Applying to ROTC in Freshman Year

[ktong8]

I'm currently a freshman in college and I'm considering joining either AROTC or AFROTC with a scholarship, but I'm wondering about the likelihood of getting in, things I should be aware of, as well as any differences between ROTC and service academies aside from the setting at typical colleges and a shorter period of required service.
For some background, when I was applying to colleges, service academies were toward the top of my list, but because my parents aren't very happy with the idea of me serving on active duty, we didn't need financial help at the time, and I had gotten early admission into my top choice college, I ended up dropping my applications to those service academies. I recently had a family emergency and we're now struggling to pay for my tuition, and I'm also regretting not taking part in ROTC, so I'm highly considering joining now.

 

[kinnem]

Well, if you hurry, and meet any credit hour limitations, you can still complete an application for this year. You may or may not get a scholarship. You would perhaps have more success if you enrolled in a ROTC unit without a scholarship in hopes of earning one along the way. No guarantee there either, but you could probably get started spring semester instead of next fall semester. Do you have a ROTC or AFROTC unit at your college? If you were to speak with an officer at the unit they could give you far more details on what you would need to do and what would be required of you.

I would point out, this isn't something you do for the money. You need to have a strong desire to serve as an officer to be successful in these programs.