I just have a few questions about Notre Dame ROTC because I am seriously considering it.
I know that Notre Dame has a pretty famous ROTC program so would mentioning that I am interested in my application or mentioning (if i got it) my scholarship to the rotc unit and admissions committee help my chance of admissions?
Is it difficult to get a scholarship to Notre Dame ROTC, the branch doesn’t really matter to me, and what do you think is the acceptance rate for a ROTC scholarship at Notre Dame?
Do ROTC cadets at Notre Dame function and live similar to their non-rotc peers or does ROTC somewhat consume their college life?
You will apply to the individual services for a ROTC scholarship (Army, AF, Navy). The scholarship is awarded by the branch of the military, not the school (as an incoming Freshman).
Look at United States Service Academy Forums for great info on ROTC scholarships. Also, look directly at the Army, AF and Navy ROTC sites.
The first boards have already met and about 10% of the scholarships have been awarded for the coming Fall. These recipients all have very high test scores and lots of EC, Sports and leadership. Most scholarships are awarded in the 2nd and 3rd boards.
Before you consider ROTC an option, you must be willing to serve as a military officer for 4+ years after graduation in a job that the military branch chooses for you.
I was in Army ROTC at Notre Dame decades ago, so my info is definitely dated. At the time I was on campus, most of the Army ROTC cadets were on scholarship. In general, I would say that if you are a competitive applicant for admission to ND, you will be a competitive applicant for an ROTC scholarship. (And as noted in post #2, the ROTC scholarship is applied for separately and awarded by the military, not by the school.)
Regarding life on campus, yes, live is pretty similar to non-ROTC peers. I took one military science class per semester, for which I wore a uniform to class. If I happened to have non-ROTC classes before or after my ROTC class, or if my schedule bumped that up against a meal, then I wore my uniform into non-ROTC classes and/or the dining hall. The class met maybe twice a week in a classroom, plus there was one afternoon “lab”. In addition to ROTC class, we had PT (physical training) two mornings a week at 6:30am. We were finished before most classmates were awake. Periodically, we would have weekend field exercises. And then there were also optional extra-curricular ROTC activities we could participate in.
Also, I’m guessing there’s info that can be found online. I looked up only ND’s Army ROTC, but here’s a link with some info:
To ask more specific questions, I would recommend reaching out to the Professor of Military Science (head of the “department”) of the particular ROTC programs that interest you.