Considering Options Prior to Enlisting

[Spekkio]

To clarify: By no means am I saying that you must be a genious to get accepted, but the GPA requirements to be a competitive applicant are probably higher than most people off the street looking to apply might originally expect.

 

[SkywardET]

I also do not wish to burst your bubble, but I would repeat what others have stated. If you do enlist, you must pick a rate that you would not mind doing if you attrite from BUD/S. I can give you an honest rundown of most of the available rates if you wish.

 

[xmid]

The SEAL designator in our OCS class was a genious who graduated HS at 16 and obtained his BS in Mathematics by 19. It took him until 21 to be accepted into OCS.

I went through OCS with several (9 off the top of my head that were there at the same time I was) Specwar candidates, several of home had GPA's that were less than stellar. Most had outrageously good PST scores, except one and he had an excellent GPA from Stanford. He's one of the few that are still going strong in BUDs. I know 3 of those guys had less than a 3.0... Take that for what you will.

 

[Mr. Jack]

Update on situation:

I spoke with an Officer Recruiter who told me a bit about BDCP and OCS. As AJB37 put it himself, there is no SEALS through BDCP. Program interested me though. Also said slots for Seals Officer is much more competitive than for enlisted, as was stated in thread. Have some choices to make. BDCP is ideal at this point of my life, given I go to college. But not getting what I want through the program gets it disqualified from my range of selection. Now I'm considering between OCS to Seals (while weighing my chances with 4-5 Officer Seal slots open nationwide when they are accepting applicants), and just going in enlisted. Thank you to everyone who submitted information or advice. All comments helped give a clearer sense of what I was doing. More comments and ideas welcomed. I check forums regularly.

-Jack

 

[Spekkio]

My only suggestion would be to pick your decision based primarily on what job you want to do in the Navy, and not based on money. Four to six years is a long time to be miserable for some extra college cash.

 

[xmid]

Now I'm considering between OCS to Seals (while weighing my chances with 4-5 Officer Seal slots open nationwide when they are accepting applicants), and just going in enlisted...
-Jack

There are more like 12-14 slots for OCS SPECWAR candidates yearly. (Obviously this could fluctuate some with the need for SEAL officers. Right now they have too many at the JO level.) There are usually two boards, one in January/February(ish) and one in June/July(ish). I think alot of guys get turned away by recruiters telling them that there aren't any slots and that its damn near impossible. The fact of the matter is that it can be done. So if that is what you want go for it. We had a lot of SPECWAR guys at OCS while I was there and not a single one was prior enlisted.

I would warn you though to keep your eyes on the prize of making it through BUDs no matter which path you choose, instead of focusing on being accepted. I spoke with one of my friends from OCS that just attrited from BUDs about a week or two ago and not many of the guys I went through OCS with are still at BUDs. You should keep in mind that as an officer you will be expected to not just finish BUDs, but to lead while you're there. The "burden of command" is heavy for a young ensign at BUDs. A bad boat crew could mean that you are being forced to pick up their slack and in doing so you have a harder time there than others. Get a bad attitude, or get pissed at the enlisted under your command and you won't be there long. From speaking with my friends who were there or are there, they've all said that good leadership and a good attitude are what gets you through. Not to say that going through enlisted would automatically be easier, but there could be certain elements that you wouldn't have to worry about as much and you can go back if you don't make it through on your first attempt. Officers generally get one shot.

PM zissou, he's been there done that. He could probably give you some of the best insight in to making a decision.

 

[NavyAsh]

New here. Found the forum to be informative and straight forward. So, thought to ask for some advice.

22 years old, in college with 45 credits. G.P.A's a 3.6.

I'm about to enlist into the Navy. Want to do Special Warfare (S.E.A.L.S). Been pretty much focused on that. Haven't given much thought to anything else (I figured I know what I want, might as well just go for it).
Easing up on the gung-ho attitude, I did a little research. Now I'm considering different options going in and, more importantly, about life after the 6 year contract.

I want to know 1.) if I'm eligible for any program that promotes me to officer prior enlistment, 2.) how I'd go about applying, and 3.) how would being part of any of these programs affect my trying to become a S.E.A.L. BDCP seems a good way to go, but I haven't taken any serious math courses or declared a major yet.

All advice welcomed. Thanks,
-Jack

(btw - I asked my recruiter about NROTC and was told one has to complete any ROTC program before turning 23. After that, the answers and attitude presented suggested I should enlist first and then promote to officer if I wanted.)

Good luck, I think you're on the right track with speaking directly with a recruitment officer. There are several officer programs -- like BDCP, NUPOC and CEC, depending on your major. I agree that BDCP may be a good option for you, and you may also could qualify to earn money to pay off your tuition.