My D is a sophomore in high school and has been showing interest in learning about ROTC programs. At this point, she is interested in medical school. Of course, this could change, however, we want to keep this in mind as we do our research about ROTC. We have just started looking into this so any information or experiences anyone would like to share would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
@boseownr, ROTC scholarship application is a unique animal.
Robert Kirkland has an informative book about the process. There is also a service academy forum with very experienced parents and ROOs.
My sons participated in civil Air Patrol during high school. Look into CAP and/or Sea Cadets.
The time commitment for ROTC for my kid is equivalent to his brother’s commitment for a sport. 3 to 5 days a week PT. 1 night a week class. A handful of weekends.
Hi Longhaul–thank you for that information! We are looking forward to learning more about this process and overall potential experience! We will for Kirkland’s book as well as the forum! Thank you again!
@ChoatieMom might help you. Her son just graduated West Point and knows about these collegiate paths.
Actually, our son is a senior at WP and did not apply for ROTC scholarships, so I don’t have any meaningful insight there. But, as @Longhaul pointed out, there is a forum dedicated to what you need to know:
https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?forums/rotc.27/
Good luck to daughter, @boseownr.
Just in case she decides she’s not interested in ROTC, she should know the military looks for those admitted to med school and will pay for that part if they decide to go military afterward (years of commitment like ROTC). I don’t know if it’s competitive or not. I know my med school lad gets info about it all the time and his med school apartment-mate is heading into the military with the program - no ROTC needed.
I, myself, was AFROTC in college - though not med school - but that was way back in the Dark Ages so things have probably changed a little bit since then. I got my info from a local AFROTC commander at a local college even though I later opted to join the Corps of Cadets at Va Tech (great program if I say so myself, but I might be a wee bit biased being an an Alumni). Find a college near you with ROTC and talk with the person in charge. They know quite a bit about their programs - regardless of where she ends up going.
Thank you, all!! Great points!! Truly appreciate your time and info!!!
My DS secured both an AF Type 1 and a Navy ROTC scholarship. The biggest tip I can give is to start the process as early as allowed (differs by branch, but early summer after sophomore year I think). The applications are lengthy, requiring essays, face to face interviews at potentially far away locations, and a medical clearance process which can take months. Any past health issues could require additional doctor appointments to get cleared. Paperwork gets lost and might have to be resubmitted. It will be much easier to get this done during summer rather than working these appointments into the school year. Securing the scholarship early will also help you know which colleges you can afford. In fact, colleges will reach out to you unsolicited once they know you have it. ROTC covers tuition but not room & board, which can actually cost more than the tuition. Some colleges will offer free room and board to ROTC recipients, so again it helps to shop those colleges early and get on their radar before those limited offers are exhausted.
My son started late, and was awarded the ROTCs in December, and ran out of time to prep and apply to additional colleges that we originally thought were out of reach financially. A few colleges emailed him with “congrats, use your scholarship here, we’ll give free room and board”, AFTER their app deadlines had passed. Again, it would have been nice to have taken those colleges into consideration.
Lastly, having the scholarship in hand will sway acceptance to most colleges, if you are a competitive applicant. I believe my son’s scholarship got him accepted to a college that claimed it held no weight. An acquaintance also believes his ROTC scholarship got him into MIT, considered a reach otherwise. Best of luck to your daughter!
@thewaitiskillingme has some great points. My DS is currently a junior and we are going through the process for NROTC, USNA, and perhaps AROTC or AFROTC. He is also going to something called USNA Summer Seminar in June, which will give him a (slight) feel for life at a service academy. You may want to look at the Service Academy web sites to see if that is something that would interest her for next summer. The Service Academy forums is a great resource, and I have found the people on those boards are incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. One final piece I would recommend is to look at the physical requirements for acceptance. DS was in pretty good condition, but we have come to realize that he needs to do some work to get strong scores on that part of the application.