Hello everyone, I created a burner account for exactly this post, I'm particularly ashamed and disappointed in myself.

I am as new MS1, and college freshman. I'm new to the Army as a whole, I signed as an SMP ~3 months ago. I am not MOS qualified, nor have I been to BCT/AIT. I understand that signing this contract was where I made my mistake, yes I read the contract, and yes I understand I'm an idiot.

Things have been getting really hard lately. Over the summer I began to struggle with my mental health, after I had already signed. I initially brushed it off, but now as my freshman year had began not too long ago, everything started hitting me at once. I'm double-majored -- one of my classes being a second language; I'm trying to live on my own, trying to maintain my personal relationships, and of course I piled ROTC and the broader SMP commitment on top of everything.

I'm struggling to eat, I went about 3-4 days without eating any meals, just light snacks and water -- I ate some actual food eventually but my appetite is still in a rough spot. It's getting really hard to get out of bed, I'm constantly anxious and struggling to keep up in my personal life and academics. I took out FTA (Federal Tuition Assistance) and STR (State Tuition Reimbursement), just so I can pay for college. I was never great in high school, nor has my family been supportive to me academically, so money for college is a concern, and a large driving factor for my decision. I also just wanted people to be proud of me.

I understand that the Army may not be the best for me, I recognize the mistakes I've made, and now I feel trapped in the Army, is there any way out? I just can't cut it in the Army and I feel worthless. I want to get out or seek mental help, but I'm afraid of having to pay anything back, or being looked on a disappointment. I hope someone here is able to help, and I'm sorry if this post reads terribly, I'm a tish out of it. I hope to see advice, thank you.

hey yall,

im a brand new ML1 (no scholarship). I took my first aft this morning and got a 385 i think it was. 300lb deadlift, 28 pushups (woulda gotten mid 40s but my grader just left regiment and is a stern grader and i was dumb and didnt fix my shit), 1:59 sdc, 1:55 plank, 16:55 run.

Are my current scores okay for my age? what would yall target for improvement the most and any specific ideas for getting better? thank yall

Hey all! I am an officer in the Guard and ran into a predicament with one of my cadets who drills with us.

They apparentely are getting disenrolled for attendance issues and lack of effort. They called crying to me that they have missed some labs and that they were burnt out. When I pressed for details apparentely they slept in multple times and have had multiple patterns of tardiness. They major in Compsci but changed majors during their MS3 year to some sort of Arts degree somewhat related to Compsci.

I don't have much of them to say character wise. At drill they mostly sat and did homework. Us as a command team tried mentoring/giving OIC responsibilties but they stated they had homework they had to. Was like this for 2 years. But seeing that they changed their major gave me a bit of poor taste, let alone the corresponding attendance issues they mentioned at ROTC.

However I also understand that we all make mistakes and they seem remorseful. And frankly there's a lot at stake with how much tuition they'd have to pay back given they go to a private school. I'm at a loss honestly as even if I did bat for them I don't know what I can add for them postively.

Hello Everyone

Attached is an Order of Merit Score (OMS) Calculator that I built in Excel using Appendix Delta of Training Circular 601-26-1 which you can find here: https://armyrotc.army.mil/forms-publications/.

Be aware that this is only an estimation.  The goal is not to see how accurate it will be to your final score, but as a way for you to understand the OMS system that Cadet Command has put into place through Appendix Delta of Training Circular 601-26-1.

Army ROTC OMS Calculator 26-Google Sheets

Hello all,

Earlier this year, I applied for and was awarded a G2G hip pocket scholarship. As part of that process, I signed an ROTC cadet contract and a new DD4, effective when I left active duty. Now that I’ve arrived at school, the cadre are telling me that I am not contracted and I will have to go through the normal contracting process. This confuses me as I have already signed what I thought was a normal ROTC contract. Despite this, ROTC has paid for this semester of tuition, which seems strange to me if I have not yet contracted. Can someone explain this process to me?

This is mainly about what board to target, along with cadet internships and schools and the waiver process, the background is supplementary information and not a chance me, though I would not mind any general thoughts on my competitiveness. Please dont ban me mods.

