Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 2/24/2011

Question
I have a 14 year old daughter who is planning on a career as a Veterinarian.  Her current plan is to complete her college AA degree in conjunction with her High School Diploma (she is already in classes at the community college.  She will then transfer as a junior to Cal Poly Pomona to study Animal Science, and would then apply to UC Davis for their DVM program.  She will be joining her school's JrAFROTC this fall.
As I understand it, the Army has a scholarship program that can assist us in completing her college education.  Can you offer any advice or encouragement on her joining Army ROTC at the college level towards her goal.

Answer
Ginger,

Wow!  That sounds like a smart young lady you’ve got there.  At 14 she’s already got her future planned out and a roadmap of how to reach her goal.

First of all, I would advise her to ensure all her classes that she plans to take at the community college are transferable to the University.  Many teens fall into that trap of going to a local community college because it’s near home and supposedly cheaper.  Then they discover many of the classes they just took must be repeated at the university because they’re not considered “up to par” with what the university teaches and requires.  Tuition at 4-year universities is actually cheaper than community colleges because a university receives federal funds whereas a community college may be state or privately funded.  The expense comes from room and board vs. living at home and commuting.

DVM work is actually harder than M.D. work because all animals have different anatomies whereas all humans are (normally) the same.  I know because my daughter is a DVM and I often helped her with her school work.  It is tough work but she loves it.

JROTC and ROTC are great programs but basically teach a person to be prepared for military life…marching, saluting, military protocol, etc.  It’s great if she can get it, but not a necessity.

I wish her well in her career.
Colonel H