Are AFROTC cadets required take take science and calculus courses?

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Jan 7, 2019
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I’m extremely interested in doing AFROTC, more than any other branch, but what is making me lean more towards AROTC is that NROTC requires a good amount of math and science courses, both of which I have almost zero ability. I believe I heard that AFROTC requires you to take Calculus. Is that true?
 
That is not true. AFROTC does not require you to take any science or calculus courses. NROTC - Navy Option is the only branch that makes you take additional courses outside of your major in order to commision.
 
You’d know better than me, but wouldn’t it make sense the AF would want STEM majors as much as the Navy?
 
I think it’s important to understand that NROTC and AFROTC award the majority of their scholarship to STEM majors, so that would then equal a heavy amount of those courses. I am sure Pima can chime in on the breakdown of STEM scholarships for the Air Force side. I think the Navy side is around 85% and those who are in that small percentage still take Calc and Physics. Marine Option doesn’t care about your major and you don’t have to take Calc or Physics. Ensure to look at the source info, each ROTC websites, as this info is readily available.
 
NavyHoops is correct. @80-85% of all AFROTC scholarships are awarded to STEM aka Tech majors. However, also realize that only @20% of all cadets are on scholarship.

As stated AFROTC does not require those subjects, but your college may require it for your degree. Our DS was non-tech, govt & politics major. His college required him to take 2 semesters of math and science. I know that he had to take Quantum math. I believe the other was statistics. I think for his science requirement he took bio and chem classes. His major did not require foreign language classes, but AFROTC did.
~ Just saying that it is not just about AFROTC requirements, it is also the college, and vise a verse.

I would also add one more thing about AFROTC. To commission from AFROTC, you MUST be selected for Summer Field Training) your sophomore yr in college. SFT selection board is held at Maxwell AFB. It is like the scholarship boards, in that it is national and they give an edge to Tech majors. In essence, they do not care if 1 det has 100% selected and another has 25%. HQ AFROTC knows how many they will select, the cadets will be given a whole candidate score. HQ will than draw a line anybody above will be selected, below will not. IE if they have 2000 spots, and your ranking on the list is 2001, you will not be selected.
~ The selection board "masks" if the cadet is on scholarship. That means they give no weight to the fact if they are on scholarship or not.

The past few yrs it has hovered around 95% selection rate, thus not everybody will go. This is where we come back to how going tech helps. During the selection process, cadets will be placed into 4 groups. Tech/rated (flying), Tech/non-rated, Non-tech/rated, and Non-tech/non-rated.
~ The highest selection rate will go to tech/rated. Tech/non-rated and Non-tech rated typically have close to the same % selection rate. Non-tech/non-rated will have the lowest.
~~ My DS's yr group rate was overall 58%, however, the non-tech/non-rated had a 17% selection rate, whereas, tech/rated had @90% for his group, and the tech/non-rated, non-tech rated was @70%. Even now with the 95% selection rate, and if you do the math, you will see that the non--tech/non-rated is not going to be a shoe in for selection.
~ Another way you can tell that tech majors get an edge for SFT boards is that those cadets typically hover @ 3.0/3.1, whereas non-tech cadets are @3.3//3.4

If you follow all of this, you will see that in the end they will whittle out many of the non-tech majors prior to commissioning. Not saying you can't get a scholarship or commission as a non-tech major. My DS is living proof, he was a scholarship cadet. However, he also wanted rated, so for SFT that gave him an edge.

I would add of why Math will play part of your AFROTC progression, and you should take the hardest math classes that are offered in college, regardless of your degree. To be selected for SFT, part of your score will be your AFOQT score. The AFOQT is similar to the ACT. It is timed and has 4 portions, 1 of the portions will pertain to your mathematical/sscience abilities. Thus, if you don't take math in college, you will probably hurt your chances of being selected for SFT. You MUST pass the AFOQT to attend SFT. The score will be a portion of your selection package.

I do not know if the OP wants to go rated as a non-tech major, but if that is the case, they need to also realize that flying also includes some level of math/science. My DS loved non-math subjects, yet, at the same time he was strong in math/science. He just didn't care for the subjects. As a flier, it is part handling the stick and part academics. The academic part is in part understanding science and math. IE, how hard you can bank a plane at a certain speed before you will go over G.