Hello, Class of 2027 High School Senior seeking 4 Year full tuition scholarship to attend a STEM institution (Targeting CMU, MIT, RICE, GT).

I was wondering whether it makes more sense to apply first board with a weaker PT scores (8 min mile, 45-50 Pushups, have not tested sit ups but probably 40) or wait to second board for better scores. I was wondering because from research it seems there is more funding first board.

For other background I have a 1450 SAT, 94/100 GPA, Eagle Scout, NJROTC Unit Head, Published a research paper, Raised 10k for charity, small rural HS.

I was also wondering what Cadet Internships / Schools are open for someone perusing 17 or 26 Series, Cyber warfare or Data, also how early can I get a security clearance?

I am also perusing a waiver for a medical condition that I am receiving treatment for until late spring, from my research I can be awarded the scholarship but not activate it until i am medical qualified but get back pay for however long that is, so if I am not able to start until sophomore year of college but I do activate it I can get my tuition for school back paid. Is this true?

Any other general recommendations or drops of wisdom?

Hi,

I am prior service 74D CBRN in the reserve for 3 years and also as a SMP Cadet.

I recently interviewed for branching. I have 3.83 GPA, 83.46 CST Score, and 60 on OML.

I put Chemical on Top 1 of my list and Bradso for Chemical.

I would like to ask how difficult is it to get Chemical for Active Duty Slot.

Thank you!

So long story short… last year I submitted a G2G packet but unfortunately I did not get selected. Can anyone give me some advice on how can I make my packet stronger this year? I’m trying to make 2027 my year to get selected 😭

What time does branch interviews close, my car flooded and fucked my computer and now I’m waiting on my friend to bring hers, I have majority of them Done I j need to do two more of my top 5 .

I’ve heard people say it’s very competitive and other people say they got it when it was like 3rd on their list. My gpa isn’t amazing around a 3.2 but I have a 500 aft but I don’t do anything like color guard etc. Bout to be a 3

Im in a Military Institute with most of the time being taken up by mandatory activities, doing academic homework, or MS4 things. This leaves me with most of the days with little free time and open for gym mostly in the weekends.

So far my max AFT was 427 but my first AFT after the summer decreased to 395 which sent me to a panic.

My deadlift, HRP, and 2MR has always been stagnant with 220 lbs, 38 HRP, and 17:00 2MR.

My plank got worse from 3:45 to 3:00 and I got worse at the sled part of the SDC.

Any advice with what I can do?

Hi there.  Looking for advice from those who use State Guard Tuition Assistance. My son just graduated BCT last week and starts University and ROTC this fall, Sept 28th.  He doesn't believe me regarding the wonders of Reddit, so I'm posting this not him.   He is applying for aid through IgnitED, but we are running into some roadblocks with his profile still showing him as a high school senior, which prevents his application from continuing. We're trying to track down the person who can fix that for him. He is reaching out through his chain of command, but we're up against a time crunch with the deadline for tuition assistance in his school state next week.  I know from my military experience, you sometimes have to be the squeaky wheel to get your stuff signed off, but my son, as a new junior enlisted, is in full BCT "standby and await further orders“ & "don't speak unless spoken to" mode.  I'm trying to stress that if he doesn't get his Tuition Assistance application in by the deadline, they will most likely decline it altogether (my current government employer sure would).

Do those of you on SMP/Guard Tuition assistance have any advice for getting your stuff in by the deadlines?  We've heard that the state is usually late to pay and that you have to ask the school to waive your late fees (which they do for military students).     We knew this would be a crunch time for him because he only has a week or two between graduating BCT, becoming TA eligible, and the fall deadlines.

Hey fresh MS2 team-lead here looking for some early perspective on branch preferences for when it’s time for me to rank them. It’s pretty early for me to be thinking about it but I am definitely someone who’d like to work towards a specific goal.

I’m someone who loves to lead but moreso I love to mentor and guide other people (ironic right.) My ultimate goal in life is to make lifelong impacts on all of the people around me, help as much as I can.

I have about a 430 AFT and decent GPA but I’m working on getting both of those up over these next two years.

