NROTC: TEXAS A&M OR UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

[Deleted member 6665]

Corps of Cadets is not a military organization. Last time I checked, they don't deploy, or even go TAD for that matter, to Iraq, the Arabian Gulf, or anywhere else in the world. Now, if you wish to describe it as a paramilitary organization, that's another thing alltogether. And you're definitely not going to know how things work at all levels in a military organiztion by spending only 4 years in a PARAmilitary organization.

What are these leadership roles that Senior members fill such that they have real responsibility vice the not-so-real responsibility at other institutions?

While I didn't go through OCS, I would gather that there are folks on this board that would disagree that it was "easy" and that they therefore, took the easy way to get their commission. When you get to your first operational tour, no one is going to give a rats ass what college you went to, unless you're the George or it's football season (as has already been said). And if you went to Texas A&M, let's just say you're pretty screwed, cause you're probably gonna get hell....at least on a ship you will.

The point to go to college is not to live a military experience, but to get an academic education.....pure and simple.

As far as College Station and gay bars.....well, that's between you and the bars I guess. All I know is that College Station isn't Gainesville.

Who pissed in your cheerios?

I never claimed that the Corps was the real military, or that we deploy or anything. I just claimed it was a military organization. I'm sorry if you have a slightly different definintion than me, it's not something to get your panties all in a twist about. And I didn't claim that people in the Corps would automatically know how to work in the navy, nor did I say that OCS was the "Easy way." (I'm not doing ROTC, and I plan to go through OCS) People in the Corps, like people at The Citadel, VMI, etc. have lived for four years in a highly disciplined environment, and probably know how to do it better than some guy who just goes through normal ROTC. Simple point. Are they guaranteed to be better? No. Is it likely that they are better? Yes.

All I'm saying is that if you want to join the military after college, you should try to go to the closest thing to the military you can- be it the USNA, El Cid, or whatever.

And as far as your leadership position question, commanding a Corps outfit or part of an outfit gives someone much more experience than being captain of the bicycle club at Local State U.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Claiming that the Corps is a military organization implies that it is the real military, which it is not. This may seem like a minor point to you, but it's not; especially when posted on a forum such as this.

People that have gone through the Citadel, VMI, Academy, etc know how to do what better? Go through those schools? Then I would agree. After going there for 4 years, I would expect them to know the ropes. However, when you get out to the fleet, you're gonna be hard pressed to tell the difference between guys that go through those school and those that go through ROTC or OCS. I could make the argument that those that go through OCS and ROTC are better prepared to lead when they do finish their program simply because they HAVEN'T been through such a structured environment.

Do you think I'm just talkin out my ass here or what? I'm giving you my perspective based on my experience in the navy, both as an enlisted nuke and as an officer.

 

[Deleted member 6665]

If you go through VMI/El Cid/Aggie Corps/etc., you will become physically stronger, mentally tougher, better able to function under stress, a better leader, a better follower, more disciplined, a better team player, and develop your work ethic. I see it in myself and in everyone I know who goes to one of the (para)military colleges. And if I'm not mistaken, all of those attributes are very important in the military, not to mention life as a whole.

 

[Thisguy]

I'm going to add some fuel to the fire:

If all the enlisted guys go through the same boot camp, how come some are top performers, while others are complete sh!t bags? It's up to the individual. Instead of comparing guys from different sources of commission, compare guys from the same one. I know academy guys that are Navy for Life, and I know guys who have 5 years left on their FO obligation and haven't even made a cruise yet, and their attitude is "I've done my time, I want to get out"

 

[jg5343]

If you go through VMI/El Cid/Aggie Corps/etc., you will become physically stronger, mentally tougher, better able to function under stress, a better leader, a better follower, more disciplined, a better team player, and develop your work ethic. I see it in myself and in everyone I know who goes to one of the (para)military colleges. And if I'm not mistaken, all of those attributes are very important in the military, not to mention life as a whole.

I am prior enlisted 8 years and go to A&M. You are full of crap if you think what you are doing there in the corps makes you a better officer than any other guy going through say, OCS or ROTC. I agree with ThisGuy, its all based on the individual. Whatever makes you feel better about wasting your college life away in a wanna be uniform, I guess. (No I am not anti corps, they are the backbone of the school, just not for me)

 

[Deleted member 6665]

I am prior enlisted 8 years and go to A&M. You are full of crap if you think what you are doing there in the corps makes you a better officer than any other guy going through say, OCS or ROTC. I agree with ThisGuy, its all based on the individual. Whatever makes you feel better about wasting your college life away in a wanna be uniform, I guess. (No I am not anti corps, they are the backbone of the school, just not for me)

So then why do VMI/Cit/A&M Corps guys do so well at AF/Army ROTC Field Training? Massive coincidence?

 

[jg5343]

That doesn't prove your point. That again, is a training environment. You will never be able to tell someone is a good officer until he is put to work. Period. You will soon see the fleet is NOTHING like the corps of cadets at A&M.

