subject: Rotc Offers Excellence In Education And Service [print this page] The state of the economy is making many high school students start to accept choices their parents would have rejected flat out like scholarships for military dependents. One of these choices is enrolling into the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC). The ROTC was created during the Civil War as a way to produced qualified military officers outside of West Point. The basic principle was simple. A student's military education would be paid for if, in turn, after graduation the student served in the military for the next four years. The Vietnam War era put military service in such bad light that ROTC was actually banned by schools such as Harvard. Forty years later and that is hardly the situation.
With the cost of a college degree rising geometrically, many students now explore their options before matriculating to a college. This includes signing up with one of the five main ROTC programs (Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard).
Many schools offer the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program. Harvard has even reinstated its program. This is due to the increased popularity of the military since Desert Storm and especially after the World Trade Center. It also doesn't hurt that students in the ROTC can receive a full-tuition scholarship, as well as stipends for books and living expenses that may increase on an annual basis. True, after graduation the students become full officers in the army for a number of years, but in these economic times, that is also being seen as a bonus.
Further, the hitch isn't being seen by many as an obligation, but as four years of gainful employment, at much better circumstances than a temp phone telemarketer. Civilian recruiters also look at the four years as excellent work experience, with training in invaluable management techniques highly valued in the civilian working world. After all, ordering around a group of employees will be a piece of cake after commanding a platoon of non-comms. That's highly desirable to corporations, especially in the STEM (science, tech, engineering, math) fields.
There is another skill many an ROTC grad has over his West Point counterpart, too. One is they don't live the cloistered live of a Cadet. Another is they develop more refined time management skills from balancing school, work and military commitments. Many times they also end up more rounded as they have the freedom to squeeze in personal hobbies.
The antagonism ROTC students endured in the past is just that, the past. These days they are treated with more respect for serving the country. As a final bonus, as the military has tough physical programs, many enter the civilian world in excellent physical shape.
Another widely held belief is that ROTC grads end up valuing military education benefits more than civilians. They worked hard to get their degree and experience, and their personal sacrifice adds points to the civilian workforce. So while the entire experience will come to a minimum of eight years of an undergraduate's life, the dividends make it up.
