Whats your take?

[Imdbombboarder]

Hey everyone,

A little brief info on where i'm at. I'm a college freshman at the University of Oregon as a Business major. Anyways, I played Lacrosse and Golf in highschool, and am in a fraternity now on campus. I graduated with a low 3.3 in HS, and now currently have a 2.8(Rough First Term of School), but expect to keep it around 3.4ish realistically.

Honestly, I just want to fly. I don't care how I get there or what I have to do because I will work for it. I am about a month away from obtaining my pilots license, and have fell in love with the art of flying. I am indifferent at this point about the Navy or Airforce as they will both give me the opportunity to serve for my country, however, my grandfather was a hell diver (sb2c) dive bomber in the Navy, and retired as a Commander, so naturally i'm leaning towards the airforce.

On the navy ROTC website, it shows that my math sat score might be too low to recieve the scholarship. I recieved a 1480 total, with a 580 on my writing and a 430 on my math .

I have been considering OCS for either branches, however I think that would be much harder to get into than the ROTC program. I have concerns about my vision. My near vision is 20/20, but distance is 20/35 because of an astigmatism in my right eye.

I talked to a recruiter, but he definatly was lobbying towards an enlisted career, and didn't have too much knowledge of the officer programs so it didn't help me a ton. Whats your guys's take on my situation?

I'm fairly athletic, and have been working out, but currently my max is 45 pushups so still a work in progress. I just feel very lost in the situation and need some direction. Thanks for your time,

 

[Slammer2]

...Anyways, I played Lacrosse and Golf in highschool, and am in a fraternity now on campus. I graduated with a low 3.3 in HS, and now currently have a 2.8(Rough First Term of School), but expect to keep it around 3.4ish realistically...

Kevin - extracurricular activities in school are appealing. You have a few from HS and it looks like you're folowing that path in college. Being involved in organizations teaches you many things. Teamwork, leadership, time management, etc... It looks good when applying to an officer position to have other activities. High school gpa doesnt matter anywhere near what your college gpa matters. Many people have a rough first semester or year, sometimes even longer. Theres many reasons why - moving away from home the first time, partying too much, etc. so its not horrible if you dont do well at first. Its what you do after that that matters. If you do better and keep it up, then you'll be good. Especially with those extra activities you do. Also, what is your major? a 2.8 isnt that bad. Now, when you're talking about competing for scholarships it will set you back from the higher gpas. But its nothing to worry about right now. Focus on getting grades up and apply for the scholarships. Also, ROTC isnt the only way to become an officer in the military. Look into other options.

...my grandfather was a hell diver (sb2c) dive bomber in the Navy, and retired as a Commander, so naturally i'm leaning towards the airforce....

That doesnt make sense, unless you are turned off by his experience in the Navy.

Some people like to follow in family traditions, and others dont. Listen to others, but ultimately do what makes YOU happy. I suggest you go and talk to recruiters to learn about all the options. If you go up to an office, look into talking to an OFFICER RECRUITER. There are many paths to become an officer. Enlisting is one of them, but it is not necessary. You pretty much need to be a warrant or a commissioned officer to fly in the military. Learn about the different programs (there are many). If you're trying to get into the cockpit as fast as possible, then look into the officer programs first.

Theres a whole lot more to it than just flying, but in this stage, just follow your dream to want to fly and in the process you'll learn about the leadership responsibilities and everything else that comes along with the application process and job.

...I talked to a recruiter, but he definatly was lobbying towards an enlisted career, and didn't have too much knowledge of the officer programs so it didn't help me a ton. Whats your guys's take on my situation?....

Talk to an officer recruiter. Enlisted recruiters will lean you towards enlisting because its the "product" that they're selling. That doesnt mean that they're filling your head with lies, you just have to find the right guy to "Sell" you what you need. Dont ask a janator for financial advice....

...I'm fairly athletic, and have been working out, but currently my max is 45 pushups so still a work in progress...

YOU are in direct control of that. Keep it up and you'll do fine.

