NROTC Mechanical Engineering

Paying for College
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<p>So just a few weeks ago I got a call from a Marine recruiter who wants me to sign up for the NROTC scholarship. I know that I'm late, but he said with my SAT scores, I'll be competative in the running. It sounds like a good deal, but I really don't know that much about it. </p>

<p>Sounds like they pay for your college, but you owe them 4 years of service after you graduate, and you have to work (what is it?) one weekend a month during school? Then of course, go to officer training between junior and senior year. My recruiter said that there was no other summer boot camp or PT though, just staying in shape with him at home. True?</p>

<p>I guess I just want to know what my commitments will be. Also, what kinds of engineering jobs might I be able to get in the Marine Corps as an officer and how dangerous will they be.</p>

<p>My real dream job would be to actually be designing military equipment and such. Would jobs like these be held more by civilian engineers with Ph.D's? My recruiter said a lot of these jobs are held by people who work for boeing. Maybe I'd be better off just doing this?</p>

<p>A lot of questions, I know, but any answers are much appreciated.</p>

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<p>NROTC pays full tuition for four years, fees, books, and a monthly stipend starting at $250 your freshman year and increasing by $50 every year. You can apply here: <a href=“https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/[/url]”>https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The application requires two essays, extensive list of ec’s, classes, and test information. Plan to dedicate at least six hours to it. You must also interview with I assume the marine recruiter that called you? </p>

<p>The military requirement is five years of active duty and three years of reserve duty upon you commission (which happens after graduation). You must attend a summer training session that lasts four to six weeks every summer after your freshman year (you get paid for it, though.) You do not “have to work on the weekends.”</p>

<p>Depending on which unit that you join, there may be mandatory morning PT. It just depends on the unit. Also, the scholarship does not pay room and board, although there are some colleges and universities that will foot the bill for you, or pay part of it. </p>

<p>You must be accepted into the college as well as receive the scholarship in order to take advantage of this opportunity. However, if you do not really want to be in the military, you may want to rethink this option. </p>

<p>NROTC scholarships are much more competitive than army ROTC scholarships simply because there are less of them to give out. On top of that, more students are applying than ever before, and less scholarships are being given out than previous years. </p>

<p>The January 15th deadline for many schools have passed, so I hope you have applied to a few schools with an NROTC unit by now. Not only must you win the scholarship, but you must also be accepted into the school AND be placed in the unit there in order for you to utilize the scholarship.</p>

<p>The deadline for the NROTC scholarship is January 31st. All transcripts, test scores, essays, information, and the hardest part to coordinate, the interview must be sent in before this date.</p>

<p>I recently have received an NROTC scholarship for the upcoming class of 2014 at Vanderbilt. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me. I know a lot about it. Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>As a marine officer you will not do engineering. You will lead young men and women into wartime and peacekeeping environments. All marines are considered riflemen. The work of actually designing weapon systems is performed by contractors like Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop-Grumman. Oversight of that design work is often done by military and civilian gov’t workers (usually in the Air Force or Navy). In none of these cases is a PhD required.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the information. It’s looking like this is not exactly what I had in mind for my future. </p>

<p>I would much rather be designing the weapons systems. Would mechanical engineering be the path to take?</p>

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<p>It is said that mechanical engineers build weapons; civil engineers build targets.</p>

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<p>dt123 You are leaving out many of my family who are electrical engineers for the above mentioned contractors.</p>

<p>LLaKHigh - find a school where you have choices; many, many kids think they want engineering and change their minds. That said, engineering majors have great job prospects and you usually can switch from one type to another along the way before graduation.</p>

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<p>d-mom No slight to your EE relatives intended. My son graduated with a BSEE and is now in the Navy, on a nuclear submarine. He is not engineering anything as far as I know, but is having a great time running the world’s most powerful weapon. The OP should know that the Navy has tremendous need for all kinds of engineers. So the NROTC gig is still worth checking into. </p>

<p>About Marines, my son says Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Expected. I have no idea what that means.</p>