Pre Med NROTC/ Air ROTC?

<p>I'm currently a senior in high school applying for college. I know I want to eventually go to med school, but I'm still undecided about my undergrad major. I also really want to do NROTC or Air ROTC in college, and would like to apply for the scholarship, but I'm afraid pre med and Navy/Air ROTC will not mix very well. I know that ROTC scholarships are generally given out to engineering students, and I am open to applying for Biomed/Bio engineering in order to help with the scholarship, but how good of a choice is that for a pre med major?</p>

<p>Also, if I get the scholarship, I will be required to complete several years of service in the military to repay the government for my education. How is that going to affect me as far as going into med school?</p>

<p>85% of NROTC scholarship go to students in Tier 1 engineering majors. </p>

<p>Biomed/bioengineering isn’t a tier 1 major; it’s tier 2. Unless you plan to choose a tier 1 major, your chances of receiving NROTC scholarship are severely reduced.</p>

<p>[Naval</a> Reserve Officers Training Corps - Scholarship Selection Criteria](<a href=“Naval Education and Training Command - NETC”>Naval Education and Training Command - NETC)</p>

<p>AFROTC scholarship tend to go to students in Technical Majors. Then to Foreign Language majors, then to All Other majors. </p>

<p>Nowhere on the list of acceptable majors is biology, biomed engineering or bioenegineering.</p>

<p>[U.S&lt;/a&gt;. Air Force ROTC - College Scholarships and Careers - Scholarships - For High School Students - Schools and Majors](<a href=“http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/high-school/schools-and-majors/]U.S”>Highly Desired Majors | U.S. Air Force ROTC)</p>

<p>In order to apply to med school, you first need to get permission from your commander to apply. Generally, you will be expected to serve one or more years of your service obligation before you will get that permission–even if you plan to apply to USUHS and serve as a military physician.</p>

<p>The services don’t need to court incoming undergrads with commissions to eventually get Med students. They can offer commissions to *enrolled *med school students. I knew several who went that route – but they had to take care of their own undergrad</p>

<p>That’s why the info in post #2 occurs – they use ROTC scholarships to entice men and women to obtain specific technical degrees.</p>

<p>You could major in computer science as a premed major. That may be a tier 1.</p>

<p>Don’t think that you have to choose a major that still sounds “bio like”. You don’t. </p>

<p>I don’t know if ChemE is Tier 1…it may not be. But if it is, that is another major that might work. </p>

<p>My friend’s D is ROTC and she’s getting her BSN, but doing it with all the premed prereqs (the harder chem, bio, etc) and will be applying to medical school. </p>

<p>You can go from undergrad to med school, but the years keep adding up. if the military is covering both undergrad and med school, I’m not sure how many years you’d owe…maybe 12? not sure. </p>

<p>BTW…if you can avoid ROTC as an undergrad do so, so that that you’ll have more choices. If you’re doing ROTC to pay for college, then maybe you could find some schools that would give you merit instead.</p>

<p>What is your situation? What are your scores and GPA? Can your family contribute anything for college? Are you low income?</p>

<p>My DS is a current Army ROTC student majoring in biology and attending an expensive private school on a 4 year ROTC scholarship. He hopes to get a deferment to go to medical school and with high GPA/MCAT and medical school acceptance he should not have a problem getting the deferment, although there is no guarantee. He will have a significant obligation to the military when he’s done, but he’s always wanted to be a military doctor, so that isn’t an issue for him–he will probably be career military.</p>

<p>If you are looking to make it a career, then it’s a good option. If you are looking for the military to pay for your medical school and owe the least amount of time to the military, then don’t do ROTC for undergrad.</p>