I remember when I was a C/LTC in JROTC wanting the infantry and a ranger but getting to ROTC thinking it may not be the path for me.

What branches did you all preference/get branched? Why? How will I know what to put at the #1? (and submit myself to the great decider the U.S. Army?)

Do the interviews close on Sunday at midnight, or before Sunday? I've been doing a lot of rehearsing with the branches I don't want, but I've been waiting to do my main branches.

Im interested in asking my provider to prescribe me antidepressants such as lexapro to deal with my depression that I’ve had for years. If I get on these, will I get disenrolled? I’m already a contracted MS4 and I don’t wanna lose my commission after everything I’ve done but I want to treat my illness.

Hi! 24F. I’m starting looking for some information about ROTC.
Around my town there’s only 2 public universities and just 1 of them has the ROTC program.

I have 2 kids so I want to know:
can I pursue my bachelors online in any university in the state and get ROTC from the university that is close to me?

What are the exact requirements in order to get the scholarship, having in mind that my previous education (HS and Associates) is from overseas?

Hey everyone, I’m an ROTC cadet doing the SMP program with a double concentration in Business Analytics and Marketing. I’m trying to figure out which Army branches (like Cyber, Military Intelligence, Signal Corps, or Logistics/Transportation) actually set you up for high-paying civilian jobs once you transition to the Reserves. Doesn't strictly have to be a corporate desk job, just whatever pays the best.

For anyone with a similar major who went through ROTC: which branch did you choose, what kind of job titles and salaries did you pull when you got out, and how well did it actually translate?

Hello, I am an aspiring ROTC candidate I’m currently 20 years old and have a Welding AAS that really won’t transfer over other than 20-30 of my General Ed classes. I am looking to major in Manufacturing Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M. My primary concern is the financial burden I am hoping to enter in the Class of 2027 under a SMP non-GFRD contract since I really want to go active duty when I complete my schooling.

1. How likely am I to get scholarships for ROTC? (How likely for 2-3 year full scholarships?)
2. How can I prepare myself for entry into ROTC at A&M?

3. Is SMP the right choice to go to army BCT in place of basic camp?

4. If I have around 30 credits accepted would I be at a disadvantage attending CST a year early or would I be up to speed by then?

I am primarily looking to branch infantry or intelligence 11A, 12A, 35A from my understanding I would be “training” with a guard unit and thought some hands on experience may be better than none but, I have seen mixed comments regarding it saying it’s very unit dependent.

Appreciate any information.

Aside from order of most wanted to least wanted, what order do you out your bradso and branch details? If MI is my number one, do I put MI bradso, then MI branch detail to Infantry, then my number two branch? Or should I do like my top three pure branches then add bradsos, then add details?

Hey guys, I just wanted to know yalls opinions. So I graduated high school at 16 and started college immediately. Later on I joined ROTC, went to basic camp, and now starting my MS3 year. Do yall consider 20 too young to be an officer? Would I get treated differently?
I am wanting to branch infantry but at the same time I wonder what people would think or value. At times I do wonder if I would be good enough. What are yalls thoughts and/or comments about it? I am genuinely interested in what people think.

Thanks.

Hello, I was filling out my dodmerb for ROTC and it says “Do NOT schedule your appointment before your medical history becomes available.” How do I know if my medical history is available or not, and do I need to do anything for that?

Im a green to gold guy, have ASUs but need to buy AGSUs. Want to buy from Marlow white becuase why not. Should I be buying the enlisted or the officer AGSU?

My assumption is enlisted, keep them in the enlisted configuration until I actually commision and then sew on all the different things that officers have onto my enlisted AGSUs? Any guidance would be great. Thank you.

First off, this seems like an obvious question so feel free to redirect me if there is already a post or website available.

Does anyone have insight on how the Cyber branch selection works down to your MOS? Do you recieve the job when you recieve the branch, or compete at BOLC?

Im currently pretty set on one cyber job in particular, and while I wouldn't mind having one of the others, it would affect my decision knowing how competitive it is to recieve each MOS (17A, 17B, 17D)