ROTC or not

[goin_in_the_army]

im wanting to enlist into the army but i talked to a man about it and he recommended going into an ROTC program in college so now Im not sure.To me going into the army after four years of college going through PT sounds appealing.but I think people should bea solder before becoming an officer.plz correct any false information and add any thing that may be missing about ROTC and enlisting so that I can make a better judged decision.thank you.

 

[Sybaris]

im wanting to enlist into the army but i talked to a man about it and he recommended going into an ROTC program in college so now Im not sure.To me going into the army after four years of college going through PT sounds appealing.but I think people should bea solder before becoming an officer.plz correct any false information and add any thing that may be missing about ROTC and enlisting so that I can make a better judged decision.thank you.

You should talk to the administrators of the ROTC program at the college you want to attend. Nothing is better than first hand knowledge.

As far as experiencing enlisted life prior to becoming an officer ............ yes, there may be some added insights gained but the role of an officer is much different than that of an enlistee.

 

[daveleau]

It can be difficult to become an officer after enlisting. You are at the mercy of your commander and your deployment schedule when it comes to getting a degree, if you don't have one already. Great officers are not built from the enlisted ranks, but from those that are sympathetic to the enlisted ranks and listen (truly listen) to their inputs. Being enlisted first often hampers your ability to be an officer because other officers are unfortunately biased against prior-enlisted officers.

If you want to be an officer, go to college first and then go to the USA either through a recruiter or ROTC. If you go through ROTC, you are more likely to get the job you want, as recruiters are given few officer opportunities since few applicants for officership some through recruiters.

I was Army ROTC in college before joining the USAF. I have enjoyed every minute of it and have noticed that while the prior-enlisted officers are on average better leaders, they do not corner the market on leadership. The key is not having a big "I'M AN OFFICER!" ego and listening to inputs without trying to steal limelight from others.

If you'd like to talk privately, PM me and I'll give you my phone number or email. I am not going to try to recruit you, but try to give you correct information on what to expect.

God bless,
(Lt) Dave

 

[Living4Him03]

I agree talk to the ROTC people at the college you want to attend. Talk to people who are in ROTC there. I have a friend who did ROTC and is now an officer in the Army. It worked out really well for him and he doesn't owe loans back, which is definitely a plus, among many other benefits of ROTC. I was not in it myself, but my friends who did ROTC at my school seemed to really like it...it gave them more confidence and helped them in so many areas of life...helped them get an education. And they are serving their country as they wanted to do. However, it may not be for you. Pray about it and talk to some people at your school that have been in ROTC or are currently in it and see what they say about it.

 

[HeatherJay]

Well, like daveleau said, if you want to be an officer at some point, it's probably better to go through ROTC...you have to have a college degree to be an officer, so might as well get it before you're being moved from station to station. If you're content to work through the enlisted ranks and be an NCO (non-commissioned officer) then just go straight in without ROTC. Maybe this guy recommended that you go through ROTC and college first because he was trying to steer you away from the current combat situation? We'll probably still be there in 4 years, but the combat may not be so severe. Unless this man was a recruiter ( ) then he most likely had your best interests at heart.

 

[david.d]

After serving in the AF for 2 years and having friends that went through ROTC for the Army and AF, I would recommend ROTC. I now wish I had gone to the AF Academy or VMI, but I do love my enlisted job and there are no Officers in my career field. It will be an incredible experience no matter what you choose, just seek the Lord and he'll open the right doors.

 

[honeybear06]

Before making any decisions you should get as much information as you can from as many sorces as you can find. You may also want to talk to a recruiter, especially if you are not yet attending college. The army has something called the Montgomery GI Bill, it basically pays for your college or a good portion of it anyhow and you get the option of whether or not you want to do college first then fulfill your military contract or vice-versa. ROTC is a great program for anyone looking to join the military, it gives you a heads up on the basics and what to expect from the military. Being in ROTC doesn't mean you have to join as an officer, but it can help you come into the military with a little more rank, most college people come in at an E-4 rank, which makes it easier to work your way to the top. The Army also offers a "green to gold" program where you, if qualified, go to school to become an officer after joining as an enlisted soldier. Again, this is the Army, I don't know about the other branches... just remember the more information you have the better informed decision you can make. One last thing, if you do decide to do anything with the military, make sure you read ALL of the fine print, make sure you get a signing bonus, GI Bill, and you can even pursuade them to give you the duty station of your choice as long as you get it written in your contract. They may tell you, "well, you just can't do that, it doesnt work that way", but trust me it does... we need all the soldiers we can get especially at a time like this and they will work with you as long as you keep hold of the gumption that you know what what you want. Hope this helps and if there's anything else I can do for you just let me know. Good luck and God Bless.

 

[honeybear06]

something I forgot to mention, the respect that you get from your soldiers comes in two forms: 1) because you outrank them and they have to (coming in as an officer), or 2) because you have been in their position, you've got knowledge and experience. I've had to take commands from college officers who knew less about the Army than I did and were still arrogant about their status, it doesn't paint a pretty picture. Please try to keep that in mind.

 

[alien2earth]

Hey,

Well, I'm thinking about joining the army under the ROTC, though only because the college I want to go to doesn't offer Navy/Marines. In my case I've already been enlisted, but that's because I was too lazy to look for college while in high school. Now that I'm looking to enter college I have the G.I. Montgomery Bill, Marine Corps College Fund and will be in the army ROTC.

Check out the GI Bill...http://www.military.com/Resources/ResourcesContent/0,13964,32674,00.html

Army ROTC...http://www.military.com/Education/Content?file=army_rotc.htm

And each service has something like the Marine Corps College Fund. Which is like a bonus on top of the GI Bill. If you figure that on top of my GI bill (along with a 'kicker' -pay $600 to get $5400 added to your GI Bill) I should get about $68,000 towards college from the gov.

The link to the ROTC should tell you better about how much you can get from that source- $60 to 70,000. So, I'm looking at 'bout $130,000 for college.

 

[Glaz]

im wanting to enlist into the army but i talked to a man about it and he recommended going into an ROTC program in college so now Im not sure.To me going into the army after four years of college going through PT sounds appealing.but I think people should bea solder before becoming an officer.plz correct any false information and add any thing that may be missing about ROTC and enlisting so that I can make a better judged decision.thank you.

I'd say do it, because once you get in as enlisted it might not be as simple to get into ROTC especially with the current operation tempo. Plus, the kind of leader you become is based on YOU and what effort you put into it, not on whether or not you were an enlisted man once. There are good officers who were never enlisted, and just the mere fact that your concerned about it tells me you don't need to be an enlisted soldier or NCO to understand they deserve the utmost respect from you as an officer.

 

[goin_in_the_army]

you all are realy helping me out.i have 7 years if i go through ROTC(hopefully iraq will be done)lol.the only thing that will keep me from going in is if my cousin doesnt come home.hes in iraq.the guy i talked to is not a recruter.hes a good friend and i think hes telling me about ROTC to keep me out of iraq as long as possable.well thank you for all this.God bless