Good luck

 

[C420sailor]

I don't know how far you are from Oregon State, but if it's close you might want to head over there and talk to the NROTC Freshman Advisor.

 

[Slammer2]

Gah! Its late here! I'm VERY proud of my heritage, I definately meant I am leaning towards Navy...

It was clear. I was just messing with you.


As for the easier academic route...I didnt do ROTC so I dont know. But your hard classes will be the ones for your degree, not your ROTC classes. All the military branches have pilots and all have different programs to get there. Some are easier for others and harder for some. Its too diffucult to answer questions like that. ITs up to you. First thing to do is talk to the pros. They will tell you where you're at, what you need to do, and answer more specific questions about the program.

I would without a doubt not be where I am today without this website. I may or may not have wound up here eventually but I would be a different person. Spend some time reading about everything. Look into ALL branches, if only to further cement your decision to pick one over the others.

 

[Imdbombboarder]

I think I forgot to mention, my major is Business Administration with a focus in Finance, but might pickup a minor in Economics as well as a good backup plan to the aviation career.

I have also considered the Air National Guard, and so I definatly need to really research. I am about 30 minutes from OSU. I already called the AFROTC center to ask about the program and such and so I will make a point to go up there this week and speak with both AF and Navy ROTC's there and see if one of them stands out.

I do have one worry about the military though and i'm not sure if anyone else feels this way.

If my vision does degrade and i'm already signed on, I wont be able to be a pilot, but i'll still be locked into a contract. Again, I would love to serve my country but if I cannot fly then I would probably want to be on the ground fighting as a soldier.

I am just afraid as i'm already in college that it will get too late for me if I lollygag a bunch.

Slammer if you don't mind me asking, why did you choose the Navy, how did you get there, and what are you doing for the Navy now?

 

[MPH]

On the navy ROTC website, it shows that my math sat score might be too low to recieve the scholarship. I recieved a 1480 total, with a 580 on my writing and a 430 on my math .

I'm only three years out of high school and the whole new SAT grading scale is confusing to me. Doesn't the S in SAT stand for "Standardized" how can be writing test graded by hundreds of different people be standardized?

I'd recommend taking the SAT until you receive a grade you are satisfied with. If you believe you can make it as a Naval Aviator, I hope you believe you can improve upon a 430 math score.

I have been considering OCS for either branches, however I think that would be much harder to get into than the ROTC program. I have concerns about my vision. My near vision is 20/20, but distance is 20/35 because of an astigmatism in my right eye.

Before I go into detail: I'm an idiot, so learn from my mistakes.

I was in contact with and pursued heavily by baseball coaches from both the Naval and Air Force Academies. I chose not to go.

I received an NROTC scholarship to the college of my choice (which later rejected me). But was an immature whiny bitch and didn't transfer the NROTC scholarship to my backup college because I was pissed about bureaucratic issues I had with the ROTC commander at my college of choice and blamed the whole Navy.

I spent a year and a half in college trying to convince myself that I didn't want to be a Naval Aviator more than anything else in the world.

I've come to this site fairly recently (about 12 months ago), and found out about OCS, a program I was completely oblivious to until that time. I've spent that year fighting to get my grades up from where they were, getting my fat ass back into shape, taking 18 credit course loads, and working almost full time.

I screwed up. I suppose I believe that having to fight to get back to where I need to be for the Navy to take me is my penance.

So, even with a low SAT and lowish GPA, I hope you go for that scholarship. At least speak to the the advisor at the ROTC unit re: getting in the unit if nothing else. If the service is of primary importance to you, the scholarship will matter less and be more likely to come to you.

I'd also recommend looking around here for info on BDCP, you may not be a prime candidate, but it never hurts to ask.

I talked to a recruiter, but he definatly was lobbying towards an enlisted career, and didn't have too much knowledge of the officer programs so it didn't help me a ton. Whats your guys's take on my situation?

Kevin, you're certainly not the first one to ask this question around here. I'd recommend using the search function. There is literally volumes of information on any conceivable question concerning Naval Aviation and no one here is going to hold your hand through the process.

Take the initiative to dive into the info provided for us wannabes by the guys who have gone before.

