Keara
How do you get involved in ROTC at your college?
Hi! I'm asking this question because I've recently been informed that my parents are not supporting me financially in college. I've done some research and found that ROTC programs in college can help pay for tuition. It's something I would love to do, but the deadline for this year has already passed! What can I do to get involved in ROTC at my school this coming up school year to help me financially in school? #college #money #military #rotc
3 answers
Kevin Doell
Kevin’s Answer
I joined an ROTC program in my junior year as a contracted cadet and went active duty after graduating. One thing I would add to the commentary above is that you should go into every ROTC office that is operating on your campus and interview them. I walked into just one of the ROTC offices and left convinced that that was right one for me. Shop around. Also, you may want to look at Marine Corps programs. While they may not ROTC building on campus, they do offer a program that prepares you for their officer candidate school.
Because I walked into their offices so late in my college career, I was unable to apply for a tuition scholarship, but at least I had the cadet pay and a good paying job after college.
Kevin - Thank you for your answer. We need more advice like this, now more than ever! There are more than 1k unanswered questions on CV right now. Hoping you'll answer a few more this week!
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COACH
Brian Heil
Brian’s Answer
Enlisting is NOT a bad thing. I am enlisted and transitioning to a commission through Officer Candidate School. There are massive benefits, especially when it comes to experience, understanding your resources, and earning the respect of your Soldiers.
What I recommend you do is go talk to your ROTC Command Staff at your university. There will be NCO’s and Officers for you to talk to, and they can level you out as to what your options are. Additionally, they may recommend you enroll in a MilitRy Science class prior to being officially contracted for ROTC, just so you can acclimate. But they are your best resource, because they can give you a clear picture of both routes. They do not need to sell either of them, there is no quota or target to get. But I can’t stress enough, speak with both Officers and NCO’s. Their jobs and rolls are VERY different, and you may end up feeling an affinity for one over the other.
As noted above, there are education benefits for enlisting. However, they do not beat ROTC’s education benefits, and they usually take longer to kick in.
Best of luck!
Ken Simmons
Ken’s Answer
Hi Deara
One suggestion would be to go to a recruiter and talk to them about enlisting vs ROTC. Here is some information about career opportunities offered by various branches of the military. Many people have had the bulk of their training while in the military and then had the rest of their education paid for under the GI Bill.
https://www.airforce.com/careers/pay-and-benefits?gclid=CjwKEAjwya-6BRDR3p6FuY2-u3MSJAD1paxTbZ7ko2NKnmSu7fvTNfUE2niPsM8dNBLTMB8Z7buIGRoCjrzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.airforce.com/careers/
http://www.navy.com/navy-life/winr.html
https://www.navy.com/careers.html
https://www.army.mil/women/
http://www.goarmy.com/benefits/education-benefits/get-an-army-education/career-training-skills.html
Please keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress!