By KRISTI SMIT
The commercials say it’s possible to “be all that you can be,” and for one captain in BYU’s Reserve Officers Training Corps, that process takes a short-cut — straight through a college ROTC program.
Capt. Michael Current of the BYU Army ROTC listed benefits the ROTC has for students wanting to get the most out of their college education, not the least of which were leadership skills and help for freshmen making the transition into college from high school.
“You don’t get into BYU by being a dud, but a lot of these students don’t know what kind of leadership capabilities they have,” Current said.
The Army ROTC program requires no commitments of staying with the program or serving in the military. Classes focus on improving study skills. Older students in the program teach time management, stress management and social skills. Tutoring groups for freshmen are also available, Current said.
Air Force regulations require that there be no more than two hours of outside classwork.
Both programs require a minimum GPA of 2.5 to enter.
According to an Army ROTC recruiting pamphlet, some companies, including ITT, recruit directly from the military. Business recruiters often come looking for people who would work well in middle management, Current said.
Approximately half of all Air Force ROTC cadets are on scholarship. Requirements for applying for an Air Force scholarship are roughly comparable to those of a BYU academic half-tuition scholarship for incoming freshmen. Candidates need to have a high school GPA of at least 3.7, with an ACT score of at least 26.
Current estimated that 30 to 40 percent of Army ROTC students are on scholarship
