Tips for incoming Army Rotc MS 1's

SpecialK

SpecialK

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I know there's quite a few posters on here who will be doing Army ROTC next year. I think it'd be cool for those who could help out, to give any advice or tips they think is important to help us succeed. Thanks!
 
Arrive in shape, and then stay in shape! Do your best academically to keep your GPA up. Stay out of trouble. Attend all MS1 classes and labs and any other required or optional activities. Good luck!
 
What soccmomer said. I would add that since this may be the first time you're away from home with this much freedom, make sure you eat right and get enough sleep...no really. Secondly kind of universal college advice is to link up with a group of people who are serious about studies not just the party. Also, there will be college life outside of ROTC, explore that, clubs, sports and cultural events etc. Have fun. Ask questions. If your battalion does not link you up with a mentor, pursue one for yourself, follow the chain of command, don't bother cadre with every little question, that's what your squad leader is for.
 
Show up with a regulation haircut, no facial hair, no earrings, proper PT attire ( no lewd figures or statements), make sure what you wear to do your first APFT fits properly ( if you wouldn't want your grandma or pastor to see you in it then you should probably not wear it in public!). Bottom line, showing up in shape, in regs and ready to participate will put you ahead of most of your classmates and get you noticed by the cadre ( in a good way) right off the bat.
 
Be prepared for change, because the way it is now may not be the way it is in 4 yrs.
Don't get fixated on certain things. You will grow a lot in 4yrs and your goals may change. Take it step by step.
 
All good things, what others have said.

I'll add one quick tid bit now - and hopefully some more later (if no one else mentions them).

Not necessarily ROTC-specific, but college in general.

When you guys arrive in the fall, and ROTC starts up, classes start up ~ start up slow. Don't go all out and sign up for every single ROTC club and join all of these college social groups. Believe me, as much as you'd want to, you probably wont have the time to commitment to them all. And yeah, I know it will be hard to resist, because all of your friends will be joining all these things, and you'll want to join them.

Speaking from personal experience - if you do decide to do some of these things - pick no more than 3 outside-ROTC/academic things to do. Realistically, I'd start at only starting one thing at a time --- if you have time for more than.

More to come later.

Congrats to all the scholarship winners out there. Finish out your senior year strong; don't pass it up and throw it to the way side - enjoy it while it lasts.

Best of luck.
 
Understand that as soon as you put on that uniform you represent something much bigger than yourself, and one of the most respected professions on the planet. Everything you do in or out of the uniform from here on out reflects on the organization and as an aspiring officer, bringing discredit to the uniform and organization is not an option. Earn your place in the organization every day or get out.

Take care of business in the classroom and make an effort to learn as much as you can in your ROTC classes and you'll be fine.
 
Your grades are very important-and you will start out with your senior yr high school grades as what they will be using for OML-so finish this year strong. Over summer there is not much you can do about grades though.

However.....this summer....

GET IN SHAPE!!!!!

The better shape you are in the more likely you are to pass your APFT and start drawing your pay (pay is not retroactive)

Everything builds upon what came before. So if you show up in great shape and rock your APFT then you will get OML points and contract right away. You may then have a chance to do ranger challenge. Which will give you OML points. When the next opportunity comes around and they can only pull a limited number of cadets they take the ones with the highest OML and then that activity gives you points, and so on and so on.

My son came in good shape so got to do RC which allowed him to test for his German Badge, which put him in good position to make the small Bataan Memorial march team, which got him in shape to make ranger buddy.


so to prepare for next year-finish senior year with good grades and get in shape.


ps: my son did not show up with a regulation haircut-that did not go over well. just an fyi. also there was a serious learning curve for him to figure out how to have no facial hair by the 5:00pm labs. serious razor issues to be navigated....
 
In addition to being physically fit helping the physical tests you will encounter, it will make your classes easier. If you are exhausted after PT, it will affect your performance in class. If you are in shape and eating right, it will aide you in your studies. If you start off on a bad foot it can snowball very quickly, stay on top of everything.
 
