<p>On another thread a user Nate asked me some questions about NROTC which I am currently a in so I'll describe Drexel's ROTC program and if you have any questions at all about anything feel free to respond here.</p>
<p>ARMY vs. NAVY
Drexel has Army ROTC. UPENN has Navy ROTC (which includes the Marine Corps). even though Navy ROTC (NROTC) is at Penn, you are still able to do ROTC at penn as a drexel student. This is because of a cross-town agreement between the two schools (which also allows penn students to do army rotc at drexel). Both of these programs are very good and I recommend either.</p>
<p>BENEFITS
If you are considering rotc at Drexel, I assure you that you will not find a better school around here to do it. ROTC will pay full-tuition, give you a stipend every month (a few hundred dollars), pay for your books, and give you all your uniforms. Additionally Drexel gives all ROTC students FREE HOUSING. As an upperclassmen you'll get housing in free campus owned apartments which are the biggest, nicest, and closest to campus. This can easily add up to $1000 a month. Drexel will give you a 25% discount on your Mealplan which also adds up. Another benefit is that Drexel will treat you like a varsity athlete. you can always pull the "I'm in ROTC" to get your way to take a test a certain day, or to get in a class you otherwise wouldn't be able to. All ROTC students get priority class registration which comes in very handy since you can basically make your schedule what you want to be with the teachers you want before any of the classes fill up. If you haven't figured it out Drexel is very supportive of ROTC and its great that they are.</p>
<p>Because I'm in NROTC i'll be speaking about primarily navy rotc and my experiences there however I can also answer army ROTC questions.</p>
<p>TYPICAL WEEK
A typical week consists of waking up at 5 to 5:30 AM three days a week and walking over to the ROTC unit to either PT or Drill. On wednesday navy ROTC midshipmen wear uniforms and in the afternoon we go to Naval Science lab which usually consists of a speaker or some other activity. You will also have to attend military science classes at Drexel for Army ROTC or Naval Science classes at Penn for Navy ROTC. for NROTC students this is pretty cool because your taking free classes at Penn whose credits transfer to Drexel and you're technically a part-time Penn student. Occasionally there will be stuff on the weekends such as required community service, military balls, MECS (military competitions at different schools around the country where you compete in drill and athletic events), and Field Exercises (for marines and army).</p>
<p>INTENSITY
Both units, especially NROTC is very intense. You need to be motivated to be there or else you will drop. This is no joke and ROTC is more than just an activity. You are on inactive reserve in the military while at school. It is preparing you to become a Navy, Army, or Marine Corps Officer. PT (physical training ) is huge and you will constantly take PT tests to make sure you're good to go and physically fit.</p>
<p>SUMMER TRAINING
During the summer you'll participate in a few weeks of active-duty training periods. For Army you can go to a bunch of different schools (eg: airborne or air assault school). For Navy Mids you go on a cruise (eg: get attached to an aviation squadron, a submarine, or ship), and Marines get their ass beat at Officer Candidate School which is the equivalent of basic training for officers. i think the summer training is the best part about nrotc and i've had the best times of my life on both of my cruises.</p>
<p>SUPPORT
ROTC is also more of a fraternity. You'll get to bond very closely with your fellow midshipmen or cadets. You'll most likely live with them at Drexel, spend many hours with them during the week, take classes with them, go out with them at night, rely on them for support, etc. Everyone knows each other and its a very close-knit community. </p>
<p>Overall, I am very satisfied with my ROTC experience at Drexel and love every moment of it. If anyone has any specific questions on the military or what areas you can go into from ROTC, how to prepare for ROTC, how to apply for ROTC including the scholarship process, comparing another schools ROTC program or the Service Academies, or want to know more about specific experiences feel free to reply or send me a message.</p>