Hi guys! I'm a female, non scholarship cadet, entering into my freshman year at Rhodes College. I am working on the APFT with my JROTC Army Instructor (AI), so I am making sure my pushups and situps are up to standard with him. For my first APFT I am shooting for anywhere in the 220 range (if higher, great!) but this is my minimum standard I am setting for myself in order to never worry about skirting between passing and failing. How can I make myself stand out to get contracted and/or to receive a scholarship as soon as possible? I would like to be able to take advantage of summer training and other opportunities I would not be able to get without a contract. How do I prepare for rucks? I want to hit the ground running and look for any advice or criticisms that can help me. Thanks!
How to Prepare for AROTC?
- Thread starter tratliff
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Can't speak to how good this is, but Stew Smith is pretty reputable: http://www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/ruckmarches.htm
I wouldn't worry too much about it though. They'll build you up for it. Bt any kind of training never hurts.
As far as a scholarship and contracting goes, I would start with a much higher APFT target. Getting closer to 300 would be a big help.
Get good grades (most important), keep you're nose clean and volunteer whenever you can. Be a good follower and assist of your mates who need some help.
Dckc88
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All I can speak to is my DD's detachment. Anyone under 270 for APFT has to do extra training and is not eligible to take part in things like train with the Ranger Challenge team or partake in special physical training that might be an option during the year. Every school is different, but I know for her school 270 and above is where they want the majority of cadets. When my daughter received her scholarship in April before her Freshman year, she could do just over the minimum in push-ups and sit-ups and her two mile run was in the 17 minute range. By the time she got on campus in August, she scored in the 280's and has only fell under that once. You have a lot of time to train, and I would think coming in with a higher APFT will get you on the scholarship radar sooner. I know you stress above that 220 is your minimum standard for yourself, get to that now then raise your minimum standard, keep doing that until school starts, and I bet you will blow yourself away with what you can do!
Thanks for letting me know! School doesn’t start til August so I definitely have time to get up to par. Thanks for the advice!
Got it. I picked courses that I was pretty passionate about, and I am a 4.0 student currently in high school (I know college is a different ball game, but I feel GPA wise I should be okay as long as I put in the work and create a schedule). And definitely! After a lot of searching I got into contact with the Battalion Commander of my future det. (also a Rhodes student)I'm a little worried though because she says University of Memphis's program lacks the motivated cadets and very few show up to PT and rucks, but because of this lack of participation, U of M Cadets have very few battalion events. Would this hurt my OML? Or should I just get involved elsewhere?
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@tratliff I actually find that statement from the commander extremely difficult to believe. PT is required. One doesn't show up unless they have permission to not show up. Sometimes athletes, or nursing students, might be exempt for a while for valid reasons. It's extremely odd that, however unmotivated, people don't show up for PT or rucks. These are required. Missing can be grounds for dismissal and/or loss of scholarship. The same is true for continued poor performance at PT. Then again, maybe U of M runs their program differently than any other unit I've heard of.
I can't speak to the number of Battalion events. My DS did NROTC and I assume AROTC might be different. His unit had a tailgate for every home football game. They cleaned the stadium the next day to earn money to cover the cost of all their events. They had the Navy/Marine Corps birthday ball each autumn. The had dining in (another formal occasion) each spring. They would have athletic events and cookouts. The Drill Team would attend competitions. The honor guard would have duties at the football games. They held a "Pass in Review" event in the autumns. They would have training events at the nearby army fort on lab days about once a month.
If the commander is correct I can't say as to whether or not this would hurt your OML. My guess is no as this, in my mind, is an individual thing... but I wouldn't claim to be an expert.
I can't speak to the number of Battalion events. My DS did NROTC and I assume AROTC might be different. His unit had a tailgate for every home football game. They cleaned the stadium the next day to earn money to cover the cost of all their events. They had the Navy/Marine Corps birthday ball each autumn. The had dining in (another formal occasion) each spring. They would have athletic events and cookouts. The Drill Team would attend competitions. The honor guard would have duties at the football games. They held a "Pass in Review" event in the autumns. They would have training events at the nearby army fort on lab days about once a month.
If the commander is correct I can't say as to whether or not this would hurt your OML. My guess is no as this, in my mind, is an individual thing... but I wouldn't claim to be an expert.
Ok good. I was really worried about coming into a unit like that maybe it was an exaggeration or a misunderstanding/miscommunication.
One of sons has learnings issues and went to private school that deals with those type of students. He is really bright and quick but some things like Math go over his head. In any case, the one thing they teach all the kids which applies to everyone, is to self advocate for youself. That is the most powerful tool they have and that is what he uses in college. My other son who everything came easy to wont advocate for himself and I think has lost some great opportunities because of it. If you dont do it for yourself, no one else wont
U Idaho Army ROTC
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Effort, effort, effort. On the PT field, in the classroom, on ruck marches, during leadership labs. Obviously the higher your APFT score on your first diagnostic test the better, but demonstrating a commitment to get stronger and faster as quickly as you can is probably just as important. As an example, if a cadet shows up and scores in the 230s-240s on their first APFT but is absolutely working as hard as they can at each PT session (and not skipping!), that will get them on my radar in a hurry, whereas another cadet might show up and score a 260 on the first try but then coast through PT sessions...that will also put them on my radar, in a bad way.