Why does NROTC take "more" time ??

[J/J Mom]

Hannah88--   i'm replying to your post from yesterday here, because my answer doesn't really belong in the "list of moms" post :}   You asked...

"The problem with staying in NROTC without any scholarship is that it takes an incredible amount of time (too much for no payback).  Much more than I ever would have thought until my daughter entered.  Most students have to drop and focus their efforts elsewhere if the Navy isn't paying something."

Sorry to be joining this conversation late, but I am trying to convince my son to do NROTC instead of enlisting (he's a senior) in June when he turns 18. Why does it take more time? Can you elaborate a little? Thanks.

 

sorry... this answer is long, but i wanted to post a thorough answer

Actually, it kinda depends on the School / NROTC Unit, i'm sure some are more time demanding than others.  I totally agree that it's much more time consuming than i would have thought/were led to believe before my dd actually became a MIDN.

At MU they have physical training [PT] as a group 2-3 times each week.  They have drill every week.  If there is a competition on the horizon they have practices for the competition, sometimes daily.  They have to take regular turns at closing the unit at night, morning & evening colors [flag raising @ unit], cleaning the unit, & a variety of other tasks for the Unit.  They are called on to volunteer [and if there are no volunteers they may be "volun-told"] for various tasks including Colors at not only MU activities [games, special functions] but sometimes special events in Milwaukee.  They are encouraged to participate in various other activities [& make a good showing as MU-NROTC MIDN], such as 10K runs for charity, Tri-ROTC events, campus intramurals, various lectures/special guests in town or on campus, etc.  Sometimes they have to be in uniform &/or travel across town for these events, which takes extra time.

In addition to this type of stuff, they will have a "billet," which is their "Unit job" so to speak, for at least a couple semesters they are in school.  Some of these are very time consuming, others not so much.  Examples of billets are Athletics Officer--the MIDN in charge of PT & PRT, etc, Squad Leaders, Platoon Leaders, Special Events Officer, etc, up & down the "chain of command" within the Unit.  At MU's Unit, there are enough MIDN that there is a pretty big chain of command & a lot of billets.  I would imagine it is not so extensive at smaller Units, but i don't really know. 

As freshman our MIDN have mandatory study hours [which isn't all bad, it's just inconvenient sometimes/for some people to "have" to study at a certain place during certain hours], all MIDN have mandatory tutoring they must attend for certain classes [like calc] which isn't necessarily bad, but it is another time commitment.

It wasn't this way for our ds last year when he was a freshman, but for our dd 3 years ago in the fall they had PT on mon & wed mornings @ 6am, then there were 2 drill competitions in the fall so for several weeks out of the semester they had morning drill practice @ 6am on tues, thurs & sometimes friday.  She is one that needs sleep & this really drained her.

Is it worth it?  i think so. 

My children will graduate from a private Big East school with basically no debt.  They will have degrees in the fields they want, and they will have jobs!!  With the economy the way it is currently -- that is big.

My children have developed friendships/family with a great group of responsible, mature, fun, "i'd-do-anything-for-you" young men & women.  The MIDN are forced to learn time management, leadership skills, respect for authority, chain of command, restraint, citizenship & other wonderful attributes.

As far as your son enlisting or doing NROTC... my air force brat brother-in-law says if you have any intelligence at all you do not want to be "enlisted," you want to be an officer.  If you are successful in talking him into doing NROTC, get him applying for a scholarship NOW.  Time is running out!!  In addition, due to the economy it is now very difficult to "pick up" a scholarship after starting.  Also, if you do try for one don't talk to the local recruiter for help with this -- go to the web site for NROTC scholarships & find your area's contact. 

My bottom line recommendation ... help him fill out the application for a NROTC scholarship and the college applications; do everything you can to get a scholarship.  What have you got to lose but some time??  If he doesn't get one, then you can re-visit enlisting or going to college as an NROTC College Program MIDN.

again, sorry so long, but i wanted to try to give you a complete picture.

 

 

[helenp]

Jn/Jf Mom

You gave a great overview of the time commitments required of MIDN. My son is a sophomore at the University of Rochester in NY and it is the same as you describe above. The only thing I would add is the required Naval Science classes. Due to shoulder surgery, my son is on Medical Leave of Absence this semester and, therefore, is temporarily not receiving his scholarship. He still fully participates in his Unit. His billet is Platoon Commander. He still feels it is well worth the time and effort.

