What can I expect from ROTC?

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 22:30:02 -0400

I dediced to go back to school full time (I’m ARNG) for the fall term. I also enrolled in the Army ROTC that the university offers. Classes are set to begin in September. I wanted some advice on what to expect while in ROTC. I’ve already graduated Basic and AIT, and the instructor said that since I have, all I would need to take would be the advanced classes for two years, but welcomed me to attend some of the other intro classes to help out the guys there. He said I may be able to provide valuable insight to the way the Army operates and what’s expected of them once they sign.
Some of the things I was curious about is how it will work with me already being attached to my unit. One of the biggest worries I have is losing my bonus, will I get to keep it if I attend ROTC? Will I be required to sign a new contract? What are the classes like? What is the three week Leadership Camp during the summer? And will doing this effect my current MOS and reclassify me?
Thank you for any insight you can provide.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 3 at 2018 10:37 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 22:37:52 -0400

Kyle, great question. Short answer- you will get out of it what you put in.
Long answer- if you are a member now of the NG there is a program that you will enroll in. I believe it is called SMP. These are two different functions and I don't see why you would necessarily loose a bonus. As for any training in the Army- since you have been thru basic and AIT your ROTC will be structured the same but it is focused on developing leaders. There are thousands of books on this. Pick up a copy of About Face and start reading. Best of luck.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 3 at 2018 11:14 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 23:14:27 -0400

I didn't do Army ROTC but I want to touch on one point.

"He said I may be able to provide valuable insight to the way the Army operates and what expected of them once they sign."
You can absolutely do this, hit don't be THAT GUY. There's always one guy who can't learn how to adapt to a new situation. They can't separate ROTC from active duty. Don't be that guy that thinks everyone should be acting like they're active duty, and don't be that guy that acts better than everyone because you're prior.

Response by COL Jeff Williams made Aug 4 at 2018 1:42 AM

COL Jeff Williams — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 01:42:02 -0400

Kyle,
It is called the Simultaneous Membership Program, where you are both in ROTC and the Guard. Your ROTC contract will take priority over your guard contract, but I am not sure if you will loose your bonus. If you commit to your MS III year you will have to sign a contract with ROTC. I think the classes that your ROTC instructor is talking about are the weekly ROTC labs. There you can assist the cadre with helping the freshman and sophomore students about the wearing of uniforms and the handling of equipment.
The 3 week basic camp is actually 31 days long. The basic camp is designed to teach and test your leadership skills, the advanced camp which if you start the program you would take next summer is (and this is right off the web page)
Advanced Camp is a 31-day training event that is designed to assess a Cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. Cadets are evaluated on their ability to lead at the Squad and Platoon levels, both in garrison and tactical environments. Cadets are mentally and physically tested during a 12-day consequence driven field training exercise that replicates a combat training center rotation. Successful completion of the Advanced Camp is a prerequisite for commissioning.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Aug 4 at 2018 6:23 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 06:23:08 -0400

A lot of your questions you should be asking someone in personnel, or your training NCO..

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Aug 4 at 2018 8:20 AM

COL Jon Thompson — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 08:20:18 -0400

I am the Recruiting Operations Officer for an ROTC program and it is absolutely the best thing to sign up for the initial Military Science class. While policies allow Soldiers that have been through Army Basic Combat Training to skip up through the first 2 years, actually BCT and AIT do not prepare you to go into the MSIII year of the program. There is a completely different focus in training. If you do decide to commit to the program, you do sign a new contract with the Army and your military service obligation resets when you commission. In terms of your bonus, you need to talk to your recruiter to see if an ROTC contract voids that. What I have seen happen is that bonuses that have been paid out are not recouped but there are no future payments. Finally, you enlisted MOS has no bearing on what officer branch you access into. There are 17 basic branches + nursing that ROTC cadets access into upon graduation vs. 150 or so enlisted jobs. Let me know if you have other questions.

Response by MAJ James Woods made Aug 4 at 2018 5:23 PM

MAJ James Woods — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 17:23:37 -0400

1. Be yourself. 2. Know you’ll be able to contribute with your expertise from your perspective as enlisted, as part of a guard unit, and your specific MOS. Just keep in mind you will interact with others that will contribute from their perspective. Share and embrace the experiences. 3. Remember ROTC is leadership training in preparation to become an officer. It’s not MOS specific and it’s still a school environment. Your fellow cadets have different goals for being enrolled; some to be career military while others just to pay for school, get their degree, do their initial obligation then get out. 4. Advanced Camp is just more leadership training. It can be cutthroat cuz it leads to scores that help determine OML rankings when it comes time for Branch placement. Just have fun, do your best and enjoy developing relationships with others that you’ll most likely run into later in a unit somewhere. Finally, enjoy the full time college experience. ROTC is just a piece of it. When someone asks you “what your major is?”; have fun telling them it’s Military Science and who needs a resume, I have a job after graduation.
Good luck in your endeavors.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 5 at 2018 6:20 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Aug 2018 06:20:32 -0400

Can anyone help my little brother had been trying to contact an ROTC recruiter for the past year he doesn’t answer I personally even called 6 daysbin a row and went to their offices and only managed to talk to him once; I talked to the university and they told me that th rotc program is still running on that college so I don’t understand why we can’t contact anyone

Response by CPT Blake Ruggiero made Aug 23 at 2018 11:36 AM

CPT Blake Ruggiero — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 11:36:53 -0400

I was in the Army Reserves for about five years, was an NCO, and had a deployment before I made the transition to Cadet and while I could have skipped the first two years of ROTC I elected to take all four. Here's my advice before taking the plunge:

1. Think about your academic alignment, do you only have two years of school left or four? Overall, it would be wise to take ROTC for the entire length of your time in college, not only will it better prepare you to be an Officer but you'll acquire more benefits this way if you're a scholarship cadet, and who doesn't like more money when you're a broke college student?

2. COL Thompson hit the nail on the head with MSIII year. A lot of prior service, particularly E4 and below with no deployment time and usually fresh out of AIT, show up to ROTC demanding respect and carrying an authority that would be deserving of a well seasoned leader. What you have learned as a junior enlisted will make you an excellent MSI and MSII, because those first two years teach you how to BE a Soldier, while introducing leadership theory and small unit tactics. By the time your a MSIII you are moderately proficient in not just paroling but leading those patrols, planning missions, briefing OPORDS, following TLPs, etc. An MSIII is by no means an Infantryman, but they know their books. If you do choose to start as a MSIII be prepared for a very steep learning curve, when I was a MSIV even a couple of Green to Gold NCOs had some difficultly adapting but worked through it and were thriving by the time I left.

3. Whether you elect to start at MSI, MSII, or MSIII, just be ready for the learning curve that comes along with your level, always be ready to learn whether its from your Cadre or fellow cadets, and hold yourself humbly. Prior Service who refuse to adapt to ROTC and keep themselves on a pedestal never made it, they either were forced out by Cadre for rotten displays of attitude or dropped out themselves because, "ROTC is stupid and all those cadets think they know so much! Like I'd ever salute some 19 year old frat kid!" My MSI class had 5 prior service, only two of us commissioned, all the rest quit out of pride.

4. Most of all GOOD LUCK! Get active on your campus and your ROTC unit, you'll have fun and you need all the accession points you can get.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2018 10:22 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 10:22:36 -0500

The biggest adjustment for me was accepting the fact that I was no longer part of the regular Army. My MS3 learning curve was steep but I managed to make it through. Thankfully, I have always been strong academically during ROTC. Be humble, be engaged and be willing to learn.