Does JROTC Matter?

In the beginning of my freshman year, I let my friends convince me to join the JROTC program in our school. It basically replaces the PhysEd class. Supposedly it “looks good” on a college application and makes you appear “brighter.” Well, I gave in and joined the program and now I want to call it quits. The question is, do colleges care if you take gym or not? I kind of want to go back to PhysEd, but I’m not sure if JROTC looks better or not. It probably doesn’t matter since it’s just gym - but just want to hear everyone else’s input.

  • if this helps, I'm currently a sophomore.

No.

LOL. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Anything can be a bright spot if you choose to feature it, and ROTC could be part of an identity you build in your app. Similarly, getting out of ROTC might be part of a different identity where you show self-awareness and take the initiative to make changes.

When I was in school JROTC was a free A for anyone who was kind of tall and had no problems standing in front of a herd of classmates and yelling. Some of my kids are into it and succeeding and others skipped it all without a moment of remorse. If it’s more bother than the A is worth and you aren’t enjoying it then find something better. It’s not hard, as the academic component of ROTC is kind of thin. The one thing it can be sold as is a vehicle for “leadership” but you can do almost as well getting in front of the French club.

JROTC is good for seeing if you are interested in the military life. Apparently you are not. It may provide leadership opportunities. But you can find them elsewhere. Colleges will not care.

I think at bare minimum JROTC is the equivalent to PE, and if you stay in and become an “officer”as a junior and senior, then it is certainly equal to if not more meaningful than leadership positions in ECs like French Club or Key Club. Some JROTC programs are obviously better run than others, but the idea that the military does not provide “leadership” training is laughable.