Prep for orientation

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kenzie7575

5-Year Member
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Jan 8, 2014
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So I will be joining the unit at USD this august and I am kind of freaking out. From what I can see, a ton of people doing ROTC scholarships did some sort of JROTC in high school. I did not and I dont really know anything about this process. I feel super out of the loop. Does anyone else not really know what they are doing?
 
For AROTC at least, there is VERY little in JROTC that is applicable. Pay attention and put forth some effort and you'll be fine.
 
Don't worry, JROTC and ROTC are quite separate. Although taking JROTC might assist with learning certain skills, such as Drill and Ceremony, Ranking and Regulations, etc everything you need to know will be taught to you in your ROTC class. Think of it like a High School Football Team having a summer clinic for the school's middle school students; just because one doesn't take the clinic, doesn't mean they won't excel in the sport.

The above is told from experience I've gained via communicating with others and browsing the forums for a bit.

Edit: Yes, like Jcc said, there are innumerous differences between the two, as many of your colleagues will soon learn.
 
kenzie - you should be fine. To be honest - a lot of the cadets coming into ROTC have no JROTC experience at all. ROTC knows this. All of the programs are designed to teach you everything you need to know from the ground up.

Just show up Day 1 with an open mind and be confident! Don't worry about feeling afraid or intimated by people running around in uniform. Because frankly some of the incoming kids (and parents) will feel the same way too.

Best of luck.
 
I recall reading somewhere that only about 28% of all ROTC scholarship winners were in JROTC. My DS had absolutely no military background and has done very well, you should be fine.
 
I offer the opinion that you might have an advantage over some in that you don't have any preconceived "knowledge". There are many stories of JROTC students who go in knowing everything and have a difficult time when told they don't. I would think you might be a breath of fresh air to the detailers who are there to teach and train the correct information; you have no de-programming they need to do.

Go in with a fresh, open mind and try to have some fun with it, you only do this orientation once. Good luck!
 
JROTC

DS was quite the JROTC cadet...he said it provided no advantage...none.
 
Thanks! that makes me feel a lot better! I just feel like there is no communication going on and I dont really know anything right now!
 
2 different missions, 2 different programs, similar names. JROTC is not a precursor for Senior ROTC. Almost to the point that JROTC should probably have a different name. JROTC is a good program for what it is, but its' mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens, not to train cadets to serve as US Army officers. Many people do confuse the two as being intertwined (more than the admin/oversight piece which they are).

Don't worry, thousands of cadets enter ROTC with similar backgrounds to you, and do fine. Show up in shape and with a good attitude and you'll be fine.
 
kenzie7575 said:
Thanks! that makes me feel a lot better! I just feel like there is no communication going on and I dont really know anything right now!
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That's normal. What happens around this time of the summer is that the cadre are busy doing their own things (ie: summer training, serving as instructors/advisors at LDAC and CULP, etc etc)

You should probably start receiving info starting sometime in August. And if not - it best behoove you to initiate contact with the cadre at the Battalion to make sure they know you're doing Army come fall.

Best of luck.
 
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