technical degree preferance?

[Lord Doog]

Hey guys, I was wondering whether the Marines "unofficially" look more highly upon pilot applicants with a technical degree like engineering. I know the Air Force does this and I was wondering if the same holds true for the USMC. I am also aware that officially, it doesn't matter what degree you have. I'm curious as to unofficially.

FYI, I know there's a thread like this already, but it's in the Navy forum. My concern is with the Marines.

Thanks!

 

[WinterMute]

I asked this same question of my OSO when I went through a couple of years ago, and the response was that your GPA might be taken in a different light because there is slightly less grade inflation for the technical stuff, but otherwise it was the same. From what I gathered, even your ASTB score was a Pass/Fail type thing. As long as you got straight 6's they could care less. Things may have changed since the economy tanked, but provisionally, the answer is no. Anyone who might have actually been an OSO/on a selection board would trump my opinion.

 

[jtmedli]

Hey guys, I was wondering whether the Marines "unofficially" look more highly upon pilot applicants with a technical degree like engineering. I know the Air Force does this and I was wondering if the same holds true for the USMC. I am also aware that officially, it doesn't matter what degree you have. I'm curious as to unofficially.

FYI, I know there's a thread like this already, but it's in the Navy forum. My concern is with the Marines.

Thanks!

Seeing as how it's 'unofficial' then I'm not sure if anyone can answer the question with much certainty, short of those who actually do the selecting. The Navy and Air Force are relatively open about their preference for technical degrees. With the Marine Corps and the competitive nature of things right now, your PFT score being pretty high is going to be as important, if not more important, than the type of degree you have. FWIW, my OSO never cared about the type of degree as long as the GPA was good, PFT was a 270 or better, and you could rock out on the ASTB. (I'm assuming you're talking about an SNA slot here)

 

[phrogdriver]

Unofficially, who knows. I'll speak to my ex-OSO buddy next time I see him. Really though, unless you're talking about 2 guys otherwise completely identical but that one is criminal justice and the other is aeronautical engineering going for the very last spot, it's unlikely to make a difference. Don't base you decision on major based on that. You'll likely have a lower GPA in a field you don't like than one you do, and having a lower GPA will definitely hurt you--officially.