Thinking of ROTC for college?

[lynyrdsky1]

Im a Junior in High School right now but ive already started thinking about college and well im a good student(now atleast) but im not sure if im going to afford college since my parents have specifically told me that they wont pay and also they told me not to get student loans. But i have been thinking of ROTC because some people have told me they will help you with paying for college and it is also a great experience. If any of you on here have any experience with it i would be thankful to hear some feedback on it.

[Grey Wolf]

Why won't your parents go to bat for you ??????????

[Root beer]

You live in Tennessee, get the grades for the lottery scholarship. ROTC here at ETSU will pay for your housing. (the amount they pay will vary base on year in the program.) I assumed it the same everywhere else. You can get a lottery scholarship to cover huge chunk of tuition or all of your tuition depending on your parents' income.

If you still need a student loan, just tell your parents to hush. You can get a student loan without their signature and all that. My dad will not pay a dime of my student loan (even though it really small.) it all my responsibility. Student loan is what I call a lender of last resort. The only thing my dad does for me is money for food and books. Scholarship pays my tuition and fees, loan pays my rent, daddy pays my food. lol.

Edit: Look into a community college in your area, even if you get a small lottery scholarship award it could cover all of your tuition at a community college, then when you set to transfer you could get a transfer scholarship on top of the lottery. I did two years at a community college for free. This is my third year and I just now took out a student loan. I got beat out for the transfer scholarship, they only award two people a year or something. Oh well. 

[Tin]

Do what you must. I would take student loans (especially with such low interest rates right now) over ROTC. Given that they won't help you I don't think they have the right to tell you not to take out loans to better your life. It's your life and sometimes you have to bite the bullet to succeed in the future. Just make college worth while no matter what you do and work your *** off.

Oh yea...community college can be your BEST friend if you do it right.

[Root beer]

I almost went out-of-state too, but I wised up when I realized I could get more paid for staying in-state than going out-of-state. It lessen the burden of debt after graduation. Just get your GPA up and you'll rack up some lottery scholarships. However, if you slip below 3.0 in college you lose your lottery scholarship and I'm pretty sure once you lose it, you don't get it back. Or it very hard to get back. I know some people that lost it and cannot get it back.

I cannot remember all of the lottery requirements, but it was something like that. I got a different scholarship. I never applied for lottery since I was at the community college for free, but when I got to ETSU I already had so many credit hours and it made me ineligible to receive the lottery.

[bweave09]

I live with 2 ROTC kids and they are doing very well for themselves. This is all only what I have gathered in the 2 years that I have known them and it may not be 100% accurate. Here's how it works for them:

They have full ROTC scholarships through the Navy (up to $180,000). They both had very good grades in high school and lots of extracurriculars. I have been told that letters of recommendation can be just as important though, so if you know anyone high ranking in the military, go ahead and ask. The Navy covers their tuition and books. They pay only for housing and food. On top of that, they get paid every month. I think you start at 250 dollars per month and make an additional 50 dollars per month each of the next three years. It's a huge commitment though, as they PT 3 days a week and they have to get up around 5:15 or so on those three days. On top of that, Naval Science is a required minor and they are also required to take physics and extra calculus. They have drill practice Thursdays for two or three hours as well. They both seem to like it and my third roommate liked it when he was in the program.

They got to go to Mardi Gras last year because they had a drill competition and during the summer they get paid for "training" that involves shooting guns and riding in airplanes. It seems like a great program to me and I say if you can get the scholarship, then go for it. However, they tell me that if you are in it for the scholarship, you might have a hard time. You have to want to do it for more than the money. Again, this is only what I have gathered from them, as I am not in the Navy ROTC program...I'm just the half drunk roommate with a fishing problem. Good luck to you!

[Micro]

I went through 4 years of ROTC in college ('84-'88). The vast majority of cadets did not have a scholarship. However, every cadet (3rd and 4th year only) received a monthly stipend of $100 to help defray the costs of uniforms and such. Not much help. And not sure how much it is these days.

Back then, I had to go to advanced camp the summer between my 3rd and 4th year at Ft. Bragg for 6 weeks. During your 4th year you will likely serve in some cadet cadre position running the program. If you are in Army ROTC, you will get branched during your 4th year (ie. infantry, armor, aviation, etc). Upon graduation, you will go to Officer Basic Course for whatever you branched for however many weeks you that particular OBC course is. Then you will report to your unit to start your career as an officer.

Things may be a bit different now. But ROTC was a college course. Unless you had a scholarship, it didn't help with costs except to the extent of the monthly stipend. You took it if your wanted a commission as an officer after graduation.

[Grey Wolf]

I mean my parents got this thing where they say "we will support you but we wont pay for anything, we wont give you any help or encouragement in anyway, but if anyone asks we helped"

What a shame , they are punishing you for something somebody else did and want you to lie about them helping you. You have my sympathy.

[bowfish12]

I went through 4 years of ROTC in college ('84-'88). The vast majority of cadets did not have a scholarship. However, every cadet (3rd and 4th year only) received a monthly stipend of $100 to help defray the costs of uniforms and such. Not much help. And not sure how much it is these days.

Back then, I had to go to advanced camp the summer between my 3rd and 4th year at Ft. Bragg for 6 weeks. During your 4th year you will likely serve in some cadet cadre position running the program. If you are in Army ROTC, you will get branched during your 4th year (ie. infantry, armor, aviation, etc). Upon graduation, you will go to Officer Basic Course for whatever you branched for however many weeks you that particular OBC course is. Then you will report to your unit to start your career as an officer.

Things may be a bit different now. But ROTC was a college course. Unless you had a scholarship, it didn't help with costs except to the extent of the monthly stipend. You took it if your wanted a commission as an officer after graduation.

