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[Carsongamer]

Hey guys,

I am a new guy here at these forums but reading through many of the threads i'm pretty sure i've found the right place to get information. I am currently a sophomore in college and looking into career options. I have a family history of naval aviation, thus i'm drawn to it.

I want to fly. That's my dream, and getting there is the big IF. I am almost instrument rated, and have realized to work for the airlines later on in life I will have to have a job before hand that either gives me the experience or the money.

I've looked into switching to a CTI program and getting an associates degree in ATC(barring me from OCS ofcourse). This would provide me the financial security I need to finish my training.

I am drawn straight to the military, but am in fear that i've screwed up too much in my college career with grades to ever be competitive.

Heres my resume:

High School:

1) 3.4 GPA
2) 1480 SAT(New Test)
3) Golf for two years
4) Lacrosse for two

College:

1) 2.65 cum gpa BS Business - Information Systems
2) Webmaster position in fraternity
3) Participating in multiple intramural sports
4) Held multiple leadership positions at my university including: Greek Week PR/Marketing, and Greek Judicial Board
5) Working 20 hours a week during school
6) Private Pilot with 55 hours, going through instrument training currently

As you can see, my GPA is low in a degree that isn't preferred most likely for the military as far as difficulty. I stay in very good shape and feel I could do well as far as fitness scores. My freshman year I decided partying was more important that school, but i've since changed that. I feel I can get my GPA up, but I dont know how high i'll be able to get it.

I hate to make posts like this because I knows its subjective and i'm sure you get this a lot, but unfortunately I am not really getting much advice from family etc, and need to be thinking now if i'm going to be realistically, able to fulfill my dream and become a Naval Flight Officer.

Any advice or comments? Have you seen guys seen people get accepted with fairly low GPA's? I have been following the selection boards, but I see guys who have 3.7 gpa in engineering and still not getting selected the first time. I am willing to give up what I need to give up, and do what it takes to fulfill this dream and serve my country.

Thanks for your time guys

 

[Picaroon]

Are you considering BDCP? You can apply for that soon. I took the ASTB I believe in late Feb or March of my sophomore year. Rocking the ASTB will help balance out your lower GPA.

Get your grades up. That's the first step. If you've improved this semester, that'll work in your favor. You don't have many semesters under your belt so you have time to raise it. Your cumulative is under the minimum I have to have every semester, so you need to work on that.

High school really doesn't factor in for OCS/BDCP applications.

FYI, "naval flight officer" and "naval aviator" are too different things.

Anyway, your best bet is to talk to an officer recruiter and take the ASTB if you're planning on BDCP. Otherwise, you can consider ROTC or wait until your senior year to apply for OCS.

What fraternity are you in?

 

[Carsongamer]

Picroon,

I wasnt sure about hs, so I figured i'd post it anyway, but good to know!

I havent really looked into bdcp, as I feel really uncertain about which career I want, and I wouldn't have too much time to think about it seeing as I have to apply this year.

I am currently in Delta Sigma Phi holding a web administrator position. I thought those two terms were the same! Didn't know there was a difference!

 

[Afterburner209]

Are you considering BDCP? You can apply for that soon. I took the ASTB I believe in late Feb or March of my sophomore year. Rocking the ASTB will help balance out your lower GPA.

Agreed. High ASTB scores can make or break you, but if the rest of your package is too bad, it won't matter. Also, i'll echo Picaroon and tell you to talk to a OFFICER recruiter, there is a difference between him and a enlisted one. You can't get accepted if you don't try.

You can apply for BDCP now or up until you graduate but if you want to get paid, now is ideal.

I want to fly. That's my dream, and getting there is the big IF. I am almost instrument rated, and have realized to work for the airlines later on in life I will have to have a job before hand that either gives me the experience or the money.

Although i'm sure you have though about this, make sure you want to go into the military to be an officer and not to gain free flight training or money. It may sound like a good idea but this isn't just a job. It takes alot of dedication to make it all the way through.

.... if i'm going to be realistically, able to fulfill my dream and become a Naval Flight Officer.

You said your dream was to fly but you needed experience to work in the airlines. You then said your dream is to be a Naval Flight Officer (Which i'm sure you meant Naval Aviator). Which is it?

You need at LEAST a 2.7 GPA for BDCP. If you graduate first, it does not matter. I have seen guys on here with low GPA's get accepted, yes. They will evaluate the whole package you give them and decide.

Advice: Talk to a Recruiter. Get your grades up, retake classes you failed if any. Stay in shape, stay out of trouble, and stay healthy. Lastly, study and get ready for the ASTB and do well.

Before you do any of that though, you should really think about it and make sure this is what you want to do. You will be in the service for a minimum of about 10 years as a pilot (I think 4 at first, plus 6 on winging).

Other than that, use the search function on this forum, tons of info is available on the subject and just about anything you could want to know.

(I am in BDCP and not in the fleet yet so my opinion is what it is. Based on reading and personal experience.)

 

[Carsongamer]

Afterburner,

I apologize I was a bit unclear. I want to work for the airlines eventually, but I wouldn't pursue that until i'm 40+. More than just flying even, I want to serve my country. I'm incredibly patriotic, and the only thing better for me than serving my country is being able to do it and do something I love. If I was deemed unable to fly then it may change it, but me giving back to my country for what it has given my family through the last hundred years is something of importance for me.

