rotc essay prompts

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Three Vital Steps to Outstanding ROTC Application Essays

Ltc robert kirkland.

2 minute read

Having sat an Army ROTC scholarship board , conducted hundreds of applicant reviews in my role as a PMS and in discussing applicant essay content with my officer colleagues, I wanted to give you my observations about what makes the best impression on these essays.

What I am referring to the following essays prompts for the Army and Navy ROTC. I believe these are the most important essays for both applications and is why they are the first essay for both Services:

Consider carefully, and then state below in the space provided why you wish to enroll in the Army ROTC Program. Indicate in your statement how you believe your own objectives in life are related to the education and training offered by Army ROTC and what a career obligation means to you.

Discuss your reasons for wanting to become a Naval/Marine Officer. Specifically comment on leadership positions you’ve held, the challenges you have faced and the lessons you have learned.

I firmly believe that what this essay SHOULD NOT be is a laundry list or rundown of what the applicant achieved in high school or why the applicant believes he/she is an outstanding leader. The attitude that board members get out of essays such as these are: “Hey, I’m a talented wonderful person and you have to select me because of my past accomplishments.”

But—how can the applicant really say this if they have no idea of what life will be like as a cadet/midshipman and future officer?

What should you do instead?

Three Vital Steps to Outstanding ROTC Application Essays:

#1. Do your research about the service you are interested in, visit your local ROTC unit and talk to cadre and cadets/midshipmen, visit your local national guard or reserve unit and “shadow” an officer for a few hours, and speak to serving or former officers. Learn all you can about what the challenges are in ROTC and what life will be like as a future officer.

#2 Then, when you write your essay, talk about those experiences in your essay. Be humble. Tell the board members you did your due diligence to understand the challenges ahead of you. You are making a big commitment to lead America’s soldiers or sailors!

#3 Tell them you have prepared yourself as best you can (here you can speak to your past leadership experiences) and feel confident that based on your past leadership and these visits/talks you are up to the task of being an officer candidate and a future military officer.

If you write this type of essay, you will be in the 5% category of those who have gone out of their way to actually validate the statement that they are ready to be an officer candidate.

See real examples from students who won ROTC scholarships here:

Examples of Real Essays That Won the ROTC Scholarship!

Article Contents

Examples of real essays that won the rotc scholarship, related posts.

A comprehensive guide to the Air Force ROTC scholarship interview

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kirkland (USA, Ret.) is an expert on military admissions and leadership. He served for over 25 years in the United States Army, including stints as an instructor at West Point and as a commander of two Army ROTC programs. He has helped students win ROTC scholarships for 8 years.

Want to earn maximum points on your Army ROTC scholarship essays?

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Army ROTC Essay Examples with Commentary

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Information about Army ROTC, the scholarship process, and the program at Clarkson University

The Essay – What does the board want to hear – 2019 edition

Time to refresh an oldie, but a goodie. I wrote this Blog post in November of 2010. Apart from updating a couple links I think the information still holds true.

The Army ROTC High School scholarship application asks you for two essays and there is an additional information block. I recommend you use the space. It is going to be looked at by the board before any Resumes or Letters of Recommendation, so focus your time on these essay blocks.

These are the instructions for Question 1

Consider carefully, and then state below in the space provided why you wish to enroll in the Army ROTC Program.  Indicate in your statement how you believe your own objectives in life are related to the education and training offered by Army ROTC and what a career obligation means to you.  NOTE:  Recommend you create your statement on a Word document, review for content accuracy and spelling, then copy & paste into the section below.

I stand by what I wrote in 2010…start here:

For the essay I suggest you look at three things (follow these links or Google them):

• Army Values
• Soldier’s Creed
• Army Leadership Doctrine

Once you have looked at these three topics I feel you have enough information to know what we are looking to instill in an Officer, and what we want in our Cadets. If you sit down and now write your personal statement describing why you wish to enroll, how your objectives relate, and what a career obligation means to you and throw in some statements that show your values and beliefs align with the Soldier’s Creed/Warrior Ethos/Army Values/Leadership Dimensions you should have a personal statement that will convince a board member that you have what it takes.

