<p>I have been accepted to Johns Hopkins and have received a 4-year, full-ride ROTC scholarship. I am very excited, but I have not yet committed; I am still considering another very enticing collegiate option which is not ROTC. In order to help me make my decision, I was hoping anybody who's been through the ROTC program at Johns Hopkins, or anyone who knows someone who has, could give me some insight into what it's like. I know this is a very personal, individualized decision and I'm not asking for someone to make my decision for me, but any experiences you've had with the program or recommendations you have in the event I do accept would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, I have a few specific questions I'd like addressed:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Will I be able to study abroad with ROTC? I know that regular undergraduates can take their classes overseas through a variety of study abroad programs, but are those same programs compatible with the ROTC curriculum? And if so, would any of those costs be covered by my ROTC scholarship?</p></li>
<li><p>I was once considering West Point as a collegiate option, and I know they have an "R-Day" in June which kicks off a several-month BEAST training/initiation program. Is there any similar program for ROTC? I know that between Junior and Senior years I will have a 5 week Leader Development and Assessment Course in Fort Lewis, Washington, but what about this summer? Do I just come to Johns Hopkins on the same day regular undergraduates do, or do ROTC students have an earlier report-date?</p></li>
<li><p>I've noticed the schedule for Johns Hopkins seems to have a regular-sized winter break, followed by an "intersession" which takes up a few additional weeks in January. What is that intersession? The last day of finals for the first semester appears to be December 17th, and the first day of classes in the second semester appears to be January 30th...does this mean we have a 6 week winter break? Is this time usually used for study abroad, or to take 1 class, or what?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If anyone can answer these questions or provide any insight into Johns Hopkins, ROTC, or both, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>you should have gotten my message. If it isn’t too late and you are still interested, let me know. Even if you did decide to choose JHU already, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have (though, some other CDTs should be coming to you to help you out… I hope!).</p>
<p>Philo: my S is a senior in HS, is applying to JHU, and is thinking about doing AF-ROTC. I’ve heard some discouraging things about this path, however. I can share if you PM me. I’d also like to see if anyone else on this board has had a positive experience with JHU ROTC.</p>
<p>As for intersession, make of it what you will. It CAN be just a super-long winter break, but I wouldn’t recommend that… I did it freshman year and got bored and burnt-out quickly. I then used intersession to get credits out of the way (you can take classes, usually with grad students on really interesting subjects you may not normally get to study), and work full time, though JHU DOES have study abroad programs during intersession, and I know people who studied abroad during intersession and enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Also AGH that cut off the rest of my post. </p>
<p>I was <em>going</em> to post that I regularly worked out with the ROTC program, and they were great kids who were very supportive of each other (and me, even though I wasn’t in the program), and that the officer who leads ROTC is WONDERFUL. I LOVE HIM. Like, he is one of my favorite people in the entire Hopkins university system. We had a pushup contest once… I lost. </p>
<p>As far as I know, you have the same report date as other Hopkins freshmen, but please take this with a grain of salt, as I was not in the program.</p>
<p>The “Leadership” classes for ROTC at JHU are actually open to all students… and some (don’t know about all) are regarded as easy ways to get good grades. </p>
<p>I can only speak for the Army ROTC program. Not sure about AFROTC or NROTC.</p>