NROTC and USNA
I started out at NROTC and now I'm at the Academy and enjoying every minute of it. First question: Do you mind being busy? Since the first day I step foot in the front door and took the Oath of Office, it's been a busy time. It's also been the most rewarding. I've met friends that I will know for a lifetime, and I'm getting a worldclass education. Depending upon your major, be prepared to give a lot of time and energy to the Academy and the experience. Taking it from a guy who made 4.0's in college and did the whole NROTC experience, I wanted the 24/7 immersion that the Academy offers plus the challenges. I hated my life in NROTC and was looking for more. Wearing my uniform once a week to Leadership Laboratory was not 'military' enough for me. Don't get me wrong, I had to balance paying dorm bills, credit card bills, etc. I STILL DO THE SAME THING HERE. Granted, you're housing and food are paid for- you will have to pay for extra stuff like going to the movies, Washington D.C./Baltimore/New York, skiing/snowboarding, Spring Break, Summer Cruise, etc. Also, if something breaks down in your room, you have to fix it now in most cases or call a work order in. That's how things go with base housing except the turn-around time here is a little faster.
After meeting both Foundation kids and NROTC kids, the NROTC kids were more motivated to be here than the Foundation kids. The NROTC kids had to go through a separate process, apply for a nomination, and sweat not knowing where they'd be going to school the next year. Granted the Foundation kids had to re-apply, but they were put in a different category and were granted more security with the Admissions Dept. The Naval Academy Foundation pays $10k + per student to go to PREP SCHOOL for a year or even possibly just a semester. Of course, the Admissions Dept. isn't going to put them through the ringer. Also in NROTC, you learn some professional knowledge about Navy and Marine Corps platorms that put you a little ahead of your classmates. Even though you get bombarded with information over Plebe Summer and the Academic Year, it is nice to have a good base in that type of stuff.
In ROTC, I felt that the only people actively participating in leadership were the 1/C mids. Everyone else was just there having a good time. Also, I had little knowledge of how a fitness report worked or how special request chits worked, etc. It's just one of those things that come with being in a 24/7 military environment.
My 2 cents: don't do Foundation. Do ROTC and see how you like it. You may do ROTC and decide that the Navy/ Marine Corps isn't for you. I also wasn't accepted my first try and I had to completely re-apply. Not having the security of the Foundation Scholarship definitely motivated me to do well in grades and militarily in NROTC. I'm doing pretty well coming from NROTC ~ (academically and militarily). Over Plebe Summer and the Academic Year, the ROTC kids do much better academically, have a much more positive attitude, and usually get higher military performance grades (i.e. if you get a crappy performance grade, you more than likely get your first choice of service selection- a popular phrase is: "You don't choose SWO, SWO chooses you!!" DISCLAIMER: This is not to knock all the SWOs out there- I'm just implying that the needs of the Navy might not work out for you if you're at the bottom of your class and un-motivated)
GeologyRocks is right about making the Academy what you want it to be. I'm not saying that the Academy is for everyone. You may come up here and find out you don't like it or you may do NROTC at Penn State and like the college lifestyle. It's up to you, man.
Of course, every commissioning source has their share of bad apples, and the Academy does have its sh**bags. But not everyone here is a sh**bag- those are the guys who give this place a bad name.
By the way, no Academy mid has really hinted on this earlier. After you get out of the service, the Naval Academy Alumni Association hooks you up BIG TIME if you're willing to go to job fairs. The Academy ring doesn't necessarily help you in the service, but it can open doors that graduating from many other schools can't. No offense, but firms like Merryl Lynch definitely value an Academy degree when hiring. I haven't met an Academy graduate yet after getting out of the military that regretted that they went here. For instance, just come to a Navy football game and you'll see all the different classes and their tailgaters. You'll not only see the camaraderie they have as a class, but you'll see the amount of success they have obtained as a group. Some of these guys are CEO's and many Academy grads go on to do really well in the business world.
If you have any questions, PM me.