The second question asks:

State below in the space provided how you spend your time in a typical week during the school year.  For Example, how many extra hours do you spend: at school, doing homework, engaged in athletic activities, engaged in extracurricular activities (i.e. clubs), engaged in volunteer work, or other (explain). 

Pretty straight forward. Don’t make stuff up or exagerate. Hopefully you are fairly active and know how to manage your time.

The last block says:

Please expand on any additional information outlining scholastic, athletic and leadership achievements not otherwise annotated in the previous sections.  Although you are not required to do so, you are highly encouraged to do so if applicable.

Use this white space to highlight anything you think the board should know that you didn’t check a block for or wasn’t explained elsewhere. This is a good place to explain any “other” block you may have checked in the Activities tab.

Don’t agonize over this stuff. Be honest, be thorough and proof read and you’ll do well.

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Army ROTC Essay tips/ interview tips

• Thread starter scresalia
• Start date Jan 3, 2016
• Jan 3, 2016

I am in the process of applying for the Army ROTC and I just want to know some questions that I may get asked during the interview and for someone to go over my essay. I want constructive criticism on what I need to add, to take out and just a over all inspection on it. I am not a big fan of the last section so any pointers on that will be much appreciated. Thank you for all your help! Q- Consider carefully, and then state below in the space provided why you wish to enroll in the Army ROTC Program. Indicate in your statement how you believe your own objectives in life are related to the education and training offered by Army ROTC and what a career obligation means to you. The Military has always been a dream of mine that I have been longing to fulfill ever since my oldest brother Joseph Joined the Marine Corps when I was five years old. There are numerous reasons on why I want to be part of the brotherhood of the most dominant force the world has ever seen, the United States armed forces with a special emphasis on the Army itself. Being in the military is not just a little boy fantasy of mine and most definitely without a doubt not something I am going to do for the money nor for the lack of nothing else to do. I want to join the Army ROTC program because I know for an absolute fact that the program can enhance me as a person and that I can immensely benefit the Army and our country by being an officer that young men and women need during both difficult and dangerous situations. By being the youngest of nine kids, growing up with the Catholic values, working four different jobs, volunteering for various organizations, playing several different sports, and going to a prestigious Catholic high school has prepared me immensely to succeed in every way to take on the challenge of being an officer for the United States Army. These very diverse and rare experiences throughout my life have molded me into the perfect candidate for the ROTC program because they taught me to be respectful to everyone, have integrity with all situations, fulfill all my duties to the best, be selfless in every manner, have loyalty, be confident and courageous during all times and to have honor in all of my actions. When one chooses a career, like the Army, should love or at least desire to love their career choice before even considering the idea of fully obligating themselves to their job. To fully obligate oneself to a career it needs to be their passion, something they live for. Therefore a career is not just someone's job but their life or true passion, and that is what it means to be obligated to a career.  

scresalia said: I want to join the Army ROTC program because I know for an absolute fact that the program can enhance me as a person and that I can immensely benefit the Army and our country by being an officer that young men and women need during both difficult and dangerous situations. Click to expand...

scresalia said: When one chooses a career, like the Army, should love or at least desire to love their career choice before even considering the idea of fully obligating themselves to their job. Click to expand...

Pima said: I personally would remove anything that is tied to your religious convictions. Religion is like politics, steer clear of it if you do not know the views of others. Click to expand...

Pima said: Have you played sports? Click to expand...

• Jan 4, 2016

I like the theme, but with a few adjustments, your essay could be better. Eliminate redundant or unnecessary words and phrases. Playing "several different" sports has one word too many. The two parts of "most definitely without a doubt" nullify each other, and the proliferation of negative assertions which follow in the same sentence are confusing. The last three sentences (or sentence fragment, as Pima notes) chase each other's tail. Also, I don't know if you get any mileage out of telling the board reviewing your scholarship application that your high school is "prestigious", when you probably mean "rigorous".  

scresalia said: What do you think if changed the sentence "growing up with catholic values" to "growing up with Christian values"? Its a little more vague but still delivers the point that I have good values. Click to expand...

The two sides recently clashed over a letter from 66 House Republicans urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to investigate the USAF's growing "hostility toward religious freedom" under guidelines set last September by USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz. Click to expand...