 

I fully agree with your bottom line recommendation.

[Hannah88]

Thank you (and helenp) for your replies. This is super helpful information!!  Unfortunately, he may not qualify for the scholarship (D in adv algebra junior year, but he does have a 3.2 GPA :(), which is why he wanted to enlist but he does want to be an officer and was hoping to get into the STA-21 program, which is highly competitive and he knows that too.  So can you do NROTC without the scholarship? I'm at work so this has to be short, but I'll check in later.  Thanks again for the info.

[Hannah88]

Sorry, forgot to ask which university MU is? Thanks again for the info!

[J/J Mom]

sorry, MU is Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI

[J/J Mom]

Sorry, not the person to give definite answer about doing NROTC w/o scholarship.  I used to think "yes" [our dd started as a "College Program" MIDN w/o scholarship, but earned one along the way Fr yr.] and i could have sworn the Unit Navy guys told us that she could go thru the whole thing w/o a scholarship.  However, last year i know our MIDN told us of a couple College Program MIDN that the Navy made quit NROTC after soph. year cuz there wasn't scholarship $ for them.  Great kids, great MIDN, just the $ isn't there anymore :[

Perhaps different schools/Units do things differently when it comes to college program MIDN?!?

[proud but nervous]

I totally agree.  My son is a sophomore at a college in southern Ohio.  He is a college programmer. (in the NROTC program without a scholarship)  His time commitments for the unit are incredible!  He absolutely LOVES the program but has noticed that there are people in the unit (on scholarship) who do not do as much as the programmers do.  The programmers are out to show their dedication to the program and do so willingly (most of the time) without monetary reward.  In the meantime, some (by no means am I implying all) scholarship midshipmen are not as 'into' and dedicated to the program as some of the programmers.  They do what is expected of them and collect their monthly stipends and free tuition.  As I said, I do not mean all scholarship midshipmen are this way.  It is just hard for him because he is working SO hard to do well in his degree and also trying to make a name for himself in the unit so that he is noticed.  At times this time commitment can be very discouraging when, if you do not get 'Good Academic Standing' and a referral at the end of your sophomore year, the programmer is dropped from the program, no matter how much time and commitment they have put into the unit.   HOWEVER, as I said, my son absolutely loves it and would not even think of dropping from the program on his own.  Good luck with your son.  This can be a difficult discussion to have and hard to convince them that the way to go is to go in with the intent of being an officer in 4+ years.

[usmcmom]

As far as I know, at my sons school, if you don't have a scholarship by the end of sophomore year, you can't continue with NROTC. Some schools, however, like A&M, that has a program like Corps of Cadets, allow the students to participate in the Corps (w/out a military scholarship) until they complete their 4 years. Most who didn't get a scholarship applied for the Marine Corps PLC program.

NROTC takes longer because of the required 24 credits of naval science classes! Also, if the student takes less than 15 credits per semester, he/she will either have to catch up in summer school and/or take an extra semester to get all their credits in for their degree. And...if they change their major....there are so many scenarios that could cause delays, but basically it's because of those extra 24 credits.

And I totally agree with the others that it's all very time consuming and mentally/physically challenging-- some schools more than others! Is it worth it? I'd have to say that it all depends on the student. It takes a lot of discipline and commitment on their part, and of course it helps if they are strong academically. We went into this not knowing whether our son wanted to do this or not. The program does provide structure and focus, and adult guidance and supervision, which is what our kid needed. He thrived in that environment and is set on a path to a promising future.

Best of luck to your son!

[VTnavymom]

Everyone gave really great answers and lots of good information. Is your son musically inclined? If so, that is sometimes a plus at Virginia Tech - if he is willing to be in the Regimental band. Even without a NROTC scholarship (tougher to get these days), there is a band scholarship ($1000) and an Emerging Leader scholarship ($2000 each year for 4 years - in-state amount) through the Corps. Virginia Tech also offers lots of different university scholarships. My son bombed Algebra in 8th grade, so his GPA wasn't what it should have been, either!

Time is a big factor in being a midshipman - scholarship or not. In the Corps of Cadets there were also "extra" things that had to be done. Add in band rehearsals and performances and, well, lets just say that they get a lot of support from their friends and their mentors, and they learn to manage their time like they never did in high school!! :-)

Good luck to you and your son!