Micro, it hasn't changed that much. They still do everything you just said, except I think they go to Lewis now. I had a 3 year scholarship and blew it.

If you will get your grades up (above 3.2) before you graduate you have a very good chance of getting at least a partial scholarship to Austin Peay for ROTC.

Your ACT score is high enough. I had a 3.5 GPA and I believe a ACT of 25 coming out of high school and that's what they offered me.

You are also going to have the desire to finish that and the peace of mind that you have a good chance of being shipped off when you finish school.

It's tough, if I were you I would go ahead and get in a routine to pass the PT test as soon as you get in school. You will have to pass it before the scholarship starts.

Another good thing to do is start thinking really hard at what degree you want. Yea you have 2 years of core classes to do, but it will benefit you if you already know what you want to do. Some of those cores for some degrees here at APSU are requirements for certain degrees.

I'm having to take other core classes that I have finished b/c when I started I didn't know what I wanted to do and now I'm having to retake some cores to fill the requirements for my degree.

[Catt]

Air Force ROTC @ University of Memphis, Tennessee State University, & the University of Tennessee.

http://afrotc.com/

[tyrius.]

since my parents have specifically told me that they wont pay and also they told me not to get student loans.

If your parents are not going to help you at all, then I wouldn't listen to their "advice" either.

Depending upon what you want to do I'd find a good 2-year community college and go there.  Then if you still want to keep going you can transfer to get your 4 year degree.

Student loans aren't all that bad either.  I'm still paying mine off, but at like 3% interest I'm not too worried about it.  At that rate, I'd like to extend the payments for like 50 years, but 10 is all I get (after consolidation).

[lynyrdsky1]

Hey i apologize but what i  have written on here i was disrespectful to my parents and i deleted what i wrote i would appreciate that who ever quoted it will delete as well.

[roadwarrior]

State funding  will cover nearly everything at the University

of Memphis. If you live at home, the total cost is very low.

Additional funding is readily available.

[Munkin]

Check with the ROTC program to see what they offer. Make sure you know the commitment before agreeing to anything. ROTC commissions active duty and reserve officers so be aware of which one you agree to.

Besides straight ROTC the National Guard has something called Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). SMP is where you enlist in the Guard and participate one weekend a month for drill. The deal is  you are a officer in training and even though you are a part of the unit you cannot deploy because of ROTC. Most of the officers commissioned for the Guard have this type of ROTC scholarship.

Allen

[Catt]

Graduate

Enlist in the USAF

Enter the Avionics field

Great career path & training

Excellent pay advancement

Home in your bed every night

[farmpond1]

Graduate

Enlist in the USAF

Enter the Avionics field

Great career path & training

Excellent pay advancement

Home in your bed every night

I agree with Catt.  Or if avionics isn't your thing, pick something else.  But unless you are are simply clueless about what you want to do, don't let the Air Force pick.  Otherwise, you may wind up arse deep in snow guarding some missile silo.  In any event, sign up for the GI Bill and, while you are in the Air Force, take some classes through the Community College of the Air Force or at the the local college or online.  HOWEVER, only do this if you have no reservations about joining the service.  It is a committment of the highest order with some potentially serious ramifications.

[helms83]

My 2 cents (from a guy who has been in for 8 years, 6 Active Army)...

I have had a bad taste with ROTC graduated officers in the Army. very few have turned out to be "leaders." I feel this is because the instructors fill the cadets heads and then let them get away acting certain ways (to keep recruiting and numbers up). I took a year of ROTC after I joined the guard in 02, and the way these 'cadets' spoke and treated a senior NCO who had served 20+ YEARS. Granted, not all are bad, but IMO, there is a better way...

Every officer that I have had who was prior enlisted has been AMAZING! They took the time to learn about the enlisted side, and then became an officer. There are programs such as Green-to-Gold that allows enlisted to go to school and become officers. You can also go to school while serving; lots of free money and opportunities to earn a degree while you are serving w/o using your GI Bill. There are other options as well.

Look at the job opportunities in each service and how you can apply it in the civilian world. Some jobs in the Army can't be applied to civilian experience; some can be, but civilian world won't take your experience; some are good. Air Force has alot of civilian related experience. Some jobs are only offered in Army or the Air Force, etc.

Also, if deployments are a concern; risk, length, where to, etc think before you pick. Air Force typically have shorter deployments (roughly 6 months) and most of the airmen live much better than the other branches when deployed. Also, they truely travel the world to deploy. Army has longer deployments (usually 12 months), live a little rougher, and typically go to where the action is. So think about what you want.

The choice is ultimately yours, just my 8+ years of experience.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I just heard a young guy on the radio that wrote a book about paying for college without debt or help. One thing he said is to plan and save. You have two years. If you work 20 hours a week and save $5/hr you'll have $10,400 to start. Two more years at a community college, working PT.... There's no sense in getting an education just to be an indentured servant to student loan companies. My son looked into ROTC too. It didn't look like a bad deal.

[SirSnookalot]

I graduated from military school in 1963, 3 years r.o.t.c. was enough for me.  Went to Univ of Mich where I worked at an A & P stocking shelves on the night shift.  May not sound like much these days but in 1964 $2.75 an hour was a lot of money, people were raising families on that.

[Micro]

I have had a bad taste with ROTC graduated officers in the Army. very few have turned out to be "leaders." I feel this is because the instructors fill the cadets heads and then let them get away acting certain ways (to keep recruiting and numbers up).

It has everything to do with the cadre.  I'm not sure how an officer gets a ROTC instructor gig, but I get the distinct impression that most of them are on the last leg of their own careers. 

Every officer that I have had who was prior enlisted has been AMAZING!

That's my impression, too.  Another bunch that have impressed the heck out of me are Warrant Officers.  Of course, we know where they come from, too.