The ROTC Experience

Army ROTC in many ways is just another class that you’ll take while at Idaho State University, but unlike many other classes, our learning extends beyond the classroom and seeks to challenge you to apply your new skills in complex “live” scenarios. You won’t be alone on this journey, other students and trained military Cadre will be alongside you. Our students and community is a huge draw, you will be learning next to students from across the country with many different fields of study all training the be the best they can be. You should expect to be paired with an upperclassman who serves as your mentor and coach to help you along the way, not just with ROTC but with life and your other studies.

Your average week in the Basic Course (Sophomores and Freshmen) typically consists of starting your day at 6 AM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for an hour and a half of physical training geared to making you a physically fit athlete ready for the rigors of life.

As a Freshman you’ll have one 50-minute lecture a week on Tuesday mornings. As a Sophomore, 50 minute lectures twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. All students will attend Leadership Lab on Thursday afternoon where we seek to apply information learned in the lectures during hands on “live” training.

Additionally, on top of our Labs we spend one weekend a semester in the field or as we call is our “Field Training Exercise” (FTX). This allows us to train longer and more in depth on topics already covered and building on concepts of field craft (surviving in the woods) and basic movements at night.

Once you’re done with the Basic Course you begin the Advance Course which is very similar to the Basic Course but with three lectures a week and instead of participating in the training your will be charged with planning, resourcing and leading the training.

During the summer between your junior and senior year, you will attend Cadet Summer Training (CST) Advanced Camp where you are assessed alongside Cadets from across the country and pushed to your limit on leadership skills.