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DexOlesa said:
Civilian - UOIT
ROTP after High School Questions
- Thread starter kona_mtb
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Civilian - UOIT
macknightcr
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DexOlesa said:
How old are you? I''l be 23 going to CMR, there is a guy in his 30's going to RMC.
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My name is Travis Votour,
I am in grade 11, and have a strong interest in RMC. I have an 86 average, and have signed up for all the prerequisites I need to apply for RMC. I play rugby, volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society, and am opening my own business this summer. I also attend my local gym 3-6 days a week. I need to know what else I can do to up my chances in getting into RMC. Its been my dream for a long time and would really rather RMC then any other university.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I apologize if I put this into the wrong forum, I am new.
I am in grade 11, and have a strong interest in RMC. I have an 86 average, and have signed up for all the prerequisites I need to apply for RMC. I play rugby, volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society, and am opening my own business this summer. I also attend my local gym 3-6 days a week. I need to know what else I can do to up my chances in getting into RMC. Its been my dream for a long time and would really rather RMC then any other university.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I apologize if I put this into the wrong forum, I am new.
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Honestly, you sound like an extremely well rounded candidate. Decent grades, sports, volunteer and leadership experience with your own business? Impressive. I mean, if you can bring up your grades more it'll always help rather than hurt, but I can't think of any single other activity you could add to your plate that would increase your chances.
Of course, it also depends upon what trade you're applying for. Each year has a limited number of spots, and for some trades the number of applicants may greatly outnumber the number of spots available. But really, I'd say just keep it up and stay out of trouble.
Of course, it also depends upon what trade you're applying for. Each year has a limited number of spots, and for some trades the number of applicants may greatly outnumber the number of spots available. But really, I'd say just keep it up and stay out of trouble.
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Thank you very much, that helps! I plan on getting my marks up a bit more. all my marks are nineties but english, which I plan on getting up!
I want to get into business administration. or Military and Strategies Study, are any of these a better application to spot ratio then others?
Thanks.
T.
I want to get into business administration. or Military and Strategies Study, are any of these a better application to spot ratio then others?
Thanks.
T.
Jarnhamar
Army.ca Myth
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Travis you sound like a really good kid. Good luck.
I'm not an officer.
If you were one of my soldiers asking me this question I would recommend you talk about what your dreams are after going to RMC,and not saying that just getting into RMC is a dream.
RMC is a school, use it as a tool to become something great.
I'm not an officer.
If you were one of my soldiers asking me this question I would recommend you talk about what your dreams are after going to RMC,and not saying that just getting into RMC is a dream.
RMC is a school, use it as a tool to become something great.
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Travis,
Not making assumptions about you at all, but I've seen several people who appear to be as well qualified as you but focus so much on the things on the resume and not so much the people who you do those activities with (and in the case of volunteer work, for). You seem like a nice guy I'm sure you won't have a problem, but make sure that when they contact your references (and they will) that they will hear nice things.
Best of luck, I also worked for the Canadian Cancer Society, and I think that the recruiter really liked that, so if you have a chance in your interview, try to highlight what you did there.
PS- Ditto to what Flawed Design said. RMC is but a minor part of your career; focus beyond it to the officer you want to be, not the officer cadet you want to be.
Not making assumptions about you at all, but I've seen several people who appear to be as well qualified as you but focus so much on the things on the resume and not so much the people who you do those activities with (and in the case of volunteer work, for). You seem like a nice guy I'm sure you won't have a problem, but make sure that when they contact your references (and they will) that they will hear nice things.
Best of luck, I also worked for the Canadian Cancer Society, and I think that the recruiter really liked that, so if you have a chance in your interview, try to highlight what you did there.
PS- Ditto to what Flawed Design said. RMC is but a minor part of your career; focus beyond it to the officer you want to be, not the officer cadet you want to be.
