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Ok, so, I'm a junior in high school. The plan is to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) because of what I've heard about it; it sounds like a great college and the type of envrionment I could get into and everything. I am also very interested in the military and hopefully becoming a fighter pilot. So naturally, this led me to start looking into the ROTC programs. From what I've seen on their website and other sites, they have great ROTC programs for the 3 branches of military I'm interested in (Navy, Air Force, and the Marines). It's pretty much been a lifelong dream to be in the Marine Coprs, and for the last couple years my dad (once a Marine) has helped shape my ambitions towards being an officer regardless of the branch I go in. In summary, my biggest career goal is to basically become a fighter pilot, however, I still want to go into the Marines a LOT; I know both of these are possible but I'm not sure how probable it is that they will coincide . I'm pretty sure that Navy or AF would help me get to being fighter pilot a little bit better than the Marines - not positive but pretty sure. So assuming I can get into the ERAU ROTC program with my grades, extra-curriculars, etc., what branch do you think I should choose? And why? Any advice or comment is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
P.S. I posted this in education but someone said I should've asked it in military and I thought that was a pretty good idea.
It's actually only two ROTC programs. Navy ROTC (NROTC) and AFROTC (NROTC). The NROTC has 3 options. Navy, Nurse Corps, and Marine. No matter which option you apply for under the NROTC, once in you can move between the options. Also, marine pilots are actually Naval Aviators. You train at NAS Pensacola. A Marine is even part of the Blue Angels and the "Fat Albert" KC-130 that accomapnies the team is a Marine pilot and crew. My advice would be to apply for all the NROTC schoalrships (I belive you can even have two applications inf or the NROTC, one with the ANvy, one with the Marines) first off and see if you can get accepted that route. Being in ROTC and having an opportunity for a commission is much different than having a ROTC scholarship and having your college paid for and a stipend along the way.
As a junior, now is the time to start the process of applying. Make sure you take the SAT this year and do some research to find out what the qualifying score is for each service. I know the Marines require a combined math & verbal on the SAT of a 1000, I believe it's 1050 for the Navy, not sure about the AF. For the ACT the score is 22. Whatever you test you take make sure you put down the code to have your score released to the ROTCs. Also, the NROTC has a lot of references you need to get from teachers and such. Under the Marine Corps option you will have to run a full PFT as well.
Now to more specifically answer your question, (and full disclosure, I am a Marine recruiter), I'd think the Marines would be the best option. The reason being is, nobidy thinks of Marines when they think of planes, despite the fact of that being our largest MOS. Looking at 2009 stats ( the most recent I have within arms reach) there were 5,565 pilots versus 2,293 infantry officers, the next closest MOS (A little over 20k officers total in 2009). I remember about a year ago when I first got out here the Officer side was so full that the only way you were going to get an OCS seat was if you were a female, minority, or qualified for pilot training. The situtation may still be similar, I don't keep up with the specifics of waht the Officer Selection Offciice is looking for, though they've made it known that they are hungry to fill their minority quotas still. Just to sum all this up. NROTC -Marine option would be your best best b/c peopel who want to be pilots have a natural inclination to look at the AF or Navy first, meaning more competition. Pilots are the largest officer MOS in the Marine Corps, but one of the mroe difficult ones to fill, meaning less competition.
Edit: Wanted to add that there are 2 looks for teh NROTC scholarship. The first deadline is in Oct for the first look. Feb for the 2nd. The cool thing is that everyone passed over in the first round automatically makes it to the 2nd, meaning you get 2 chances to get awarded the scholarship. That's why it's importnat for you to tak e the SAT this spring and complete your application by October.
Balad1 brings up a good point. Aviaiton requires both higher physical and mental standards, another reason which makes it harder to qualify for. Research the specifics of thsoe requirements to make sure you will.
He brings up another good point onthr academies, they ork just liek thr ROTCs and will allow you to reach your goals of a firghter pilot as well. Try applying for them along with ROTC. One thing about the academies, you'll need an endorsement from a congressman.
Look at the Merchant Marine Academy as well, they have pilot training slots available to their graduates. You should also ask your school conselor to help you find one of the Academy liasons to talk to. They help keep you on track and prepare you for applying. Good grades, leadership roles and playing on a school sports team helps. I believe the Air Force Academy doubles the math SAT score so doing very well on that portion helps.
ROTC is the other way to go, make sure it's a program that has pilot slots to offer. Good luck!
Look at the Merchant Marine Academy as well, they have pilot training slots available to their graduates. You should also ask your school conselor to help you find one of the Academy liasons to talk to. They help keep you on track and prepare you for applying. Good grades, leadership roles and playing on a school sports team helps. I believe the Air Force Academy doubles the math SAT score so doing very well on that portion helps.
ROTC is the other way to go, make sure it's a program that has pilot slots to offer. Good luck!
First and foremost, have more than one plan. If it is the Marine Corps that you are interested in, apply for a NROTC scholarship under the Marine Option. One thing about even the aviators in the Marine Corps, they first learn how to be ground combat officers. This means that you can expect 6 months of rigorous infantry training (The Basic School) immediately following commissioning and before you ever sniff the cockpit of an aircraft. It's a good experience that will pay you dividends later in your career.
Also, if/when you are awarded an NROTC Scholarship, you will need to sit down with the Marine Officer Instructor (MOI), who will be one of the staff members at the NROTC command. Be upfront with your goals, and make it clear that you desire a flight contract. There's some additional tests and requirements you'll have to meet, and the MOI can help show you what you need to know to satisfy these requirements. One thing they will look at: GRADES! So finish High School strong and don't let the college atmosphere distract you when you start. (May not be as big a problem if you go to Embry-Riddle.)
Lastly, even if you get a flight contract, it only gets you a seat in the flight pipeline. Depending on your performance and service needs, you will be directed to either a fixed or rotary wing platform, and from there, to a specific platform. Keep an open mind, because fighter pilot is glamorous and all, but a C-130 pilot has it pretty good as well.
Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you have specific Q's. I'm a Captain in the Marine Corps.
Thanks for all the great advice people, I really appreciate it. I'm thankful I can jump on here and get some of the great advice I'm getting.
@macjr82 thanks for the heads up about NROTC and the Navy and Marine option; but to clarify, if I get accepted into NROTC, can I go from the Navy to Marines option or vice versa if I don't find what I'm looking for? Also, you said that there were a lot of of pilot positions in the Marines, but what are the chances of me landing in a fighter pilot position, not just on a transport plane or something? And how competitive would it be to get into that slot?
@iknowftbll I'm more than ok with the 6 month Basic School and maybe settling for a gig on a C-130 or even in a rotary slot; but as far as grades go, I was kind of slacking off too much throughout my last couple years. My GPA is somewhere around 3.0 or maybe a little higher and that's really due to lack of effort. I've lately had some catalystic events happen so I'm praying that from now on that's not going to be a negative variable. So, I was wondering, do you think that my grades being mediocre and then shooting up vs. having solid grades all throughout will carry enough weight (now that I have my head straight) to the Embry-Riddle and NROTC admission people. And that's kind of directed to everybody.
And @Balad1 I looked up the eyesight requirements and it's 20/40 - no correction - and I don't see any problems with that or any of the other physical requirements but thanks for the check-up.
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. I'm pretty sure that Navy or AF would help me get to being fighter pilot a little bit better than the Marines - not positive but pretty sure. So assuming I can get into the ERAU ROTC program with my grades, extra-curriculars, etc., what branch do you think I should choose? And why? Any advice or comment is welcomed and greatly appreciated. 