-Bull- said:
In addition to being physically fit helping the physical tests you will encounter, it will make your classes easier. If you are exhausted after PT, it will affect your performance in class. If you are in shape and eating right, it will aide you in your studies. If you start off on a bad foot it can snowball very quickly, stay on top of everything.
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Not only that, but a lot of schools have PT 3 days a week. I'm not sure how it works everywhere else, or how common this is, but for PSU, if you fail the APFT (less than 60/60/60), you would then be required to come do PT those extra 2 days a week.

... trust me, you will want those 2 days to sleep in.
 
Some good advice above about getting into shape. A couple of additional tips. They may be more applicable to AROTC cadets not at the SMCs where student life is under stricter control.

1. Leave the X-Box at Home
2. Do Not Get ****-Faced Drunk

Time Management - Leave the X-Box Home

You will enjoy unprecedented freedom at college. In high school you showed up in the morning, spent the day in classes, then practiced afterwards for varsity sports. Most college classes don't meet every day, and generally nobody cares if you cut class (except ROTC classes). For that matter, nobody cares if you eat nutritious meals or fuel yourself on cokes, cookies and doritos, and nobody cares if you get sufficient sleep or stay up until 4 a.m. to master Dragon Ball Xenoverse.

You will be competing with fellow cadets in your battalion for slots at training schools such as Airborne and Air Assault. If you set a goal of achieving Active Duty status, you will be competing with similarly-minded cadets across the country. You may not have this goal when you arrive, and very likely you will not have a specific branch in mind. Never mind that - you will later on. Put yourself in a position that your 21 year-old-self is grateful to the 18 year-old you are now. Build a strong GPA and score high in fitness tests, and you will be well on your way toward that goal. However, this requires that you use your time efficiently. Have fun in college, party, join a frat, but make sure you take care of business first.

Alcohol Management - Do Not Get ****-Faced Drunk

Your new freedoms will also include the ability to obtain alcohol. In most colleges alcohol is easy to get whether or not you are of legal age. Frats are always having parties, many bars and liquor stores rely on student business, and if they do card you there is always an older dorm-mate. But the lure of alcohol has wrecked the paths of many ROTC cadets and damaged the careers of many officers. There are great stories of the wild and stupid things cadets have gotten away with, but it often ends badly. I'm not so naive to think ROTC cadets won't drink, even if they're not supposed to. But you need to know how to restrain yourself. Every party does not require your attendance and every keg does not require you to sample it.
 
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EDelahanty's post reminds me of when my older son went to a BBQ set up by the college he was going to for students from our city. The Dean of Students was there and after his speech he said he had 3 pieces of advice for those coming to his school.

1. Pack all your stuff up you're going to bring....... then put half of it back.
2. Leave the Letterman's Jacket in your home closet.
3. (My favorite) Leave the Hometown Honey at home.

Should have seen the look on all the guys wearing their jackets and the looks on their girlfriends faces....Priceless.
 
scoutpilot said:
Find the biggest person in ROTC on the first day. Crack him upside the skull with a hunk of rebar. Then look at everyone else and say "any of you call me Francis, and I'll kill ya." It really helps establish your place in the pecking order.
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Now that made me laugh....out loud.
 
scoutpilot said:
Find the biggest person in ROTC on the first day. Crack him upside the skull with a hunk of rebar. Then look at everyone else and say "any of you call me Francis, and I'll kill ya." It really helps establish your place in the pecking order.
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And this is precisely why they wouldn't allow scoutpilot into ROTC but made him attend USMA instead.
 
scoutpilot said:
Find the biggest person in ROTC on the first day. Crack him upside the skull with a hunk of rebar. Then look at everyone else and say "any of you call me Francis, and I'll kill ya." It really helps establish your place in the pecking order.
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Francis (there, I said it) got lucky, as the biggest guy in the room was the one who eventually became known to the world as Gen. "Ox" Oxenburger. One look at Ox and you know that steel re-bar upside the head would not hurt much.
 
... don't know how I didn't think about this earlier. But pro tip for you guys:

NEVER schedule a class before 9am.

... trust me on this one.

This applies to everyone, not just Army.
 
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Leave the hometown honey at home is the best piece of advice in here so far. If any of you strapping young MS1s (of either gender) needs me to explain why, I fear for the future of the officer corps.
 
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