What branch is best for a humanities/social sciences major?

G

greatim123

5-Year Member
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Feb 2, 2015
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Just curious as to what ROTC branch is most compatible with a humanities/social sciences major. Any insight?

Also, would adding a minor be too much of a burden?
 
I would definitely say NOT AFROTC unless your intention is to go rated (flying).

From a scholarship perspective I would say the Army will be the easiest to get a scholarship with that major. AF/NROTC offer 80-85% of all scholarships to STEM majors.

With that being said, remember college is 4 years 30 weeks a year to a school where you make the decision to attend. Military careers are 24/7/365 for 4 years and they get the final word on what you will do and where you will live. Don't look at the compatability of ROTC impo, instead look at the comparability upon commissioning.
~ AF and NROTC require AD upon commissioning, there is no Guard or Reserve option. Something to think about when deciding which path.
 
Agree that AROTC or NROTC Marine Option are best bets for scholarships. Pima mentions great points about AFROTC and getting selected for SFT as non-tech major has been very difficult the last few years.
 
Just keep in mind that now Army ROTC is taking into account major more than ever before-- When it comes time for them to decide where to put you in the army when you commission, they'll put all cadets competing on a list based on several factors (GPA, PT score, test scores, etc). The list will be numbered from the best cadet to essentially the lowest performing cadet. Each cadet will have a score that determines where you fall, 100 being the max. Having a technical major USED TO mean just a .5 or 1 bonus point, but now it's a much bigger deal. If your major isn't a technical major, the MAX score you can get is a 96... meaning you will automatically be 4 points behind your peers in STEM majors. And if 5000 cadets are accessing, and you're 4 points behind, you can do the math to see how big of a difference that can make in determining whether you get active or not, and what job in the army you'll receive.

I also have friends who have gone through Navy ROTC (standard navy options) who majored in English, Health Administration, and Marine Biology, who have all earned slots as student naval aviators...

At the end of the day, you can succeed in any program you choose if you work your tail off, just the same as you can fail in any program if you don't. Consider talking to the recruiting officers at different ROTC programs to find out which program's future opportunities suit you best.
 
Well said fgr.

You will find success in every branch, but from my perspective due to my age and being a parent, success is tied to desire.

If you go down the rabbit hole of what branch is more compatabile to your major without investigating what your options upon commissioning will be, than you may hate your life as a cadet/mid and start the downward cycle from an OML point.
~ Same is true if you major in a degree you don't want, or take a scholarship to a school for financial reasons.

People don't really get it regarding ROTC. It is a true balance between branch, school selection and major.
~ Many posters here have positive feelings because impo they found the balance. However, if you spend time talking to these posters they will tell you that the attrition rate in ROTC, any branch, is very high.
~~ ROTC knows this and part of the reason the first year is a freebie for scholarship cadets is due to this fact.
~~~ DS started with 100 cadets his freshmen year, he commissioned with 26. For AFROTC that was a high retention rate....AFROTC has a make or break year as sophomores (200). 55% were allowed to move on.

I again am assuming you are still in HS. If so, when you do your school touyrs this spring, summer and fall, ask to meet with the CoC at each school and each branch. Move forward and apply for every ROTC scholarship. The earlier submitted the better....if you are a competitive candidate.

FYI, all branches are competitive for scholarships. AFROTC mean SAT for the most common scholarship (type 7) is @1280 best sitting....not super score. Best 1x sitting. ACT is lose to 29 best sitting. 80% of all scholarships go STEM.

Now as much as that seems negative, I strongly suggest you apply.
Why?
Because even though it is 20% for non-tech, you have 0% chance if you dont apply!
 
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