Seafort
Made His Bed, Is Now Lying In It
I asked.
No, really. There were steps involved in the "asking," but essentially that's what I did. Now I asked with humility and respect, and there is a proper way to go about it (don't just start emailing random Admirals! I've seen it done, and the result was BAD BAD BAD).
These folks want to see us succeed, and if we get all 10s, they believe we're going to. The O-10 in question was the one who suggested going back to school, and has in general been an awesome mentor, although we didn't know each other before I asked for the interview. My ASTB is good but not great, and my undergraduate GPA is the same. With work on the PBBS and the MA, I've gained opportunities to show both academic ability and leadership positions, and I'm glad he was willing to help. That whole person concept should matter, and I think my post-BA work (and the teaching career I had before it) shows I am an asset. Who I was five years ago (the person with the 3.08 and quit NROTC) no longer exists.
What did I have to lose? If he had said no, I wouldn't have been any worse off. Being able to gauge risks and take initiative is a valuable skill for an officer... or so someone once told me.
No, really. There were steps involved in the "asking," but essentially that's what I did. Now I asked with humility and respect, and there is a proper way to go about it (don't just start emailing random Admirals! I've seen it done, and the result was BAD BAD BAD).
These folks want to see us succeed, and if we get all 10s, they believe we're going to. The O-10 in question was the one who suggested going back to school, and has in general been an awesome mentor, although we didn't know each other before I asked for the interview. My ASTB is good but not great, and my undergraduate GPA is the same. With work on the PBBS and the MA, I've gained opportunities to show both academic ability and leadership positions, and I'm glad he was willing to help. That whole person concept should matter, and I think my post-BA work (and the teaching career I had before it) shows I am an asset. Who I was five years ago (the person with the 3.08 and quit NROTC) no longer exists.
What did I have to lose? If he had said no, I wouldn't have been any worse off. Being able to gauge risks and take initiative is a valuable skill for an officer... or so someone once told me.