Good luck to you.

 

[teabag53]

I think I forgot to mention, my major is Business Administration with a focus in Finance, but might pickup a minor in Economics as well as a good backup plan to the aviation career.

I have also considered the Air National Guard, and so I definatly need to really research. I am about 30 minutes from OSU. I already called the AFROTC center to ask about the program and such and so I will make a point to go up there this week and speak with both AF and Navy ROTC's there and see if one of them stands out.

I do have one worry about the military though and i'm not sure if anyone else feels this way.

If my vision does degrade and i'm already signed on, I wont be able to be a pilot, but i'll still be locked into a contract. Again, I would love to serve my country but if I cannot fly then I would probably want to be on the ground fighting as a soldier.

I am just afraid as i'm already in college that it will get too late for me if I lollygag a bunch.

Slammer if you don't mind me asking, why did you choose the Navy, how did you get there, and what are you doing for the Navy now?

Check out the Marine Officer Selection Officer in Corvallis too. The number is in the govt. white pages and I assure you they don't want you unless you're really interested. I did that 10 years ago and things worked out well.

 

[FLYTPAY]

I graduated with a 2.95 (I say a gimmie at 3.0) and did College Program for my commissioning source.

What Dirty is not telling you is that he went to pretty much every college in Florida before graduating.

 

[Dirty]

What Dirty is not telling you is that he went to pretty much every college in Florida before graduating.

You are a post whore.. :dunce_125:

 

[FLYTPAY]

And as they say flytpay, you learn something new everyday

That is true, and maybe tomorrow you will learn to proofread your posts.

 

[navy09]

Here are your options (from my perspective), as I think your current GPA is too low for the Navy ROTC scholarship.

NROTC College Program: You pay for school out of your own pocket, but still take all the ROTC classes (called Naval Science, you take one per semester) and you participate in all the regular ROTC stuff (PT, Lab, etc). At the end of your sophomore year if you've been doing well they'll give you a scholarship, if not, they kick you out. So it entails a little bit of risk for you at this point.

OCS (via BDCP): You'd be eligible to start this program at the beginning of your junior year. You get E-3 pay, which isn't bad for a college kid, and you go to OCS once you graduate. The downside is it's also competitive, though I believe some otherwise stellar candidates have been picked up with < 3.0.

Straight OCS: You pay for all of college on your own, but it sounds like that's not a huge deal for you. On the upside, you're a free man for all 4 years with no one to answer to. It's also probably less competitive than ROTC and BDCP.

Each option gets you to the same place. Set goals and work towards them. Good luck!

 

[fusu]

I haven't seen wishicouldfly on AW for a while, but he is at UO and was picked up for Supply BDCP.

Might be a good idea to PM him for info re: an OR in Eugene.

 

[Imdbombboarder]

FlyTPay, I don't want to be disrespectful, so I will refrain myself from continuing our little discussion

Anyways, Midn09,

Is it really easier to get into the Navy through OCS than ROTC as far as selection? I would have thought i'td be the opposite but thats awesome if it is easier by selection!

Though I dont know if this is just a Army/Marines thing but i've heard that officers are much more disrespected if they went through OCS then ROTC or the academy, is that true?

 

[Imdbombboarder]

Oh nice i'll search for him!

 

[navy09]

Is it really easier to get into the Navy through OCS than ROTC as far as selection?

I don't want to start a war, but in general, ROTC is probably more selective than plain OCS. From stats I've seen, BDCP and ROTC are very even. You said you're going to have a 3.4- that's good enough so it won't matter either way.

The Navy isn't in the habit of commissioning retards or deadbeats. I don't think that there's any "easy" way in (at least, I hope there isn't). Do a search for 'Post your stats' and 'insertmonthhere 2008 Board.' Basically they're entire threads of people posting their stats and whether they got picked up.

Though I dont know if this is just a Army/Marines thing but i've heard that officers are much more disrespected if they went through OCS then ROTC or the academy, is that true?

You'd have to be a tool to actually think that. Following that logic, it's probably true for the AF