College rotc question?

Question

is rotc a program that you have to sign up for before college or can you start taking it after you start college without visiting a recruiting center. my recruiter keeps saying that i have to join the delayed entry program as a perquisite to taking rotc in college for the marines.

Answer 1

Please read this.

Answer 2

If you go past two years in ROTC then you are on the hook for an enlistment at the least.  Contact the ROTC CO, he/she will set you straight.

Answer 3

Talk to the ROTC folks on campus

Answer 4

College ROTC has nothing to do with the regular recruiters. So don't go to them if you are interested or they will try to get you to enlist or something.

Every college that has ROTC has there own recruiter, so you would have to go to the ROTC office on campus and talk to them and they will point you in the right direction.

Yes you can start it up to your Junior Year. You can go to a camp between your sophomore and junior year instead of doing the first two years of ROTC. You can just sign up for the first two years without "Contracting". Once you start your Junior and Senior year, you are contracted and committed.

You are talking to the WRONG Recruiter, as the one you are talking to is trying to sign you up for the DEP and make you enlist. HE IS WRONG.  

Answer 5

The DEP is not required, so report your recruiter to the USMC Officer Selection Office if he keeps pressing.  You should be talking to the OSO (officer recruiters) and not enlisted recruiters if you really want to be an officer (they will be in the gov't portion of the yellow pages or internet).  In the USMC most don't do NROTC, they do PLC or platoon leaders course.  You get your first semester or two of college completed with a C or better and you can go to officer candidates school for freshman and junior years for 6 weeks during the summer.  That is what I did.  But I also went enlisted first in the reserves, which was worthwhile for me.  But if the recruiter lies to you, he doesn't deserve your enlistment; talk with a different recruiter.  Also, wrangle with the enlisted recruiters for the best deal; they need you and there are lots of good programs that can help you, but they only use those tools when they need to.  I wanted to join and was beating down the door, so they never offered me the bonuses, etc that I could have gotten because they used those to entice others who were on the fence.  Enlisting first can help; it shows the OSO you already have what it takes to be a Marine.  I went to boot camp the summer before I started college.  Good luck...