These students would sign a contract before going to college though stating that they will graduate within four years, or maybe a little longer if their major requires it. If they fail to graduate within that period or fail out of school, then they would have to enlist. Those who choose the military route would enlist, go through three or four years of service, and then have a GI bill or similar program waiting for them once they graduate. If they chose to become an officer, then they could go through any of the officer programs currently available, but we would now be creating an officer corps with enlisted experience, a plus that I think many agree with. Since there would likely be a higher percentage of draftees wishing to pursue the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps route, the selection for this would be difficult, and thus a test or some other form of selection would need to be created.
Many people support a reinstatement of the draft to fix recruitment problems.
This would solve those problems, and also give an option outside of the military to those who clearly have no desire to serve in that capacity. Those who choose alternatives to the military would have to pass higher standards and would also have to work harder during college to graduate in the time that they are allotted. Service in any of the three programs is highly rewarding, and the result would be a citizenship that understands service for others and the benefits of it. Requiring everyone to serve in the military is no longer necessary and only forces people to be in an environment where they would only count the days until it is over, whereas they might be very productive in alternative programs. This hasn t been fully thought through, but it is an idea that is worth considering.