Is ODU NROTC good?

[Brydown1]

I was just wondering if Old Dominion has a good NROTC program. I have spoken to one of the officers there but I would like to hear it from a student or a former student about what to actually expect there.

 

[flysupertomcat]

It's the largest NROTC unit in the nation, 300 or so members. Mostly prior service sailors and marines, probably about 3/4 . A lot of experienced people in most communities, officer wise and enlisted. I've met SEALs, Aviation mechanics, Marine Infantry guys, SWOs, Pilots, NFOs etc. I don't know what else to say, it's different in that you're not just in a battalion of mainly 18-22 yr olds. After your freshman year you will be placed in a company made up of predominantly prior service members that sometimes have 5-10+ years in the fleet. Some guys are bags of crap, it's like that everywhere, but you can usually meet people who have been there and done that not just someone who watches discovery channel documentaries. Many will be some of the most squared away individuals you will ever meet. It's a good unit though, I think there are opportunities that many other units don't have due to ODU being 5 minutes from the world's largest Naval base, 15 minutes from little creek amphibious base and 20 minutes from NAS Oceana. I've toured ships before as part of a class, I've gone to F/A-18 sims out at Oceana with the Aviation club, and guys who want to go Spec War can PT with actual SEALs who've been through BUDS just as some examples.

 

[Brydown1]

That is awesome, thank you for the great feed back. What does the NROTC require from prior enlisted, as in how much of my weekdays and weekends are taken up to participate in fund raising, PT, drills, or GMT. Would you recommend ODU NROTC unit to other individuals?

 

[scoober78]

I highly reccomend that you make your choice of school based on the quality and fit of the school itself and not the ROTC unit. This is not intended to knock any school, or to suggest one over the other...but in terms of your life, the quality of academics, etc....is far more important than how much drill you have to do.

My .02

 

[NozeMan]

what he said, pick based on your school. Purdue NROTC may be the best, but really.....it's all the same. pick a college based on academics, not NROTC.....because that's just crazy.

 

[flysupertomcat]

It depends on what branch you're headed toward I guess. I don't know of any fundraising that you were obligated to do, I never had to do any, usually companies PT once or twice a week as a whole at 6AM, if I remember correctly it might have been just once. They have non mando PT most days I believe. Drills are also pretty lax, I don't think there are any drills on weekends aside from graduation preperation and such. Freshman midshipman have weekend drills every so often, but I'm not aware of how STA-21 and the other Enlisted to Officer programs work because I know most prior guys didn't have to go through "Echo company" which is the all freshman company and there were others who were in Echo with me. I guess it depends on your program. Most OC's finished school in 3 years vice 4 because they went through the summer as well. Marines do a lot of drilling on weekends, humps etc. Don't know if you've been to Norfolk or not with the Navy, Norfolk's not the best but there's worse duty stations from what I hear (it ain't Hawaii) but Virginia Beach is nice, I like it.

 

[flysupertomcat]

and like what the other two said, go with what's the best overall fit for YOU. NROTC is going to be roughly the same everywhere.


BTW I didn't check your profile so I didn't realize you are one of those guys who's "been there and done that" :icon_tong

 

[NozeMan]

and like what the other two said, go with what's the best overall fit for YOU. NROTC is going to be roughly the same everywhere.


BTW I didn't check your profile so I didn't realize you are one of those guys who's "been there and done that" :icon_tong

Good call, NROTC is pretty much the same anywhere +/- some bullllssssshhhhhh!!!!!t (inevitable). The exceptions are the schools w/ Corps type programs like Citadel, VMI, Texas A&M, VT to name a few.

 

[Brydown1]

Thank you for the info. This post wasnt to pursuade me from going or not going to ODU. I am planning on going to ODU because it is the best fit for me and my family. I am simply trying to find out what to expect from the NROTC command itself. And for the record I do not like Hawaii. I miss being close to family members and not having to drop a grand anytime I want to see them.

 

[flysupertomcat]

If you're from around this area then ODU would be more than fine for you I think. Of course there's going to be better schools but ODU still has solid programs and clearly it's good enough to get most of 300 people into the fleet as officers.

 

[NozeMan]

Sounds like an intelligent decision. I picked Purdue because it was a 2 hour drive from my home....just far enough away but not too far!

 

[Navyfan06]

Good call, NROTC is pretty much the same anywhere +/- some bullllssssshhhhhh!!!!!t (inevitable). The exceptions are the schools w/ Corps type programs like Citadel, VMI, Texas A&M, VT to name a few.

This in inaccurate as far as The Citadel is concerned, not sure about the others. The active duty students are just that, "students" they do not participate in any events related to the Corps of Cadets. As a group all cadets (Midshipmen) who are in the navy program and the active duty students PT togeather as a group once a week at 6 am and have a lab period Thursday afternoon at 4 pm. There is usually a weekend per semester where a DDG or squadron or somthing will come in and everyone goes and checks it out, but that is kept to a min. They do wear their uniform to class but do not have to deal with all the extra bull**** the Cadets do. Hope this helps and the above advice from others is right on, make sure you choose a school that you think will fit you best, not just on the reqs of the Nrotc program.

 

[Brydown1]

Yeah I knew about the citadel, I actually know a guy from my boat that made it last year (as a Nuke) and is at the citadel right now. And he told me the same thing, that the priors are left alone most of the time. Well I am from PA, but VA is easly a afternoons drive away. So the important thing is that my mom will be able to see my 14 month old son that she hasnt meet yet because of living in Hawaii. Well thank you everyone for all the great information.

 

[Phantom Hawk]

I am currently at the ROTC program at ODU. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them.

 

[Phantom Hawk]

That is awesome, thank you for the great feed back. What does the NROTC require from prior enlisted, as in how much of my weekdays and weekends are taken up to participate in fund raising, PT, drills, or GMT. Would you recommend ODU NROTC unit to other individuals?

Prior enlisted guys are fully integrated into the batallion at ODU, meaning they have to PT 3 days a week and attend drill every thursday morning like the Midshipmen. Weekends are typically free with the exception of maybe 2-3 saturdays a semester. Time requirements can be more or less depending on how much you push yourself (i.e, what jobs in the batallion you may choose to take on). Also, you are required to take the general Naval Science classes that all other ROTC programs make you take. The good thing about ODU is that you can make a minor out of these classes (plus one or two others that the university makes us take). That will help out a lot since most majors require that you take a minor of some sorts. Anyways, I would definately recommend the unit to others and have in the past. I've enjoyed my time there so far for the most part and feel like I am being trained well.