Sorry for the novella, but impo it is also important to see what will be in the future.
 
NavyHoops is correct. @80-85% of all AFROTC scholarships are awarded to STEM aka Tech majors. However, also realize that only @20% of all cadets are on scholarship.

As stated AFROTC does not require those subjects, but your college may require it for your degree. Our DS was non-tech, govt & politics major. His college required him to take 2 semesters of math and science. I know that he had to take Quantum math. I believe the other was statistics. I think for his science requirement he took bio and chem classes. His major did not require foreign language classes, but AFROTC did.
~ Just saying that it is not just about AFROTC requirements, it is also the college, and vise a verse.

I would also add one more thing about AFROTC. To commission from AFROTC, you MUST be selected for Summer Field Training) your sophomore yr in college. SFT selection board is held at Maxwell AFB. It is like the scholarship boards, in that it is national and they give an edge to Tech majors. In essence, they do not care if 1 det has 100% selected and another has 25%. HQ AFROTC knows how many they will select, the cadets will be given a whole candidate score. HQ will than draw a line anybody above will be selected, below will not. IE if they have 2000 spots, and your ranking on the list is 2001, you will not be selected.
~ The selection board "masks" if the cadet is on scholarship. That means they give no weight to the fact if they are on scholarship or not.

The past few yrs it has hovered around 95% selection rate, thus not everybody will go. This is where we come back to how going tech helps. During the selection process, cadets will be placed into 4 groups. Tech/rated (flying), Tech/non-rated, Non-tech/rated, and Non-tech/non-rated.
~ The highest selection rate will go to tech/rated. Tech/non-rated and Non-tech rated typically have close to the same % selection rate. Non-tech/non-rated will have the lowest.
~~ My DS's yr group rate was overall 58%, however, the non-tech/non-rated had a 17% selection rate, whereas, tech/rated had @90% for his group, and the tech/non-rated, non-tech rated was @70%. Even now with the 95% selection rate, and if you do the math, you will see that the non--tech/non-rated is not going to be a shoe in for selection.
~ Another way you can tell that tech majors get an edge for SFT boards is that those cadets typically hover @ 3.0/3.1, whereas non-tech cadets are @3.3//3.4

If you follow all of this, you will see that in the end they will whittle out many of the non-tech majors prior to commissioning. Not saying you can't get a scholarship or commission as a non-tech major. My DS is living proof, he was a scholarship cadet. However, he also wanted rated, so for SFT that gave him an edge.

I would add of why Math will play part of your AFROTC progression, and you should take the hardest math classes that are offered in college, regardless of your degree. To be selected for SFT, part of your score will be your AFOQT score. The AFOQT is similar to the ACT. It is timed and has 4 portions, 1 of the portions will pertain to your mathematical/sscience abilities. Thus, if you don't take math in college, you will probably hurt your chances of being selected for SFT. You MUST pass the AFOQT to attend SFT. The score will be a portion of your selection package.

I do not know if the OP wants to go rated as a non-tech major, but if that is the case, they need to also realize that flying also includes some level of math/science. My DS loved non-math subjects, yet, at the same time he was strong in math/science. He just didn't care for the subjects. As a flier, it is part handling the stick and part academics. The academic part is in part understanding science and math. IE, how hard you can bank a plane at a certain speed before you will go over G.

Sorry for the novella, but impo it is also important to see what will be in the future.
Thank you for your help. I know for a fact that I would not be able to pass or even test into a Calculus or high level science class, no matter how much I’d love to try. I know this from high school, as I had extreme trouble, barely even receiving a C in those classes, while excelling in everything else. I do not wish to fly, nor could I be medically qualified for it. I honestly do not care what I branch as as long as I commission active duty.
 
I know for a fact that I would not be able to pass or even test into a Calculus or high level science class, no matter how much I’d love to try. I know this from high school, as I had extreme trouble, barely even receiving a C in those classes, while excelling in everything else.
There are not many officer AFSC's in the AF that:
  • are unique to the USAF and interesting,
  • do not draw heavily from STEM-degreed officers, and
  • are non-rated (i.e. non-flying) positions
In light of the above, why are you "extremely interested" in the USAF?

