NROTC Essay

[Airplane girl]

Good afternoon everyone!

I am working on my NROTC essays, and currently I am stuck on the one that asks "Have you lived in a foreign country or experienced another culture during 7th through 12 grades? If so, provide the reason for living overseas or in another culture, the location and the dates of the experience."

My question, is how in depth would they consider living in a foreign country or experiencing another country? I have travelled a lot since 7th grade and have been to Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Poland, England, Ireland, China, Spain, France, and Japan. However, some of these experiences were on family vacation, while others were on school or summer programs which had more of a focus on learning the language and the culture.

So my question is, are they looking for more of a list of specific locations and dates with a short description of each? Or would it be better to write about two or three of the experiences were I had a more meaningful connection with the culture, what I learned from those experiences, and how that motivates me to study languages and other cultures?

I am working on the essay with a tutor, and he is just as confused as I am about what approach to take.

Thank you!

 

[MidCakePa]

@Airplane girl, when it comes to ROTC and SA applications, answer the question precisely. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t try to read into what you think they’re asking. Just answer the question directly. In the example you share, what they’re looking for is quite explicit.

Hate to be so blunt, but I believe you’re reading too much into this.

 

[Capt MJ]

Break it down.
What foreign countries have you LIVED in, 7-12 grade time period? Provide reason, dates, location. Bullets.
Example:
- Paris, France, July 2015, home stay language immersion.


Other cultures you have experienced. If there are instances and experiences different than those listed above, I would choose the most significant in terms of time.

For all others that don’t fall in the categories above, you could always close with “I have been fortunate to travel with my family to (country list).”

Answer the prompt as asked. Don’t extrapolate. There are other opportunities to allude to lessons or insights gained through these experiences.

 

[sophloaf0]

This question isn’t super important in my experience with my application. I just put N/A because I hadn’t spent time in another country and it was fine, I got the scholarship. Maybe talk about one that was particularly impactful and then list the others.

 

[Airplane girl]

Thank you so much to everyone who replied!

 

[thibaud]

Consistent with previous answers, you would want to identify those particular countries where you experienced some particular aspect of the local culture - as opposed to going to the beach or other generic touristic activities that you could have done, with no real difference in the experience, in the US.

That includes anything related to
- language study with local teachers;
- attending any kind of local/native cultural performance or sporting event (eg Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, as opposed to going to a Lady Gaga concert);
- any local holiday or family celebrations.

 

[Airplane girl]

Consistent with previous answers, you would want to identify those particular countries where you experienced some particular aspect of the local culture - as opposed to going to the beach or other generic touristic activities that you could have done, with no real difference in the experience, in the US.

That includes anything related to
- language study with local teachers;
- attending any kind of local/native cultural performance or sporting event (eg Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, as opposed to going to a Lady Gaga concert);
- any local holiday or family celebrations.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[MustangMom3]

Consistent with previous answers, you would want to identify those particular countries where you experienced some particular aspect of the local culture - as opposed to going to the beach or other generic touristic activities that you could have done, with no real difference in the experience, in the US.

That includes anything related to
- language study with local teachers;
- attending any kind of local/native cultural performance or sporting event (eg Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, as opposed to going to a Lady Gaga concert);
- any local holiday or family celebrations.

Hi there! New here - but I wanted to provide what my DS did - and he was accepted for 4-year NROTC this year - so maybe it will help guide you...

We lived in Guam for 4 years on orders - so my son wrote about his experiences on the island, with the culture and the rich history.

Good luck!

 

[Airplane girl]

Consistent with previous answers, you would want to identify those particular countries where you experienced some particular aspect of the local culture - as opposed to going to the beach or other generic touristic activities that you could have done, with no real difference in the experience, in the US.

That includes anything related to
- language study with local teachers;
- attending any kind of local/native cultural performance or sporting event (eg Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan, as opposed to going to a Lady Gaga concert);
- any local holiday or family celebrations.

Hi there! New here - but I wanted to provide what my DS did - and he was accepted for 4-year NROTC this year - so maybe it will help guide you...

We lived in Guam for 4 years on orders - so my son wrote about his experiences on the island, with the culture and the rich history.

Good luck!

Thank you!