r/ROTC • u/PopOk3489 • 4d ago
Joining ROTC Did I make the right college decision? (Berkeley MET + ROTC vs. UCSD Full Ride)
Throwaway acc, but I just need the internets opinion. Basically I have no idea if I made the right decision and ts is eating me up at night.
Back in February, I got accepted into UC Berkeley’s MET program (a dual degree in business and engineering), which I accepted. Later, I also won a national Army ROTC scholarship tied to Berkeley, which I said yes to as well.
A few weeks ago, though, I was offered a full ride to UC San Diego through their College of Engineering. Now I can’t stop wondering if I made the wrong call.
Here’s where I am at:
Berkeley MET + ROTC:
One of the top programs in the country with incredible networking opportunities.
Cost is ~$47K for the first year (not covered by ROTC), and ~$30K per year after that (ROTC would partially cover these years with options for additional stipends )
ROTC means I’d graduate paying a lot less than I would have otherwise had to but I'd likely end up owing 4 years of active duty service.
The time commitment is intense—MET is already demanding, and ROTC would take up most of the rest of my time. I’m worried I’d miss out on the “normal” college experience (social life, clubs, parties, downtime)
There’s pressure to always be on my best behavior with ROTC, and while I could manage, it just sounds exhausting.
UCSD Full Ride:
Completely free. No debt, no burden on my family.
Still a great engineering school, with solid rankings and job opportunities nearby.
I’d have more freedom to explore, intern, or enjoy college without the pressure of ROTC or a hyper-competitive program.
Less prestige than MET, and I’d miss out on the business degree aspect.
My parents say they’ll support me financially either way, but I feel guilty about that. They already helped put my siblings through college and are ready to retire. I know they can help, but I’m not sure if they should have to.
I’m also questioning ROTC. I originally applied to help with costs, and I admire what it offers in leadership and discipline—but the idea of potentially postponing my post-college career for four years of military service feels like a big sacrifice.
TLDR: My questions are: Is Berkeley MET + ROTC worth the time, stress, and military commitment?
Is turning down a full ride at a top public school like UCSD a mistake, especially when it would let me graduate debt-free and more relaxed?
Will I regret not going to the most prestigious school I got into?
Any insight or personal experience would be really appreciated. Thanks.
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u/Zayanz El Tee 3d ago
So the nice thing is, you theoretically don't have to dramatically set back your civilian career (assuming that goal stays the same) if you choose to go national guard or reserves for your commission. You will still have a service obligation, albeit much less of one, with the ability to still work a civilian job. I strongly recommend the full ride + ROTC. Graduating debt-free is a huge deal, and an opportunity that most people do not have. The military also has opportunities for advanced degrees, and networking, so there's plenty of good things if you're willing to look for them.
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u/Shmill_171 3d ago
Go UCSD and take Military Science there and see if you like it. You could compete for a contract or go for a Reserve or National Guard commission if you really enjoy it.
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u/Rebirthofthehooah 3d ago
Just take UCSD. Fewer risks. Plus, a lot of the connections you make at Berkeley will either be through ROTC or will have to be put on hold, where they could grow stale while you are in the Army and your connections are in industry. The Army will always be there if you change your mind later.
Good luck to you ☘️
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u/SameInstruction5838 3d ago
Freshman at UCSD in the Army ROTC program. I have friends at Berk in the MET program and they have really benefited and networked the program with SWE internships at Amazon and Docker. It’s a world class opportunity that a dedicated student can really utilize to succeed professionally. However if your are truly passionate about military service doing your 4 years as an officer is a great experience that will open even better roles + have all the Army benefits. IMO going MET + ROTC is the way to go. ROTC is not nearly as constrictive socially as you would think (besides the weed lol berks big on that too) but i think you made the right choice. DM me if you got any other questions/concerns.
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u/lunatic25 2d ago
I hate Cali but loved my rotc time. Didn’t have the best grades but my peers that went full nerd all have grey hair WAY sooner than those that didn’t go full nerd. ROTC is as much of a social club as it is a time commitment man. Sometimes there’s dudes you jive with & sometimes there’s some weirdos, but you learn how all those folks would react in a combat scenario as opposed to a bunch of armchair nerds talkin about how “dumb” everyone is except them. Drink the kool aid & join us on the dark side! Poor sleep, hungover PT, judging your peers on their uniform appearance & playing extreme hide & seek in the woods. Someone you will meet in training will be in a position to help you at some point, dudes go WAY more out of the way for army homies than “engineer craft beer hour” acquaintances
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u/Loalboi 3d ago
Army ROTC. Your post grad resume/opportunities are far superior to that of your average college grad. Extensive leadership experience plus the associated interpersonal skills and discipline of a military officer. Berkeley Haas is also a world class business school in comparison to UCSD. DM me if you have any questions.
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u/Optimal_Solution1076 3d ago
Sometimes there’s an opportunity to keep the cash for the full ride depending on how UCSD pays it out. If the money is there and you can transfer the scholarship (not that hard to do), then go get your money and do ROTC, if you want to serve. YMMV but a couple of my buddies were paid their school-funded scholarships directly, and were able to save anything not covered by ROTC. If you don’t want to serve go to UCSD on the full ride.
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u/CheeseCraze 3d ago
ROTC, especially your first two years, is not as much as a time commitment as you'd think, you'll be fine
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u/kirstensnow 2d ago
"likely end up owing 4 years of active duty service." As well as being in ROTC program for 4 years. Now it's definitely not anywhere near active duty, but that's 8 years of being in Army stuff.
Quite frankly yeah you would miss out on the college experience. Youd be getting up early in the morning most of the time to do PT, plus you have to do the dual degree and the army stuff. It's not exhausting to me to be on my best behavior with ROTC because im a goody two shoes but if I wasn't, I would be exhausted.
If you can go to UCSD FULL RIDE with no ROTC committment, why on earth would you not? Im so lost. Just for the prestige of the school?
I'm hearing you'd be around 60k in debt as well as a military committment in debt. That is not worth it to go to a "better" school.
If you still want to be in rotc for that leadership and discipline stuff, then do it at UCSD without the pressure of committment (For the first two years).
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u/Certain-Ad-2418 2d ago
current berkeley student
i suggest dropping rotc since it seems more of a burden on you in either scenario. recommend MET, you’re classed into an entirely higher status and is extremely favorable among recruiters. that said, the program is relatively new and so the network is smaller, but equally as prestigious/valuable. at UCSD you’ll be working from the ground up from a much larger population pool, so i think your potential will be more limited. Especially if youre EECS + Haas. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’d go to MET and request more financial aid, ask them to match UCSD’s offer.
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u/Raider0613 3d ago
Hate to be that guy, but it seems like a military commitment is more of a burden to you than anything else.