The three pillars of a successful ROTC applicant is to have strong Scholar, Athlete, and Leader credentials.  In this episode, we talk about the Athlete and Leader activities that will make you stand out to ROTC and help you win a scholarship.

Individual schools who sponsor ROTC on their campuses often give additional monetary incentives for students who are on an ROTC scholarship.  This episode will discuss these incentives which include room and board, first-year tuition waivers, and in state recognition for out of state students.  These incentives can save families thousands of dollars a year from the cost of attending college.

Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC Incentives

It is likely that for many ROTC applicants, the candidate interview will be conducted via videoconferencing technology such as Zoom or Skype rather than in person this year (2020). This presents opportunities for those candidates who are prepared for their video interview and are able to leverage the one major advantage that videoconferencing has over an in-person interview. 

In this episode, we’ll look at seven key tips a candidate should concentrate on as they prepare for their video interview.

Episode Summary

Visiting ROTC programs and planning informational "field trips" to National Guard or Reserve military units can help applicants build their knowledge of both ROTC and the military.  This episode is an interview with a parent whose son won an Army ROTC and Navy ROTC-Marine Corps option scholarship.  One of the ways this applicant was successful was through conducting these informational visits.  

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At the end of most ROTC interviews, the interviewer will ask if the candidate has any questions of him or her.  This presents the candidate with the opportunity to ask excellent questions that can enhance interview scoring.  This episode looks at nine great questions to ask (and not to ask) at these interviews.

Episode Summary

The Army ROTC Board Score counts for 25% of the overall selection for a scholarship.   The board meets three times a year and awards a score for each candidate based on their overall file. This episode addresses how these boards operate and what parts of the candidate file have the greatest impact on the board score. 

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The Army ROTC CBEF- the Civilian Background Experience Form-- is a psychological survey given by Army ROTC that counts for 18% of the overall evaluation in awarding the Army ROTC scholarship to high school applicants. It is now also given by West Point in their admissions process (although it does not count at the moment in their whole person score). In this episode, the host discusses the CBEF in detail and what it is designed to measure.

Army Research Institute CBEF Study 2019

Gain Service Academy Admission Consulting Website

ROTC Scholarship Consulting Website

In this episode LTC Kirkland talks about the Army Early Commissioning Program (ECP) with former Army Captain John Vandivere, who attended Wentworth Military Academy as an ECP cadet.  Rob talks to John about his perspective on the ECP and advice he would give those who are considering the ECP route to become an Army officer.

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This podcast discusses two different topics. The first being Army ROTC Nursing and nursing scholarships. LTC Kirkland talks to a current Army ROTC nursing cadet to get her background and perspective on this program.  The final 15 minutes addresses the public versus private college choice and the ROTC scholarship.

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There are similarities and differences between ROTC scholarship applications and the process of applying to the U.S. Service Academies.  Lisa Hillhouse of Hillhouse College Advising discusses with the host how you can successfully navigate both processes and receive an ROTC scholarship as well as a Service Academy appointment.

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Hillhouse College Advising

Gain Service Academy Admission Consulting Site

ROTC and West Point books