Posted on Nov 7, 2017
What are the pros and cons of going through ROTC vs OCS?
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I had a brief meeting with my Commander yesterday about commissioning through the ROTC program. And he recommended that I should pursue the OCS route, honestly I haven't thought much about it. He told me that it would be physically and mentally demanding, but that it would be a better option in his opinion than ROTC. Are there any Officers out there who could share some information about their experience in one of these two? I'd like to make an informed decision rather than irrationally choosing. Thank you!
Posted in these groups: 
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Army)
ROTC
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Army) ROTC
Posted >1 y ago
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OCS if you already have a degree. ROTC if you're just starting college. The only real benefit is that ROTC parts for your college. OCS is just a 3 month commissioning school for those who already have a degree. If you have some college but not a full bachelor's yet check out the green to gold program.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Yeah our cycle back in 08 was interesting. There was some kind of bust or crackdown or something over in the 3rd ID Brigade on Sandhill. A lot of my cadre were guys who got sent there because they were under investigation. I reported in with my SSG rank on and my platoon TAC treated me like crap the whole time. Even made the 7 list halfway through and turned it down in favor of staying in OCS and he made it his business to make my cycle as fun as possible. The company commander got relieved right before graduation because of an inappropriate relationship with a candidate, so they locked the entire company in an auditorium overnight two nights before graduation to get every single candidate’s sworn statement. It was a great experience. Then I got to stay for BOLC 2. That was an even better experience.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
MAJ (Join to see) - No major personnel issues like that when I went though (1985). I'm told that I had an odd TAC mix, almost none were Combat Arms and it seemed that they went out of their way to give those of us that were Infantry or Armor, especially if we had any unit time, a hard time. I frankly had little respect for any of them and that got to worse when they were tried to pressure me into changing some evaluation simply because they wouldn't look good on the candidates records (they were absolutely accurate and factual). Almost all of us from Combat Arms unit were in better condition, were better tactically and had more service time, and I think they resented it.
IOBC at Benning wasn't my idea of a Vacation, but I at least saw the point in it and the training was pretty decent. The hours and amount of time in the field kind of sucked, but it is what it is.
IOBC at Benning wasn't my idea of a Vacation, but I at least saw the point in it and the training was pretty decent. The hours and amount of time in the field kind of sucked, but it is what it is.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I have found that ROTC does a much better job of teaching military doctrine and standard officer roles better than OCS. OCS is geared towards individuals with significant military experience so they do not go into the weeds like ROTC needs to do, because ROTC is catered towards individuals joining the Army. OCS had outstanding officers coming out of their program but many of those were outstanding before they arrived at OCS. Things like the five paragraph OPORD, tenants of military warfare and Troop Leading Procedures were drilled weekly in ROTC whereas the OCS candidates were assumed to know most of the basics prior to their arrival, the sheer time duration of the program prohibits an in depth study.
I highly recommend the SMP or Simultaneous Membership Program for anyone who has at least two years of college remaining. Essentially you will be a cadet in your reserve component unit at the grade of E5 from the day you sign your ROTC contract until you commission. Through OCS you'll commission earlier but you will miss out on the ROTC assistance through college, that means a Stipend, probably a scholarship, and your drill pay, certainly enough to fund your education. As an OCS individual you'll have six months of BOLC as a 2LT then drill pay leaving you in a difficult position to complete your education, sure the two years of rank will help but out of the six I've known to get commissioned without a degree only one finished in time, the other's were all kicked out of the Army at their CPT promotion boards. Balancing a full time job, reserve duties, and school is very difficult, ROTC forces you to complete and gives you enough financial stability to do it. Once you graduate with ROTC you can also opt for Active Duty or the Reserve Component, in your case OCS will be strictly reserve component.
I will always recommend ROTC to every individual that has access to the program and has at least two years of college remaining. OCS is more appropriate for those about to complete college or for more experienced NCOs.
Either way you choose best of luck and thank you for your service.
I highly recommend the SMP or Simultaneous Membership Program for anyone who has at least two years of college remaining. Essentially you will be a cadet in your reserve component unit at the grade of E5 from the day you sign your ROTC contract until you commission. Through OCS you'll commission earlier but you will miss out on the ROTC assistance through college, that means a Stipend, probably a scholarship, and your drill pay, certainly enough to fund your education. As an OCS individual you'll have six months of BOLC as a 2LT then drill pay leaving you in a difficult position to complete your education, sure the two years of rank will help but out of the six I've known to get commissioned without a degree only one finished in time, the other's were all kicked out of the Army at their CPT promotion boards. Balancing a full time job, reserve duties, and school is very difficult, ROTC forces you to complete and gives you enough financial stability to do it. Once you graduate with ROTC you can also opt for Active Duty or the Reserve Component, in your case OCS will be strictly reserve component.
I will always recommend ROTC to every individual that has access to the program and has at least two years of college remaining. OCS is more appropriate for those about to complete college or for more experienced NCOs.
Either way you choose best of luck and thank you for your service.
