Thank you for your interest in Naval ROTC at North Carolina State University! We are honored that you have considered us of as one of your options as you have numerous Universities across the Nation to choose from. If you are a senior in high school and haven’t applied for the National Scholarship you can do so by clicking the link below or visiting nrotc.navy.mil. The application opens in April each year for rising seniors in High school and closes on January 31 the following year. Ensure you submit your application early. For more information on the application process, please see the links below for an in depth explanation on the application process. In this video, I will be reviewing a brief history of NROTC at NC State, describing a day in the life of a Midshipman at NC State, Summer Training Opportunities, and Service Assignment.
The NC State NROTC program is steeped in tradition with its roots beginning in 1894 when all male students were required to take part in ROTC a tradition that continued until 1965. In fact, the iconic Bell Tower on the corner of campus is a tribute and memorial built in 1921 to honor the alumni who died inWorld War. In 1979, NC State entered into a cross–town agreement with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and it wasn’t until 1988 that NROTC was fully established. Today, NC State boasts a healthy relationship with both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University embodying what we call a Consortium.
As a consortium, all three schools fall under a single entity, headed by a Commanding Officer, who is Captain in the Navy, and Typically a Submariner,the second in command is the Executive Officer, who is a Major in the Marine Corps, both ensure the overall mission of NROTC is executed at each University. Each university has three to four Junior Officers who are Lieutenant’s in the Navy, a Marine Corps Captain known as the Marine Officer in charge and a Gunnery Sergeantin the Marine Corps, known as the assistant Marine Officer in Chargethat are responsible for overseeing the day to day interactions of the Battalion. The Battalion is the overall encompassing term for all the Midshipmen involved in NROTC of NCSU. Each class is advised by an active duty Lieutenant whose sole responsibility is mentoring, and developingthe Midshipmen into successful Naval Officers. The same can be said for the Marine option midshipmen who also receive one-on-one mentorship from the Marine Officer in Charge and Assistant Marine Officer in Charge. The Active Duty staff at NC State are truly dedicated to your future success!
At the core, ourprogram is run and organized by the Midshipmen. Although the Junior Officers are involved in the process to mentor as needed, our Midshipmen are what make this program successful. The 130 Midshipmen that encompass our Battalion (20 of which are future Marine Corps Officers) are led by a First Class Midshipman Battalion Commanding Officer,a senior in college withexcellent academic, physical, and leadership credentials that qualify him or her to lead the entire 130 midshipmen battalion. The Battalion Commanding Officer has support staff ranging from the seniors to freshmen in order to help coordinate physical training, daily operations, academic guidance and much more.
Whether you are on scholarship or part of the college program, your journey with the Wolfpack Naval ROTC Battalion begins the week before classes with a four-day new student orientation. This is by no means a traditional boot camp but instead an opportunity for us to prepare incoming students for the basic customs and courtesies of the Navy and the rigors they will face through collegiate academics. New Student Orientation Is led by the upper class Midshipmen and will teach incoming students how to organize a successful schedule, effectively manage time, teamwork skills, drill and many other necessary tools to ensure a successful freshman year. In addition to the aforementioned training, students will also be evaluated on their physical fitness, survival swimming ability, and be given a chance to spend the night in an off-site field environment, eating MREs andenjoying challenging obstacle and Leadership reaction courses. This portion of the New Student Orientation receives overwhelming positive feedback. Once the four-day orientation is completed, freshmen will join the Battalion during the initial Battalion picnic where we enjoy grilling out, playing corn hole, ultimate Frisbee and other activities whichcreate a relaxed environment forintroducing incoming students to their peers.
I will now describe at typical day in the life of a Midshipman beginning with the 4th Class Midshipmen (more commonly known as freshmen) and let you know where their day differs from the other students. A Midshipman’s life will be similar to a normal college student’s life with only a few beneficial exceptions.Midshipmen will have the privilege to wear their working Navy Uniform, either Khakis or NWU otherwise known as camouflage uniform on Tuesdays. Midshipmen will also show their NROTC pride and affiliation by wearing a red NCSU NROTC Polo Shirt with trousers/slacks on Wednesdays. Midshipmen will wear appropriate civilian attire all other days.
