JROTC

[N-5/Prudii]

So, I'm going to high school pretty soon, and my conference is coming up. I was thinking of taking JROTC, so I asked my cousin his opinion on it(he goes to this school too), and he said that JROTC is mainly for troubled kids, And the majority who take it are not well-respected, etc. I am going to take Honors Biology, Honors English, and Geometry

 

Can someone give me any advice on this?

[urluckyday]

Well...what do you want to do after high school?

[Ser'eck]

My brother was in JROTC/ROTC when he was in highschool. He was not troubled and neither were the other students. He made Sergent before graduating. His reason for joining was due to him being kind of a military junkie. As far as I know he had fun with it.

 

I don't know much myself as I was homeschooled through highschool. But if it is something you would like to do give it a try!

[urluckyday]

Yeah, I mean if you have an urge to join the military, then definitely go for it. I'm not sure what the rules are for JROTC/ROTC in terms of required enlistment, but be sure to check those out before you make any decision. I'm never against someone joining the military, so check it out, and see if you would like to pursue that option.

[Samnmax221]

It can be a fine program depending on who is teaching it.

[Totenkopf]

Give it a try. If you decide you don't like it, opt out.

[Liverandbacon]

Give it a try. If you decide you don't like it, opt out.

 

Quoted for emphasis. Most of the guys I knew who did JROTC weren't troubled at all. Whether it's worth doing all depends on the instructor and your interest in the stuff you'll be doing.

 

There's no harm in trying it, since it doesn't bind you to joining up or even continuing through your entire high school career.

 

I probably would have done it, but my school didn't have it on offer. My uni didn't have normal ROTC on offer, since it was OCONUS. Still, no regrets here about taking the enlisted route, as it gave me a few more options when it came to contract. RLTW!

[Darth Avlectus]

I have seen it taken by other students for various reasons. There is the respect part of it as you said, also there is military interest. Some do it as either physical ed or science (JROTC naval science is what the transcript cards said).

 

I never took it but knew people that did, ad for their own reasons. Yes there were many troubled fellow students, as well as the not-so-troubled. And I have watched where many of them went after graduating. It is a class and by no means an absolute definitive indication of anything where you will go or what you'll do with your life.

 

In general it can and often does highlight (for your own personal mental note taking) the difference between honorable and ethical individuals ans those less so. Not only for those people specifically but it shows these traits of integrity in general--an interesting thing to see in any case but should you be interested in some field like psychology or such it can give you a bit of hands on experience in a sense.

 

In real life, those whom were honor-bound usually got privileged with positions that required trust and confidentiality. Those who weren't...didn't usually, though exceptions do in fact exist--one guy I knew became absolute pond scum but he also is now an air ranger combat instructor teaching marines how to fight.

 

Anyways, I seen people benefit from it. You can benefit from anything if you keep a mind to it and you are diligent about it.

[Q]

It can be a fine program depending on who is teaching it.

Agreed. Our senior instructor was from Special Forces. The kids in the battalion at my high school were as diverse as the rest of the student body. Those in command of the battalion were among the school's top students, academically speaking.

 

It was a fun program and I enjoyed it. There's no commitment to join up after you graduate, but if you do enlist you'll begin Basic Training a couple of grades higher than the other recruits. There are also four-year, full-ride scholarships available to colleges and universities with an ROTC battalion and four years in JROTC is the fast track to getting one.

[N-5/Prudii]

Ok, thank you all for the advice. I am planning to join the Marine Corps,

and I am doing this for sure. Again, thanks.