ROTC: Two/three vs four year program

[Guest Flow777]

I just commissioned this year, was in a 2-yr program, and now awaiting UPT. Here are what I think helped me:

1) Above 3.0 GPA as an Electrical and Electronics Eng major. At the time that I signed up, the AF was hurting for EE's.

2) Decent physical fitness. I max out everything except the run. I lift more than I run.

3) Cadre's vote that I'm legit eventhough my AFOQT and BAT scores are terrible! Commander's rating is 50% for pilot selection. Not sure if that's still the case. FYI, I didn't kiss ass. The commander who recommended me knew me for about 4 months tops when he rated me for a slot.

When I found out that my BAT score is sad, I told the cadre to not worry about turning in a package for me. I was content to be an engineer then. But they talked me into turning one in anyway, since we don't really know what the board is gonna say. I agreed and it came back as a nav and I accepted it. A few weeks later they asked me if I want to be a strike nav. Turned it down because I only want to be a C-130 nav. A few months after that, they called me to find out if I want a pilot slot. Jumped on that since that's what I really want!

Like everyone else is saying here, things change in the AF constantly so maybe I'm one of the last one to get through the 2-yr loop.

My advice: don't kiss ass like everyone else who want a slot. PROVE to everyone that you are mentally and physically more qualified to fly than most applicants. Some flight hours will help too although I had 0 hrs until after I commissioned.

Let me know if you have more questions!

[Guest stusakss]

lol, yeah, they must have REALLY needed folks when I went through...I was a Sociology major!

[Dan]

What if you did two years in one detachment, and then two in another? I was wondering because I plan on going to Virginia Tech next year and doing ROTC, but if I don't get accepted to Tech, then I'm going to go to a two year community college that has ROTC and then transfer to Tech. The problem is they're both different detachments, so would it be better just to stick with the same detachment and transfer to one of the crosstown schools instead of Tech?

[brabus]

It'd be better to do a crosstown school and stay in the same Det, thus giving you maximum exposure to cadre (for pilot slot down the road I assume), sticking w/ the same way of doing things (Dets do things differently), etc. However, doing 2 yrs of ROTC at one Det and then switching isn't necessarily going to kill you, but you would have one semester of ROTC at the new Det before that cadre submits you for a slot...can definitely be done, but definitely more risky. One semester is a lot harder to prove your abilities, character, etc. than 5 semesters. Get it?

[Dan]

Oh ok, yeah I understand what you're saying. Yeah I'm definitely going for a pilot slot and I get what you're saying about it being risky. I'll just wait and see how things go down the road. Thanks for the information.

[Guest mcbdude]

Hey,

I'm a junior right now and missed the fall semester of ROTC. If i enroll now and stay one more year, (currently class of '08, but grad '09), would 2.5 years of ROTC be enough to apply for a pilot slot? Or would I have to stay 2 more years :-/ in which case, would OTS be a better bet? (I'm at UC Berkeley at the moment and the det 085 seems pretty small [graduating class of around 10-11 people, total ~60 in the det])

[ 09. November 2006, 01:32: Message edited by: mcbdude ]

[brabus]

2.5 yrs technically should work...but you should still go talk to the admissions officer (or whatever they call it) at the Det. They'll give you the rundown. Kick some ass and you should get a slot.

[Whitman]

Sidebar but keep in mind that there are also a few detachments that offer stictly 2yr programs. Everyone comes in junior year and goes to FT between junior/senior year. Another option and especially good for prior E's

[Guest mcbdude]

If 2.5 years isn't enough, and theoretically if I had to stay 2 extra years, would it be better to just graduate on time and apply to OTS?

[ 09. November 2006, 18:20: Message edited by: mcbdude ]

[Champ Kind]

Originally posted by Flow777:

My advice: don't kiss ass like everyone else who want a slot. PROVE to everyone that you are mentally and physically more qualified to fly than most applicants. Some flight hours will help too although I had 0 hrs until after I commissioned.