NROTC boasts that its students maintain a regular physical fitness routine. To develop a healthy lifestyle, all students participate in Physical Training up to three times a week. Currently, if a Midshipman is in peak physical condition and earns an“excellent”or greater on the Physical Fitness Test, they will only be required to attend one physical training session a week. If a Student doesn’t earn an excellent score but passes the Physical Readiness test, they will be required to participate in two of the weekly training sessions,Battalion PT and Incentive PT. Finally, if aMidshipman fails the Physical Readiness Test, they will be placed on the Navy’s Fitness Enhancement Program and required to attend all three weekly physical training sessions. Training sessions are typically held on Monday Wednesday and Fridayfrom 0600 – 0700. Midshipmen usually show up and take accountability or role call starting at 0530 and begin warmups around 0550. Physical Training is planned out by a Senior Midshipman called a Physical Training Officer and consists of a wide variety of workouts to include stadium stair runs, track sprints and intervals, practice PRTs, and even some more recreational exercises such as basketball and dodgeball. The goal of Physical Training is to foster an active lifestyle and a sustainable physical fitness routine in the Midshipmen’s life.
Currently, all forth class Midshipmen and Marine Corps Option Midshipmen have the privilege ofparticipating in drill. Drill is heldone day a week from 0600-0700 and is led by the Gunnery Sergeant, a former Drill Instructor. Drillinstillsorganizational discipline which allows Midshipmen to develop their leadership and communication skills with their peers. The culmination of drill results in not only a drill competition amongst the consortium schools but also the opportunity to compete at a National Level. These events are a chance for Midshipmen to prove why NC State is the best.
Marineoption Midshipmen participate in Semper Fi, an additional training session one morning a week sometimes in conjunction with Physical Training. Semper Fi challenges marine option midshipmen to develop comradery, teamwork, and leadership in preparation for the rigors of Officer Candidate School, a grueling six-week training regime held at Quantico in the summer between junior and senior year. Navy option Midshipmen are always encouraged and welcome to participate in Semper Fi. Our Marines add an invaluable amount of pride and experience to the Battalion which makes us stronger a wolfpack.
All students are required to participate in a Naval Science Lab. Lab is typically held on a Wednesday for two and a half hours and is coordinated to best fit with the Midshipmen’s schedule. Lab is not to interfere with academics. The purpose of Naval Science Lab (NS100) is to allow Midshipmen to explore the culture and history of the Navy and Marine Corps through various guest speakers. These guest speakers are either Warfare professionals such as Explosive Ordinance Disposal Officer, SEALS, Aviators, Submariners, Surface Warfare Officers, or Civilian Leaders that have valuable insights to share. Battalion Functions and Naval Science Lab are organized by a Senior Midshipman serving as the Operations officer.The Active duty staff lends their expertise incoordinating with the professional warfare officers and civilians. As an added bonus, our Active duty staff organizes student trips to Naval shipyards to tour Warfare Ships and Submarines, as well as hosting Aircraft visits to the Raleigh-Durham Airport. Our lab focuses on giving Midshipmen unique hands-on insightsinto the workings of the Navy and Marine Corps and puts them at an advantage to their peers since they have exposure and contact with officers that are directly involved in competitive service assignment communities. Naval Science Lab culminates with an “End-of-the-year” exercise where multiple teams of Midshipmen compete against each other in a realistic warfare simulation that is based off of the current inventory of aircraft and vessels the Navy and Marine Corps has to offer.
Throughout the school year midshipmen fund raise by working various events through the university. Fundraising opportunities include selling merchandise for the bookstore during footballand baseball games, working university open houses, or other opportunities that present themselves. With this money the battalion is able to fund Fall Ball, paintball, bowling, or other activities the midshipmen choose.
