AROTC

I am a junior in high school and considering joining army rotc. When would be a good time to sign up? (No scholarship)

sethrhodes said:

I am a junior in high school and considering joining army rotc. When would be a good time to sign up? (No scholarship)

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Apply for the scholarship in July, even if you think you won't get it it's worth trying. If you don't get it, you can just enroll in military science classes when you sign up for the rest of your college classes at orientation.

Is there a first come first serve in the program?

No, I'm pretty sure they allow anyone to enroll in the Military Sci classes. You just won't be contracted (obviously), and won't have the opportunity to participate in summer training until you are contracted.

You need to enroll in more than the Military Science classes to be part of ROTC. You will also need to enroll in the PT and labs. There is also an application and a physical you'll need to have done by your own doctor to participate as a college programmer. In general its a formality but it needs to be done prior to college. Best to be in touch with the ROTC unit at your preferred college the spring of your senior year to get all the details straight.

sethrhodes said:

I am a junior in high school and considering joining army rotc. When would be a good time to sign up? (No scholarship)

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I went for the national scholarship, but those are a lot harder to get out of high school. Doesn't mean you don't try.

I didn't get it, so I enrolled in my current school, enrolled in the AROTC program and all required military classes. The HR rep that works with your battalion and your MS instructor will make sure you get all the right paperwork filled out and turned in.

Best thing is, I went up for a scholarship board at the end of my first semester and was awarded a 3.5 year. Now yea that was a year and a half ago and the funding and needs of the Army change. But that way of doing it I can say is about how 80% of my fellow cadets in my class got scholarships.

Work hard and be confident in anything you do.

To reiterate what was said: I didn't apply for the AROTC scholarship. I contacted the Battalion at my school of choice and the ROO made sure I got all of my paper work in order. The sooner you do it, the better. The first couple of people who did and were able to pass the APFT (or get really close) were offered four year scholarships. The other MSIs, myself included, were offered 3 year scholarships (although some were GRFD). Now, there were only 8 of us and our school is really competitive to get into so the battalion had some unused money to offer. I can't use the scholarship I was offered because I was DQ'd BUT AROTC is a great program and if you're interested in it, definitely try it out!

Here is the most important piece of advice for you...talk to an enrollment officer at the ROTC Battalion at the school you'd like to attend. That is going to be the best source of good information (in most cases) regarding taking the first step towards becoming an Army Officer (which is why you enroll in Army ROTC).