Which branch should I pursue through ROTC (or OCS), Infantry or Armor?

If you go ROTC, your get to ask for the beach you eat, but there are others you have to put on your list. I know guys who were given a branch not even in there list.

Though the Maneuver Center it Excellence is now at Ft Benning, the schools are separate. They two are very important to the fight and the comments of commitment before me are appropriate considerations.

http://www.ocsfoundation.org

Trustmme, join this, their forum page is quite useful, honest, you should also try for the other OCS programs!s as well, also USMC platoon leaders course (PLC), which is less well known, honest....

The best of the two is Infantry, but you have to be a dedicated leader to be an infantry officer. You have to lead from the front, and that means humping rucks, even in Mech infantry. If you don't want to do that, then, by all means, go DAT.

Easy decision, Infantry!

Everyone’s opinion is shaped by their experiences. As an Infantryman that will soon command a Light Cavalry squadron, I will give you mine.
First, you should know that if you serve in light infantry as a Lt, you will serve in a Mech or Stryker Infantry unit as a Cpt (or visa versa). So you’ll get your time with armor.
Second, even light Infantry often uses armor/vehicles. As a Co Cdr in the 82nd Abn I spent one deployment riding to the fight in uparmored HWMMV’s and one deployment using MRAPs.
My final point is that the greatest difference is mentality and culture, I see that as being - armor is centered around a machine and Infantry is centered on people. Both armor and Infantry are maneuver branches, which is why they combined their training HQs at Benning. Both branches will be involved in any major conflict. Infantry will be deployed more regularly for moderate conflict. If you want to get in the fight today, go Infantry. If you want to wait for the big fight, go armor.

Having commissioned through ROTC as an Armor officer I can tell you- you are currently more likely to be able to choose your career path as an Armor 2LT compared to an Infantry 2LT. Don't get me wrong 11A is a great MOS and the Army needs many motivated Infantry Officers, but you can choose to go to an IBCT, SBCT or ABCT as an Armor officer. As an Infantry officer you will not be able to choose, so it is not guaranteed you go to a ABCT or SBCT as mechanized Infantry (although the Army is slowly transitioning to more ABCTs). If you are wanting to go to Ranger School, and all Infantry Officers MUST go to Ranger School, and all Armor Officers going to IBCTs and SBCTs must go to Ranger School. I urge you to look more into the layout of IBCTs / SBCTs / ABCTs and get less caught up on the fact that Infantry is 100% rucking and Armor is 100% tanks. Let me know if you have more questions, as I currently have many friends that are in IBOLC and ABOLC.

I was in an Infantry unit in the National Guard while I was a cadet. I was completely choosing Infantry until I saw an M1. I branched Armor and never got the hang of it. I think the advise of a branch detail is solid. I left after my first commitment never feeling the success I had in the infantry. You may be the complete opposite. I was a hard head.

Branch what sounds interesting to you. It sounds cliche but you’ll learn to love your branch. I branched Artillery but I wanted Infantry, engineering, or Intel, but got FA. I didn’t have my heart set on those, because I came to lead and learn so it didn’t matter to me either way.

PFC Mounce - always good to look further as to ones options and what will the force look like in 5 years timeframe -- much less in 10 years. I had several branches by the time I retired - as well as worked in INF and INTEL. If your thinking INF is the right path for you - then go it and do a branch detail so you get it as your base to build on. I started Armor and to me it was the best time in learning how to lead and how to command. But after I gotten out of the RA and gone to the USAR - my first assignment was as a Conterintelligence PLDR. I never heard of such before... and it changed my thinking on INTEL. Good luck!

I grew up as an armor officer, and I loved it, but there were some tough times in that field. I got a functional area of 90A multifunctional logistics. It is a good career field but not very exciting and carries over to the civilian world. I would suggest choosing a branch where you spend time leading young troops. You will get more hands on leadership than you might if you choose a branch that has many small cells of specialists.