NROTC Marine!

[wyldechild]

Hey this one is for all you previous NROTC guys. I'm in high school just about to start my Senior year. I have talked my recruiter about being competitive for the scholarship. my asvab was a 63. verbal skills 95,math 46, science tech 82. but i took that beginning of junior year. I haven't taken the SATs yet. my recruiter said study up for the SATs. but didn't really tell me anything else to help me prepare. i think i'll do good on the PRT( all though i have to bring my mile up. i run 7:00) Shouldn't there be anything i should be doing besides studying and working out? It feels like i'm wasting time.

Also i'm also having trouble picking a major for college. i was thinking aeronautical engineering but that seems out of reach since i'm not good at math. any suggestions? the schools i'll be planning on going to are UC Davis, UC berkeley, and UC san diego.

 

[Superclub]

I just finished up my app and the asvab really has nothing to do with NROTC, it is used for selecting jobs on the enlisted side of things. To make yourself more competitive I would say get some extra curriculars e.g: volunteer service, sports, school clubs etc. definately study and do well on SAT's and keep grades high in school. Basically do things that make you stand out and not be another joe schmo who goes to school gets grades and sits in front of a computer all day.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Also i'm also having trouble picking a major for college. i was thinking aeronautical engineering but that seems out of reach since i'm not good at math. any suggestions? the schools i'll be planning on going to are UC Davis, UC berkeley, and UC san diego.

Give your major some thought. Aerospace Engineering (also known to many as "Pre-liberal arts") is a great major and can set you up for a great career later, but if your thought process is "I need to major in this to be a pilot", then rethink that option.

I was an Aero major for 2 years and, like you, sucked at math. Perhaps I should say really lacked the motivation to do well at it. In any event, I got my butt handed to me GPA-wise (about 2.0). The Marine Corps could hardly give less of a crap about your major so long as you do well. I switched to sociology and got my degree that way (with a crowd pleasing 2.5). I wish I'd have split the difference by majoring in something better, like business, but not as math intensive. That way I would have a better GPA and a more marketable degree.

Take your time and pick a major that you are interested in that fits with your future plans. It may take a year or so of general studies to get a feel for what you want. You may be surprised at what you pick. Good luck.

 

[ChunksJR]

Take your time and pick a major that you are interested in that fits with your future plans.

...unless of course your future plans are to be a Naval Aviator...then any major will do.

 

[Thisguy]

Also i'm also having trouble picking a major for college.

IMO, that's the beauty of ROTC, you can pick a major with out worrying about "what you're going to do with it" after graduation. If you're truly interested in English, go for it, you know you're going for a commission in the end. If you hate school, pick a major loaded with "talent"

I wasn't ROTC, and I noticed the main reason people majored in engineering or business (seriously, who grows up saying "I want to be a supply chain manager") was to get a job after college, and to make fun of the liberal arts majors.

 

[wyldechild]

Thanks everybody I guess i was thinking that i would be ahead of the competition at pensacola and have a good chance at getting a aviation contract if i had some backround in aviation.

 

[ChunksJR]

Who grows up saying "I want to be a supply chain manager?

Who's got thumbs and wants to be a supply chain manager...THIS GUY! (after the military anyway...). I got a degree in IE, which involves exactly that...and what these guys do:

 

[Fezz CB]

Thanks everybody I guess i was thinking that i would be ahead of the competition at pensacola and have a good chance at getting a aviation contract if i had some backround in aviation.

No aviation background required.

 

[Harrier Dude]

...unless of course your future plans are to be a Naval Aviator...then any major will do.

That's all good, but coming from a guy that has a BS in Sociology with a 2.5 from a state school (Hello Pot?, This is Kettle....), you might want to think about other venues besides aviation and how your degree might stack up.

I swore to all that is holy that I would NEVER go back to school after getting my degree. My plan was to stay in the Corps as long as I was having fun, then bail and fly for the airlines.

Fast forward 10-15 years, I found all of my buddies who got out to fly the freindly skies selling insurance, serving slurpees, or generally begging to come back on to active duty. That scared the Hell out of me now that I have a wife and three kids. Suddenly that 2.5 in Sociology wasn't looking too good in the job market. I decided to stay in (since I was still having fun) and went and got an MBA.

I really wish that I had picked a more relevant major and worked harder for better grades. Not that I didn't enjoy drinking lots of beer and chasing every skirt in town at the time. Looking at the credintials of some of you applicants on this board makes me wonder how I ever got selected.

Something to think about. You can't fly forever.

 

[KnightNArmor]

I am a 46 driver in at Camp Pendleton. I majored in technology education in school. People always look at me strange when I say that because no one knows what it means. I'm a high school shop teacher. Yep...really glamorous isn't it.
Choosing your major is all about what you want to do and what you are happy doing. after that, if you want to be a pilot then you just have to work hard. I know some engineers that had a harder time in flight school than I did because they tried to over analyze things. Being a non-engineer, I just pushed the "I Believe" button and called it a day....

ribbit

 

[skidkid]

If you go to UC Davis do yourself a favor and take some classes from Victor Davis Hansen.
Any major will do really with a nod to those who talk about setting yourself up for success should you decide to get out.
Remember if you get out of the military after 8 to 10 years the job market cares less about major and GPA than about performance in the last 8-10 years.
A guy who got an engineering degree 10 years ago wont even remember his proffessors names let alone how to be an engineer. Take that smae guy who has been a Flightline OIC, Company Commander, Operations Officer etc and guess what he is very marketable managing engineers.
Something to think about

 

[IrishRed]

i think i'll do good on the PRT( all though i have to bring my mile up. i run 7:00) Shouldn't there be anything i should be doing besides studying and working out? It feels like i'm wasting time.

Also i'm also having trouble picking a major for college. i was thinking aeronautical engineering but that seems out of reach since i'm not good at math. any suggestions? the schools i'll be planning on going to are UC Davis, UC berkeley, and UC san diego.

I would say work on the Marine PFT. I had to have a pretty good one to even be considered. (Mine was a 270 because I had a sucking flexed arm hang from a shoulder injury and my Marine recruiter said I was pushing it for a scholarship because it was low). In my NROTC unit the Marine Options never did Navy PRT we always did the Marine PFT and you didn't pass unless you got a first class PFT which is above a 225. So...I would say run, run, and run some more. Work on your pullups; situps come easy as long as you do them every day.

As far as a major, do what you like. The Marines will take you regardless as long as you have above a 2.0 (granted you better do better than that...but you get the point) and if you go Marine Option you're guaranteed a spot in flight school as long as you pass the ASTB. Like my Captain told me when I was thinking about my major, "It doesn't matter what you know and how much of it you do know. The Marines want you for your body, not your mind." - that being said, aim for a subject you enjoy and that can help you if/when you get out of the military.