<p>HI! Anyone out there a current or former member of US NAVAL ROTC at DUKE and can tell us what they think of the program there? Daughter hoping for USNA but thought this might be a great back-up plan. Any info appreciated! GO NAVY!</p>
<p>I'm a Midshipman here at Duke and have loved the experience. While the Academy has a strong sense of tradition, I came to the conclusion that I could have the military as long as I want after I'm commissioned, but can only have a typical college experience at this point of my life. I digress...</p>
<p>There is a good camaraderie among the midshipmen - there are about 45 of us on campus, the largest of any ROTC on campus. Our relative size is often a point of pride - you'll always see fellow mids around campus when in uniform. Also, students are involved in everything imaginable on campus. Myself and other girls are in different sororities, most guys are in different frats, and we have varsity and club athletes. I'm in the orchestra with some other midshipmen and others sing in the Duke Chorale. Despite these varied interests, we all come together to be part of some larger than just ourselves. We have weekly PT, Naval Science Courses, and Battalion Labs in which we broaden our professional knowledge and skills (with guest speakers, drill labs, etc). There are also various other activities throughout the semester, from formal and semiformal balls to paintball. And when a hurricane doesn't put a wrench in things, we travel down to Tulane for the Mardi Gras Drill Meet - there's nothing quite like it! NROTC at Duke affords one the chance to get an amazing education in ANY major, take part in the life of any other college student, and be a Midshipman in the US Navy. It's a pretty remarkable deal. And summer training is also amazing - tax-payers provide for once in a lifetime experiences! Feel free to ask any other questions!</p>
<p>I'm a former MIDN in the program and still do some work with the battalion here. I'm a big fan :)</p>
<p>LEX.. Thank you for your post. I have tons of questions if you have time to answer :).
Was DUKE your first choice for NROTC? </p>
<p>Did u apply for the NROTC scholarship first or first apply to college?</p>
<p>Does NROTC pay for EVERYTHING? Books, Board, Tuition, etc?</p>
<p>Did you do a basic training type course Summer before your Fresh year?
If so, when (how early before Actual school started) and where did u have to report before Fresh yr started?</p>
<p>You said you and other were also in the Greek System .. Several different Greek Orgs or did you all generally pledge the same Org? (ZETA TAU ALPHA Sister here). You didnt see the NROTC group as its own Fraternal Org?</p>
<p>I think u said 45 Peeps in NROTC... How many Men vs Women?</p>
<p>The Physical requirements... How did u do on the Pull-ups? This is a Hard thing for Women! :)</p>
<p>And what do you plan to do after graduation?</p>
<p>OK.. I think that is it for this round! LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE TIME! CHEERS!</p>
<p>Yes, Duke was my first choice. </p>
<p>I got my NROTC Scholarship before my senior year started and thus decided to apply Early Decision to Duke - definitely a great choice. I had visited colleges (and NROTC units) the previous summer and had figured out where I wanted to go (that and, with my scholarship to my first choice, Duke, it was my job to actually get into the university).</p>
<p>NROTC pays tuition and fees (this semester, 16K), books, and a monthly stipend (250 as a freshman, increasing 50 dollars each year). It doesn't cover room or board.</p>
<p>The summer before freshman year, you arrive about 5 days before freshman move in day and participate in Orientation - basically a somewhat short indoc period where you learn about the Navy in a high intensity environment. While it's not indicative of the the rest of your time as a midshipman, it's a motivating taste of what one goes through at boot camp, etc. There's PT, uniform inspections, leadership training, sailing, knowledge, drill, etc. The summer after your freshman year is CORTRAMID (Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen). This is when you spend a week with each community (Subs, Surface, Aviation, Marine Corps).</p>
<p>As for sororities, a number of different ones are represented NROTC. Some have a tradition of Navy girls, but there definitely isn't one that EVERYONE has to join. For instance, my good friend in my class is in a different sorority than I am. Also, since sororities aren't residential, it is a bit different than at other schools. I joined a sorority as compliment NROTC - which is basically a giant fraternity established in 1775 (in a good way). I felt a sorority would help add another dimension to my time here, which it definitely has. </p>
<p>There are about 35 men vs. 10 women.</p>
<p>The physical requirements are very manageable for women - especially if you've played sports and such in high school. The PRT (Physical Readiness Test) consists of a 1.5 mile run, as many sit-ups as you can do in 2 minutes and as many push-ups as you can do in 2 minutes. You can fool around with this calculator to get a feeling for what a score consists of (overall scores are outstanding, excellent, good, satisfactory - the better your score, the fewer PT sessions you attend each week). You're doing great if you score in the excellent category. <a href="http://comilstd.org/nav_prt_cal.htm%5B/url%5D">http://comilstd.org/nav_prt_cal.htm</a></p>
<p>At the moment, I'm deciding between being a Surface Warfare Officer or a Helicopter pilot.</p>
<p>lex -- I have an NROTC scholarship to Duke next year, but I've accepted my appointment to the Naval Academy. If I contact Duke now, will they be able to give someone else a scholarship in my place? I've been waiting to give it up in case I get injured before Plebe Summer starts (because they can take away my appointment) and to see if I even get into Duke.</p>
<p>I'm honestly not sure what you should do in your case. However, if you were to get injured during plebe summer, I'm not sure if you'd be medically eligible for an NROTC Scholarship.</p>
<p>And ignore that website/PRT calculator in my previous post - after further inspection, the numbers are quite a bit off.</p>