I do not wish to fly, nor could I be medically qualified for it.
Were you told you are not medically qualified by a flight surgeon? If not, I'm surprised you have that knowledge. There is a waiver for nearly everything if the motivation is there to pursue it. The hard part is getting the commission.

I honestly do not care what I branch as as long as I commission active duty.
The USAF does not say "branch"-- that's an Army term :).

It sounds like you are simply interested in an active duty commission. In that event, consider another branch. Based on your self-identified limitations above, I do not know that you would land an AFSC that is unique to the USAF, and our general AFSC's are often less suited for career progression than their equivalents in the other branches. There is a lot of justification behind that statement that is outside the scope of this post, but it boils down to:
  • many degree-restricted officer AFSC's
  • limited paths to Group command outside of the Rated, CE, and Maintenance tracks (which all largely require specialty education, less so Maintenance, but the training requires a technical capacity to succeed, which you indicate you do not have)
  • fierce competition amongst the rest of the non-rated, non-technical officers for the remaining limited tracks
  • no real path to O-6 without Group commander eligibility
I'd suggest a second look at AROTC or perhaps the Marine Corps. A generalist would have many more long term opportunities there.
 
I know for a fact that I would not be able to pass or even test into a Calculus or high level science class, no matter how much I’d love to try. I know this from high school, as I had extreme trouble, barely even receiving a C in those classes, while excelling in everything else.
There are not many officer AFSC's in the AF that:
  • are unique to the USAF and interesting,
  • do not draw heavily from STEM-degreed officers, and
  • are non-rated (i.e. non-flying) positions
In light of the above, why are you "extremely interested" in the USAF?

I do not wish to fly, nor could I be medically qualified for it.
Were you told you are not medically qualified by a flight surgeon? If not, I'm surprised you have that knowledge. There is a waiver for nearly everything if the motivation is there to pursue it. The hard part is getting the commission.

I honestly do not care what I branch as as long as I commission active duty.
The USAF does not say "branch"-- that's an Army term :).

It sounds like you are simply interested in an active duty commission. In that event, consider another branch. Based on your self-identified limitations above, I do not know that you would land an AFSC that is unique to the USAF, and our general AFSC's are often less suited for career progression than their equivalents in the other branches. There is a lot of justification behind that statement that is outside the scope of this post, but it boils down to:
  • many degree-restricted officer AFSC's
  • limited paths to Group command outside of the Rated, CE, and Maintenance tracks (which all largely require specialty education, less so Maintenance, but the training requires a technical capacity to succeed, which you indicate you do not have)
  • fierce competition amongst the rest of the non-rated, non-technical officers for the remaining limited tracks
  • no real path to O-6 without Group commander eligibility
I'd suggest a second look at AROTC or perhaps the Marine Corps. A generalist would have many more long term opportunities there.
To be honest, I technically am interested in pilot position: drone pilot. I know I can’t pass the flight physical as I am red and green colorblind. I have few other issues that may cause me to not even be able to pass the regular DODMERB. I’m heavily interested in the Air Force because I love the service, it has a strong history in my family with my dad having gone to USAFA, and a few other members of my family who were in. I also like how they seem to be (after meeting with many ROO’s) the most academically focused of the programs at my choice schools. For example, the Marine ROO would never stop talking about needing to be intense, and PT scores and everything, he’d always bring my question back to something PT related. I also like the variance in bases and MOS’s that the Air Force offers.
 
It’s good your getting a feel for the service cultures. You are correct the Marines are very PT focused because it’s a key component to making it through OCS during the summer. With color blind you will have an easier time with USAF or USA options (SA/ROTC). The Army will be more on par with the Marines in PT and field life. Navy based has very minimal waivers for color blind.
 
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
 
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
I personally like that, as I’d rather find out after 2 years that I won’t be able to commission the way that I would like to as compared to AROTC where after almost 4 years you can find out that you didn’t get active duty. Am I correct in my information that everyone who goes to Field Training gets an active duty commission if they want it? Again, active duty is more important to me than whatever MOS I receive. Also, because the military (I know escpecially the Army) is having trouble getting numbers for officers, wouldn’t that mean chances for field training should be pretty good the next 2-3 years?
 
