ROTC

“No two weeks in ROTC is the same as any other week. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I have PT at 6:30 in the morning, but every day the training is different. It could be a four-mile run, some weightlifting, or other kinds of physical training. On Tuesdays, I have a class to learn about what the Army is, and also what my job in the Army will be like. Obviously I am brand new to the Army, so this is nice to help me learn things I’ve never been taught before. Every Thursday we have a leadership lab at 6:30am to run through training on anything from basic first aid to land navigation. Though that is the majority of the training that we do, FTX is usually some of the best training that we get. Field Training Exercises are weekends where we go out to the woods and train as if we were in a hostile environment from Friday morning to Sunday evening. This is a great opportunity to prepare for Cadet Summer Training, which we attend in between MS3 and MS4 year. Every week in ROTC is different from the last, but each week is just as valuable as the one before.”

“On a typical day 6:00 a.m. rolls around, and we are out of bed getting ready for physical training at 6:30 a.m., where we are pushed to surpass our goals. After an hour of working out, we transition to a regular college student, and attend classes for the day. Following a day full of classes and homework, I have some time to relax before my soccer practice from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Classes are challenging, and it can be tough at times, but as a Cadet, we are able to balance the ROTC workload, academics, our sports teams, and our social lives. There is a reason we are held to a higher standard. We are disciplined, as well as capable of taking on a lot more than others every day because we have the strong desire to be the best.”

“A week in the life of an ROTC student starts every week with Physical Training. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday start at 0630 and PT runs for an hour. Usually after a solid workout, the chain of command passes on information necessary for the week’s training, or for future events. Tuesday’s see juniors and seniors at their military science classes from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., where they organize the week’s training, prepare orders, and learn doctrine and tactics to become an officer in the United States Army. Thursdays are for hands-on lab training, which are three hours long from 6:30am-9:30am. All this is balanced with various clubs, sports, jobs, and other activities that a normal college student may undertake.”

“Monday begins with an hour-long workout, and then you begin your student-school day. That is essentially how your days go. ROTC work in the morning, tied in with your class work the rest of the day. Monday night, you make sure everything is in order for your Tuesday morning training meeting and Military Science class. Tuesday morning’s class usually runs from 6 am. to 9 a.m. With that meeting done, you basically know what needs to happen the rest of the week. Wednesday you have another hour workout in the morning, and Thursday morning you put all of the planning to good use as you help facilitate a training lab for freshman, sophomores, and juniors which is another three-hour session. Friday is the final hour workout for the week, and you begin to look ahead to next week.”