Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP)-RMC 2000 - 2018 [Merged]

[Travis Silcox]

i‘ve been in army cadets, and I‘m trying to "come to the table knowing", i‘ve also been in defendo(www.defendo.com) for just about a year (coming this january). I know the fundamental stuff - never give up, lead by example, fight and flight, importance of the will to survive etc.

but what do drill instructors really want to see in recruits? i‘ve asked Mr. Wolfe (my defendo instructor - former canadian airborne regiment veteran by-the-way) and he says " keep your mouth shut, do what your told and don‘t volunteer for anything "

so what kind of rules should i go by during training?

 

[Mud Crawler]

éhey, i wanna know too!!!

 

[RCA]

You instructor basiclly said it all (other when ever possible stand in the middle rank).

However we have covered this topic before with echo, so maybe you want to check out those posts for little gems of wisdom.

Im guessing you going to WATC in Wainwright for your QL3 next summer, so good luck and start getting yourself in shape now.

Ubique

 

[Travis Silcox]

Thanks RCA for the response

yes, i will be going to Wainright, i want to be the best =)

 

[pacholuk]

I‘ve been with the reserves for over a year and i‘m taking my QL3 in a couple weeks. I am doing one more year of university before I put in for RMC.
I‘m going for pilot but due slightly imperfect vision i might stay with the infantry. Program I‘ll be taking is military and strategic studies.
If anyone has any advice or comments about the training, life at RMC, or the programs themselves I would appreciate it.

Pte. Pacholuk                  :sniper:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

There‘s plenty of air trades that will allow you to fly while wearing glasses. had a bud who was going for pilot, same thing bad eyes. Ended up a flight engineer. While nothing wrong with the infantry, if your scores are good enough for pilot you have all kinds of possibilities. Talk to your recruiter before you make any quick descisions.

 

[pacholuk]

Thanks, but when you have a passion for flying you don‘t want to be stuck on the sidelines. But your right there are other possibilities I have to look into.
If anyone has gone to RMC or knows someone whos been there I‘d like to hear from them.

Pte. Pacholuk :sniper:

 

[Roko]

Alrighty, I‘m going to throw this into discussion. Tell me about RMC. From a soldier‘s/officer‘s perspective... Like what do people who have gone there think, and what do officers and NCMs think of officers from RMC?

 

[fortuncookie5084]

Well, a lot of the troops just don‘t like ringknockers. I find the best preparation for someone looking for a long term career in the Forces is to join a reserve unit while persuing higher education. Upon graduation, seek a commission----maybe by then you‘ll have found that it isn‘t the life you‘re looking for.

RMC is a funny place, full of cocky young men and women (some of whom are there for the wrong reasons). I made a clear choice to NOT go there even though I plan on a long term career.

 

[Roko]

yeah, my plan right now is to be a reserve NCM while getting my degree, then seek a comission after I finish Uni.. (although not nessecarily right after... I‘ll have to wait and see about that)

CFRC called me today about my application package, saying that I‘d make a good applicant for RMC, so that‘s why I‘m asking, although I‘m probably not going to go to the RMC.. I‘d have to forfeit the experience of being an NCM, even if it‘s just in the reserves.

 

[King]

Same with me, maybe you should go in as an officer, mabe you should apply for RMC..... they‘re just doing their jobs I guess.

 

[enfield]

I‘m not a big fan of RMC personally - I think they place to much emphasis on marks, not enough on other qualities. I"ve seen many good applicants from the Militia turned away. I also had the experience of sharing a train for a few hours with a number of students returning to RMC, and was not impressed at all.
The general feeling I‘ve seen is that if your a white male frpoma city, it‘s almost impossible to get in. Also keep in mind that studies have hown that when RMC grads reach their units, there is no appreciable difference between them and Direct Entry Officers. There is also a general dislike among troops towards "ring knockers" because it‘s perceived that they give preferential treatment to each other and have joined for the wrong reasons.

I applied, and didn‘t mak eit (which probbaly biases me but in retrospect, I‘m glad I didn‘t. Civvie university is more fun, the Mo‘ provides army fun and games, and with the new programs my university will be free anyways.

