Making Colleges such as USC more Affordable
Dickinson College’s ROTC program
How to gain a ROTC Scholarship
With tuition costs rising beyond the $40,000 a year level at such places as USC, many college-bound students are ardently searching for scholarships, grants, and work study programs. Some are avoiding the escalating costs altogether by gaining admission to the service academies (West Point, Annapolis, Air Force), where tuition, room and board, and medical are covered. More on gaining admissions to the service academies can be found at: /imported-20110121194859/2008/9/2/attending-us-service-academies.html. The service academies, however, are not for everyone, particularly if you’re not engineering or mathematically inclined. Another alternative is to apply for a ROTC scholarship, which can be used at a range of schools nationwide, and, in conjunction with many different majors (including a number of liberal arts majors).
In fact, the military is actively recruiting students who major in foreign languages, area studies, and history—traditionally within the liberal arts world. One such student, who graduated from Dickinson College’s ROTC program with a major in Middle Eastern Studies and with a facility in Arabic, was stationed in Kandahar province in Afghanistan. Interestingly, his recitation of the Koran to a group of tribesmen led to his troop’s success in rooting out the local Taliban. Consequently, the military understands the value of liberal arts majors. It wants and needs officers who are ‘critical thinkers’.
You don’t, of course, have to be attending a most selective school in order to gain a ROTC scholarship. Your first task is to determine which branch of the military you’re interested in. Then, you might begin your search in your high school career counseling center, or on-line (if you’re planning on an Army ROTC program go to the following link, http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/find-schools.html). Even if the school you’re planning to attend doesn’t have a ROTC program, probably a school near it does; in the case of Yale, for example, four Yale students currently participate through the University of Connecticut. As mentioned, you are likely to find the name of your recruiter in your high school’s career counseling office. Then:
Do well on your SAT or ACT, as that will factor into your scholarship potential
If you have a junior ROTC unit at your high school, join it. Troy HS does, and a number of its graduates go on to ROTC programs in college
Stay physically fit (Certainly be able to do 50 sit ups and 12 pull ups, and run at least 3 times a week)
Get good grades in a rigorous curriculum in high school. More importantly, learn good study habits.
Obviously, you don’t want your record blemished by any connection with illegal substances, including alcohol, as that would be an immediate disqualifier.
What are your commitments to the armed forces should you enroll in ROTC? Unlike when you enter one of the service academies (such as West Point), your entry into ROTC is not equivalent to ‘enlisting’. Your service commitment depends on your participation within the ROTC. For example, the Army ROTC program offers 2-, 3-, and 4-year scholarships, which can pay for full tuition (or room and board), fees, books, and possibly include a monthly stipend up to $5,000 per year. If you’re lucky enough to obtain such a scholarship, you are obligated to serve for four years. Should you not be a scholarship winner, but graduate from the ROTC advanced course, in which you’ve learned military tactics and gained experience in team organization, planning, and decision making, you will become a commissioned 2nd Lieutenant and must serve for 3 years.
Obviously, you’ll need to discuss the specifics of the officer’s training classes and commitments with your recruiter, but what ROTC does bring, is the opportunity to offset the expense of a college education, with the discipline of training for the armed services. Should you elect to take advantage of ROTC, you will graduate from college with the training to become a leader, and, that alone, makes this an appealing prospect.