I’m applying to college normally (fall of this year, which will be my senior year). The caveat is that I will also be enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserves at the same time. I’m planning on deferring for a year so I can finish training and all that jazz, but still graduating on time, as the loads of APs I have taken and the military training which gives me college credit will hopefully allow me to make up for that year lost from college.
Should I write about these plans as part of my application, or should I leave it out? Or, does adding this make me stronger as an applicant, or does it make them not want to select me because I am going to defer them for a year? I’m looking at some Ivies, if that makes a difference.
Yes, ROTC is actually not something I want to do! To the best of my knowledge, that ties you down to the service for at least four more years after college, while I want to be free after as I graduate. Therein lies the main reason why I chose the reserves.
Mustang Marine here. Thank you for making the commitment to serve our country!
To directly answer your question, colleges typically want to see information in your essays that they can’t find in the other parts of your application, so they can get a better sense for who you are and how well you might fit and thrive at their school. They want to you to be authentic. Your desire for military service while pursuing your college degree is probably the biggest thing in your life right now so it absolutely makes sense to write about it. That being said, you may have even more significant accomplishments that would also paint a great story about the kind of person you are.
Other points to consider:
You mention “graduating on time”…it’s not a race. Attempting to find AP/military college credit in order to try and graduate in 3yrs may preclude you from participating in some valuable learning opportunities that you could have had if you’d used all 4yrs (e.g. internships, study abroad, etc).
You realize that your best laid plans to finish college can be interrupted by Uncle Sam, right?. Once you’ve finished boot camp and entry-level schools, you’re fair game to be called to active-duty if needed…it won’t matter if you are in the middle of a semester at an Ivy League school or not. If suddenly things get hot in the Korean Peninsula, lots of Reservists will be packing their bags.
The above point also applies after you graduate from college, as long as you have a commitment to either the Active Reserve or the Individual Ready Reserve.
Yes, ROTC typically requires a 3-4yr Active Duty commitment post-graduation, depending on if you are on NROTC scholarship or not. Not wanting to be tied down after graduation is understandable, but being a Marine Officer as your first job out of college has been the launching point for many successful careers.
