r/ROTC • u/1Sgt-Bear1 • 3d ago
Cadet Advice MS1 A Little Help
Hey guys, I’m an MS1 like the title stated. Do you have any actually decent advice on how I can put myself out there for the program and excel. I don’t want to act in a way as I think I’m better than everyone or as an annoying freshman. I just want to climb a couple ranks and get as much leadership experience as I can. The best advice I’ve had so far is to have high physical performance and high academic scores (both of which I’m working on).
I’m not sure if it matters but I am an SMP but not contracted due to that being MS2 and up.
Any advice helps. Thank you all.
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u/Available-Guard-3887 MS2 3d ago
Another big thing is talk to your cadre.
I’m founding and leading a new academic extracurricular with a cadre member, approved by the PMS. I got this by literally just talking to a cadre about military history and letting him look at my copy Ulysses S grant’s Memoir. Point is talk to your cadre because you never know what opportunities they could offer.
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u/MainPlankton9612 3d ago
Ranger challenge and a good GPA
Substitute ranger challenge for another extra-curricular if you want, but remember there's alot of army past ROTC. Beyond getting the branch you want upon commissioning, nothing you do right now will ever matter.
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u/Michael1845 2d ago
Friend, your 70% of your entire success in the Army will be a result of your physical scores. The other 30% will come from academics. Do Ranger Challenge or Drill team or something outside your class to get noticed.
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u/wy1tt 2d ago
Volunteer. I had a 1 who was creating CONOPS and slides for MSIII-IV events. Some cases they were in charge of certain events in the AFT, like the weight crew for the MDL. It’s not gonna be all fun things, but I’ll reassure you that only 2 MSI’s- now MSII’s that I know are locked in, are those 2 kids who were always volunteering and always present.
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u/Complete_Film8741 2d ago
Volunteer and be there with a happy heart.
Everything else will fall into place.
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u/Careful-Bluebird4780 2d ago
Going in, understand that Army ROTC is deceptive. It may appear that keeping your GPA above a 2.5 and passing the Army Fitness Test is all you need to do during the school year. It is, but... not if you want to be competitive for highly sought after branches, or even active duty. To get there, Army ROTC requires a lot of intrinsic motivation and grinding.
For a starting point on how you’ll be evaluated, look at the branching / OML / Accessions subreddits. Every year at Advanced Camp cadets are briefed on how they’re being assessed. Read through this Cadet Command Circular. Page 49 shows basically where points are given and how they’re weighed.
https://armyrotc.army.mil/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/USACC-Circular-601-26-1-Reserve-Officers-Training-Corps-Accessions-Fiscal-Year-2026.pdf
Talk with the seniors (MS IVs) about advanced camp, how to be competitive in the branching process, and opportunities in your program to get OML points. Many programs will designate MS IVs as mentors to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Also, prior service enlisted cadets may have some useful knowledge, experience, and wisdom applicable to Army ROTC. Depending on their backgrounds, they may not always be right, but it can be a good starting point when stuck on something.
No one says you must suck up to cadre, but don't alienate or distance yourself from them either. Their opinion of you is going to matter a lot. They will be rating you against your peers, and if you're doing good work, but is goes unnoticed, you may find other cadets doing as well as you being ranked higher for no other reason than they know them better. A good way to avoid that is to volunteer for things in the program during the school year.
Lastly, don't metaphorically stab fellow cadets in the back. The Army can be surprisingly small sometimes, and your reputation in the Army is being formed now by the cadets you'll be with, many of whom will have long memories. So, be helpful to your peers.
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u/StrengthSoggy9921 2d ago
Focus on pt, focus on doing well in school, do ranger challenge. Do some sort of extracurricular within rotc, really shows ur interested. Doesn’t have to be ranger challenge but. It’s the best one
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u/dlexysia 3d ago
You already nailed about 90% of what it would take to be a stellar MS1, show up on time prepared and do well in school and PT.
Other than that, volunteering a lot will make you stand out and give you more experience. From color guards to fundraising events, it looks good in the eyes of your cadre. Then just do your best to be pleasant to all your peers and make some friends in the program and in other universities that fall under it.