 

[Disturbance]

I am was in the same boat as Enfield...applied but didnt get in. They said to go to UBC for a year and reapply, well I did and decided civvie uni was way sweeter than RMC would be and I became a NCM in the mo, hoeva while trying to get in the mo they kept messin around with my application by first giving it to the RMC guy then not telling me then trying to get me to rethink about becoming an O. They were actually quite pushy about it.

You also gotta think to about the kind of job you want. I thought that being an Ossifer was the best way to go (from a parents perspective) until I did a lot of research. BIG difference in jobs. Just think about your goals and dreams and then think about the best way to accomplish them. From that you will find out what the best way to go is.

 

[Roko]

I‘ve decided a long time ago that I‘m going to go NCM during Uni.. then see where I stand when I graduate as wether to go civvie, as maybe a cop or something, (or hell, I might even use my degree right away and become a professional engineer), or go reg force for a while, either as an NCM or officer...

 

[fusilier]

One thing I can tell you gents. I‘m at CFB Kingston now, and we have run ins with the RMC boys sometimes. I find them very arrogant and cocky myself. My pal works at the mess down there, he says they don‘t eat, they "dine". I‘d go after I had some experience as an NCM, even a reserve NCM, because it gives you an appreciation for the troops. When I was in the infantry, the best officers we had were former NCO‘s because they don‘t ask for things that they have‘nt done themselves in the past. They also know how to respect their WO, which any good young officer should do.

 

[Gunner]

Some of the absolutely worst officers I have ever encountered were NCMs at one time. They didn‘t let the NCOs do their job, didn‘t look toward the bigger picture and their role in it, were too chummy with their soldiers, tried to be their friends/not their leader. In fact, some of the NCOs gave the guy a hard time because they felt betrayed that someone had tried to improve themself.

Some of the best officers I have ever worked under were never NCMs and they got along famously with the soldiers and were highly respected. If you are a young lad/lass looking for a career in the military, and if you are qualified, well motivated, interested in going the officer route, RMC is an excellent way to gain experience, a paid education, and prepare yourself for your chosen career. The thought that you have to be an NCM prior to becoming an officer is nonsense. When you finally do lead troops, hopefully, the young officer will have a professional platoon or troop warrant to "fill in the gaps" that charm school didn‘t provide.

 

[Roko]

But how many of you would take this up if you where offered it?

Some of my army/wannabe army friends think I‘m crazy for not nessecarily wanting to go to RMC..

I‘d have to sacrifice a lot to go there..

 

[Gunner]

It‘s called being an adult and making responsible decisions. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your short term in order to have long term benefits.

Quite honestly, from reading your posts, I don‘t think you are the type of person that would do well at RMC or as an officer.

Cheers,

 

[Roko]

alright, think what you want, you don‘t know me.

And quite honestly, why do you think that? Is it the fact that I didn‘t decide it right away, but actually want to get some more information first?

I posted the question origionally in the hopes of getting someone who had gone through RMC to give me their opinions. I‘m not asking someone else to make the descision for me, I know how to make one on my own. I just want to get the information I need to make a good descision, and I‘d like to get it from as many sources as possible.

 

[enfield]

I agree with some of what Gunner said - being an NCO doens‘t make a good officer, in fact the opposite may be true. The diffrence between what a sergeant does and what a Captain and a Major do is huge.
I‘ve been advised by many senior NCo‘s that going officer is better in the long run, and that (in my limited experience) is definitely a route I would advise and plan to take myself. However, the benefits to being in the Militia and going to civvie university in my opinion outweigh going to RMC. Civvie uni will give you a far broader and more varied experience, the Milita gives out school money anways, and you get the freedom to do what you want at various times - like travel over spring break for example, or backpack Europe in the summer. And most importantly, there‘s more girls at civvie schools (the girls at Queen‘s aren‘t to impressed by the RMC cadets).
I applied to RMC and was refused (math marks to low), but I got into UBC. Looking back, I‘m glad I didn‘t make it and would defintley not want to go to RMC now. But, I have a buddy in the Militia who did the tour of RMC and would give anything to go there.