ROTC
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Hey, so im a freshman in uni, and im majoring in aerospace and mechanical engineering.
And I've been thinking about doing rotc.
I just want to know any of ur guys experiences in ROTC and whats it like being commissioned right out of college as an officer.
Also, im interested in becoming an infantry officer, armor officer, or being a part of the corp of engineers.
And i as wondering if i should change my major to something easier to have a better chance of being commissioned as active duty?
Oh and if any of you guys have experience in combat as a platoon leader?
Thanks
i done army rotc in high school and it was kinda fun actually, but at the end of the day you're a wannabe soldier if you take it serious.
>now im 11b and rotc didnt help me at all
>>28883302
Don't do it
It's a waste of time pretending to do army and it won't help you at all. Just enjoy college and then try to get a commission. Army will still pay off your loans
>>28883365
But isnt OCS a lot more competitive?
>>28883376
Depends if you're active or reserve/guard
>>28883417
I want to be active
>>28883432
Then yeah, it's gonna be competitive. You're going to have to worry about the OML.
>>28883376
It is a lot more competitve, so don't be a shitbag.
ROTC sucked and fucked me over. I was scholarship and ranked high in the battlation, so I wasn't a shitbag. My junior year I wanted to Study abroad, but got my request denied for no reason other than 'hurr durr no.'
Okay, well, fuck it I guess I'll just drop ROTC and go OCS.
Apply to OCS, former CO didn't like that I left to study abroad.
>ANON IS A SHITBAG WITH NO COMMITMENT DEFINIELTY DO NOT TAKE HIM.
Oh. Okay.
>mfw I got denied while frat bros who partied all 4 years and did whatever they wanted get accepted to OCS no problem.
So, why did I do ROTC again? I clearly should have just gone to college, had fun, and done OCS afterwards like the other guys.
ROTC only restricts what you can do.
>>28883454
What is OML?
AND I think doing rotc would be my best option to get commissioned l.
>>28883469
OML is like a ranking system of who they best candidates are. It's also a reason why a lot of officers are cutthroat shitbags because some candidates fuck others over to get a higher score. It's important because if you graduate top 10% you can choose what you want to branch.
Honestly, just listen to >>28883468. I
>>28883517
But how does OCS correlate to having a better chmce of getting my desired branch?
>>28883468
Fuck.
I'm in a similar situation as you. I want to do ROTC, but I'm in a program where Study Abroad is mandatory, and I really want to do it. I'm so torn about everything.
>>28883782
If you talk to them ahead of time, they SHOULD understand. Especially if it's mandatory.
On the other hand, like I said, it kind of only serves to put you under a microscope for a longer period of time. More chances to screw up and ruin your chances of getting what you want.
At least, that was my experience.
>>28883635
Do you mean OML?
Because the idea is the best candidates are the ones that will be most effective in the branch that they. OR, it's a reward for the candidates who are the best.
Each class has only X amount of slots open for each branch. So it can get pretty competitive. The top 3 are aviation, MI, and infantry.
>>28883813
Are you in the military now?
>>28883335
JROTC (what you did in high school) is not the same thing as ROTC (which you do in college and come out as an officer)
>>28883865
Nope, couldn't get back in because of my previous ROTC record. Every single time I had to get a waiver and couldn't get past it.
I'm currently applying for the WOFT program and National Guard OCS. It's been a few years and my resume is solid (I ended up getting a good job and stayed in shape) so we'll see if this works out.
>>28883926
oh damn, I'm a sophomore in your shoes, but left on good terms (i would like to think) and didn't take a scholarship.
Marine Corps PLC OSO didn't seem to care.
>ROTC
Do you want to get literally zero respect from the men you command in the future? Go ROTC.
>>28884188
Not really. Academyfags are the ones nobody respects. ROTC officers are just ordinary, some are and some are not respected.
t. - Soldierfag
>>28883302
You certainly write like an engineering major
>>28884213
chill anon, he's in Psych 101 and freshman writing, hasn't hit the diff eq gatekeeping classes yet
>>28884209
Academyfags get respect from the officers above them in their old-boys club, though. ROTCfags have to dodge their rep from both directions.
>>28883892
i know, but ya never know some high school kid could be k/ and want to know this question also.
>>28884143
It all depends on your CO. Mine was a douche. If yours is reasonable you'll be fine.
