Hi there...
I'm currently a sophomore in the AFROTC program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I'm in love with the program, the military, and my future job as a cardiothoracic surgeon.
You'd better believe I'll get there someday... BUT, AFROTC has been a headache beyond headaches in my journey to get there thus far, and there will no doubt be more obstacles I'll have to barrell through and cry about before I reach my destination.
I'm not sure what it's like for Army ROTC cadets, but for AFROTC we are required to take classes in leadership, which interfere with the standard pre-med curriculum. As a freshman and sophomore, the classes are 1 credit hour a piece, and as a junior and senior the classes count as 3 credit hours. In addition to an extra class, we are also required to take a leadership course that's 2 hours long once a week, which often interferes with classes one may need in order to graduate, or even as a pre-requisite.
Upon entering the program, students must also complete a form that maps out the entire curriculum the student plans to go through in the 4 years (or however many years the student has left when enrolling). As if this weren't enough pressure, there is a suspense date put on when that document needs to be turned in, and if it's not done by then, that cadet is watched quite carefully and reminded quite often until it IS done. Mind you, this is putting the whole experience in sugar-coated terms.
In between the sophomore and junior semesters the cadet is required to go through Field Training, which is almost like enlisted Basic Training, but officer-intensive. I plan on taking summer classes, myself, and so I'm having to get a waiver in order to go to a Field Training camp earlier in the summer, so I'll be able to attend those classes, and even that isn't 100% guaranteed.
In short, all of this is making it very difficult for me to fulfill all of my pre-med requisites. Not only do I need to take my MCAT before I've even completed all of the recommended preparatory coursework, but there is added pressure in that, on top of applying to medical schools and spending an exhorbitant amount of money, after all of that, I'm still subject to a medical slot board, which may or may not grant me permission to go to medical school straight out of my commission. That means I will either have to wait a designated amount of time before I will be allowed to attend medical school, wait until I retire from the military, or suck it up and accept I may never be an M.D.
If you have any more questions about this, if you haven't decided by now, feel free to contact me. It's not all bad, believe me.
I figure, since I've held a steady job since I was 16, am involved in ROTC (which will give me excellent recommendation letters), also involved in the service fraternity associated with ROTC (and an officer in that organization), have not dipped below a 2.5 thus far (and that can only continue to improve now that the adjustments have ceased for the most part), and am a well-rounded, articulate young woman (AND birracial, which puts me in minority status, woo!), I've got a lot going for me.
It's fishing for things like that that will get us pre-med students far. Perseverance is key. Whatever you decide, just make sure it's exactly what your heart desires, and not fueled by a paycheck.
** I failed to mention previously that military physicians/surgeons/dentists/etc. don't get paid civilian salary... it's noticeably less. **
Anyway, GOOD LUCK! and take care.