Hello Travis,
I hope you like reading as... here is a 26 pages thread concerning RMC (and there is much more on the forum):
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/23377.0.html
Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions and I'm sure other experienced members on this forum will come to help you with their advices.
Alea
P.S.: Was wondering... this isn't your real name is it?? Because posting your identity on a forum is not a really good idea
I hope you like reading as... here is a 26 pages thread concerning RMC (and there is much more on the forum):
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/23377.0.html
Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions and I'm sure other experienced members on this forum will come to help you with their advices.
Alea
P.S.: Was wondering... this isn't your real name is it?? Because posting your identity on a forum is not a really good idea
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Alea said:P.S.: Was wondering... this isn't your real name is it?? Because posting your identity on a forum is not a really good idea
That very much so depends upon what one posts with said account. I mean, you know, it's not like he called the CDS a jerkwad yet.
C
calamityjoe
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xDD
macknightcr
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You sound like a perfect candidate, but as it has been said a lot of times people tend to mention only the good things excluding the bad. What I feel they tend to look for is a well rounded person with leadership qualities. They are not looking for people to right away take command of soldiers, the qualities they are looking for are a base to be built upon.
The person who conducts your interview will find out if you are a good candidate, and will pass that along for the selection board. Practice the CFAT, and get into good shape and stay out of trouble and you should be fine. Also I would work on bringing your grades up as much as possible without sacrificing your extra-curriculars (grades aren't everything), and apply as early as possible so your application can get squared away as soon as possible. I have read multiple people having their selections delayed because of medical issues.
What business are you starting?
Good luck, and maybe over the next few years I will run into you in Kingston.
The person who conducts your interview will find out if you are a good candidate, and will pass that along for the selection board. Practice the CFAT, and get into good shape and stay out of trouble and you should be fine. Also I would work on bringing your grades up as much as possible without sacrificing your extra-curriculars (grades aren't everything), and apply as early as possible so your application can get squared away as soon as possible. I have read multiple people having their selections delayed because of medical issues.
What business are you starting?
Good luck, and maybe over the next few years I will run into you in Kingston.
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Thanks everyone, these are all great suggestions.
to answer your question I am opening a car detailing business! But thanks for the link, ill check it out!
T.
And yes, its my real name, but I never give out anything else about me so I try not to worry. But thanks for the idea! maybe next time I wont be so upfront with personal info.
to answer your question I am opening a car detailing business! But thanks for the link, ill check it out!
T.
And yes, its my real name, but I never give out anything else about me so I try not to worry. But thanks for the idea! maybe next time I wont be so upfront with personal info.
Hello everyone. I'm an 18 year old from Alberta looking to apply for the ROTP. (Hopefully this year but definitely next year)
I've graduated high school last June (I did go back for a semester from September through January to raise my English 30-1 and Applied Math 30 marks) and since then I've had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I came up with a short list of things that I wanted to accomplish in this time. (Get an education, learn a new language, get back in shape and stay there, travel and meet new people) After hearing that my cousin was looking to join the army I figured I'd take a look at the website and seeing what it's all about and ROTP seems like the perfect opportunity to accomplish all of these goals. Additionally, I've always had a bit of a thirst for adventure from growing up in a small town with nothing interesting in it and immensely enjoy challenging myself physically. (I think I realized just how much I enjoyed this when I went on a school trip last May where we went canoing, rock climbing, rapelling, hiking etc... haven't had that much fun in a long time)
The problem lies in that I was an idiot teenager in high school and as a result my marks are quite poor, (Average is around 68, marks are all over the place... some marks in the 80s while others are in the low 60s with some 90s in various computer courses) I haven't participated in sports since before high school ( Played volleyball in grades 7 and 8 and loved it, Played football in grade 9 and would have continued if my high school had a football team for me to play on, Soccer in grades 1 through 4) and I haven't done any real extracurricular activities. (Really started regretting this in my last couple of months in high school). I don't have much volunteer experience outside of a few years with Scouts which is something I guess but not very much. (especially since this was when I was 10-13, which was a long time ago)
Clearly I'm far from the ideal candidate and I suspect if I applied I most certainly wouldn't stand a chance of being accepted, so I'm here to ask for some ideas/suggestions on how to make myself a better candidate. Obviously, raising my marks would be a huge help (Would applying for the junior prepatory year lower grade requirements a bit when applying for ROTP?) and I'd like to get in some volunteer experience and maybe join a sport. I suppose I'm asking if there's anyone here was in a similar situation as mine and any advice they could offer. I have the motivation, capability and willpower to do this but I just need to prove it.
