I need advice

Great post by @justdoit19. I wanted to come back an add a couple video links regarding NROTC and NROTC MO. Yup, it's not Army, and the details of summer training and post commissioning are different, but each has comparable events and each leads to the same end result. I'm not talking about being commissioned when I say that, although that is part of the package. I am talking about leadership skills, decisiveness, transformation, bearing etc. These are life skills which will serve you well in any environment, military or civilian. Anyway, hopefully these give you some insight into what's ahead in ROTC. I'm sure there are similar videos for Army, I jst don't look for them as my kid is a Marine. Again, good luck. Hope you persevere.

Decades from now you can tell your story to your future wife, children and grandchildren in one of two ways:

1. "Yeah....in college, I started ROTC, but dropped it after a few weeks. I wonder what would have happened if I stuck it out?"
2. "Yeah....in college, after a few weeks of ROTC, I really hated it and considered dropping out, but you know what? I persevered and I found out I was tougher and more resilient than I originally thought."

Which is going to be your story?

A lot of good advice here, but with all due respect to the wise posters on this thread, the OP might be stuck in a negative loop that makes it hard to accept or act on good advice.

Essential fact #1: the OP hates ROTC.

#2: the OP's negative attitude is bound up with complex emotions about his family - their expectations of him, and their and his expected contribution to his education.

The way out of this loop - I'm addressing the original poster now - is to answer two very simple, foundational q's, which ONLY YOU can answer:

- Y/N: do you want to lead men and women in battle as an officer serving your country?

- Open-ended (but very specific): what is your #1, absolute, must-have, desired outcome of your college education?

The answers to these q's will tell you which sacrifices that YOU are willing to make. Nothing worth doing is without sacrifice: toil, sweat, tears and, yes, in US higher education today, 000s of $$$.

Once you are clear about what it is you want, and are willing to commit much sweat and toil (and perhaps invest your/your parents' scarce $$) toward attaining, the right path for you will be obvious.

All the best,
T

One more thought: if you drop ROTC, you should try to REPLACE IT with a goal or path that is equally demanding and lofty.

What high goals and lofty ambitions do you have for yourself?

What are you willing to make sacrifices for?

Lets be honest if the kid doesnt like Rotc , he doesnt like it. I would tell him to finish out the semester or even the year, but if he honestly doesnt like it, he is wasting his time and those around him. Regardless of why he doesnt like it, he should do something he enjoys and feels will help him in the future. Replacing it with another goal or path isnt even necessary. His whole job for the next four years is to do as well as he can and obtain the best grades possible. That includes interning or anything that will help him on his way for when its time to get a job. That path is what I see most people doing and for many that is enough. For others they have other goals like serving their country or helping the enviroment or whatever. In terms of money, sure it sucks to lose the scholarhisp and he and or his parents are going to have to figure out how to pay for his college. Fortunately for us, that is his deal and honestly it isnt our concern. He probably shouldnt have joined to make his family happy. How many times do we get the question from the person who wants to join Rotc or an Academy but their parents are against it. We almost always tell them to do what will make them happy and how they should try to convince their parents. My final piece of advice, stick out for a semester or a year. Dont continue because it will pay for you education. If you are going to commit to anything, you should go into it 100% If not, forget about it.

^^^^ I don't think anyone here disagrees... the only other point I've really heard mentioned is to give it a fair chance and not rely on such a brief exposure. By all means, if it's not for him he should move on at some point.

I agree so much with justdoit19! My DD had uncertainties all through freshman year about her college, and about ROTC - she even applied to transfer to other schools. However, everything sort of came together and resolved during the last two months of freshman year - she "settled in."

Yes, there are things about every college situation to question or not like, tons of new things to get used to, a lot of decisions to make. Do you see your friends at other schools having "better" experiences in certain aspects? That adds even more confusion and uncertainty!

My take is this: you need a whole year in a new experience to really adjust. I feel so badly for students who leave college after a few weeks, or even after one semester. Unless something traumatic occurred there, it probably just was not enough time. The truth is almost any student can have a positive experience at just about any school. It may take some time, though, to find the right major, advisor, activities to join, and friend group.