>>28884209
what about ocs
>>28883302
I got a question.
If I'm enlisted active duty with no college degree, could I go reserve, spend four years going through college and ROTC, and then go back in active duty commissioned?
>>28884242
>diff eq
>hard
i took just intro to ordinary diff eq, dunno if theres another after
>>28884313
Yeah, at least in air force you can, idk about other branches, one of my commanders did something similar to that.
>>28884270
That's exactly why the ROTCfags are universally better than Academy trash. ROTC guys have to prove themselves and they know it. They come in to the system very humble.
>>28884329
Anyone know about if this is possible in Army?
>>28884339
I don't see why itd be different, a degree is a degree and that's all you need to be an officer, although it is challenging to go reserves to active or the other way around, I forget which it is.
>>28883302
>senior in nrotc
>surrounded by a bunch of shitbags who think they're actual military officers because they have leadership position
>guys in charge of companies think they're untouchable
>line staff people are even worse
>handful of girls who can't even pass prt ordering around others because muh fake rank
Don't do it op
>>28884242
oh, it shows
Go into Nuke Engineering and leave Navy OCS as an 03.
Army Infantry is a tier existence and a complete waste of an Engineering degree. Use your fucking noggin Op.
>>28883302
DONT FUCKING DO IT ANON. I FUCKING HATE ROTC ITS GOD DAMN RETARDED.
Seriously though, I took their scholarship which was a fucking mistake. I should have graduated college early then gone to OTS/OCS instead. The whole thing is a horse and pony show.
>>28884657
What's so bad about ROTC? If you plan on commissioning after college, it seems inefficient to not do it.
>>28884307
Fine. Prone to all the usual stuff new officers are prone to, just like ROTCfags.
But they are still head and shoulders above Academyfags
>>28884679
If you can find a program thats worth a damn its not bad. Its just that everything there is fucking bullshit. Its nothing but pointless exercises that have no bearing on actual active duty work and infighting with the cadre or the upper ranking cadets. Most of the entire thing is just indoctrination and pointless BS. A good program would prevent that but my entire deacthment is nothing but autists and morons.
>>28884679
>>28884754
To me its everything wrong with how to train officers. Its not how to interpret rules or what they mean but how well you can follow each asinine rule to the absolute T which is whats fucking wrong with most officers/upper ranking enlisted.
>>28884242
Lol I'm actually a decent writer.
>this is an image board
>>28884775
>how well you can follow each asinine rule to the absolute T which is whats fucking wrong with most officers/upper ranking enlisted.
You have no idea what you're talking about.
>>28883302
Only Air Force ROTC commissions you active duty, the others you have to compete for an active duty contract or transfer to the Academy. I'm in AFROTC right now and I'm enjoying it a lot.
>>28883782
I've got a buddy who's probably gonna get his pilot slot tomorrow who's going to study in China this summer. If you've got good cadre (you should) they should be fine with it
>>28883782
Do CULP. It's the Army's version of study abroad.
>>28884930
yes tell me more about how eating at attention, marching, and having your hair .015 inches too long is sooooo important. theres a big fucking difference between following specific rules which have purpose (like flight ops or nuke proccedures) and hounding people for irrelevant shit
>>28884991
If there's a problem with officers and senior enlisted, it definitely is not exact attention to rules, or excessive rules. In fact, I would say that's the exact opposite of Army officer culture.
What you're describing in training is about teaching the concept of attention to detail, which civilians completely lack. It is not supposed to and does not create rules nazis.
>>28883302
> Mechanical Engineering
> 4 year Army ROTC Scholarship
> 270 APFT (when I can pass my fucking run )
You should do it because you actually want to do it, not because it will pay your loans. If you do that, you're just suckering yourself into something you'll hate.
You'll get shit on from all sides: Civilian, Officer, Enlisted. It doesn't matter. Suck it up.
Bragging about being in ROTC gets you nowhere. People will laugh at you if you do that.
If given the opportunity, go for any specialty school or CULP mission you want. You might not get it, but cadre will see that you are actually interested and it may help you in the battalion order of merit list (OML).
OML determines everything in cadet-land
Believe it or not, Battalion commander is not the most important rank that you need to hold before commissioning. Platoon leader is.
Last thing, talk to your cadre (Military Science Professors). Learn everything you can from them. If they have nothing to share, read on your own. The Army has countless ADPs, ADRPs, and Field Manuals.