Few quick questions:
-Would taking academic upgrading at a University/College be a better option than trying to simply take individual high school courses again? Does going back to school to upgrade (plus the semester I did this year) reflect positively on my application?
-What are some good organizations to volunteer for?
-What are some good sports I could get involved in? The main reason I didn't play sports in high school was because I didn't feel like I had the necessary skills. (due to not playing the sport as long as most of the people on the team) Preferably stuff where it's not weird for an adult to be at a novice level like martial arts and stuff.
-Should I still talk to a recruiter and maybe even apply for the 2011-2012 term or should I wait and sort out my marks/experience for next year? I don't think I have anything to lose by applying but there's not much point in doing so when I'm far from eligible. (Can't expect them to accept me based on the promise of no longer being the lazy kid I was in high school)
Thanks in advance.
I've graduated high school last June (I did go back for a semester from September through January to raise my English 30-1 and Applied Math 30 marks) and since then I've had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I came up with a short list of things that I wanted to accomplish in this time. (Get an education, learn a new language, get back in shape and stay there, travel and meet new people) After hearing that my cousin was looking to join the army I figured I'd take a look at the website and seeing what it's all about and ROTP seems like the perfect opportunity to accomplish all of these goals. Additionally, I've always had a bit of a thirst for adventure from growing up in a small town with nothing interesting in it and immensely enjoy challenging myself physically. (I think I realized just how much I enjoyed this when I went on a school trip last May where we went canoing, rock climbing, rapelling, hiking etc... haven't had that much fun in a long time)
The problem lies in that I was an idiot teenager in high school and as a result my marks are quite poor, (Average is around 68, marks are all over the place... some marks in the 80s while others are in the low 60s with some 90s in various computer courses) I haven't participated in sports since before high school ( Played volleyball in grades 7 and 8 and loved it, Played football in grade 9 and would have continued if my high school had a football team for me to play on, Soccer in grades 1 through 4) and I haven't done any real extracurricular activities. (Really started regretting this in my last couple of months in high school). I don't have much volunteer experience outside of a few years with Scouts which is something I guess but not very much. (especially since this was when I was 10-13, which was a long time ago)
Clearly I'm far from the ideal candidate and I suspect if I applied I most certainly wouldn't stand a chance of being accepted, so I'm here to ask for some ideas/suggestions on how to make myself a better candidate. Obviously, raising my marks would be a huge help (Would applying for the junior prepatory year lower grade requirements a bit when applying for ROTP?) and I'd like to get in some volunteer experience and maybe join a sport. I suppose I'm asking if there's anyone here was in a similar situation as mine and any advice they could offer. I have the motivation, capability and willpower to do this but I just need to prove it.
Few quick questions:
-Would taking academic upgrading at a University/College be a better option than trying to simply take individual high school courses again? Does going back to school to upgrade (plus the semester I did this year) reflect positively on my application?
-What are some good organizations to volunteer for?
-What are some good sports I could get involved in? The main reason I didn't play sports in high school was because I didn't feel like I had the necessary skills. (due to not playing the sport as long as most of the people on the team) Preferably stuff where it's not weird for an adult to be at a novice level like martial arts and stuff.
