ROTC Airforce? Nursing?

Question

i dont understand rotc and am looking into it more fully, my questions are

when do u actually join the military?

What rank/position are u when u graduate?

Can u pursue any degree??? such as nursing?

What is this scholarship i hear of? money for school?

GI BILL?

Answer 1

I'm so glad you asked.  

ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Course) is a program to commission qualified people in the Air Force.

You come on to active duty within 1 year of graduation.

You can pursue any degree, esp nursing.  We have scholarships just for nurses.  

Due to a recent change in the law, you will still qualify for the GI Bill even if you have received AFROTC scholarship, if you want to pursue a masters.  You can also use tuition assistance while on active duty.

Answer 2

ROTC is sort of like prep school for the military. You'd attend it like you would any other class while in college-- watch "Animal House" and you'll get a somewhat satirical idea. Tuition assistance may vary. I have friends that received 100% support though. When you graduate you would receive a commission in the Air Force as a 2d Lieutenant. To find out more you would want to contact the ROTC office at prospective colleges. They will likely have a list of acceptable degrees.

The Air Force academy is a whole other deal. It's stand alone school and everything is paid for.  If you get accepted think bigger then nurse because you will be in a highly respected school. You would attend the academy for 4 years, get commissioned as a 2d Lieutenant when you graduate, then service in the USAF for a predetermined amount of additional years . Probably ~6 years; longer if you decided to become a pilot or something requiring lots of extra training.  For more details on that go to USAF academy website.

The GI Bill is something you pay into when you enlist in the military. If I remember correctly you put $1200 of your own money in when you enlist to get substantially more back--amount varies by service and length of enlistment. The USAF compensation is probably pretty high compared to say the USMC though.

All are great education options, however, remember one thing: don't join the service unless you're doing it to service your country honorably. I serviced with too many people who joined for the wrong reasons and regretted it. The educational benefits won't cheer you up when you're called to war.

Answer 3

Best to talk with a recruiter.

ROTC allows for you to attend college to get your degree. You will do monthly drills (now called Battle Assembly in the Army, and Unit Training Assembly in the Air Force), and so many days during the summer though you will get paid for this. Otherwise, you would enlist for so many years, then after your enlistment you could go to whatever college you get into and use your education benefits to pursue your degree.

Scholarships are offered for certain positions. There used to be plenty available for nursing, though it's been a while since I was in nursing school and am not sure this is still available. A recruiter would know whether any incentives are available for certain positions. If you graduate with your Bachelor's degree, you will go in as a 2nd lieutenant.

The GI Bill is available, as is tuition assistance.

Answer 4

ROTC is a college class.  You commission  as a 0-2 once you get your degree and finish all your ROTC classes.  You don't drill, that's Guard.  Apples and oranges.

Answer 5

These should get you started.