I JUST entered into NROTC (US Navy), I'm still a 4/C, but it is the best thing I think I have ever done in my life. First off, there's the money. I have $180,000 to use for tuition. They give me another $375 per semester for books, and pay me $250 this year, with $50 more per month each year I'm in. My tuition is covered, my book cost has been cut in half, and I get paid to go to college. Then there are the people. Everyone I have met here has been absolutely amazing. Capt. Dixon was an F-18 pilot for years, my class advisor, LT. Lozeau is a former P-3 pilot and one of the funniest people I have met, and the 3/C Midshipmen I have met have been nothing short of a godsend helping us all get acclimated to things. Then we have the other commissioned staff teaching the classes, and bringing real world experience. However, so we aren't too spoiled on the officer side of things, we have the OCs and MECEPs helping to keep us on track, and reminding us of the stock placed in us by the enlisted in the fleet.
I'm still new to ROTC, but it is amazing. If you are ever afforded the opportunity, take it. I was looking into the Academy as well as ROTC, and there was one little fact that stood out to me. I talked to MANY ROTC and Annapolis grads, and I met MANY Annapolis grads who told me they wish they had gone ROTC instead. I didn't meet a single ROTC grad who regretted picking ROTC.
Also, as far as the branch, there are a few things to know about ROTC:
Branch: You start in the ROTC branch you will serve. I am in Navy ROTC, which produces Marine officers as well, but you select Navy or Marine before you ever show up to the battalion.
Selection: There are two types of ROTC candidate: College option, and Scholarship. The scholarship is a competitive process that you must apply for. It takes into account grades, leadership activities, etc. College options get no financial aid, and go through all the same work the scholarship candidates do. However, by the end of your sophomore year, college program kids must earn a scholarship, or they will likely (almost always) be dropped from the unit and not commission.
Remaining: There are MANY requirements. For NROTC, there are certain classes above and beyond normal curriculum that MUST be completed by your sophomore year or you're dropped. You must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. You MUST pass all PRTs (Physical Tests). Fail one, you are on probation. Fail two, you are on leave of absence (ALL funding is stopped for at least one semester). Fail three and you are automatically kicked out. The list goes on.