I need some ROTC help/advice concerning the national scholarship and uc Berkeley

Jackiechan

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I won the national award for a 3 year army ROTC scholarship at several schools. At this point in time, it looks like I will be deciding to attend UC Berkeley, with George Washington University as a runner up. I am unsure as what I would like to do in the future, but I am very interested in intelligence and international affairs, especially counterintelligence or counterterrorism. Now I’ve been deciding whether or not ROTC is something I’d want to do, and my research has just made the decision more difficult. I’m not sure if it is the best path to take for my career, on top of the fact that I would like a normal college experience and am unsure if I’m ready for a commitment like ROTC. There’s just a lot of unknowns and any help, input, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
First off, congratulations on the scholarship! Assuming that you are talking about Army ROTC, there is a branch in the Army called Military Intelligence (MI) and it seems like might be a good fit for you, given your interests. However, it is an extremely competitive branch which means you need to stay on top of your grades and PT scores but even then it will still be difficult. Even if you don't branch MI, I think the Army in general is still a great way to get connections into those fields, or at least to get your foot in the door.

In my experience, AROTC doesn't hold you back from that many "normal college experiences." Obviously we do have obligations like PT, military science classes, labs etc. but other than that, you live a normal college life. Many of my friends are in sororities and frats and have part time jobs. You'll also have time for parties and going out with friends but you might miss out of some of them due to you having to sleep early for next day PT. This also means you can't study as late, which really affected me in one of my semesters.

Remember, you can always try out the program for 1 year and if you decided it's not for you, then you can leave with no consequences!
 
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1) Why did you apply for the scholarship, and what changed (if anything) between then and now to make you question whether to proceed?

2) Like jimmy3 said, you can always try it out for a year with no penalty.
 
You've got the most expensive college in the US (GWU, at least as of a couple of years ago) and unless you're a CA resident, Cal is expensive. Have you talked to your parents about this possible cost, or is it not an issue? ROTC can help pay the tuition and then you do your commitment and see if you like the Army as a career. If you want to go into counterintelligence or counterterrorism, having the Army on your resume will help.
 
OP - I would also think that being in the DC area may help with internships and other exposure to the areas you're interested in. Of course if you do that first year and decide it's not for you, then you may have to transfer for financial reasons.
 
@Jackiechan The military conducts CT and CI missions and partners with national agencies in these missions. Commissioning as an Army officer in any field (particularly MI) would enhance your Knowledge, boost your Resume, and build your Network as you apply to work with national agencies. You can keep a ROTC scholarship for 1 year with no service / financial obligation and you may be able to commission in the Reserves if you stay the course. Reserves would allow you to pursue national agency employment sooner, if that’s your goal.

Great advice from all previous responses.
 
Having first-hand knowledge of military operations can only enhance and deepen your understanding of security issues.
Try out ROTC and see whether it's for you. If you go forward on an officer path, it will likely benefit your ultimate career progression and increase your value to the nation.
Good luck,
t
 
My understanding is that for NROTC you have to agree to be willing to serve in the "Unrestricted Line" (Ship/Subs/Air/etc) after graduation and to be OK with not going directly to Intelligence or other billets. Upon graduation I believe you can compete and try to directly go to Intel but must be willing to go Unrestricted Line if you don't win one of those direct Intel slots if you take the NROTC scholorship. I believe the Navy does have a compromise option in that you can agree to go "Surface Warfare Officer - Intel Option" which I believe means that after serving one SWO tour and earning your SWO pin you can go direct to Intel without board action. One SWO officer explained to me that this is a win-win for the Navy as this helps the SWO Junior Officer ranks and helps Navy Intel Officers better understand the Navy.

Assuming you are Army ROTC they may similarly be expecting that you willing to go "regular" Army (infantry/artillery/etc) if you don't earn an Intel slot right out of school. If that is the case you should be willing to do that if you proceed with the AROTC scholarship though maybe there is an Army program similar to the Navy one I mentioned above which is a similar win-win for the Army and for you.

Best of luck to you.
 
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