This is probably the best advice to read & heed on this topic. Bottom line, you should probably look as close to perfect as possible on paper (ie, GPA, PFT, AFOQT, no legal/disciplinary problems, etc.), and then do NOT kiss ass. That's not to say to avoid getting "face-time" in class, lead lab, PT, the Det, whatever. You are basically just making up for lost time with your performance.

[AFCS_Actuator]

The best thing for all of you guys who are interested in ROTC would be to go talk to the unit admissions officer and the detachment you're looking at. There is no 'miniumum' time to be in ROTC, other than what is required to finish the program, to be considered for a slot.

Dan, community colleges don't have ROTC dets. Only four year universities will have a det. I did two years at a community college and commuted to my ROTC det. After two years I transferred to that university. You alluded to the fact that there is a CC that has ROTC. Out of curiosity, what school is it? I did a project when I was still in school that involved every AFROTC det and none of them were at a CC.

[Dan]

Oh, no I meant that it has a crosstown agreement with University of Virginia. At your community college was there alredy a crosstown agreement or did you just negotiate one with the ROTC detachment?

[AFCS_Actuator]

There was already an agreement because I was not the first person to blaze that trail. It shouldn't be a big deal. I didn't have my ROTC grades transferred to my community college transcripts. When I started at the university my CC grades were merged with my university grades, which included ROTC stuff. There really wasn't much of a formal agreement as far as I know. Your det should be happy as long as your CC is accredited and you'll be able to transfer to your four year school.

[Guest slik1]

Here is my situation. I am fixing to be a junior in college next semester. Is it too late for me to get into the AFROTC program? I know I should of done it earlier but circumstances dictated otherwise. Now I can and I want to. Hoe does the process work? Will I start in the classes with freshman or with the other juniors or AS???? ? I would imagine that this is a pretty uncommon thing. Are they going to be like what is this guy doing trying to join now? I am also curious as to whether or not this will hinder my chances in the competitive nature of the program. I mean they will not be able to observe and evaluate me as much. I wont have as much time as alot of the other people have accumulated. Another thing, probably the main thing is I am thinking I will have to take the AFOQT in less than a year. Let me know what you guys think. I gotta go study for finals. I appreciate the feedback.

[pawnman]

Here is my situation. I am fixing to be a junior in college next semester. Is it too late for me to get into the AFROTC program? I know I should of done it earlier but circumstances dictated otherwise. Now I can and I want to. Hoe does the process work? Will I start in the classes with freshman or with the other juniors or AS???? ? I would imagine that this is a pretty uncommon thing. Are they going to be like what is this guy doing trying to join now? I am also curious as to whether or not this will hinder my chances in the competitive nature of the program. I mean they will not be able to observe and evaluate me as much. I wont have as much time as alot of the other people have accumulated. Another thing, probably the main thing is I am thinking I will have to take the AFOQT in less than a year. Let me know what you guys think. I gotta go study for finals. I appreciate the feedback.

You could always apply to OTS. You, too, could be a 90-day wonder (just like me!)

[spectre56]

You could start out as a junior...you would have to start your masters to continue once you got your bachelor's.

You would either start out as an AS100 or 200. If you start out as a 200, you would go to an extended (2 weeks) field training (if they're still doing that)...just learning about the military, customs and courtesies, etc.

I wouldn't worry about the AFOQT. I liken it to an SAT with some aviation stuff thrown in there. Definitely study for it, but don't kill yourself doing so.

Talk to the cadre to find out exactly what your options are and go from there. Or you could try OTS, which is extremely competitive to get into from what I hear.

[Guest hootie]

you should check with the cadre where you're at...i was under the impression that there is a 2 year program....you might spend this year as a AS200 , then go to field training, and come back with one year as a POC

[Guest F16crewdwgg]

Yea most the time you will be an AS200, then goto FT, and then finish up one more year as a POC dual enrolled in As300 and 400.