• Jan 5, 2016

I just had my interview a few weeks ago and will tell you about my experience. They asked me questions relating to Academics, Leadership, and Athletics. They asked me what type of student I was, what sports I played, and what leadership experience I had. They also asked me why I wanted to join the army and what exactly my motivation was to become an officer. By far the hardest question they asked me was what my two biggest weaknesses were. Good Luck and remember to just relax and answer their questions honestly.  

• Jan 8, 2016

That UW ARTOC battalion video is very well done. It gets me ramped up and I am no where near the 18 year old target group! In fact I think I am kind of wore out just watching it.  

Almost on everything that says Army ROTC are the words leadership and excellence below it. I would advise to write about those two aspects because they hold high regard in ROTC and the Army. I would not discuss the money factor in your essay, it could be taken in the wrong way. The Army wants to know that you want to serve your country. You could describe some aspects about your brother that you respected and how you would want to achieve those traits as well.  

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Winning West Point Essay Examples: How to Strengthen Your Application

LTC Kirkland and Captain Dach

8 minute read

Successful West Point Essay Examples

The following are West Point essay examples from cadets who have won appointments to West Point in the past few years. We will provide commentary at the end of each essay as to why each of these answers to West Point’s questions are effective. For information on all the West Point application requirements, read our Ultimate Guide to getting into West Point .

Prompt: Explain why you want to attend the United States Military Academy and serve on active duty as an Army officer.

Answer: I want to earn an undergraduate degree at West Point pursue my passions of military service to our great Nation while exploring the sciences. I work diligently in high school, taking advanced academics, keeping in top physical condition, holding school leadership positions, and volunteering in the community. This, along with the honor of knowing many Army officers, gives me confidence in pursuing West Point as the next step toward becoming an officer in the Army.

I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my teachers and mentors in my pursuit of becoming a West Point cadet and future military leader; they reminded me of the importance of selfless service. My football coach, Chris Page, before he passed away, told us the incredible sacrifices he made to make himself a better teacher and coach. Through his stories, the purpose of my hard work in preparing for a military career crystalized- be better for others so they can be better serving our country. To honor him, I founded the Coach Page Scholarship Fund so others would be inspired by his life of selfless service.

To gain additional insight on being an Army officer, I have talked with a family friend, Major General Joseph Jones, who was the Commanding General of U.S. Army Cadet Command who talked to me about life as a cadet and the challenges I would face. I also wanted to see an active military unit, so I visited with a captain at the New York Army National Guard training site at Camp Smith. There, I saw how Army officers lead by example; they are expected to get “dirty on the field” and to support other soldiers in all their goals. I am inspired by military leaders I have interacted with and through them, I’ve gained an understanding and respect for the duties I would assume upon commissioning.

For the privilege of serving our great Nation, I have prepared for the challenge and honor of being a USMA cadet and upon graduation, to commission as a proud officer in the Army.

Commentary:

Note that this first essay is not a laundry list of accomplishments the candidate did in high school. Rather, it centers on what the candidate did to find out more about what life would be like both as an officer candidate and an officer in the United States Army. Notice the candidate talked to officers as well as took time out of his/her schedule to visit a local National Guard unit to meet with officers and see what life in the Army would be like. This shows West Point that you understand that becoming a cadet is a serious commitment and that “get” why you are making this commitment is important.

Prompt: Think of some things in the past that were difficult for you. Pick one and discuss what steps you took to address it. Include whether you turned to anyone, the role that person played, and what you learned about your character as a result of this challenge.

One of my most life-changing setbacks was moving from Japan to Florida one week before starting high school. Previously, I devoted a significant portion of my life to training in martial arts. From a young age, I developed strong Japanese speaking and listening skills with a specific focus on martial arts. Spending a minimum of ten hours a week training with team mates, I was laser-focused on the next competition with aspirations of competing at the national level one day. My family’s PCS to MacDill Air Force Base rendered nearly all of my goals obsolete and squandered most of my efforts. The move forced me not only to leave my training behind but also dramatically reshaped my priorities as I realized I needed to make changes to my life to accomplish my goals.

