I have been to civi-U three times, so coming to RMC makes it my 4th time at university. And no, I didn't fail out of the other schools or anything, I didn't get full credit for the degree I have because it's from a technical school in New Zealand. Whatever, I'm getting paid to go to school now and I'm doing really well here, it's all good. Anyhow, I chose to come to RMC because I wanted to have more of a military education, as all I really learned at civi-U was how to make it to class on time after having stayed up all night hanging out with friends. There are pros and cons to both systems. I think RMC gets you more into being aware of details, as dress and room inspections play such a big role in life here. However, I do know that there are civi-U students who are just as attentive about their appearance and general standards, just as there are RMC cadets who are massive bags who don't care about their appearance or room, no matter how many IR's they get given for it. I also think that finishing your OPME's before graduation is a huge advantage, as is the french training. But, like others have said, if you want to do a specific degree that is not offered at RMC, then by all means, go civi-U. Same with the sports- fitness here is a huge thing, but varsity teams have a hard time, as they have such a small student body to pull their players from. Being an RO is different than going to civi-U on your own dime though, I see so many cadets (both from RMC and civi-U) who have no concept of budgeting, time management, and other important skills, because the subsidization offered by the CF takes care of a lot of that for them. Also, there seems to generally be a lack of appreciation for how good the ROTP program is, because so many cadets have come straight from high school, so don't know how hard it is to try to find jobs, pay for education, etc on your own. I'm glad I've been able to experience both worlds, I can appreciate how good we really do have it in the ROTP program, despite the downsides.
All in all, even though there are many disadvantages to being at RMC (like 6:30am parades in the middle of winter
), I think the advantages of working with senior NCMs and officers on a daily basis is an advantage over civi-U, and the leadership opportunities (if you choose to take advantage of them) at RMC provide you with experience into how the military actually functions, and can improve your confidence in leading people. At RMC, you get so many examples of excellent leadership and terrible leadership, which are great education experiences if you choose to learn from them. I won't say that RMC cadets are better than civi-U students, because that's not the case. I will say that as an average, RMC cadets upon graduation are probably more ready to take on the challenges ahead of them than civi-U grads, just because of the more military nature of the experiences you have at RMC. But every individual is different, and I'm sure there are many civi-U grads who are more capable than some RMC grads, simply because of differences in personality and effort put into their education. Some RMC cadets try to get by with doing just the bare minimum, which I think defeats the purpose of being at RMC. I think any RMC grad who thinks he/she's god's gift to the CF purely because they graduated from RMC is full of it, you have to earn the respect of your peers and superiors through your actions, both before and after you graduate.
