Prepare for your ROTC Scholarship Interview
Poor Question 6:
How long would I have to serve in the military after graduation?
While a valid question on the surface, this question may indicate that you are looking at doing the minimum after you graduate and become an officer. While your interviewer understands that many officers only do the required amount of service time, indicating so up front can prejudice your chances and indicate lack of desire for military service.
Great ROTC Interview Questions to Ask (and not ask)
We’ll first list five great questions to ask and why they are fantastic and then will follow up with four questions to avoid.
Great Question 1:
What are the things I can do from now until I come onto campus in the fall to better prepare myself to be an ROTC cadet in the program?
First, it signals your intent to become a cadet and that you will be working over the next six to eight months into become even more prepared. One of the biggest issues ROTC cadre have when cadets come onto campus is that they are out of shape and cannot pass the physical fitness test and/or are overweight. By signaling that you will be hard at work preparing for the fall, it shows your interest and well as intent to enroll and succeed.
Great Question 3:
I am very interested in summer training opportunities that ROTC provides. Can you tell me about some of these schools or trainings I can attend over the summer while I am out of school?
Summer training is where ROTC cadets and midshipmen get their most dynamic and in-depth training without the distractions of school. Many of these opportunities are volunteer in nature and given only to the best ROTC students. By showing interest, you impress upon the interviewers that you want to be a top person in the program and go beyond the minimum training requirements.
Great Question 5:
What are some of the challenges in balancing my time in ROTC with academics? I want to really get involved in ROTC but also understand that doing well academically is important.
Shows you understand the number one challenge of ROTC students—balancing academics and ROTC. Obtaining a good GPA is important for keeping your scholarship but also ranking well on the order of merit—so you must find a way to be an excellent ROTC cadet/midshipman and a student.
Great Question 2:
Can you tell me about how the ROTC order of merit or ranking works to determine what specialty you receive? I want to be a military intelligence officer…. a pilot…..a submariner.
Again, it shows that you are planning to enroll in ROTC. Also, that you have researched the specialties within the military service and have an idea of what you want to do. ROTC order of merit is always on the mind of cadets in these programs and asking for an explanation of this process shows you know what is important to a cadet. It shows your overall knowledge.