> tl;dr Do your job as a cadet and earn good grades, work out, and eat right. Don't be a wise ass/know-it-all/fuck-up/PVT Pyle/insert bad rap. Learn-Do-Repeat. It's a learning process, you will make mistakes. Good Luck!
>>28884679
See >>28883468
Basically, you only get put under a microscope and have less control of your life for a longer period of time.
I know tons of dudes who went to college, partied and fucked around but stayed in shape and got good grades. They got into OCS no problem and are officers, and they come out the exact same rank/respect as the idiots who spent 4 years treating their college experience like its a half-military school and clamp down on their freedom.
Pic related. Nate Fick, the author, just did OCS and he ended up being a decorated Infantry-turned-Recon officer with a resume and story that most of /k/ would kill for.
Oh, they'll also pay back your federal loans so the scholarship point is moot.
Fuck ROTC.
>>28883302
As a junior in AFROTC, it's not that bad. I know some Army cadets across town that seem to enjoy it. Unless I'm mistaken, in AROTC there's a chance you'll end up in the Reserves or Guard, which may be a plus or minus.
>>28884313
I know a guy who's doing pretty much that exact thing, for the Air Force though
![2s1-03[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/CVJU42b.jpg "2s1-03[1].jpg")
>be east european CS student
>see an army at university during summer exams
>enroll on a whim
>6 weeks in artillery school
>get to shoot 122mm self propelled gvozdika howitzer
>ebin infantry tactics excercises all the time
Time of my life, years later they called me up if I want to go for a reserve lieutenant (technically I'm corporal, gun commander in reserve) but the money was lousy and I'm in IT so had to decline but kinda regret it all the time
That feel when the gun swings back and forth and a steamy shell hits the floor tho thats sexual
I was ROTC in college. You are going to be balancing ROTC in addition to classes, partying, and sleep while your at college. Why add an additional that would make everything harder? Like others are saying, just enjoy the college experience.
The joke around my ROTC company was that when you left it, your GPA added 2 immediately. That and Villanova ROTC cadets were oh so enjoyable to be around during the semester ftx.
>>28885283
>having sex and fucking around
fucking normies
>>28884307
Most respect because they're the only officers that go to basic, and OCS is the most rigorous and competitive environment so mostly everyone that comes out is pretty good.
>>28885283
isnt that the dude from generation kill?
>>28886894
Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick, yes that is him.
>>28885112
You're a moron. Officers and SNCOs that have nothing better to do than try to enforce unimportant regulations such as storing windex,CLP or LSA in a HAZMAT locker with multi-chapter MDS binders or spend their lunch breaks at the PX/BX telling E3s to keep their hands out of their pockets are a waste of a paycheck when their is more productive uses of their time such as ordering new equipment, ensuring deployment readiness, keeping up on the welfare of the younger enlisted or mentoring NCOs. "Attention to detail" is a buzzword taught at NCO schools by instructors that often spent their enlistment at TRADOC/AETC whatever the Navy/Marine equivalent is.
I've got a different experience from all of these Debbie downers.
>4 year federal scholarship
>4 years of tuition waived due to Illinois state scholarship
>Barely interfered with my college life
I'm doing nursing and am graduating this spring. I'll level with you, if you want to do infantry or armor you better change majors unless you can hold a pretty good gpa and really suck off whatever Colonel that has power over you. I know stem gets a small gpa bonus for oml, but it doesn't offset the abysmal gpa commonly held by engineers
>>28884991
Break a few lesser rules and you feel that you can break more important ones. A rule is a rule, sure it blows that it is so rigid, but in the end loose enforcement of a rule produces a suggestion.
I'm ready for your childish "scathing" response about how I'm wrong.
>>28883864
Depends on the year for competition. This mission set saw chem corp recruit the least with the smallest mission requirement. For years chem corp has been "that" branch where you go when you suck ass.
>>28884313
Why not just apply for your branch's officer to enlisted program. In the Army it's the Green to Gold, where they send you to whatever school you want, pay you your pay grade and BAH, on top of paying for school for a 4 year commitment post commission
>>28884548
>Go into Nuke Engineering and leave Navy OCS as an 03.
