2020-2021 was not a good year for Air Force ROTC--either with their scholarship process or their management of AS200 (second year) cadets.  This episode looks at what happened and the impact it had on both these groups and the subsequent erosion of confidence in Air Force ROTC processes.

Washington Post Article "'We cut too deep': Air Force reinstates hundreds of ROTC cadets after dismissals spark backlash."

Many people know what the words Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor and Integrity mean. But how often do you see someone actually live up to them? Military officers must embody these values in order to succeed and be the best leaders for their subordinates. 

Those who read your essays or interview you for an Academy appointment or ROTC scholarship have this values mindset.  Understanding the military officer ethos and showing how you embody these characteristics is the cornerstone of successfully preparing for and succeeding in your application essays and interviews. 

In this episode, we will tackle two topics:

1.  The likelihood of having a Special Operations assignment after ROTC and the whether such a goal should be mentioned in your ROTC interview.

2.  ROTC and participation in Intercollegiate athletics.  Whether this is an obtainable objective or not.

The time between getting an ROTC scholarship and starting your program in the fall should be used productively to get off to a good start when you arrive on campus.  Make the best use of your time now before you come onto campus in the fall to be the best ROTC cadet or midshipman you can be.  This episode gives you five tips to accomplish this.

Navy ROTC, Navy ROTC Nurse Option, and Navy ROTC Marine Corps Option scholarship applications require letters of evaluation and recommendation from a teacher, counselor, coach or employer.   In this episode, we discuss how you can best set yourself up for outstanding evaluations from these individuals.

A scholarship candidate's choice of major can greatly influence the chances of getting selected for an ROTC scholarship.   This episode will cover not just how to fashion the selection of major to maximize scholarship chances, but also how the choice of major impacts the time in ROTC as well as career direction.

Air Force ROTC Highly Desired Majors

Navy ROTC Tier I and II Majors

ROTC is an excellent avenue to eventually become a doctor in the military. An ROTC scholarship, combined with a medical school scholarship or loan forgiveness, can potentially mean zero out of pocket expenses after the conclusion of medical school.

The routes are different for each military service and more probable for the Army than the Air Force or Navy. This episode will go over the ways you can become a doctor through the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

ROTC and Army ROTC in particular is an excellent avenue to eventually become a lawyer in the military. This episode will address how to navigate the route of attending law school immediately following an undergraduate program and commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army or Air Force.

Often when we advise candidates and their parents on ROTC programs, we are asked the question if a particular ROTC is “good” or not? Will one particular ROTC program be a better place to be a cadet or midshipman than another school?  This episode will attempt to answer this question.

Congratulations on winning an ROTC scholarship!   Now what do you do?  After you have received notice of the award, there are number of considerations or actions a candidate must weigh (or take) after notification.   In this podcast, we look at actionable steps in order to reach your specific goals.