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I have to agree that while there are many factors which may be unique to your situation, probably the closest thing to a hard and fast rule is that if you already have a 4 year bachelor's degree, you should probably go OCS. Particularly if you are prior service.
The only major caveat to this is if the second degree you are pursuing is essential to the branch you want, i.e. Nursing, a law degree, or nutritionist's degree.
People will tell you that the major benefit of going ROTC is that you have a "better chance at getting what you want." Well, I am probably more knowledgeable about the accessions process than anyone on these boards and I can tell you that is not really accurate.
Yes, ROTC *can* give you a leg up on branch of choice, but It's complicated. First, you have to bust your ass to be in the top 10% of the country on the OML (Order of Merit List) to be guaranteed your branch. This means 3.9 GPA, highest marks from your PMS, volunteering for everything, 300+ PT score, Cadet BN Commander of your school, etc. If you fall out of the top 20%, and you choose a competitive branch like Military Intelligence, Medical Services, Aviation, or Cyber, you are not guaranteed anything. But your chances improve if you ADSO - or pledge another 2 years of active duty time to the Army to ensure your branch or duty station. If you don't ADSO, and you aren't top 20%, It's a crap shoot based on needs of the Army and what branches your peers ahead of you pick. You will also likely be branch detailed to combat arms for the first 3 years of your service.
In short, for the amount of work required to get a better chance at your branch, you might as well just crush it at OCS and get to pick there. OCS usually has 2-4 slots of every branch for every class.
The only major caveat to this is if the second degree you are pursuing is essential to the branch you want, i.e. Nursing, a law degree, or nutritionist's degree.
People will tell you that the major benefit of going ROTC is that you have a "better chance at getting what you want." Well, I am probably more knowledgeable about the accessions process than anyone on these boards and I can tell you that is not really accurate.
Yes, ROTC *can* give you a leg up on branch of choice, but It's complicated. First, you have to bust your ass to be in the top 10% of the country on the OML (Order of Merit List) to be guaranteed your branch. This means 3.9 GPA, highest marks from your PMS, volunteering for everything, 300+ PT score, Cadet BN Commander of your school, etc. If you fall out of the top 20%, and you choose a competitive branch like Military Intelligence, Medical Services, Aviation, or Cyber, you are not guaranteed anything. But your chances improve if you ADSO - or pledge another 2 years of active duty time to the Army to ensure your branch or duty station. If you don't ADSO, and you aren't top 20%, It's a crap shoot based on needs of the Army and what branches your peers ahead of you pick. You will also likely be branch detailed to combat arms for the first 3 years of your service.
In short, for the amount of work required to get a better chance at your branch, you might as well just crush it at OCS and get to pick there. OCS usually has 2-4 slots of every branch for every class.
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James Meyer
You don't know what you're talking about. When you join Army ROTC, you will be commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Active Duty Army with a 5 year commitment. Navy, Airforce, etc...
They do not switch you to a different branch if you complete a branch specific ROTC program. That is WHY they have separate ROTC programs specific to the corresponding military branch.
Please do not post comments on this page when you don't know what you're talking about. You are confusing prospective candidates.
They do not switch you to a different branch if you complete a branch specific ROTC program. That is WHY they have separate ROTC programs specific to the corresponding military branch.
Please do not post comments on this page when you don't know what you're talking about. You are confusing prospective candidates.
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I went through the reserve component. accelerated OCS Program, but I taught ROTC at one large university and a junior military college.
Unfortunately. I can’t speak of the traditional OCS program. Just speaking from my personal experience, I would choose ROTC. Accelerated OCS was just a smoke fest, and I got very little out of it. The smoking was like basic training and the subjects were equivalent to PLDC (now BLC). The ROTC program at the large university was excellent. The MSIVs were into the weeds in MDMP. From MSII on up, you get plenty of opportunities in leadership positions. A lot more time and opportunities outside of the required curriculum to learn leadership and tactics.
With that said, not all ROTC programs are the same. I would look into the quality of the program at your school.
Other things to consider is that if you were to go the OCS route, that is all you will be doing as far as military development. Dependinf on your schedule, you may want that. As an ROTC cadet, you could continue to drill with your unit in the Simultaneous Member Program. your unit commander can then have you do what you have been doing at drill, or choose to give you tasks to develop you as a leader.
Unfortunately. I can’t speak of the traditional OCS program. Just speaking from my personal experience, I would choose ROTC. Accelerated OCS was just a smoke fest, and I got very little out of it. The smoking was like basic training and the subjects were equivalent to PLDC (now BLC). The ROTC program at the large university was excellent. The MSIVs were into the weeds in MDMP. From MSII on up, you get plenty of opportunities in leadership positions. A lot more time and opportunities outside of the required curriculum to learn leadership and tactics.
With that said, not all ROTC programs are the same. I would look into the quality of the program at your school.
Other things to consider is that if you were to go the OCS route, that is all you will be doing as far as military development. Dependinf on your schedule, you may want that. As an ROTC cadet, you could continue to drill with your unit in the Simultaneous Member Program. your unit commander can then have you do what you have been doing at drill, or choose to give you tasks to develop you as a leader.
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