<p>First off is Regents Scholarship only offered to high school students entering UCLA? Are there any criteria as to current UCLA students applying for it?</p>
<p>Also, I was considering joining either NROTC or ROTC at my undergraduate school at UCLA. I am a current freshmen. The only thing that discouraged me from applying ROTC to start with was the excessive time commitment 4 years active/4years nonactive in the army. If I join ROTC is there any means of shortening my extra service to the army. Like can I serve while I go to medical school of my choice. Can I apply for ROTC to cover my undergraduate years only? Can I achieve certain lieutenant ranking and stop? I know it may sound like I do not find any honor in serving our country but that is not the case. I just do not want to add 8 more years onto my goal of becoming a physician (cardiologist) onto the already excessive 10+ years of undergrad, med school, residency and internships. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Top freshmen and transfer applicants can compete for Regents Scholarships at UCLA. I think it’s one of those things that can only be assessed and earned upon entry. </p>
<p>If you get lucky enough to be able to go to medical school on the Army or Navy’s dime, which can happen though I hear is very unlikely, expect an even longer commitment to make up for the government’s heavy investment when you finish. But if you really like the military and are able to win a scholarship for undergraduate (probably have to be in a unit first to win it), you can at least give it a try for a year and drop out if you decide that it’s not what you want to do and incur no commitment. If not, you might want to look at other ways to pay for college…</p>
<p>You should look up the Army’s or Navy’s HPSP program if you’re considering a career in the armed forces and also want their help in paying for your medical school tuition. You don’t have to enlist in ROTC to have the Army/Navy pay off your med school tuition. It’s not hard at all to get them to pay for your tuition (you just sign up), but you do have to put in one year of military commitment for every year of tuition the armed forces helps pay for. </p>