ROTC Medical Qualifications?

So my biggest concern right now about joining ROTC is I'm trying to get a contract as soon as possible. I'm an incoming freshman and SF State, and the things that's worrying me is my eyesight. It's terrible...and the thing is DoDMERB is like 10x harder on medical conditions compared to meps. I'd kill to be an officer but my eyesight is 20/1000, and I'm pretty sure it's correctable to 20/20, last time I got checked at a physical i got 20/40 in both eyes with a out dated prescription, and my astigmatism is somewhere around the limits for ROTC. It's like -3.25 or something. I've had asthma before but that was like when I was 8, never got new prescriptions after that, didn't touch my inhaler since 4th grade. I'm not worried about the asthma though my biggest question is, do my eyes sound waiverable? It says on the medical qualifications anything -/+ 3.00 isn't standard for ROTC, is that a PDQ? Or are these things waiverable? I wear glasses but they're strong.

Also was curious about HPSP, would it be easier to get in through that route because HPSP goes through MEPS and their standards aren't as high as DoDMERB.

I want to go into army ROTC with no scholarship so I can SMP sophomore year
or my junior year.

As far as contracting as soon as possible, unless you are on scholarship you will contract with ROTC going into your junior year.

No one can say for sure if you will be granted a waiver for your eyesight. If you are very concerned consider hiring a DODMERB Consultant as you go into the process to help guide you along the way.

Keep something in mind before going SMP... if you enlist in the Guard/Reserves to go SMP, and then fail to clear medically to be an officer (you still have to go through the DODMERB process), then you are going to have to fulfill you requirements to the Guard/Reserve as enlisted.

I also have another question, is LASIK waiverable?? I read somewhere that it only is if your eyes were up to specs, but then if they were what would be the point of lasik haha?

There are guidelines for DoDMERB available on line, and even on this site if I'm not mistaken. There is a regulation for everything and those regulations are not secrets.

About SMP... Have you considered seeking a commission via the California Army National Guard? Talk to them directly. Their standards may be different than AROTC.

how could i comission to be an officer through the national guard?

Lpshrtr said:

how could i comission to be an officer through the national guard?

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When you need a drink of water, go to the well. Don't just wait for it to start raining. When you need information about a program, go sit down with a representative of the program. The Army Guard can tell you exactly what they have to offer.