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I’m currently Active guard reserve. I’m deciding to refrad off the program next year due to me getting a 2 year ROTC scholarship. Can anyone provide any tips on what to expect or your personal experience with ROTC?
ROTC
Army ROTC
Commission
Junior Officers
Officers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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I have a fair bit to say, connect with me and I'll message you when I have the time?
The short version of what I have to offer is humble yourself as an equal among other cadets, prepare yourself for the craziness of TRADOC, keep up with the young kids and get in great shape, and take as many risks as you can, i.e. don't be afraid to make a lot mistakes and then admit you made those mistakes. ROTC is better than OCS because you get more time to adjust yourself to Officer roles and experiment with leadership style and different planning methods with little to no real cost, comparatively.
The short version of what I have to offer is humble yourself as an equal among other cadets, prepare yourself for the craziness of TRADOC, keep up with the young kids and get in great shape, and take as many risks as you can, i.e. don't be afraid to make a lot mistakes and then admit you made those mistakes. ROTC is better than OCS because you get more time to adjust yourself to Officer roles and experiment with leadership style and different planning methods with little to no real cost, comparatively.
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1LT William Pieczara
I agree with the above statements. Was Superior Cadet 2 years in a row. Served Actively for only 5years. Was struck down with an Ilness that ended my military careere: Viral Encephalitis.who I was was in my unit year in WRAMC (Walter Reid Army Medical Center) Alot of rehab, in various other hospitals.. But still around surprising to some of the medical personnel who initially admitted me. I live overseas now have a Dominican wife and 2 beautiful children. Many wonderful ROTC memories as well as memories of serving and being who I was to and for my unit, 1 15th FA FDO. 1Lt. William J Pieczara (USAR ret)
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I did ROTC as a prior service with a Green-to-Gold scholarship. While the other commenters have detailed advice in private, here are some general tips...
1. Ensure proper prioritization. Properly plan your time to maintain good PT score, good academic GPA and extracurricular activities for both fun and building profile for order of merit list. College can be busy due to multiple requirements that need to be completed
2. ROTC advanced camp (summer in between junior and senior year) is testing, not training. Although you indirectly learn, the primary purpose is to compare you with other college ROTC cadets for ranking. Maintain a competitive mindset since camp assessment contributes towards your commissioning wants
3. Budget your finances. You mentioned scholarship which will pay for school tuition, but cadet stipend is lower than E-1 pay. Make sure that you can monetarily survive until graduation
4. Be open minded about your cadet peers. You may be around a large number of prior enlisted or non-prior college students. They all have strengths and weaknesses that you need to align with
5. Be careful about romantic relationships. I know of a cadet couple that married during the program and of a different cadet couple that required cadre intervention after nasty break-up. You may or may not find spouse, but ensure it does not interfere with your time as a college student
1. Ensure proper prioritization. Properly plan your time to maintain good PT score, good academic GPA and extracurricular activities for both fun and building profile for order of merit list. College can be busy due to multiple requirements that need to be completed
2. ROTC advanced camp (summer in between junior and senior year) is testing, not training. Although you indirectly learn, the primary purpose is to compare you with other college ROTC cadets for ranking. Maintain a competitive mindset since camp assessment contributes towards your commissioning wants
3. Budget your finances. You mentioned scholarship which will pay for school tuition, but cadet stipend is lower than E-1 pay. Make sure that you can monetarily survive until graduation
4. Be open minded about your cadet peers. You may be around a large number of prior enlisted or non-prior college students. They all have strengths and weaknesses that you need to align with
5. Be careful about romantic relationships. I know of a cadet couple that married during the program and of a different cadet couple that required cadre intervention after nasty break-up. You may or may not find spouse, but ensure it does not interfere with your time as a college student
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SSG (Join to see)
Thank you. I'm not worried about the cadet relationship part as I am already married lol.
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