SA admissions is based on the whole person. Different academies have different acronyms, WCS, WPM, etc., but the intentions are clear, be the best all-around candidate that you can be. Sports is important. Volunteering is important. Extracurriculars are important. Academics is, of course, very important. Wearing a uniform detracts from the portrayal of that multifacetedness. Instead of saying, “Look at me, the well rounded individual”, it says simply, ”Look at me, the ROTC member”. It says, “Look at me. Ask me questions about my ROTC experiences. It is obviously what I want to talk about.” As a BGO, when I meet a candidate at his front door in his ROTC uniform, when I conduct my interview, I will precede every appropriate question with “Other than ROTC, tell me about…….” It totally unnerves the vast majority. Consciously or subconsciously they had rehearsed every anticipated question with a ROTC answer. ROTC was what they wanted and were prepared to talk about. They become totally unnerved. What they don’t realize is that I have been talking to their ROTC instructors throughout their entire high school careers, working through these instructors with recommendations, answering questions, etc. I know as much about their ROTC accomplishments as they do. I want to know about everything else.
In our local school systems, we are on the semester system. Only four class periods of one and a half hours each per day. ROTC can be taken each and every semester. One fourth of the candidate’s high school career can be comprised of ROTC. It can replace valuable academic coursework. After school ROTC activities can preclude participation in sports. ROTC is not as rigorous as AP Calculus and Chemistry. It is basically a free period. If this is the image you are attempting to portray, go for it.
I went with regular suit and tie. In my area, the points you mentioned above are probably over 80 percent true. I am the first person in my unit to be given some type of acceptance to a service academy (my untit has been around for decades). While visiting USNA, some mids have told me that mid that had JROTC in hs enter the academy thinking they knew more aobut hte military. I did not want to give that impression at my interview. The interviewers hardly menitoned/asked about my JROTC accomplisments. They were more interested in my scouting experiences (me-Eagle and Vigil
Honor recipient).