Too late for ROTC?

J

Jeo228

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Joined
May 25, 2020
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7
So, Ive tried enlisting numerous times to multiple branches throughout my life but things never worked out. Now Im going into my junior/senior year of college. I only need 3 more semesters to graduate (so right now Id graduate in december 2021)

Because of quarentine, a bunch of stuff in my life got messed up, and some pretty big life plans and events got cancelled that completley changed my post graduate ideas. Now Im looking back at the military route, and since Ill be getting a degree, the officer route seems the better choice.

I dont mind adding an extra semester to make it 2 full years to graduate If I can join rotc, but from what I can tell I should have applied in January.

So, is it too late to join? Is there any way to get a waived in or join this late into the year? Im not to focused on the scholarship as I am the actual training and prep for an officer comission.

Looking for honest suggestions and advice. Thank you!
 
I've never heard of anyone joining that like, and to echo @Jarhead713 it seems like OCS would be the preferable option.

Not to pry, but what exactly did you mean by enlisting didn't work out. Obviously not something you have to share here, just know that office programs (like ROTC, OCS, etc.) tend to be much more stringent than trying to enlist, so if you had legal or medical issues it's even less likely you will be able to become an officer.

There are also plenty of individuals who enlist after getting a college degree, some even have higher degrees like masters. Take a step back and figure out what you want to do in the military, which will help guide what option you pursue.
 
Not to say you shouldn't pursue some route to become an officer but @wernerbro brought something to mind. Back when he commanded a platoon, DS always said his enlisted men and women with college degrees were his go-to folks when something really needed to get done
 
I should add, if you're in it for the scholarship, you have too many credit hours to qualify. If not, you might try talking to the officers in your local campus ROTC program(s) who can probably give specific answers to your questions.
 
wernerbro said:
I've never heard of anyone joining that like, and to echo @Jarhead713 it seems like OCS would be the preferable option.

Not to pry, but what exactly did you mean by enlisting didn't work out. Obviously not something you have to share here, just know that office programs (like ROTC, OCS, etc.) tend to be much more stringent than trying to enlist, so if you had legal or medical issues it's even less likely you will be able to become an officer.

There are also plenty of individuals who enlist after getting a college degree, some even have higher degrees like masters. Take a step back and figure out what you want to do in the military, which will help guide what option you pursue.
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Im fairly short and have some extra weight on me, so my recruiters always sent me home packing. The closest I got was having a meps date set when my recruiters boss forced him to cancel it. From what I can tell, ROTC would give me more time than typical enlisting would.

Like I said, I dont really care for the scholarship, Im more interested to see if its too late to join the program at this point in the year. Everything I read online says you need at least 2 more years of college, which I have, but nothing specifically about when you need to start.

Thanks for the replies.
 
ROTC/officer programs tend to be even more stringent about fitness and weight requirements, but at the very least they have the same base requirements as enlisting.

I would recommend using these last three semesters of college to get in shape on your own, and then decide whether you want to enlist or go to OCS. But, if you're dead set on ROTC, reach out to the unit at your school, and they can provide you insight about the specifics of your situation that no one on this forum can provide.
 
So I spoke with the recruiting officer for my local ROTC. He said I would have to lose weight by November to be eligible for ROTC. However out talk was brief. Im curious if he plans on having me take the training course during my summer between junior and senior year. I think the big thing is getting in in time to take that training which makes up for the 2 years of not being in the program. Are there any other 2 year ROTC guys here who know more about how this all works? again thanks everyone for the replies it really helps. OCS is definitley an option but I want to see if I cant get a headstart first with ROTC.
 
I expect the summer program would be before you start ROTC. Seems odd to catch up after your first year. That would have been a good question to ask in your meeting. It can also be helpful in getting an appropriate, thourough, and useful reply if you don't dribble out info here.
 
If theres any more information I can give please let me know. This is a very recent decision for me, and I am not nearly as versed in ROTC as I am in enlistment. Everything Ive posted so far is what I know, which is why Ive come to this forum hoping others who have gone through this process can help me out. The recruiting officer was in the middle of something when I called him so I didn't want to spend an hour asking him questions but I'll be sure to follow up for more clear answers to my questions. Again, if you need any more information from me let me know. Thanks for the replies everyone.
 
I am pretty sure that to participate in ROTC Summer Training you need to be contracted in some form (either scholarship or advanced standing of some kind). I can only speak to NROTC, but all summer training this year apparently was cancelled or postponed (the Summer Cruise Requirement was waived by Big Navy). For Naval Commissioning only one summer training session is required (unless it has changed in the last year) which is the "Summer Cruise", so it is possible to walk on as a rising junior, sign the commitment, finish your junior year, do the summer cruise, finish your senior year and commission, then attend the post grad training program. If this is not correct, feel free to correct me with the more up to date requirements. I am strictly going from what our son has told us directly from his Command. Since there was no summer training this year he was concerned and they told him not to be worried because everyone missed it...:)
 
Impulsive said:
I am pretty sure that to participate in ROTC Summer Training you need to be contracted in some form (either scholarship or advanced standing of some kind). I can only speak to NROTC, but all summer training this year apparently was cancelled or postponed (the Summer Cruise Requirement was waived by Big Navy). For Naval Commissioning only one summer training session is required (unless it has changed in the last year) which is the "Summer Cruise", so it is possible to walk on as a rising junior, sign the commitment, finish your junior year, do the summer cruise, finish your senior year and commission, then attend the post grad training program. If this is not correct, feel free to correct me with the more up to date requirements. I am strictly going from what our son has told us directly from his Command. Since there was no summer training this year he was concerned and they told him not to be worried because everyone missed it...:)
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Wow, then I may just be in luck. Quarentine which ruined my plans may have saved this one. If Training was cancelled or delay this summer it may buy me time or let me do it the next summer like you said. Heres hoping. Thanks for the reply!
 
UPDATE

I officially got word from my schools rotc head today:

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

Hello -jeo228-,

LTC -RO- passed your contact information off to me and asked that I contact you in regards to Army ROTC at FSU. I understand that you will be a junior this fall and will have approximately two years remaining before you graduate. There could be an option for you to join the program as an Alternate Entry Option Cadet. You would be required to start the program and complete a DoDMERB physical between now and the start of the fall semester. In saying that you would also need to be within 20 lbs of the established Army height and weight requirements (see enclosed regulation). If you meet the requirements by the time school starts in the fall then you can could start the program if you are DoDMERB qualified.


So, its not a definitive yes, but im confident I can manage these requirements if I do things right. I hope posting this will allow others in my situation to have answers to their questions as well. Thanks everyone for the help! I really appreciate it!
 
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