How much of my time in college will NROTC consume? Can I do other extracurricular activities and NROTC?
At UC-Berkeley, NROTC midshipmen meet every Thursday for a three hour Leadership Lab followed by Naval Science classes. In addition, there are generally a few mandatory all-hands events scheduled on weekends throughout the course of a semester. Those midshipmen who hold positions of responsibility within the battalion and/or participate in NROTC extracurricular activities such as Armed Drill Platoon or Color Guard devote additional time to their NROTC obligations. ... Midshipmen who are required to take a class that meets Thursday afternoons may apply to go on Drill Conflict (DC), which temporarily exempts them from attending Leadership Lab. Most midshipmen are able to balance their commitments with NROTC with other activities. In addition to NROTC extracurricular activities, midshipmen have participated in Greek organizations (fraternities and sororities), both the Berkeley and Stanford bands, other music groups, dramatic productions, social dance, dorm staff, and athletics at all levels (intramural, club, and varsity). Midshipmen have also conducted academic research (including writing honors theses) and studied abroad.
If I’m at Stanford, Davis, or Cal Maritime, how do I get to drill?
Midshipmen who attend Stanford, Davis, and Cal Maritime carpool on Thursdays to attend the weekly Leadership Lab and Naval Science classes. Recently, UC Davis midshipmen have been driven in a unit-sponsored van. Note that while Stanford freshmen are generally prohibited from having a car on campus, one can get a waiver for participating in NROTC; see Parking and Transportation Services’ website at
http://transportation.stanford.edu/parking_info/ResidentStudent.shtml#froshwaiver for more information. Because of the one-hour drive for many midshipmen, mandatory activities at the Berkeley campus are kept to a minimum and clustered on Thursdays.