As for academics, Navy Option Midshipmen will earn a minor in Naval Science by enrolling in a Naval Science Course each semester, totaling 23 credits over their four years. These courses are intended to teach Midshipmen the fundamentals of becoming an effective Naval Officer and include Introduction to Naval Science, Naval History, Leadership and Management, Naval Engineering, Naval Weapons, Navigation, Naval Operations, and Leadership and Ethics; with some of these courses counting towards General Education requirements. Marine Option Midshipmen will only take 17 credits worth of Naval Science classes to include Introduction to Naval Science, US Naval History, Leadership and Management, Leadership and Ethics, Evolution of Warfare and Amphibious Warfare. To ensure critical and analytical thinking, Navy Option Midshipmen across the nation are required to take two semesters of Calculus-based mathematics.If they test out of Calculus I and Calculus II, then a third calculus based math course will be required.They will also be required to take two semesters of calculus based physics, two semesters of English, a world and/or regional studies, and a US history and/or national security policy course. Marine Option Midshipmen are only required to take a US history or national Security Policy Course on top of their Naval Science courses. While these Naval Science classes are required in addition to a student’s academic major requirements for graduation and commissioning, most of them count for major requirements.As a part of our drive for academic excellence, all 4/C Midshipmen are encouraged to create and abide by a rigid daily schedule called a “time map” which assists with developing good time management during the freshman year. 4/C Midshipmen are also required to log 10 hours of studying per week during their first semester. However, experience tells us that 10 hours is not enough time to be successful in collegiate academics; three to four hours of studying per credit hour is a better measure. A student with 16 credit hours should be studying around of 48 hours per week if they were following this principle. Our most successful students study over 35 hours per week and achieve Cumulative GPAs above 3.5. In addition to recording 10 hours of studying, all Midshipmen are required to log 2 hours per week of tutoring for each Calculus and Physics course.As these courses can be the most challenging courses for college students,Naval ROTC pays for tutors in these subjects 4 days a week for 4 hours a night. This tutoring ensures the continued success of our Midshipmen through their most challenging mathematical and science courses. The emphasis on the importance of academics at NC State has led to a 3.2 Cumulative GPA across the Battalion.
While this information may seem overwhelming and that a Midshipman’s schedule is so full that they have no time for extra-curricular activities, many of our midshipmen have plenty of time and participate in Varsity athletics, community service organizations, and work part-time jobs. Being a Midshipman adds a sense of pride and comradery that is unparalleled.
Towards the end of each fall semester the consortium schools (Duke, NC State, and UNC) host a Sea Trials competition to display the teamwork capabilities of the 4/C Midshipmen. This friendly competition includes a squad push-up competition, squad sit ups, a mini relay and obstacle course, a pull-up competition and finally a drill competition. This event is repeated at the end of the Spring semester in a the form of a track meet and ALL ranks of Midshipmen compete. All around Consortium winners are awarded for their performance thorough the semester. Both of these events serve to grow the interschool relationships and develop friendly rivalries.
The highlight of each year is when Scholarship students attend summer training. After their freshman year, Marine and Navy Option Midshipman will attend CORTRAMID, a four-week exercise that give Midshipmen exposure to the Aviation, Surface Warfare, Submarines, and Marine Corps communities. Midshipmen will receive a first-hand experience in each community including time controlling a training aircraft, spending a night underway on a submarine, shootingvariousweapons systems with the Marines, and learning what it means to be a damage control expert in the surface warfare community. This cruise provides exposure into the various unrestricted warfare communities for all Midshipmen.
After their 3/C or sophomore year, Navy Option Midshipmen will participate in what we call an “enlisted appreciation cruise” where they will be assigned an enlisted running mate on either a surface warfare ship or submarine and learn the daily expectations for our enlisted sailors that make our Navy so proficient. This is an enlightening experience for all Midshipmen and serves as a way for our future officers to understand what hardships sailors may experience, what makes them perform, and what aggravates them so they can be better prepared to lead our next generation of sailors. Marine Corps option Midshipmen will attend a 10 day challenging (yet enjoyable)course at Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California. This training is conducted at high elevation and develops the Midshipmen’s true team cooperation and leadership potential.
After their 2/C or Junior year, Navy Option Midshipman will attend their 1/C or Senior Summer Cruise where they will be paired with a Junior Officer in an active duty squadron, team, boat, or ship in the fleet in that warfare community in which they hope to earn a commission. They will learn the day-to-day operation of their unit and the expectations of a Junior Officer. Midshipman will come away from this cruise with a solid understanding of the community they have chosen.
Marine Option Midshipmen will attend Officer Candidate School inQuantico, Virginia where they will be tested for a grueling 6 weeks on their ability to serve as Officers in the Marine Corps. Marine Option Midshipmen must pass Officer Candidate School in order to become commissioned as Second Lieutenants.
During the first portion of their senior year, 1/C Midshipmen will enter their warfare community preferences for service assignment. Later that semester, they will be notified of their community selection. While Service Assignment is based off of merit and Needs of the Navy, 90% of our Midshipmen receive either their first or second choices. This speaks to the quality of Midshipmen and training that occurs at NC State.
This concludes the “day-in-the life” as well as the 4-year overview of a typical NC State Midshipman. We hope that you consider NC State when applying to schools and for scholarships. I have plenty of sea stories and summer cruise experiences to share with you. If you’d like to schedule a meeting, please email me at the link below. Our recruiting officer is standing by to assist you in your application process and to answer any questions you may have as we know this is not an easy process. GO NAVY and GO PACK!