Basic ROTC questions

First college visit tomorrow with opportunity to talk to Army ROTC personnel (open house setting) with junior DS. Can someone give us a condensed version of the most important questions to ask? Perhaps a top five question list? Thanks.

Karen,

It will help if you could clarify which branch ROTC your DS will be speaking with at your visit.

My personal experience is only with Army. The top 5 questions DS wanted answered early in his search went something like this:

1. What percentage of your MS4s commission Active duty in their 1st choice branch? What OML scores did they earn? Top 20% of OML?

2. Where do freshman typically live - together in a dorm or thru out the campus?

3. How many slots for summer training opportunties does your school normally receive? How are cadets selected?

4. What sets this school's program apart from the others in your brigade?

5. Where do my stats stack up against your average sucessful cadet?

Of course, my lists was a little different and my focus was more on the school itself - majors available, could I see my DS being sucessful here academically, what other non-ROTC experiences are available(frats, sports, student lead organizations). DS ultimately found and attends a school that satified both of our "lists".

Hope this helps. The college visits are a great way to get a snap shot of the school, but do try to visit again on a typical school day so your DS can roam around. If they offer an overnight visit, either thru ROTC or regular campus, take advantage - DS learned a lot more when the cadets where just hanging out without adults.

KarenH said:

First college visit tomorrow with opportunity to talk to Army ROTC personnel (open house setting) with junior DS. Can someone give us a condensed version of the most important questions to ask? Perhaps a top five question list? Thanks.

Click to expand...

You need to ask about the things you don't know or understand. It's OK to ask some general questions about the ROTC application process, etc. but I would try to focus my questions on what its like doing ROTC at that institution. Does the cadre have anyone who sits on the admissions board? What's the chances and process for participating in ROTC if you don't get a scholarship? Does the school cover room and board for ROTC scholarship students? Are ROTC scholarship students eligible for in-state tuition? What's a typical day like? How often are uniforms worn? What happens over the summer? Is there a "make or break" point in the program? Do they have an "overnight program" tied in with the ROTC program that your DS can participate in? Does the school? Can DS participate in PT or class while staying?

I mention these because most come up on this board a lot. However, the MAIN thing is to focus on what YOU want to know... but I wouldn't spend a lot of time on questions you can research through other sources unless you really need to. In fact I would get such research done before visiting the campus. Who knows? It might prompt some good questions?

Army ROTC

Thank you Ohio2015Parent. Army is his focus.

Karen,

Sorry, re-reading this thread, saw you did plainly state Army in your OP....need more coffee this morning

KarenH said:

First college visit tomorrow with opportunity to talk to Army ROTC personnel (open house setting) with junior DS. Can someone give us a condensed version of the most important questions to ask? Perhaps a top five question list? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Here are the questions that I would ask:

1) How much does it cost for a scholarship Cadet to attend this school ?

2) What % of Cadets are on full tuition scholarship at this school ?

3) How many credits does the school offer for ROTC ?

4) How often does this program conduct labs ?

5) How many Cadets from this program have been sent home from LDAC without credit over the last 4 years ?

Should this become a sticky thread?

We've got some good questions here that candidates and parents should be aware of. I bet many don't normally come to mind while folks are visiting schools and before they've started the application process.

Thank you all. We are just starting this process with general visits designed toward creating a short list. Your question lists will help us get started.

Questions I would ask

Seeing that you may be from the Northeast I will tell you what I have found and some questions I would ask.

1. As Marist said, how often do you conduct labs? We saw a big difference on how often ROTC units conducted labs. One school had it every other week alternating with MS1 class the other week. Another had it radomly held on Saturday's maybe once a month and another had it once a week as well as MS class once a week.

2. How many FTX's do they hold a semester? I think the norm is once but there are some that have it twice a semester.

3. Do you have a Pershing Rifle Organization? I was surprised to learn that the last battalion we visited did not have one.

4. Are you a host school and if not what is the time commitment for traveling to host school or partner school for PT, MS class and lab? Do your cadets have any problems managing their schedules?

5. Do you have a freshman orientation the week before school starts?

6. Now that scholarships are decreasing, how creative is your school in finding other ways to help students finance college?

7. Where does your battalion train for labs? In the city, country, parks etc.

8. Where do you go to train for your FTX's? Fort Devens, Otis, Fort Dix, West Point, Camp Smith etc.

9. If not the host school how many ROTC cadets do you have at this college/university? One school my son was looking at only had a couple of cadets.

10. Does your battalion give back to the community? Do you help boy scouts with orienteering events, JROTC or clean up areas that may have had damage due to mother nature?

11. Does your battalion ever get together and train/prepare for LDAC with any other battalions in their junior year?