One of the pathways to become an officer in the United States Army is through the participation in the Reserved Officers Training Corps or ROTC.  A large number of universities offer ROTC training and students who participate in this training (called cadets) will endure 4 years of classroom and field training.

The crucial part of the ROTC program is attending Advanced Camp.  Advanced Camp occurs during the summer between a cadet’s junior and senior year.  Cadets converge on select military installations (in my day, it was Fort Riley) where they participate in a variety of exercises and scenarios in an effort to evaluate their leadership skills.   The cumulative score from Advanced Camp is used in order for the cadet to be commissioned as an Army officer.

Even though the time at Advanced Camp is relatively short (when I attended, it was about 5 1/2 weeks), the exercises and activities experienced can offer some great leadership and life lessons. 

Here are a few things that I learned that may benefit you.