I know you're a USNA graduate. Just wondering what advice you would give a high school student who had a choice of either a military academy or a scholarship ROTC program at a well regarded college or university. (I did neither, having been in a now-defunct program called "ROC.") I've advised a few young people to think about ROTC before the academies, my point being that ROTC is not such a "total immersion" experience. But I may be missing something and am curious as to what your take is.
Well, you probably already know my answer. Some of my commentary is cynicism. I think Navy & Air Force interest rises whenever the country's in a recession (or a jobless recovery), especially while the Army's getting press for being in a shooting war. I don't think the Marines are exactly beating the crowds back from the recruiter's office, either.
IMO, smart kids with some self-discipline or maturity would do very well at ROTC, especially NROTC followed by aviation or submarines-- or intel/cryptology, right? Engineering and/or critical thinking. They'd get most of their college paid for while they pursue their interests and do what they love with a guaranteed job waiting for them at graduation. High school self-discipline would be demonstrated by not needing a lot of supervision or by achievements like varsity sports & Eagle Scout. I do not believe it is demonstrated by high grades or high SAT scores.
Again IMO, a smart kid lacking self-discipline or maturity would do very badly at ROTC because there's still so much liberty & independence. OTOH these types of teens tend to do very well at service academies with rigid systems demanding stamina, persistence, and externally-imposed time management. (I like your "total immersion" term.) There's plenty of "mentoring" (the bad kind as well as the good) and although the rules may be incomprehensible at first, the game can eventually be figured out. I had the chops to get into schools like Carnegie-Mellon & Notre Dame but I'm pretty confident that if I'd started the fall semester at college as a civilian or at ROTC then sex/drugs/rock&roll (and alcohol) would have sidelined me before Thanksgiving. I was initially dedicated to the same distinction at USNA but thanks to the persistent "mentoring" of CAPT Tony Armbrister USMC I managed to stay mostly within the rulebook. I did a lot better once I stopped challenging authority and began seeking out my own challenges.
The best advice I can give, for either program, is to visit at least 2-3 campuses and ROTC units. Tour State U and a private university, especially a stretch goal like one of the top 25. Start practicing it after 9th grade to learn how to do a campus tour and how to ask good questions. See if you feel like a "good fit" (or a stranger) and could figure out how to succeed there (or don't even want to see the dorms). Try JROTC in high school. Do the college summer programs for science & engineering (or whatever subject), go to their sports camps, and apply to a service academy's "Summer Seminar". It's expensive (three weeks at Notre Dame was $1750 plus airfare) but it's a lot cheaper than starting over after screwing up the first semester on a bad fit.
Teens might know themselves better than their peers & counselors, and perhaps as well as their parents, but they lack the self-assessment vocabulary. The tours and the programs, plus talking with parents about the irresistible challenge of a service academy or the great feel of a campus, will help families figure it out. Our kid was fine with any of the colleges she toured but Rice made a particularly good impression. Of course it was also the sixth college she'd seen so perhaps she was in a more receptive frame of mind. She also learned enough at USNA's Summer Seminar to realize that (1) they were deliberately leaving out a lot of information and (2) she didn't care for the stamina marathons like Sea Trials as an analogy for plebe year.
For whatever reason, when spouse and I were teens we didn't visit college campuses. Our parents didn't think that way (or they didn't have the money) and we never did more than look through the brochures. I hung out at CMU nearly weekly for various high-school computer-geek programs but matriculating there was just a vague backup plan if USNA didn't come through. Nearly 30 years later when spouse & I toured Notre Dame, CMU, RPI, and Rice with our own teen, our immediate emotional reaction upon setting foot on every campus was "Holy crap did we ever screw up in 1977." As a teen spending a weekend at USNA, however, I was fascinated by the challenge and the whole Marine Corps "few good men" image. 30 years later, doing the same tour with our teen, both spouse and I were almost suckered into signing up all over again. So perhaps we're just susceptible slow learners.
Kids who just don't want to do college (for whatever reason) might benefit from a military enlistment. Their motivation would initially be the exciting challenge, the lifestyle, and the GI Bill. I've seen lots of immature sailors who, a few years later, were totally committed to college with night/weekend study. Whether they pursued a commission or a civilian career with their degree, just a few years of the enlisted lifestyle transformed them into incredibly motivated college students.
My nephew the Army Ranger struggled at his magnet/charter high school and was intimidated by college. However the Ranger challenge (and its $5000 bonus) was irresistible. Three years and three combat deployments later, college didn't seem so scary and West Point was begging him to attend. As he rose through the ranks there, he noticed that the system could coach and motivate even the most persistent screwups to perform beyond their potential. USMA gave them a "supportive" environment where they didn't need to be mature or disciplined to succeed-- just persistent. When he later attended his 2LT pipeline training he noticed that the ROTC officers would buckle down and get to work to learn their new jobs, while the USMA alumni would coast on their background to catch up on four years of deferred partying. Within the year, though, the USMA alumni had grown into their own maturity & self-discipline.
There is one significant difference developed at service academies and a few select schools like the Citadel: taking a shotgun blast to the face. When I went to the fleet after USNA, being screamed at and mentally (or even physically) abused was no big deal. I knew how to take it and I could even reciprocate without getting busted. (As more than one of my XOs/COs can attest.) However I'm not sure that this "life skill" is necessary for adult success, and it may even reinforce bad habits. As more than one of my XOs/COs can attest.
Can't wait for his reply!
