AFROTC Interview

[MrSoapman]

My AFROTC interview is coming up on the 28th, and I was wondering about something. I'm using AFROTC as a backup plan to USAFA/USMA, and I have a feeling this is going to come up sometime in the interview. Would I be better off letting the interviewers know this, or should I keep it on the down low? I just don't want it to hurt my chances of getting the scholarship. Anything helps.

 

[Capt MJ]

My AFROTC interview is coming up on the 28th, and I was wondering about something. I'm using AFROTC as a backup plan to USAFA/USMA, and I have a feeling this is going to come up sometime in the interview. Would I be better off letting the interviewers know this, or should I keep it on the down low? I just don't want it to hurt my chances of getting the scholarship. Anything helps.

You and several thousand others each year - this would be no surprise to interviewers.

You want to be open and forthright, with your thoughts organized. “Yes, I have also applied to USMA and USAFA, because my ultimate goal is to obtain a commission and serve as an officer in the Air Force or Army. If AFROTC is the path that opens for me, I would give that unit my very best effort, because that is also a great path to a commission, and if fortunate enough to earn a scholarship, I would be excited to use it at any of my goal schools, such as…. I would assess re-application to a service academy but may well discover AFROTC is a perfect fit for me. My goal of a commission remains the same.”

 

[Pluto]

My AFROTC interview is coming up on the 28th, and I was wondering about something. I'm using AFROTC as a backup plan to USAFA/USMA, and I have a feeling this is going to come up sometime in the interview. Would I be better off letting the interviewers know this, or should I keep it on the down low? I just don't want it to hurt my chances of getting the scholarship. Anything helps.

I wouldn't worry about it. Your interviewer will be an officer themselves, and ultimately should (and will) respect your desire to become an officer above else. They won't hold any judgments on how you obtain a commission.

 

[MrSoapman]

@Capt MJ @Pluto Thank you both!

 

[jaglvr]

The Commander directly asked her. By the time she got to this interview, her heart was set on ROTC (it was the last interview after academy applications and MOC panels, but she was honest about her applications to the SAs (and other branches) and he was fine with it. I think it showed she wanted to serve as an officer and didn't hurt her at all because she had valid answers. At her Detachment, the Commander is a VMI grad, but there is an Academy grad and a grad from that university in leadership.

She did feel that the AF ROTC interview was by far the most intensive and thorough out of any in the entire process last fall. It was over 90 minutes long as well.

Good luck!