Few questions on STA-21

[Intel101]

Hello everyone my name is IS3 Flowers and this will be my first time applying to this program. I have been in the Navy for 20 months with very to few awards. The only award have is junior sailor the quarter. I was kind of intimidated in a previous thread where people had all type of warfares and NAMS. Really hard for me to get any warfare pins since im on shore duty lol. My high school grades are extremely poor i mean extremely poor but i started college to show a new track record that i can do excellent in school and also CLEP'n alot of courses as well. SO MY FEW QUESTIONS ARE..........

1. Is High School grades a big part of the package?
2. How many times do most people apply to get accepted? Whats the most you seen some one apply?
3. Does the board know how many times a applicant has applied for the program
4. Do you believe if you keep applying that you will get accepted as long as you better yourself each year and stay out of trouble?

I was shy to start this program at first cause i dont want to get that letter in the mail to say try again next year. Then i said to myself if i keep on trying and keep applying they will accept me one day as a officer. So im going to just do that, keep knocking until the door opens!

Thanks everybody i will be on this thread alot.

 

[cbaker]

IS3,

Well good job on starting your first thread. I have been here for almost a year and have yet to start one.

First thing, you really don't need to be intimidated by us. We won't bite and there is a wealth of knowledge on here, just ask (like you did) and now I will take a stab at your questions.

1) For you your high school grades will be a large part of your package. The only real reason is you don't have any other school to show you have matured and take getting an education seriously. It sounds like you are in college and that is great. You should just try to get your associates and take as many advance classes as you can. That way, if you don't get in this year, you will be able to put together a stronger package next year and have that much better of a chance to get it.
2) Some times people get in their first try. I have heard of a guy not getting in on his 6th try. There is no telling you just need to put together the best package that you can and hope when the message comes out you are accepted.
3) The board will know that you applied before but the exact amount of times I don't believe so unless it is put somewhere else in your package. Case in point, on my external nomination board their skipper put that this is my third time applying and I have done everything possible to improve my package every year. The board will know that this is my third year and I am determined to be an Officer.
4) YES!!!! If you keep applying and every year you put together a more competitive package there is no way you won't get accepted. There is a lot of trial and error with these packages so please feel free to ask but if you read everything you can on the package and keep plucking away at college (getting a good GPA on the way), take every opportunity to be a leader in the Navy that you can and work hard at work. I honestly believe you will get in.

If you don't get accepted don't quit. I have eaten that bitter, bitter pill twice. Life isn't about what happens; it is about what you do with what happens. If you don't get in, learn from it and put together a better package next year. But whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP!

 

[Intel101]

NThanks for answering my questions. I am currently trying to get my associated I got to transfer all 37 credits from A and C school to my university. So I'm takng courses right and CLEP a lot as well. I will not give up. How long have you been in the Navy?

 

[etspike]

Heh, today's my day for trying to answer questions.

1) High school grades are required for the package. As for them being bad, that depends on how you spin it. Academic ability is obviously something they're looking for: if you have your CLEP tests and some kick-ass grades from college you can try to account for you previous low grades and show how you're improving.

2) There was a brief in San Diego some time ago where they had a handful of midshipmen going through the program. Most of them had to apply more than once. The few who got it first time were pretty shit-hot. It depends on what your applying for as well though.

3) This one I'm not sure about. I would assume yes, but it wouldn't hurt to mention that you've applied before (especially in reference to how much better your package is this time around).

4) The one thing I keep hearing is that boards like this love to see improvement. That's almost part of the reason people are encouraged to start applying early in their career. Maybe you don't make it the first time right out of school, but the second one you might have made second (or third), or have a warfare pin. If you can show improvement every time, you'll not only stand a good chance to getting picked up, it'll really help your career outside of just an officer package.

Oh and you don't have to worry about getting a disappointing letter...the results come out as a message on NPC, so you just won't see your name on the list.

 

[cbaker]

NThanks for answering my questions. I am currently trying to get my associated I got to transfer all 37 credits from A and C school to my university. So I'm takng courses right and CLEP a lot as well. I will not give up. How long have you been in the Navy?

That is the right attitude to have. Get as much school and keep that GPA up. It really is a numbers game and if you have though checks in the block you should get it. Good luck.

 

[OscarMyers]

Heh, today's my day for trying to answer questions.

1) High school grades are required for the package. As for them being bad, that depends on how you spin it. Academic ability is obviously something they're looking for: if you have your CLEP tests and some kick-ass grades from college you can try to account for you previous low grades and show how you're improving.

I graduated Highschool with a 1.8 GPA and i got selected last year. So there is hope if you weren't always a stellar student. Just show improvement and growth. A lil food for thought.