Don't. Don't ever. You'll get the rank either way and entering the Navy nuclear field is the worst decision anyone could make. If you're smart enough to do it then you're smart enough to get yourself a real job and get paid and not hate every minute that passes. There's a damn good reason that field has the highest suicide rate in the Navy.
What are some of the good ROTC schools then?
>>28888573
Did you graduate Charlie Company?
>>28889184
its actually french horn player
http://nation.time.com/2010/10/05/which-military-jobs-are-most-prone-to-suicide/
those poor saps
>>28889279
Any of the 5 senior military colleges gives you an automatic active duty spot in the Army. But you'll have to ask around. I commissioned out of the University of Oklahoma's Army ROTC program and it was a mixed bag of personalities but in general a good time. Many went active duty and a few went on to become Ranger Instructors and Green Berets, but many of us chose to commission into the Oklahoma Army National Guard (your state may vary). But I've met some outstanding and some pretty terrible officers in my past 10 years from all components (active, guard, or reserve) and all commissioning sources. It all depends on what kind of bullshit you're willing to put up with and come out with the right attitude to become a leader of Soldiers.
>>28889068
Green to gold is a two year program. Bachelor's take four.
>>28889413
What's the general consensus on officers from the senior military colleges? Snobby like academy folks or more like run of the mill ROTC? (Obviously this depends on the officer as an individual, but general trends amongst them is what I'm looking for.)
>>28889279
Not A&M
>>28889537
Any explanation or are you just gonna throw that out there as an opinion?
>>28889498
Depends on the university they attended. A&M, The Citadel, and Virginia Tech guys were all pretty cool. Norwich and North Georgia were douchers. No offense to those who went there but the few guys I have met from there were assholes.
>>28889583
I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the officer, any ROTC can produce a shitbag, I'll assume.
>>28889537
A&M has a really rich tradition, when we used to play them on a yearly basis, the Corps of Cadets were the most polite and welcoming people you could meet (if you don't walk on their grass). And that was just when my fraternity road tripped down there for a football game.
What makes a competitive OCS packet?
Has anybody been accepted into OCS?
>>28889603
This is very true, like I've said before I have met officers who were great leaders from all commissioning sources. I've even worked with some pretty decent guys from West Point. Many of whom just wanted to do their duty, get out and have a regular life.
>aerospace and mechanical engineering.
>joining the army
I had a similar major. I left West Point after a year and a half. Probably the best decision I ever made.
>>28889423
I beg to differ
http://m.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/current-and-prior-service/advance-your-career/green-to-gold/green-to-gold-scholarship.m.html
>>28889612
A&M Corp of Cadets is literally the most horse and pony show ROTC program in the entire US. Countless examples of stupid fucking pointless shit going on there. Half the fucking Corp isnt even interested in commissioning. What kind of shit is that?
I'm not extroverted, but I had a fairly social life in college. I've been to a few parties from a large swathe of the college population--artsy crowd, engineering school, greek life, etc. But the ROTC guys really stuck out, because they were pretty fucking weird.
>active service before going to college, USMC
>this apparently makes me a badass in the eyes of these kids (I'm not a badass...not even online)
>they would invite me over to their parties, and I'd go
>there were a lot of girls in these parties, it turns out girls do dig military guys
>huddle around me asking for stories, as if patrolling stories were cool
>they'd ask stupid questions, very much like the questions you would find on /k/
>turns out I was "the man", since I was the only veteran student in my campus or something
>they would introduce me to other people, including girls
>I got very, very laid from this
>they let me in on their lame-ass fucking jokes
>Attentio-oon! BANG! BANG! *chug beer* (fucking stupid, I know)
>realize that these are basically frat boys that weren't cool enough to get a bid, so they went full ROTC
I'm not an old guy myself, but at 24, I felt too old to hang around a bunch of drunk 19 year old boys.
But goddamn girls dig older, but not too old, guys with more experience. Being a vet in a college environment is pretty awesome.
Anyone know about UMBC/John's Hopkins ROTC program?
>>28883302
Please tell me you aren't going to Embry Riddle. That place will find ways to constantly fuck you over.
I'm trying to enlist but the marines are being fuckers cuz I took ADHD meds 4 years ago
If I don't get in ill go ROTC route and go air force/navy
I was thinking on joining afrotc upcoming fall semester thing is i want to get a BA in Asian studies and shot for a intelligence position sounds really usless but my old apas had the same BA and position do i have a better chance in ocs or rotc
