Need some advice Nrotc or Nupoc (NRE or SWO)

[Stoicmind]

I am a high school senior about to graduate; I applied for a NROTC Scholarship and I didn't get it.  I'm very much interested in being in the Navy and for me it will most likely be a lifelong commitment. I'm interested in being either a SWO or NRE and I have some questions about going about this. Firstly, I plan on joining the reserves soon I want to contact the recruiter tomorrow and talk about available job and hopefully get something that will be sending me to boot camp/ A school this summer. When I get back Ill be in school (I've already been accepted to a college). My reasons for joining the reserves first is I want the boot camp experience and I feel having that experience will make me a better officer and provide more opportunities. Moreover, having a job in the reserves while in college will help me out a lot. When I come back from boot camp I'm not sure whether I should go the NUPOC route or NROTC route. I'm very much interested in Physics, Chemistry, and Calculus; I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering and have taken the AP versions of all these classes. With that being said, I'm very interested in being in the nuclear section of things in the navy. I'm not sure if I should go NUPOC or NROTC because NUPOC requires one to wait 30 months before graduation, while in NROTC I can participate freshman year if I turn in my application now, and hopefully be put in a scholarship position junior year. Being in NROTC freshman, sophomore year is important for me so I can avoid deployment since I'll be in the reserves. But on the other hand being an NRE, which is my preference, is not possible through NROTC to my knowledge. I do understand that SWO can be attained through NROTC,  but I'm not sure if it's comparable to NRE in regards to it's involvement Physics, chemistry, and calculus.  I don't want my schooling to be interrupted but I still want to have my hand in the Navy and I want to be an Officer (Nuke). With all that considered what path should i take and what advice do you guys have for me thank you.

[spekkio]

The official NROTC website doesn't list NRE as a service selection option. You should talk to your local unit to see if that's even an option.

Having said that, if your heart is set on one or two jobs in the Navy then it would be advantageous for you to wait and apply via OCS, especially since you won't receive scholarship money in NROTC. When you service select in NROTC, you could end up in a job other than SWO or NRE depending on your college GPA and the needs of the Navy. In particular, if you major in a technical subject and do well, you might be voluntold to interview for submarines if the community is hurting for new Ensigns. Pilot, NFO, SEAL, and Marine options usually have enough applicants that you won't get it unless it's high on your preference list, but you can't be sure that will always be true.

If you wait until you can apply for NRE via NUPOC, you'll have enough college coursework to know if you can even make the cut (you need > 3.7 GPA). If you do make the cut, you'll collect E-6 pay + BAH for the last two years of college with no military responsibilities. It's one of the best deals in the Navy.

If you don't make the cut for NRE, you can apply for OCS and only list SWO when you graduate. If you don't make the cut there, you won't be stuck doing anything in the Navy that you don't want to do.

[maroon]

1.  NRE's leave active duty after 5 years, but may be able to stay on as a civilian government employee at NR.  If you want a "lifelong commitment" in uniform, Subs or SWO-N are the only nuclear options.
2.  Some (very few) NROTC mids are accepted as NRE.  Your grades in college will determine if NR will consider you for this.  The majority of nuclear mids are assigned Subs.
3.  I'm not too familiar with the Reserves, but I'm not sure if there is any benefit to doing it if you are just planning on applying for an officer program a year later.  I don't think you'd get much worthwhile experience in a single year in the reserves unless you are deployed or are activated, which you are trying not to do.  It may be more worthwhile to use that time instead to focus on your schoolwork to keep your grades up to improve your NROTC/NUPOC application.  If its a money issue, maybe you could get a student job at your school working for a professor to do something more relevant to your major.  Just don't be one of those guys who had great grades in high school and then go and tank your first semester of college because its a new and unfamiliar environment, cause that will hurt your chances for both programs.
4.  You could also see if they'll let you take the NROTC course as a non-scholarship freshman to get some Navy exposure.  You say that are not too familiar with the job of a SWO, this would give you some interaction with actual Navy officers who can tell you about the job.  Subs/SWO-N are the more mainstream Naval officers leading sailors operating the nuclear reactors onboard ships that go to sea to accomplish whatever mission they are given.  NR Engineers have a desk job in DC and interface with the laboratories, contractors, and other government entities to provide the oversight of the entire program.  Two very different jobs.
5.  If you go NROTC, you have a decent chance of getting interviewed for nuclear if your grades are good, however realize that there is a much greater demand for Sub officers rather than SWO-N so you may be assigned that.  Also, if you aren't selected for nuclear you'll be committed to another field in the Navy, so you need to be prepared for that.  If you aren't willing to accept that, it may be better to wait and apply for NUPOC.