Does the college matter?

[snizo]

Definitely agree with majoring in something you want to major in and going to a school you want to go to and THEN worrying about NROTC selection rates. If you're a super star, you will be a super star regardless of where you go...

however...I disagree with this one:

What college you go to has no relation to your selection.

Someone mentioned a Harvard grad with a 3.5 vs. Any State University 3.5 - you really think the navy weighs them equally? OK ... well replace 'Harvard' with a real school with a legit grading system (ha) and then ask the same question? The navy is increasingly interested in people who have technical majors (ie - they increasingly want to raise the bar) and low tier schools just don't offer the same quality of education that higher tier schools do.

While the Navy might not officially give weight to students from certain schools, It seems to me (logically and from selection rates I have seen) that it does happen. Besides - just because it isn't officially weighed now doesn't mean it won't ever be...

 

[vegita1220]

Just some issues:
Yeah, it's nice to pick a major you're interested in where you'll work hard.
Except a buddy in engineering busts his ass(I mean a REAL work ethic, the kind most people wish they had) and is barely passing the prereqs...he'll do fine when he gets past them, but they've killed his GPA. He can tinker with engines, and has more practical knowledge and interest in the subject than most other of our peers, but his grades don't reflect either his interest or effort.
Another kid who was in the program with us switched out to the business school. He gets drunk almost every night and is getting straight As. He wasn't interested in business at all...he just wanted OUT of engineering, and being on the swim team, he had a golden ladder out since the coach sits on the business school board.

And for the kid who might decide he just wants to get a good GPA like one of the early posters said anybody wanting aviation should...what if he decides to take a BS major instead of a real one that he might have some interest in? Then when you're looking around for a master's, they'll see you majored in underwater basket weaving and ask some tough questions. Will experience as a naval officer make up for having taken no real classes in college? For sure, if you had ANY interest in going into say a med program or MEng afterwards, you're probably screwed.

I think it's a slightly more complex issue.

 

[VarmintShooter]

Haven't seen the selection rates, so I don't know how they pan out. I still doubt that school plays a much of a factor, but without seeing the rates I guess I'll have to defer to Snizo. (wouldn't mind seeing them ... would be pretty interesting)

Vegita, you're right of course. You've got to get good grades to get picked up. Assuming that you could get good grades in either, go with what you like.

 

[SlickAg]

If you want to be able to get drunk every night, go to the business school too.

I don't think anyone is stupid enough to have an "underwater basket weaving" degree and then apply to an engineering or medical master's program. Probably because they wouldn't meet the requirements. Not quite sure what your point is.

If your school does have an underwater basket weaving master's program, could you let me know? Guess I can't do much else with my liberal arts (history) degree.

 

[Pags]

Pags thats not what I was saying at all....Of course engineers can hack it as pilots...they are extremely intelligent. I was pointing out that you don't necessarily NEED that type of background to be a SUCCESSFUL aviator. My other point was that the Navy loooooooves engineers becuase they can do a job that not many can....submarine warfare. What are you talking about...the Navy certainly can deny your selection for aviation and select you for sub warfare. I'm not talking about OCS or BDCP. I was talking about ROTC. You misunderstood me. (bch if you were referring to me I was a member of an NROTC battalion)

I was always under the impression that going nuke was voluntary. You had to want to go to Naval Reactors and take the interview. Or at least that's the way I thought it was. I've never heard of anyone being picked for something that wasn't on their card (out of NROTC).

As far as degrees for aviation, your earlier post had me thinking that you felt that engineers were destined to be terrible pilots, or even worse, nuke guys.

 

[Pags]

I can't vouch for any other engineers on this site, but I can tell you that I was in no way pressured into going nuke(other than the typical "it will make you the richest man alive" sales pitch). Granted, the nukes tried to get me to join their program, but there wasn't any pressure from my command to do anything but what I wanted. I don't know of anyone from my unit that was "encouraged" to do something they didn't want to.

 

[bch]

Definitely agree with majoring in something you want to major in and going to a school you want to go to and THEN worrying about NROTC selection rates. If you're a super star, you will be a super star regardless of where you go...

however...I disagree with this one:



Someone mentioned a Harvard grad with a 3.5 vs. Any State University 3.5 - you really think the navy weighs them equally? OK ... well replace 'Harvard' with a real school with a legit grading system (ha) and then ask the same question? The navy is increasingly interested in people who have technical majors (ie - they increasingly want to raise the bar) and low tier schools just don't offer the same quality of education that higher tier schools do.

While the Navy might not officially give weight to students from certain schools, It seems to me (logically and from selection rates I have seen) that it does happen. Besides - just because it isn't officially weighed now doesn't mean it won't ever be...

While it may make sense in theory (a harvad 3.5 vs a chico state 3.5) in the NROTC selection matrix, school is not taken into account.