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
I personally like that, as I’d rather find out after 2 years that I won’t be able to commission the way that I would like to as compared to AROTC where after almost 4 years you can find out that you didn’t get active duty. Am I correct in my information that everyone who goes to Field Training gets an active duty commission if they want it? Again, active duty is more important to me than whatever MOS I receive. Also, because the military (I know escpecially the Army) is having trouble getting numbers for officers, wouldn’t that mean chances for field training should be pretty good the next 2-3 years?
Yes, everyone who commissions from AFRotc goes AD although now there is a possiblity of going reserve if you so desire it. There is no guarantee in life, but yes if you pass field training and you contract in Junior year , you should commission after you graduate assuming you dont screw up somehow
 
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
I personally like that, as I’d rather find out after 2 years that I won’t be able to commission the way that I would like to as compared to AROTC where after almost 4 years you can find out that you didn’t get active duty. Am I correct in my information that everyone who goes to Field Training gets an active duty commission if they want it? Again, active duty is more important to me than whatever MOS I receive. Also, because the military (I know escpecially the Army) is having trouble getting numbers for officers, wouldn’t that mean chances for field training should be pretty good the next 2-3 years?
Yes, everyone who commissions from AFRotc goes AD although now there is a possiblity of going reserve if you so desire it. There is no guarantee in life, but yes if you pass field training and you contract in Junior year , you should commission after you graduate assuming you dont screw up somehow
Does AFROTC have the chance to contract early if you didn’t get a scholarship? Like I show up next Fall, ace the PT test, and get good grades for a term, could I be offered to contract as a Freshman? The money would be a HUGE help for me...
 
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
My son comissioned from AFROTC this last may. There are no class requirements outside of the AFROTC classes. Having said that, based on his major and the GE requirements, he did take Calculus and Physics. As Pima has mentioned, not everyone is picked for Field Training anymore. My son had perfect timing as the class before him, his class and the class after him all (100%) went to Field Training.
I personally like that, as I’d rather find out after 2 years that I won’t be able to commission the way that I would like to as compared to AROTC where after almost 4 years you can find out that you didn’t get active duty. Am I correct in my information that everyone who goes to Field Training gets an active duty commission if they want it? Again, active duty is more important to me than whatever MOS I receive. Also, because the military (I know escpecially the Army) is having trouble getting numbers for officers, wouldn’t that mean chances for field training should be pretty good the next 2-3 years?
Yes, everyone who commissions from AFRotc goes AD although now there is a possiblity of going reserve if you so desire it. There is no guarantee in life, but yes if you pass field training and you contract in Junior year , you should commission after you graduate assuming you dont screw up somehow
Does AFROTC have the chance to contract early if you didn’t get a scholarship? Like I show up next Fall, ace the PT test, and get good grades for a term, could I be offered to contract as a Freshman? The money would be a HUGE help for me...
On the whole, Rotc do have scholarships to those who do well the first semester and possibly beyond. I say beyond because when i attended the Air Force ball during my son's senior year, they gave out scholarhips that were anywhere from 1000 - 9000. No idea if you can win it mulitple years or not but there is money avaible even if you dont get a 3-4 year scholarhsips. So if you get a scholarship after the first semester, it usually pays for 3.5 half years. Like all scholarship winners, you have until the end of the first year to contract or leave the program. I also think that even if you do get a scholarship at school or through the national program, it is still not a guarantee that you will be selected for field training.
 
Most cadets in college can apply for the ICSP. It is the HSSP version for college students. The big difference between the 2 is how many college credits you have when you apply for the scholarships. ICSP typically is tied to the det. , whereas, the HSSP recipients can take it to any college that accepts the scholarship. Both scenarios it is tied to your intended degree.
~ IOWS, you apply as a tech major, get the scholarship, however, later on you want to switch to non-tech, it is highly likely they will not approve you changing to non-tech and keeping the scholarship. You can stay in the program, but the scholarship will be revoked.

As Humey stated the det. scholarships usually are awarded at the spring formal (Dining out). It will be used for the following fall.

