This is the last in a six-part series about the people and departments who work behind the scenes to make Boston University function.

While at 6 a.m. the T has yet to traverse Commonwealth Avenue, 70 Boston University students have already been awake for at least half an hour.

Three days a week they assemble inside the BU Track and Tennis Center and are ready to begin their training session. For the next hour, these uniformly dressed cadets in grey and black will run, jump, climb, march and do sit-ups and push-ups before they can be dismissed back to their residences to prepare for a full day of classes.

This is the typical morning routine in the life of a BU Army ROTC student, like College of Arts and Sciences senior Mickey Robinson. Each training session is geared toward preparation for the Army Physical Fitness Test, which is administered three times a semester.

The test includes sit-ups, push-ups and a timed two-mile run. Each section is evaluated on a point scale out of a possible 300. In order to pass the test, a cadet must receive a score greater than 180. Those who fail to do so must run the test five times a week until a passing score is achieved.

Cadets who attain a score of 290 or higher can test out of the morning training. But some dedicated students, including Robinson, continue to go even if it is not required.

Along with his full course load, Robinson is the Battalion Commander for the Army branch of BU ROTC. He is the direct link between the Officer in Charge and the cadets, and he is responsible for everything that goes on in the battalion.

Robinson says he continues to attend training sessions in order to stay ahead of everyone else, but his roommate, and fellow army cadet, CAS senior Paddy Ferriter, offered another reason.

“Mickey sets extremely high standards for himself and constantly tries to reach them,” he said. “He realizes if you do a lot of work now, you can get where you want to go in the future.”

ROTC students are assessed based on their training and overall performance throughout their four years in the program. Top scores assure the best chance for a cadet to be placed in his desired location after graduation.

Assessment also includes performance in the classroom.

Every ROTC student must take an extra course in addition to the regular 16-credit course load. These classes address a number of issues ranging from how to deal with civilians on the training field to first aid.

One class that teaches infantry movement tactics met once on the Esplanade. CAS junior Army cadet William Haggerty said, “the simulations aren’t that realistic, but they are the best we can do for being in a city.”

All classes and simulations are geared to the National ROTC curriculum and aim to prepare students for the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, which is a camp that Army students attend during the summer between their junior and senior years.

Robinson was chosen as Battalion Commander after his junior year primarily because of his overall performance at BU and at the camp, but Ferriter said it was more than grades that got Robinson to where he is today.

“They chose Mickey because they knew that he would work harder and be more professional than anyone else,” Ferriter said. “ROTC is a priority in his life and he takes it very seriously.”

Robinson’s responsibilities include meeting with Army Department head Lt. Col. Michael Lee at least once a week. Lee is a professor of military science and he works directly with the senior class, but Robinson is the main link between Lee and underclassmen.

The juniors in ROTC also play an integral part in the everyday routine.

“The freshmen, sophomores and juniors interact a lot with each other,” Haggerty said. “[The juniors] are responsible for supervising the underclassmen.”

Every four weeks, the juniors assume new leadership positions and the seniors evaluate their efforts. The juniors are responsible for organizing road marches and other daily activities.

As a senior, Robinson is responsible for the evaluation of a different junior during each rotation, but he said he also supervises the other seniors and reports back to Lee.

All three branches of ROTC attempt to enroll students who share Robinson’s determination. Navy Capt. Robert Holland said the majority of ROTC students are highly motivated and dedicated to their studies.

“The average kid on the BU side is talented, with an average SAT of 1320,” he said. “We have a number of student-athletes and we have a great diverse cross-section of great future leaders for the country. It’s a joy every day to come to work because I get to work with [some] of the most dedicated and hard-working kids on campus.”

Despite their reputation within the program, many BU students have no idea what ROTC is all about. When the Army dresses in its traditional camouflage every Thursday, students do not always know how to react.

“Most people don’t know what the deal is so they look away,” said Cadet Andy McIndoe, a College of Engineering junior.

CAS sophomore Amy Breguet said although the response she receives varies, the response is rarely positive.

“Truck drivers will honk while others will say ‘Why are you brainwashed?'” she said.

Underneath the uniform, Haggerty said he and the other cadets are normal college students.

“We are just like regular kids,” he said. “I get the sensation that people think we are so intense. You have different personalities in ROTC just like in college. You have kids who are really good and then kids who aren’t. It’s a cross-section of BU.”

No matter what type of response they receive, the cadets say they are honored to be a part of ROTC.

“I feel a sense of duty and a sense of pride when I wear the uniform,” he said.

McIndoe said Robinson has a number of reasons to be proud.

“Mickey embodies the qualities of a good leader,” he said. “He is able to effectively balance all the responsibilities placed on him, from the classroom to ROTC to friendship. Mickey can teach, listen, discipline, learn and lead all continuously, making him an ROTC cadet whose work ethic should be emulated.”

After graduation, Robinson said he hopes to be placed at Fort Campbell in the 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault. He says ROTC has prepared him for the future and he feels prepared for the next phase in his life.

Ferriter said he is sure that his friend will succeed.

“He is going to be good,” he said. “On our evaluation cards that we got from LDAC, the commander wrote ‘I would fight for Mickey to get into this platoon.’ They don’t just say that about anyone.”