Freshman (MSI) Year

The first year of the AROTC program is the experimental cakewalk year. The only obligations are regular academics, PT three mornings a week, and participation in occasional activities. The biggest things for the MSI cadet to pay attention to is grades. Aviation is one of the most competitive branches and academics currently count for 40% of the accessions packet. Thankfully, I was a studious freshman and maintained a 4.0 throughout the first year. It is far easier to keep a good GPA than to try to get one later. A GPA below 3.5 is getting kind of iffy for branching Aviation and a GPA under a 3.0 means your chances are slim indeed. Start the first year off right and the rest of the route to aviator wings will be that much easier. Also, the MSI year is the time to get physically fit if you did not enter the ROTC program in peak physical shape. Physical fitness test scores count for 15% of the overall ranking system. PT scores are not as influential as academics but physical fitness is nothing to blow off either.

Army Aviation Via ROTC

There are a number of paths into Army Aviation. Because of life goals, the path I chose was the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. The ROTC  program is designed to train college students to commission as officers in the United States Army following graduation. Participation in the program adds an additional time obligation of 5-10 hours a week throughout the school year. Following graduation, cadets are commissioned and serve at least four years of time on Active Duty , or in the Army Reserves or National Guard. Cadets branching into Aviation have a six year obligation due to the extra time involved in flight school. While it is easier to branch Aviation in the Guard or Reserves I chose Active Duty in order to avoid juggling a civilian job and military duties. I began my Army career in Fall 2007 at Maranatha, a small school with a satellite ROTC program out of UW-Madison.