-Should I still talk to a recruiter and maybe even apply for the 2011-2012 term or should I wait and sort out my marks/experience for next year? I don't think I have anything to lose by applying but there's not much point in doing so when I'm far from eligible. (Can't expect them to accept me based on the promise of no longer being the lazy kid I was in high school)
Thanks in advance.
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I think your last question is the best one to answer first.
Regardless of what anyone on here tells you, it's still up to the recruiters, so you should definitely talk to them - even if you're not planning to apply to the Forces this year. Recruiters are there to help you, and are capable of both answering all questions you have and directing you on how to make yourself more appealing to the Forces. If your local recruitment center is far from you, the forces.ca website has an online chat with a recruiter function. I found my face to face with a recruiter much more informative than the online chat, but maybe that was just my personal experience. You can also give them a call. They'd be happy to talk to you, no matter how far off the mark you think you are when it comes to the ROTP standard.
As for your marks, I was repeatedly told during the recruiting process that a large portion of the application is weighed on marks. The aptitude tests are also taken into account, so if you do extremely well on them that might balance out some of your marks.
You should volunteer wherever you feel is right; during the recruiting process you might be asked why you volunteer there, and I don't believe that "because it's a way into the Forces" is a very good answer. With volunteering (and this is my personal opinion) I think they're looking for personality characteristics like your ability to believe in a cause and put time and effort into it. For the same reason, hobbies are also a bonus, especially if they're related to your future working field. Let's say you're a computer engineer... if you like to create websites in your spare time, that's a great hobby to list because it shows you work on your own to develop skills you'll need in the future.
Same with the sport; choose something you like and stick with it. If you like martial arts then you should do martial arts - I personally started karate when I was 17, and nearly half the beginners in my dojo are adults. Most dojos hold child and adult classes separately, and have a sub separation for belt level; it's not nearly as awkward to start out as a 17 year old white belt when you're in a white to orange belt class for people aged 16+. It's quite nice actually... the classes are very small, so you get more individual attention than you would otherwise.
The one thing I would work on, if I was you, is your self confidence. Don't let the belief that you don't have the necessary skills hold you back; no one starts out being able to do something perfectly, whether it's academic or related to sports. If you give up on all your sports because people are better than you (yes they've been playing longer, skill comes with time in almost everything), and you're not physically oriented, will you also drop out of BMOQ (3 - 4 months summer camp of training) because you feel like other people are better? You won't last long at all with that attitude. Sometimes you come out on top, sometimes you come out on the bottom - that's always the way it is because people have different strengths and weaknesses. I'm going into this knowing that I'm likely going to get my 'behind' kicked when it comes to the physical portion of training, but I'm doing my best to catch up. Other people won't be as strong in academics. They'll help me improve when it comes to the physical portion, I'll help them improve when it comes to the academics portion - teamwork, you know? Teams don't work really well when their members give up.
Anyway, I know the last bit is a bit preachy, but I hope you'll take it in the spirit it was meant - encouragement rather than discouragement. I wish you all the best, regardless of what you choose to do.
(Edited to fix website address mistake.)
Regardless of what anyone on here tells you, it's still up to the recruiters, so you should definitely talk to them - even if you're not planning to apply to the Forces this year. Recruiters are there to help you, and are capable of both answering all questions you have and directing you on how to make yourself more appealing to the Forces. If your local recruitment center is far from you, the forces.ca website has an online chat with a recruiter function. I found my face to face with a recruiter much more informative than the online chat, but maybe that was just my personal experience. You can also give them a call. They'd be happy to talk to you, no matter how far off the mark you think you are when it comes to the ROTP standard.
As for your marks, I was repeatedly told during the recruiting process that a large portion of the application is weighed on marks. The aptitude tests are also taken into account, so if you do extremely well on them that might balance out some of your marks.
You should volunteer wherever you feel is right; during the recruiting process you might be asked why you volunteer there, and I don't believe that "because it's a way into the Forces" is a very good answer. With volunteering (and this is my personal opinion) I think they're looking for personality characteristics like your ability to believe in a cause and put time and effort into it. For the same reason, hobbies are also a bonus, especially if they're related to your future working field. Let's say you're a computer engineer... if you like to create websites in your spare time, that's a great hobby to list because it shows you work on your own to develop skills you'll need in the future.