 

[Deleted member 6665]

That doesn't prove your point. That again, is a training environment. You will never be able to tell someone is a good officer until he is put to work. Period. You will soon see the fleet is NOTHING like the corps of cadets at A&M.

I'm not saying that the Corps is valuable because it is like the fleet - I agree 100% that the Corps isn't the Navy/AF/Army/MC. And I'm not saying that everyone in the Corps would make a great officer. I know that's not true. All I'm saying is that the Corps provides the opportunity for people to better themselves. Which would, consequently, make them better officers.

And doing well at camp does matter - the military gives better positions to people who do better at camp. Therefore, they must think that performance at camp indicates how good of an officer someone will be.

 

[Killer2]

Ok I have watched from the sidelines long enough. First and foremost I am not in the fleet, the Navy or Marines or AF active duty, but I am in the Corps at A&M.

Do SOME, and thats the key word, some of the guys from these schools do well or better than others at camp/OCS yes ocassionally. Do some of them that come from here(or El Cid/VMI) are **** bags, yes. I have examples if needed.

DO we use a fourth class system like at USNA and other places yes *with a different twist because not all cadets go into the service.

Does coming here make you a better officer, no. Maybe a long time ago when the men that went to these places were of a differnt breed. (WWII era) Plus back then the military training offered was way different then now where basicly you are taught your left from your right and that anything that you don't want to do(PT) is Hazing

So back to the damn question... which NROTC unit is better, well that depends on you definition of better. Go with what you like the best, because you have to put up with it for 4(+/-) years. I mean what do you want out of the NROTC unit, then find out which one gives you that and go with it.

 

[American_Ace]

Does a 'military academy'-type school make you do a lot of menial tasks (like shoe shining, memorizing quotes, etc) that actually make you more disciplined, attentive to detail, better memorization skills, etc? Or do you just get to pretend you're perpetually stuck on the set of Full Metal Jacket for four years?

I personally want to know, b/c I'll be going to one of the biggest party schools in the nation in a couple weeks and I want to know if I should give that up for the Academy (if I get in). If the academy will make me more proficient as an officer, then I'll leave the girls and beer behind, but if it won't help me at all, then I'd like to accomplish my lifelong goal of being in the background of a scene from Girls Gone Wild.

 

[jg5343]

There is a certain prestige I think that comes with graduation from the academy, but IMHO, it all depends on you if it makes you a better officer. I always felt the Mustang O's were the best as they were always way more in tune with what the hell was actually going on.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Knowing what I know now, based on my experience in the fleet with officers from both types of schools and having graduated from a fairly big school in the SEC, I would not hesitate to go to the party school. I've been stationed with countless number of people who have graduated from the Academies (Navy and Air Force). Time and time again they would tell me that they wished they had gone to a regular school. The Naval Academy just isn't as revered in the Navy as it once was. It is a great academic school. If you choose to go there, you will get an awesome education. However, you will miss out on many of the other benefits of going to a traditonal school. In the end, you will get the same commission as the guy from the Academy. What you do after you graduate is what will matter.

Side note: When I joined the navy, I enlisted with the plan to go to the Naval Academy. I was selected for BOOST in '94 and fully expected to use that as a springboard for admission. In fact, when I had my interview for BOOST, I actually sat there and told a panel of O-4's that the Naval Academy makes better officers and that I could tell the difference just by looking at them. This of course isn't true.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go to the traditional school in a heartbeat. Some of the best times I ever had.

 

[boudreaux]

The "edge" that you will gain by being in the corps at A&M will equal about one week at ocs. So you know how to drill, wow. Anyone with a brain can utilize time management. After one week everyone is on the same playing field unless you are prior-enlisted, but even then OCS is dramatically different than boot camp. At boot camp the GySgt Instructors are the wheel to get you through, they don't give a care if you want to or not somehow you are getting to the end. At OCS they want you to go home, you would be doing them a favor. Go wherever you want! Don't let any program or name bring you in. Have fun in college! And learn something by the way too.

 

[webmaster]

enjoy resurrecting old threads while you can, since after tonight, everything past 30 days is going be locked....

 

[Ex Rigger]

Guess this is a little late to chime in here but if he is still reading.....I don't understand how A&M isn't a party school. The academics are tough but when you have 45,000 students your going to have plenty of partying. I've been in the Navy about 7 1/2 years and partied my ass off plenty when I first got here, but now I'm married. I love it here and visited both places and felt like Austin was just another big ass city with shi**y traffic. College Station is definitley smaller but it's a college town, Austin isn't. I visited UT and thought it was alright but I just felt it wasn't right for me. I don't have to do the Corps thing at A&M though. Personally, if it were me out of high school I would go to A&M (or UT for some of you) as a regular joe with the other 45,000 people and have fun...then go to OCS later, but that's just me.