Applying without ROTC??

[iceberg]

Hello everyone,
I am wondering if it makes any sense to be applying as a college student without ROTC? I am currently a freshman at a civilian college and really want to attend USMA but am not enrolled in ROTC (long story). Does this look really bad on the application? I am a first time applicant and the application is complete besides DODMERB.

Any comments are appreciated and thanks in advance.

 

[AROTC-dad]

This is only one opinion and I'm not an expert at USMA admissions.

It may not look "real" bad, but it clearly sends a message that you are more focused on attending West Point than becoming an Army officer "by any means necessary." It is not a deal-breaker. It just makes an unspoken statement about your motivation and may require an explanation.

Of course, you SHOULD APPLY, but you might want to clarify why you did not pursue Army ROTC in your essays.

 

[MidCakePa]

Don’t know exactly how it’ll affect your chances, but I have to think it won’t help you. USMA wants cadets who are deeply committed to becoming commissioned officers. Points to ponder:

— You say you’re a first-time applicant, which means you didn’t apply in high school. Why not? What prompted this seemingly sudden interest in USMA? You’ll be up against candidates who’ve wanted USMA for a very long time, some since middle school. They’ve aligned their high-school careers around attaining an offer of appointment. Why are you a superior candidate to them?

— You say it’s a long story as to why you’re not in ROTC. It had better be a good one too. Why not? Why aren’t you pursuing a plebe-like schedule (academics, athletics, military) that demonstrates you’re capable of USMA-level demands. You’ll be up against reapplicants who are doing ROTC for this very reason, and to have a Plan B should USMA turn them down again. One way or the other, they’re going to be an officer. Why are you a superior candidate to them?

You may be a legitimate late bloomer. You may have faced adversity that you’ve overcome to even be in this position. Whatever the case, you’ll have to convince USMA that you’re the real deal. Not doing ROTC when you have the opportunity to do so would certainly be a yellow flag, at the very least.

 

[iceberg]

Don’t know exactly how it’ll affect your chances, but I have to think it won’t help you. USMA wants cadets who are deeply committed to becoming commissioned officers. Points to ponder:

— You say you’re a first-time applicant, which means you didn’t apply in high school. Why not? What prompted this seemingly sudden interest in USMA? You’ll be up against candidates who’ve wanted USMA for a very long time, some since middle school. They’ve aligned their high-school careers around attaining an offer of appointment. Why are you a superior candidate to them?

— You say it’s a long story as to why you’re not in ROTC. It had better be a good one too. Why not? Why aren’t you pursuing a plebe-like schedule (academics, athletics, military) that demonstrates you’re capable of USMA-level demands. You’ll be up against reapplicants who are doing ROTC for this very reason, and to have a Plan B should USMA turn them down again. One way or the other, they’re going to be an officer. Why are you a superior candidate to them?

You could be a legitimate late bloomer. You could have faced adverse situations of which we’re not aware. Whatever the case, you’ll have to convince USMA that you’re the real deal. Not doing ROTC when you have the opportunity to do so would certainly be a yellow flag, at the very least.

for your first question, I was too young to apply to USMA last year (turned 17 in August). Thanks for the reply.

 

[iceberg]

This is only one opinion and I'm not an expert at USMA admissions.

It may not look "real" bad, but it clearly sends a message that you are more focused on attending West Point than becoming an Army officer "by any means necessary." It is not a deal-breaker. It just makes an unspoken statement about your motivation and may require an explanation.

Of course, you SHOULD APPLY, but you might want to clarify why you did not pursue Army ROTC in your essays.

Thank you that's helpful

 

[MidCakePa]

I was too young to apply to USMA last year (turned 17 in August). Thanks for the reply.

That’s helpful to know. Others in that position would apply for an ROTC scholarship, and scholarship or not, would participate in ROTC. Again, because it’s a great route to becoming a commissioned officer, and because it shows USMA their commitment and ability to do plebe-level work.

As ROTC-dad says, it may not be a dealbreaker, but you have to make a compelling case for yourself.

 

[AROTC-dad]

So exactly why didn't you pursue Army ROTC, considering the majority of Army officers are commissioned this way?

 

[iceberg]

So exactly why didn't you pursue Army ROTC, considering the majority of Army officers are commissioned this way?

something very specific/personal happened last year (would rather not share on this forum) that sparked my interest in becoming a commissioned officer after I had already finished applying to colleges and it was too late to apply for ROTC. I know it's very unusual to come to this realization so late and I assumed it would hurt my application. I plan on joining ROTC next year if USMA doesn't work out.

 

[AROTC-dad]

Be sure you speak to the ROO at your college about joining AROTC as a sophomore. You may get an opportunity to contract and attend "Basic Camp" which is summer training at Ft. Knox. This will help "catch you up" for missing the MS-1 year. It is okay to tell the ROO about your application to USMA as well. They understand.

 

[iceberg]

Be sure you speak to the ROO at your college about joining AROTC as a sophomore. You may get an opportunity to contract and attend "Basic Camp" which is summer training at Ft. Knox. This will help "catch you up" for missing the MS-1 year. It is okay to tell the ROO about your application to USMA as well. They understand.

Thank you!!!

 

[iceberg]

Thanks for all the help. Any advice on how to get this across in the application? As I said, I honestly don't have a great reason for not doing ROTC besides the fact that I didn't develop a strong desire to serve as an officer until starting civilian college. I guess that's probably all I can say, unfortunately.

 

[MemberLG]

Hello everyone,
I am wondering if it makes any sense to be applying as a college student without ROTC? I am currently a freshman at a civilian college and really want to attend USMA but am not enrolled in ROTC (long story). Does this look really bad on the application? I am a first time applicant and the application is complete besides DODMERB.

Any comments are appreciated and thanks in advance.

It’s no being deal unless you say something wrong during nomination interviews or admissions interview (this is optional). You will be first evaluated on your accomplishments, not why you did not enrolled in last year ROTC.