See, you can goto FT this summer, and come back as a POC. I don't think thats a smart move. 1) you prob have no idea how to march or call commands ect... So chances of you finishing top % in Ft are slim, but hey it can still happen. Even if you didn't finish in the top, it doesn't matter. If everything else.. AFOQT, PFT, GPA, outside activities is strong, you will still get a good commander's ranking. Anyhow, 2) You will be rushed to take the AFOQT. You can only take this test twice in your life (3rd with a waiver), but this isn't a test you wanna take lightly or rush into. Some people can, but still is not a good idea.

I do not think it will hurt you one bit being a gmc for a year, then being a poc for a year. The only thing is you will have to dual enroll in 2 Air Force classes. Idk what your schedual is like, but besides As100 classes, The rest are not exactly cake walk, not hard either, just time consuming.

Hope that helps.

[Palangi]

I started the Spring semester of my junior year. Yeah I could have waited to go to OTS, but with the reduction of the number of boards that are meeting for OTS, I figured that I had better chances in ROTC. It has worked out in my favor. I am working on my masters, dual enrolled for this semester so I will commission in Dec.

The biggest thing to remember is that you will have a pretty short learning curve and you will have to be very proactive to get all your paperwork and testing completed. If it is what you want to do, do it.

[Guest GCL]

quick question...this might have been answered somewhere but i cannot find it

Say i enroll sophomore year, and do my AS100 and AS200 at the same time (double up). Would i still go to FT between my sophomore and junior year with everyone else and do the normal length FT?

I am pretty positive that the way it goes, but i recently read something that said that you would do FT between junior and senior year. I just wanted someone to clear the up for me..thanks

[spectre56]

quick question...this might have been answered somewhere but i cannot find it

Say i enroll sophomore year, and do my AS100 and AS200 at the same time (double up). Would i still go to FT between my sophomore and junior year with everyone else and do the normal length FT?

I am pretty positive that the way it goes, but i recently read something that said that you would do FT between junior and senior year. I just wanted someone to clear the up for me..thanks

Unless things have changed in the last couple of years, I'd say you'll still go to FT after sophomore year. Where did you read about going another time?

[Guest MikeRu]

quick question...this might have been answered somewhere but i cannot find it

Say i enroll sophomore year, and do my AS100 and AS200 at the same time (double up). Would i still go to FT between my sophomore and junior year with everyone else and do the normal length FT?

I am pretty positive that the way it goes, but i recently read something that said that you would do FT between junior and senior year. I just wanted someone to clear the up for me..thanks

Go for it, definitely worth it. We have a cadet right now doing the same thing (current sophomore, doubled up on 100/200 each semester and now going to FT). The best part, for her, is that she doesn't have to go to extended.

I, on the other hand, had to go to extended as I was only one semester in...however, I started a little later than most as I just finished my Master's this month and have ONE MORE SEMESTER to complete the two-year program...not so great timing, but it's going to be worth it...pilot training is next for me!

[Guest texaspilot1]

Slick, I went straight into AS 300 then went to the extended Field Training (One week on history) and graduated in four semesters. Talk to your Cadre. It can be done.

[HerkDerka]

slik1 -

Yes, you can still join ROTC.

Start by reading through AFROTC's website. There's a section at the bottom explaining the two-year program here. There is also another page explaining two year scholarships.

Get the info your are looking for from the website and then contact your local detachment and ask to speak with the Unit Admissions Officer.

HD

[B*D*A]

Yea most the time you will be an AS200, then goto FT, and then finish up one more year as a POC dual enrolled in As300 and 400.

See, you can goto FT this summer, and come back as a POC. I don't think thats a smart move. 1) you prob have no idea how to march or call commands ect... So chances of you finishing top % in Ft are slim, but hey it can still happen.

Are you serious dude? Not to hi-jack the thread but since when did leadership, warrior spirit, and teamwork take a back seat to marching as the way to excel at camp? You may be able to argue that making the transition to a military mindset which displays the aforementioned characteristics would be difficult in one year. Additionally, it sounds like the new camp is much more FTX, (in the field),-centric. Slik, want to kick ass at camp? Do this:

1. Get in shape.

2. Talk to the POC would did well as camp i.e. got DG, SP, warrior spirit ect.

3. Always, and I mean always, do what is best for your team.

Good luck man.