Before high school, I had no experience with team sports or club activities outside of martial arts. Despite this reality, upon starting my freshman year, I immediately signed up for soccer and joined the Corps of Cadets. My first weeks of soccer were extraordinarily challenging. I did not know the rules and struggled with the physical demands. Most importantly, I was painfully unfamiliar with the concept of relying on others. The juniors and seniors on the team needed me as a defender; therefore, they encouraged my learning and celebrated my successes.

The Corps further solidified my appreciation of the team concept. As a new JROTC cadet, my superiors corrected how I dressed, marched, and spoke. Having never been part of a hierarchical system, I quickly learned to adapt to subordination. Accepting help and mentorship while preparing for promotion board preparation armed me with the confidence and sense of duty to help junior cadets later in my Corps career. I learned that I could set an example for my peers and contribute to an effort greater than myself. Two years later, as a First Sergeant, I became responsible for training younger cadets. I embraced this leadership opportunity and discovered how much joy and accomplishment I experience while serving others as their leader.

Whether it be a win on the field, a successful execution of pass and review, or a passed promotion board of a cadet I trained, collective victories trump any satisfaction I experienced throughout martial arts competition. I have learned from the experience to seek out an education and a profession where I can join and ultimately build and lead a cohesive team, and to rely on my teammates. My experiences in high school taught me to seek out leadership with a technologically advanced team that shares a common goal: to win our nation’s wars. Should I be given the opportunity to one day lead, I hope to realize my maximum potential as an Army officer and find true contentment in the opportunity to be a servant leader.

Note that the writer focuses on what they learned from this experience, and how it will help them serve as a better officer as a result of the challenge. A majority of the essay is focused not on the conflict, but on what resulted from the life challenge.

Prompt: West Point and the Army are committed to the idea that respect for others and an understanding of diversity are important leadership traits. Why will you be successful in working with leaders, peers, and subordinates of a gender, color, ethnicity, and/or religion different from your own?

Answer: Military officers are comfortable working in teams and they value the inherent strengths that come from teams made up of people with different backgrounds and perspectives. They are respectful of others. They understand that high performing teams are characterized by common goals, shared responsibility for success, and appropriate leadership-followership relationships.

I spent last summer in Nicaragua; three weeks in an intensive Spanish language program and two months living with a Nicaraguan family in the country. While I was in the country, I was working with a non-governmental organization (NGO) that was fielding small-scale alternative energy projects that people could us. For example, I helped develop an apparatus that fermented chicken manure into methane gas for cooking. Not headline-grabbing stuff, but it worked very well for these folks. I learned an incredible amount. I learned that people are people wherever you go. We may look different, we may talk different, we may have some different ideas, but we are all basically the same and should treat each other with dignity and respect.

I understand that I will deploy to other countries and need to appreciate foreign cultures and show respect for their different points of view. By practicing inclusion in leading others in the Army, that will surely transfer to both myself and the people who I lead respecting those we interact with overseas.

This essay should be centered on an experience the candidate had that shows that he/she values diversity and respects others. The first paragraph summarizes the argument, the second paragraph talks about the experience, and the third concludes forcefully with a summary as well as applicability to his/her future role as an Army officer that will require him/her to deploy, fight and win.

Final Thoughts for Your West Point Application Essays:

Essay #1 is probably the most important of the three essays and is standard across most Academy and ROTC applications. The key to most of these essays is to do some legwork and ask serving or retired officers about these questions as well as go out and visit local Guard or Reserve units to see the Army in action and forcefully answer these questions drawing on these interviews and experiences. You can get our tips on Congressional nomination essays here .

If you do the above things, you are that much closer to a West Point appointment !

Article Contents

Examples of essays that won service academy appointments, do you need help crafting a compelling essay for service academy admissions, related posts.

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Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kirkland (USA, Ret.) is an expert on military admissions and leadership. He served for over 25 years in the United States Army, including stints as an instructor at West Point and as a commander of two Army ROTC programs. Former Air Force Captain Trisha Dach served as an Intelligence Officer from 2011-2018. A graduate of the Air Force Academy. They have helped hundreds of candidates secure appointments and ROTC scholarships. Together, they help educate parents and students on military propensity, leadership, and Academy admissions.

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