I'd ask what the BDCP program entails, but i'll save you some typing and go search that myself.

I guess my big thing is that I want to know with my gpa and degree etc, is it even worth it to me to try. I am willing to do what it takes, but I have to be a bit realistic as to where I am at.

 

[Hozer]

This has been said before countless times on this board:

Do not join merely to "fly" or as a stepping-stone to the airlines. Join because you want to lead men (and women).
Officers first.

Good luck.

 

[CUPike11]

I guess my big thing is that I want to know with my gpa and degree etc, is it even worth it to me to try. I am willing to do what it takes, but I have to be a bit realistic as to where I am at.

Your degree isn't going to make or break your package. There are aviators on here (Senior officers, JO's, and guys getting ready for OCS like myself) who have all kinds of degrees. I have an engineering degree and I know another guy on here who is Poli Sci currently and going to OCS in January. I graduated undergrad with a 2.56 GPA, but I had a 3.7 in grad school and I did pretty well on the ASTB.

Basically echoing what everyone else said already. The boards look at the "Whole person" when they are looking at packages. Just because you have a super high gpa in a really hard technical degree and a high ASTB score does NOT guarantee you will get accepted. Cruise through some of the "insert month here" 2009 board threads to see the stats of applicants. I went up in August 2009 and so you'll find stats of people from that particular board and if they got accepted once word got out to them from their OR.

I couldn't agree more with the last piece of it though. Make sure your wanting to be in the military is that you want to become an OFFICER FIRST. Seriously sit down and think about what that entails or ask some of the guys/girls on here who are officers about what its like.

Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress.

 

[Bevo16]

College:

1) 2.65 cum gpa BS Business - Information Systems
2) Webmaster position in fraternity
3) Participating in multiple intramural sports
4) Held multiple leadership positions at my university including: Greek Week PR/Marketing, and Greek Judicial Board
5) Working 20 hours a week during school
6) Private Pilot with 55 hours, going through instrument training currently

Any advice or comments?

Stop fucking around with your frat, silly IM sports and crack a book.

"MVP of Phi-Lambda-Kappa's Championship dodgeball team" is not going to polish the turd of a 2.65 GPA. You probably want to avoid putting things starting with "Greek Week" on you application. Those are not "positions at the university", they are drinking binges.

It's a job application. Employers don't give a fuck about your fraternity, especially when it looks like you are spending more time on that secondary activity instead of actually acquiring an education.

 

[Afterburner209]

Afterburner,

I apologize I was a bit unclear. I want to work for the airlines eventually, but I wouldn't pursue that until i'm 40+. More than just flying even, I want to serve my country. I'm incredibly patriotic, and the only thing better for me than serving my country is being able to do it and do something I love. If I was deemed unable to fly then it may change it, but me giving back to my country for what it has given my family through the last hundred years is something of importance for me.

I'd ask what the BDCP program entails, but i'll save you some typing and go search that myself.

I guess my big thing is that I want to know with my gpa and degree etc, is it even worth it to me to try. I am willing to do what it takes, but I have to be a bit realistic as to where I am at.

Nothing wrong with wanting to work for the airlines but if you want to be a Naval Aviator now, get that as your mindset. Don't worry about your job after you retire, worry about the job your trying to get now. You will face a lot of challenges and need your mind and body ready. I would look through the threads about a Naval Aviator's life and duties (yeah I said duties, I'm immature).

Good for you on searching about BDCP. Here is a link with a pretty good basic overview if you have not looked at it yet: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/officerjo2/a/bdcp.htm Im in BDCP right now and I can tell you that guys I know in ROTC and the Academy both are jealous to some extent. It's a awesome program. A bit harder to get than regular OCS but it's worth the effort of trying.

Realistically; you are completely able to be competitive. I had almost no "extra" skills or accomplishments, my GPA was hardly over a 3.0. As a sophomore, getting a 3.5 this year will raise your GPA up to over a 3.0; easy if you try, your in lower division classes. Lastly, I picked a pointless major because I knew I wanted to go navy and chose something easy. Why bust my ass on chemistry when I wont use it? My major is Human Communication (HCOM) and when I called the Officer Recruiter (OR), he said "What the fuck is that? You wont make it with that." Long story short, I did.

Moral of the story is, quit worrying and start talking to a OR. Get your shit together and decide what you want and do it. Like I said before, you cant get accepted if you don't apply.

 

[Thisguy]

College:

1) 2.65 cum gpa BS Business - Information Systems
5) Working 20 hours a week during school

This is something that you can focus on hand-in-hand. This isn't necessarily a good excuse, but it does show that there are other (productive) demands on your time other than just school, especially if you're using that money to help foot the tuition bill, and not, say, hookers and blow.

 

[jtmedli]

words...if you're using that money to help foot the tuition bill, and not, say, hookers and blow.

Wait...that's what I was doing wrong all this time!! Oh well, as Ron Burgundy would say, "when in Rome"...

 

[Afterburner209]

... "when in Rome"...

Yes? Please continue......

 

[jtmedli]

Yes? Please continue......

If we run into each other 'in the fleet' one day we'll be dangerous!!

 

[Afterburner209]

Agreed.

Thread Jack: Are you in BDCP?

 

[jtmedli]

Agreed.

Thread Jack #2: Are you in BDCP?

Nah, no BDCP. I've already graduated. Putting in for OCS in January.

Corrected the above!!