As others have said time management is key.
Like
@kinnem stated as you continue through the program you will be assigned jobs that take more and more time.
~ IE something like a flight cadet commander, you will have to write reports on those cadets within your flight, which could be 25+ cadets (large dets). You will have to attend additional meetings. They are not going to say, I understand you have a 5 page term paper due that day and a test too, so we will let you submit them the day after that. No, they are going to say, that is the drop date just like your term paper or exam, no if, ands, or buts.
Two things I would add to what does it take are:
1. Don't be "that" guy/gal
~ IOWS if you were in JROTC, don't come in like a gang buster to "prove" you got this. JROTC is nothing like ROTC. In the fighter world they would say to young lts. straight out of UPT at their 1st op base...shut up and color. IOWS, listen and learn how this world works, because UPT (aka in your case JROTC) is not the same as operational (aka ROTC)
~ Our DS was not in JROTC, but his Dad flew F15Es. He was an AF BRAT born and raised. His Dad drilled that in his mind. IE: Don't think because you moved 11 times, and your Dad was in the AF, that you know squat about the AF. None of his ROTC friends knew for about a yr., that he was an AF Brat. It was not that he was not proud of his heritage, he was and is, but he didn't want to appear to be "that" guy.
2. Get involved with things ROTC offers outside of Lab and PT.
~ Great dets will have things like GMC nights. This is usually held 1 night a week for AS100/200/250 inn the det. lounge @6:00. They will order in pizza, subs, etc. for these cadets. Many det lounges will have foosball, Xbox, big screen tv, etc. in the lounge. A PMS will hang there too.
~~ This is great because you start to create friendships within ROTC, just like if you joined Arnie Air, Silver Flight, Angel Flight, or Honor Guard. Friendships that will understand your balancing act as a freshmen. Friendships that understand the stress of a STEM class course load and carrying a 3.0. Friendships that understand how ticked you are that your roommate doesn't get the fact you had to be up at O'Dark thirty for PT and they played video games until 1 a.m. That 1st semester is hard.
~ Like Humey, my DS was in Arnie Air.
~~ Arnie Air is a military fraternal organization. Same as Silver, Angel or Honor Guard.
~~~ You will create bonds that will last for a lifetime. My DH is an AFROTC grad. He too was in Arnie Air. 30+ yrs later and he still is friends with those members. These organizations are just a glimpse of the brethren you will feel in the ADAF.
Just like the operational world, the more you put in, the more you will get back. If you think that you will never see them again once you graduate so it is not worth the time to build/forge these relationships, you are wrong and it might come back to bite you.
The AF is small.
Our DS attended a large det. (200+ cadets). He went to GMC nights. He was in Arnie. He was involved. Heck, He went to UPT upon commissioning.
~ At GMC night as a 100 he met a 200. They became friends. That 200 went on to UPT too, but a yr before my DS. UPT is 54 weeks. DS got that same UPT base. He arrived knowing at least 1 person at the base, albeit that person was close to winging, but still he knew someone there on day 1. That person was able to give him insight from personal experience regarding what he was going to face. FFWD that person got a C130 J just like my DS would get a yr later. They both got assigned to Abilene, different squadrons. DS was able to contact him and say: coming to Dyess, where should I buy a home? FFWD 5 yrs later. DS got orders to Little Rock. That same friend was assigned there one yr earlier, again a different squadron, but again, he could call them up and ask advice.
~~ Had DS not gone to GMC night he would have probably not created that friendship. He went AAS and the other went Honor Guard.
Sorry for the novella. I just hope it illustrates how it is not just about now as a cadet, but later on. I hope it shows that the more you put in the more you will get out of it. I hope it also illustrates to do it all, you need to have the ability to manage your time to achieve it all.