Same with the sport; choose something you like and stick with it. If you like martial arts then you should do martial arts - I personally started karate when I was 17, and nearly half the beginners in my dojo are adults. Most dojos hold child and adult classes separately, and have a sub separation for belt level; it's not nearly as awkward to start out as a 17 year old white belt when you're in a white to orange belt class for people aged 16+. It's quite nice actually... the classes are very small, so you get more individual attention than you would otherwise.
The one thing I would work on, if I was you, is your self confidence. Don't let the belief that you don't have the necessary skills hold you back; no one starts out being able to do something perfectly, whether it's academic or related to sports. If you give up on all your sports because people are better than you (yes they've been playing longer, skill comes with time in almost everything), and you're not physically oriented, will you also drop out of BMOQ (3 - 4 months summer camp of training) because you feel like other people are better? You won't last long at all with that attitude. Sometimes you come out on top, sometimes you come out on the bottom - that's always the way it is because people have different strengths and weaknesses. I'm going into this knowing that I'm likely going to get my 'behind' kicked when it comes to the physical portion of training, but I'm doing my best to catch up. Other people won't be as strong in academics. They'll help me improve when it comes to the physical portion, I'll help them improve when it comes to the academics portion - teamwork, you know? Teams don't work really well when their members give up.
Anyway, I know the last bit is a bit preachy, but I hope you'll take it in the spirit it was meant - encouragement rather than discouragement. I wish you all the best, regardless of what you choose to do.
(Edited to fix website address mistake.)
Thanks for the advice.
I didn't mean to imply that I just want to volunteer to get into the Forces, I mean obviously there's a reason the Force's looks for volunteer experience because it represents and develops certain qualities in an individual which in general would help me out a lot in both life and in my application. The application just serves as a kick in the butt saying "You should do this to be a better person, start actively seeking this out".
Martial Arts definitely seems like a good option for me as someone out of school, I did kind of enjoy it back when I took Karate for a bit when I was in Middle School. Although if I do end up going to University/College to upgrade my academics I could participate in something that's on offer there so that gives me a couple more options.
And yeah, I guess I have some self confidence issues. I'm trying to balance being confident without being arrogant as much as I can but I gotta admit I do have my doubts about things. It kind of feels like that by striving to become a better applicant I'll become a better candidate. That seems kind of obvious when put to words like that, but I guess I like to look at it from the perspective that I'm already a great candidate and that I just need to prove it. Kind of diametrically opposed points of view but I think they can coexist, it certainly can't do any harm.
Anyway thanks for the advice again, it helped me better understand my motivations after a few minutes of contemplation.
I didn't mean to imply that I just want to volunteer to get into the Forces, I mean obviously there's a reason the Force's looks for volunteer experience because it represents and develops certain qualities in an individual which in general would help me out a lot in both life and in my application. The application just serves as a kick in the butt saying "You should do this to be a better person, start actively seeking this out".
Martial Arts definitely seems like a good option for me as someone out of school, I did kind of enjoy it back when I took Karate for a bit when I was in Middle School. Although if I do end up going to University/College to upgrade my academics I could participate in something that's on offer there so that gives me a couple more options.
And yeah, I guess I have some self confidence issues. I'm trying to balance being confident without being arrogant as much as I can but I gotta admit I do have my doubts about things. It kind of feels like that by striving to become a better applicant I'll become a better candidate. That seems kind of obvious when put to words like that, but I guess I like to look at it from the perspective that I'm already a great candidate and that I just need to prove it. Kind of diametrically opposed points of view but I think they can coexist, it certainly can't do any harm.
Anyway thanks for the advice again, it helped me better understand my motivations after a few minutes of contemplation.
