myself short by deciding now before all of my options are on the table.</p>

<p>I had a long talk with my uncle late last night about the Academy and naturally, he would love to see me go there, but he was very helpful and supportive and made me look at some things I hadn't given much thought to before.</p>

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<p>Navgirl:
You have some great choices to make! And, some very different ones at that. USNA is certainly very different from the civilian choices. You are also lucky enough to have the option of going NROTC. Although the Ivies are all excellent schools, the environment of the community around them is very different. Boston is a great city with many things to do. Having lived in that area, I can't say enough nice things about it. The only drawback is the weather which can be brutal at times in the winter. New Haven is not an area that I am very fond of. Yale is a beautiful oasis in a rather lousy area. Princeton is nice, very suburban. All 3 are very different communities and would give you very different experiences. My advice would be to visit those schools once again that you are considering, if possible. It would be great if you could spend the night on campus. Amtrak could take you to New Haven and Boston with plenty of downtime for reflection. Do you have any breaks coming up? My experience with all three of my college age children is that they knew in their hearts where they really wanted to be. Your challenge is to spend some time alone and really think about what it is that YOU really want. It is very hard to tune out the pressures from those around you that are happy to give you their opinions. Your friend is right, you have until May 1 to make your decision. Take all the time that you want.</p>

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<p>Bureau of Naval Personnel.</p>

<p>DeepThroat</p>

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<p>From what I've heard, if you want to go JAG, its definitly easier through NROTC, so is MedCorp. In fact, on my candidate weekend I talked to a girl who got out as a youngster, joined an NROTC unit to go to Medical School. </p>

<p>Abouth the glut of Junior officers, becuase of the connections the Academy creates, if they were to start weeding out officers going to the Academy may help you out. Not necissarily becuase its better training, but just because you went there. </p>

<p>Any questions...feel free to hit me up!</p>

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<p>Why not just wait until your NROTC active duty commitment is over and then go to Law School?</p>

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<p>I have a friend that is in NROTC and he asked his XO about JAG for me. He told him that you would need to go to law school for a year and then apply to JAG. He didn't recommend NROTC if you're thinking JAG. After looking it up on the JAG website (posted this info earlier), it is extremely difficult to get in and only about 50% are chosen from each board to be commissioned. Keep in mind that it's still the "whole person" concept.</p>

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<p>rovee, made any decisions yet? PM me!</p>

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<p>ok, well i know its been awhile, but i've done some more research and i've found some info regarding the policy on grad school for people in rotc.</p>

<p>Graduate School</p>

<p>Another “career opportunity” of sorts for midshipmen is the chance to go to graduate school. You may be interested in order to pursue a field of study that sparked your interest as an undergrad, or to help advance your career (both in and out of the military). Most of the Navy and Marine Corps’ graduate school programs are for people who have finished their first tour; for example, junior officers at NROTC units usually are able to work on a masters degree. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on those opportunities that exist to do graduate school before your first tour: </p>

<p>• Finish in four years Hot-running midshipmen who can squeeze in masters requirements as well as their BS/BA can finish in four years. This usually works best for humanities majors; for example, now-LTJG Deal finished both a bachelors and masters degree in English at Stanford in four years. </p>

<p>• Finish in four-and-a-half (or four-and-a-third) years Another option is to take a personal leave of absence for one semester/quarter, but continue to take classes (often at another university, which can be cheaper). Since the Navy “owes” you four full years of tuition, this gives you an extra quarter/semester to finish up your graduate school. MIDN Moses did this option, studying in Australia during his LOA. </p>

<p>• Graduate School LOA
A relatively obscure section of the NROTC Administrative Manual (NAM) notes that one can apply for a year’s LOA in order to pursue graduate studies. As you are on leave of absence, it is up to you to pay for tuition and living expenses. You have to send in a copy of your acceptance letter to the graduate program, as well as a letter from the CO, at the start of your 1/C year. I did this option, and will be finishing up my masters next spring, to be commissioned with the now-2/C midshipmen. </p>

<p>• “Scholarship Program”
The Navy offers a “Scholarship Program” allowing a select number of midshipmen to attend graduate school after being commissioned but before going to their first duty assignment. As a prerequisite, you must have received acceptance to graduate school as well as a scholarship that covers at least 25% of your tuition. The advantage of this program over the LOA is that you are commissioned, so you receive full pay and benefits. The disadvantage is that you incur additional service obligation, three years for each year you’re in graduate school. However, this service is served concurrently with your existing NROTC obligation, so if you finish your grad school in one year, there is effectively no additional obligation! See the “Resources” section of this article for more information about the Scholarship Program.</p>

<p>I hope that helps! Keep in mind that you have to get permission to do any of these grad programs and that one of the requirements is that you will be able to finish grad school in 18 months. See, I dont know how this would work w/ like law school, but if anybody has any answers, feel free to post 'em!</p>

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<p>rovee, have you made a decision yet?</p>