The upgrade to 3.5 yrs is not as common as 1 might think. There have been yrs where HQAFROTC did not hold an ICSP board. The reason why is there is a limited amount of money from HQ AFROTC for that commissioning yr group. They will always offer more scholarships than the money pot bc they know from history, that statistically a certain percentage will not activate the scholarship the start of their freshmen yr.
~ IE USAFA does not talk to AFROTC when they award appointments, and vise a verse. AFROTC will not inform USAFA that a candidate has a scholarship. AFROTC finds out about the USAFA candidates come July when they arrive for I Day. The minute those cadets take the Oath, the AFROTC scholarship is revoked. The list is sent to HQ AFROTC.
~ There are also candidates that will apply not only to multiple SAs, but also for multiple ROTC scholarships. Cadet smith might receive both an AFROTC and an AROTC scholarship. In the end Cadet Smith goes AROTC.
~ Additionally, there will be recipients that eventually find out that their medical DQ was not waived, thus, loss of scholarship.

It is an educated guess using their own algorithm, but it is not perfect and they will not know the answer of how many contract until the fall. If come Oct. and there is money left over in the pot for the commissioning class of 2023, they may hold an ICSP board. If more showed up in the fall than they expected than they will not hold the board.

Many dets. also raise $$$ on their own. IE our DS's det was large and he attended a very large university, nationally ranked for FB and BB. There was also AROTC and NROTC host det. at that college. The college instead of paying $$$ to a company to clean the stadium and arena after the game, they pay the ROTC dets. It was mandatory that if you were in AFROTC you would show up to clean up the stadium, @ 3 times for FB, and a certain amount for BB. The ROTC units rotated the clean up schedules, so all of them got the same amount of money. That money went to subsidize/pay for things like dining ins/outs, and scholarships like Humey stated.

Good luck
 
Off topic, but on topic
These comments are glaring to me
To be honest, I technically am interested in pilot position: drone pilot. I know I can’t pass the flight physical as I am red and green colorblind. I have few other issues that may cause me to not even be able to pass the regular DODMERB.
Leave the color vision deficiency alone for now. The bold is my concern. To be a pilot, even drone you have to pass an FAA FC physical. I don't know what cat RPAs are, but pilots are FC1. As you go down the ladder the stringency gets a little more laxed. However, it still is going to be much more stringent than the DoDMERB.
my dad having gone to USAFA,
If your Dad retired out of the AF, he can reach out to the closest AFB near your family. He can ask if any of the flight docs know/recommend a civilian doc that understands DoDMERB and FAA FC physicals.
You want to get in front of this now. Here is why. Once selected for SFT they will do a short physical, thus, these issues will pop up again. Some medical issues require a specific amount of time off prescribed meds. to be considered for a waiver.

I am not asking you to disclose your medical history, but the fact that you already know you might not pass the DoDMERB is a big issue. Every cadet will do at LEAST and exit DoDMERB (non-rated does DoDMERB, rated, including RPA will do the FAA) prior to commissioning, so it will come up in your future. To contract, even as a POC after SFT, you must be medically quald.

This aspect is where many get tripped up on. You have an asset working for you that most candidates/cadets don't have when it comes to the medical portion. A parent, that has an ability to go on base can use their military contacts for references. Military docs understand medical requirements and just like anybody that serves they know docs that left the AF and are now civilian practitioners. Your Dad can go on base, stop in at the hospital and ask if he can speak to a doc for a reference that they might know with military experience. Candidates/cadets that don't have that network opportunity will be doing a lot of googling to find a doc that can speak the military terms from a medical aspect.
~ Unfortunately, some have paid consultants to navigate the DoDMERB world, only to find out that once they collected their fee the consultant disappeared.
~ Additionally, if your Dad is a vet., and you don't live near a base, he can also try contacting the VA hospital. They maybe able to give him direction for specialists regarding what medical issues you may have.

Hope that helps a little bit more regarding your future.
 
Many dets. also raise $$$ on their own. IE our DS's det was large and he attended a very large university, nationally ranked for FB and BB. There was also AROTC and NROTC host det. at that college. The college instead of paying $$$ to a company to clean the stadium and arena after the game, they pay the ROTC dets. It was mandatory that if you were in AFROTC you would show up to clean up the stadium, @ 3 times for FB, and a certain amount for BB. The ROTC units rotated the clean up schedules, so all of them got the same amount of money. That money went to subsidize/pay for things like dining ins/outs, and scholarships like Humey stated.

Good luck
Exactly, my son went to Purdue and the detachment would get paid to clean up the football stadium after each game. The scholarships given at the dinner came from outside sources associated with the detachment but not necessarily AFROTC.
 
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