Kids interested in ROTC or a Service Academy?

I get a lot of questions from friends and colleagues about this so I thought I'd share some thoughts. I'm a 38-year reservist (Army and Air, both Guard and Reserve in each) and have two kids in military service: Justin (24) and Jacob (21).

Justin was accepted at age 17 to enlist but elected to go straight to college, instead joining the Iowa Air National Guard (ANG) after college, securing a "non-prior service commission," which is exceptionally rare. Jacob applied to two Service Academies and also received two full-ride scholarships (tuition/fees) from the Navy and Air Force, ultimately selecting Rice Navy ROTC (over AF) in part because Rice has an endowment for NROTC that pays for room & board (which is not available in Rice's AFROTC program, which also meets across town at the Univ of Houston and is, therefore, far less convenient).

The ANG is roughly equivalent to the Air Force (AFR) Reserve (Army National Guard (ARNG) is, likewise, roughly equivalent to Army Reserve), except that the Guard is commanded by the Governor in peacetime. Most, but not all, benefits of military service are the same in the Guard (Army or Air) as in the Army or AF Reserve. There are small advantages and disadvantages to each. There is no Space Force, Navy, Marine, or Coast Guard "Guard" -- just the Reserves of each.

ENLISTED vs COMMISSIONED. These are the two career paths in each military service, including their reserve components. A commission requires a college degree, but not everyone with a degree will be selected for a commission and the AF has more enlisted members with graduate degree than the Army does commissioned officers with graduate degrees. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a kid with a degree enlisting after college. The pay of an E-5 (a first-level "non-commissioned officer" or NCO, typically a sergeant, which is typically earned at 4-6 years of service) is roughly equivalent to the pay of a Second Lieutenant (2LT), which is the rank received at commission (unless an attorney or doctor, who receive 3 or 4 years of rank credit for their graduate education and are advanced at commission for that credit).

PAY FOR COLLEGE: Jacob's tuition ($57K) and R&B ($16K) at Rice are free, and he received an additional $10K Texas (first two years, since raised to $15K) scholarship, and will be paid $250-400 per month (increasing by $50 each year) during his ROTC educational career.? After serving 6+ months on federal active duty (other than for training), Justin and Jacob will both qualify for the Texas Hazelwood Act (150 hours of free Texas public school tuition/fees, which can be divided and passed down to kids after the GI Bill is exhausted).? Justin will receive 36 months of the Reserve GI Bill with a critical career field "kicker" (totaling ~$750/mo for full time students), federal tuition assistance (50%) and state-funded tuition assistance (50% in Iowa, 25% in Texas) for his graduate degree (he landed at Boeing, which will pay for graduate school, so he may hold onto his GI Bill and pass it to his kids). If/when he completes 5+ months of federal active duty ("Title 10," meaning under Presidential command and typically for deployments and performing other active aduty assignments), Justin's reserve GI Bill will convert to a 50% "Post 9/11 GI Bill,"?which is much more lucrative. At 3 years of federal active service, reservists qualify for a 100% Post 9/11 GI Bill. These time commitments to qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill are the same for federal active duty members (e.g. for Jacob, once commissioned into the active duty Navy and after fullfilling his initial service commitment, if he extends).

ACADEMIES and ROTC SCHOLARSHIP vs GI BILL. As an Academy or ROTC scholarship recipient, Jacob won't receive the GI Bill unless he extends after fulfilling his initial service obligation (5 years, unless he goes to flight school,?in which case it's about 12, total...being 8 years following completion of flight school).? But for enlisted members and officers not commissioned at government expense (meaning through ROTC scholarship or Service Academy appointment), the Post 9/11 GI Bill pays?full college tuition/fees (capped at the highest in-state public school rate, if attending private college) and provides an additional ~$1200/mo for living expenses for 36 months of full-time school. Those who commission through ROTC without a scholarship (meaning they participate in ROTC by choice and pay for their own education) are immediately eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Most programs (GI Bill, Academies, ROTC) also pay a book stipend (e.g. $1500/yr for NROTC) that far exceeds actual expenses, esp. as course materials increasingly digitize. Being more mature and experienced, veterans attending college or grad school in their early or mid 20s typically do far better than the kids, have little-to-no unmet college expenses or debt, and don't need to work their way through college.

TIMING. If your kid is interested in an Academy or ROTC program, the time to start planning is in their Junior year of high school, as applications typically open around March of the junior year and are due in November or December of their senior year...the first ROTC boards or Academy early decisions occurring around November. In most cases, early application?is preferable, as the early boards' (more competitive) non-selects are often rolled into successive boards, where the number of selectees increases and competition decreases. Applications typically consist of questionnaires, essays, an interview, and a fitness assessment.? Academy applicants found qualified require a pre-selection medical exam (which ROTC applicants receive once selected for scholarship).? All this has to be completed by the application deadline...so getting started in March or April is highly advisable. Jacob was a bit late and was passed over on both the Navy and Air Force second boards (he missed the first ones) but selected for both on the third boards.

SELECTION CRITERIA. As these programs increase their diversity, the selection criteria becomes less objective and, therefore, less predictable, relying far less on GPA, class rank, test scores, etc., looking, instead, more to the "whole person," the interview, and how this candidate?can contribute to a less homogenous program.? Grades, ranking, scores, fitness/athletics, achievements, essays, and community involvement remain important, but there is far less of a "formula" to admission/selection decisions. Jacob was denied for USAFA and USCGA (both where I thought him to be highly competitive), but received full ROTC scholarship offers from both the Navy and Air Force. The point is, applicants shouldn't count themselves out prior to applying. And in Texas, the TASSP scholarship ($15K/yr, 4 years) is not particularly difficult to secure, as each senator and representative selects one awardee. Jacob was too late for Dr. Oliverson's nomination, but with assistance from Dr. O's District Director, Grace Handley (she's AMAZING!!!), secured a nomination from Rep Ann Johnson, whose district covers Rice. Jacob was also awaiting a decision from two other Reps and the Lt Gov...and there were still representatives and senators asking their colleagues for?candidates' names.

ROTC SELECTION INCREASES COMPETITIVE FOR ADMISSION. Frequently, the ROTC scholarship will push a college applicant who is "on the bubble" across the admissions line -- as it likely did for Jacob at Rice. This is because the school knows it will receive a full-price check from the US Government for their tuition and fees and can use these funds to spread academic and need-based scholarships elsewhere. So if there's a school your family couldn't otherwise easily afford (e.g. Rice, for us) and/or into which your kid is not likely to be admitted?but wants to attend, ROTC is a great way to solve both problems, to have a guaranteed job out of college (if they complete the program and commission) with?good pay and unrivaled benefits, and to bide time while figuring out?what they really want to do (if/when they ever "grow up").? And if they really like responsibility, adventure, and playing with very expensive (often lethal) toys or technology, they may never have to "grow up."

A terrific forum for all sorts of commissioning programs (ROTC, OCS/OTS, direct appointment) in all Services is https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php. This will also answer almost all medical qualification or disqualification question you might have.