Wow this topic really has expanded into many different sub topics, some of which I feel the need to add my two cents.
As a mature Civvy-u ROTP student, I can tell you that I am living proof that people 30+ join the forces under the ROTP program. Its not easy to go back to school once you've been established in life, but enough are doing it and its not always because, well I didn't like my dead-end job so I have no choice. I had a great job, I was an HR manager and thought that was my career and then I got married to a military guy (who actually was a DEO, not because he got out of university and didn't know what to do with himself, but because he always wanted to join) Anyways fast forward a few years and after going through lots of change and other posting, I wasn't able to get another job in the HR field that paid more than EI, so after 8 long months I applied to go back to school and to ROTP. Its been the best choice I ever made and I'm glad I went the Civvy-U route.
Now should I have been 18 and fresh out of the house again, I probably still would've chosen the Civvy-U route as I do feel that while RMC is a unique experience; so is being 18, living on your own and being a responsible adult because you want to, not because an inspection is coming and you have to. RMC will teach you many things, but does it teach you how to really take care of yourself? Here in Trenton, I've seen many young 2Lts and Lts who are miserable because they have never known what its like to live alone and survive, how to cook, how to really clean a place (because oh its been more than 6 months in one apartment and carpets look really dirty now). I know this doesn't apply to all RMC students, as I've met some great ones too, but many face a steep life learning curve once they get spit out of the training system and get their first real posting. (And the same thing could be said for some Civvy-U students or DEOs who never left the house or lived in residences their whole uni "career". I guess this could speak volumes on how parenting has changed, but that's a different topic all together)
Other food for thought
The forces is all about the "team", but in a school where you are continuously being ranked in order of grades and everything is so competitve, do you really ever because a true team player? Does that mentality ever change once you've bought in?
Does having a schedule that dictates exactly when you can do everything from sleep to eat to class to PT to extracuriculars to shower really teach you to time manage???
Yes you make great friends at RMC, partly due to the small class size and constant interaction, however I don't feel it is an advantage over DEOs or Civvy-U students, as we get to network just as much as really and sometimes the lack of "fear" (or some may put it as respect) of the rank system actually helps us network with higher ranks with greater ease. Because really at the end of the day, will it be your peer who helps you get that next posting or someone two ranks higher than you?
My point is just that in the grand scheme of things, different experiences can prepare you for different challenges, just ask yourself, how will ____ (insert thing you are considering here) help me in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years???