Freshmen who have trouble paying tuition might have an option to help pay for college through the various military Reserve Officers’ Training Corps on campus.
All of the ROTC programs offer scholarships that pay not only for tuition, but also provide book stipends and, in most cases, give extra spending money every month. The scholarships will pay for all four years of college and provide students with a direct path to a profession after graduation.
Some ROTC programs require students to select a major when they receive a scholarship.
Major Wilford Alston, the assistant professor of military science for the Army ROTC, said there are many misconceptions that students have when it comes to college ROTC programs.
“You don’t major in ROTC,” Alston said. “There are no barracks that you must live in while you are a candidate. You can even sign up for an ROTC class as an elective.”
Other misconceptions about the ROTC include haircuts, wearing the uniform and commitment to the military.
An officer candidate is required to keep his or her hair within military standards, but being totally bald is not a requirement. It is true that males must keep their hair short, but females, while in uniform, are only required to keep their hair pinned up above the collar.
Also, candidates are not required to wear their uniforms daily. Uniforms must only be worn once a week in most ROTC programs.
When a student enrolls in ROTC classes or applies for a scholarship, he or she is not committed to serve in the military. Only when a student receives a scholarship or signs a contract with the ROTC does that student have a military commitment after college.
Alston said that, if a student does receive a scholarship, that student is not required to serve on active duty. There are positions available in the Reserve and National Guard components, both of which would require the officer to serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year, unless they are activated, until their contract expires.
Alston also said the student has the same freedoms as any other student, whether the student is on scholarship or taking an ROTC elective. Candidates also are encouraged to participate in campus activities and organizations. Candidates can be members of athletic teams, fraternities and sororities or any social group they choose.
“Each individual interested in the ROTC should talk to all branches and assess the people and offers that each provide,” said Commander Timothy Ferree, associate professor of naval science.
