OCS GPA vs. Major

[Nick225]

Hello,

I am currently a senior in high school and therefore am in the process of choosing a college and commissioning program into the Navy. After doing some research on here, I found some information regarding the importance of GPA compared to the importance of college major for service selection in NROTC. Although there was some controversy on this topic, the general consensus seemed to be that your overall college GPA takes priority and that major choice is of less consideration, if any at all.

Can anyone affirm that this is also true when being reviewed by SNA selection boards for OCS?

I am currently undecided as to whether I should major in engineering or something less technical (most likely business) and I'd hate to shoot myself in the foot by ending up with a lower GPA in engineering (simply because of the difficulty of the courses) and diminish my chances when I could most likely have a higher GPA in another major. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, as this is a critical time for me and I just want to give myself the best chances for being commissioned as a SNA in four years.

Thank you in advance!

 

[John Gil]

Get the degree that you are most interested in and tour GPA will be fine because you'll be into the material.

 

[BusyBee604]

Get the degree that you are most interested in and tour GPA will be fine because you'll be into the material.

Concur with that, although the Navy has 'somewhat' a preference for tech degrees... the GPA weighs much heavier in selection than your major. A tech degree would be highly desireable if your career goals include Test Pilot (TPS), or Astronaut training. High GPAs/ASTBs count large for selection!
BzB

 

[Spekkio]

What civilian career will you persue when you get out? Major in that.

 

[LET73]

What civilian career will you persue when you get out? Major in that.

Your point is well taken, but at the same time, it's not really fair to tell a high school senior to decide what he's going to want to do ten years from now (or more). I think the key is to strike a balance between something you're interested in, and something that will help you get a job down the road. Then work hard and maintain a good GPA.

Having a technical degree is starting to get more important for OCS; I don't think that's necessarily the way it should be, but that's the way it is. That said, if you know the engineering degree would hose your GPA, it's not worth it. On the other hand, it's not worth maintaining a 4.0 in basket weaving, either.

 

[Spekkio]

True, but he's got one to two years of core classes to take to decide. Just make sure that a calc sequence and calc based physics sequence is among them so the options stay open without going on a 5-6 year plan.

The "major what you're interested in" alone is bad advice. Unless you're super wealthy, you're probably not attending college just for the fun of learning something. You're attending to earn a degree that will lead to gainful employment. If you don't know what that is yet, you're better off working a full time job to figure it out than spending $20-40k/year to figure it out. He needs to research what degrees lead to well paying careers and then picks what interests him out of that.

 

[LET73]

I think we're saying essentially the same thing. Majoring in something you're not passionate about in order to get a job may be the way to go... but when the goal is a degree in order to meet commissioning requirements, there's some flexibility. Speaking for myself, I could have majored in physics or engineering. I'm sure I wouldn't have flunked out, but I also don't think my GPA would have been high enough for any selection board to do anything besides laugh and move on to someone else. I also could have majored in classics, loved life for four years... and still be eating ramen, ten years after graduation.

 

[Spekkio]

but when the goal is a degree in order to meet commissioning requirements, there's some flexibility.

Sort of. Whether it be after a first tour, after retirement, or god forbid after something makes you NPQ, you will get out of the Navy one day. I agree that majoring in something that is so difficult for you that you become ineligible for a commission is not the way to go (likewise, this will probably make you ineligible for gainful civilian employment), as you stated majoring in classics is not going to set you up for success, either.

I am not advocating OP major in a technical degree because it looks good; I'm advocating that OP take a look at what degrees lead to well paying jobs. Many of those are technical, and many are not. Unlike when I started college in 2001, broadband internet is mainstream and there is a ton of information on this topic. People who majored in business or communications are a dime a dozen. You get paid more for having a skillset that is in demand. The minimum technical course requirements to be eligible for any URL commissioning program is a calculus and calculus based physics sequence.

 

[LET73]

I think the other thing to keep in mind is that if your dream is to be a naval aviator and you go for the engineering (or whatever) degree you don't enjoy because you think it's going to help, and then get NPQ'd and even intel won't take you, you're basically stuck doing what you got your degree in, which kind of sucks if you never wanted to be an engineer. I don't mean that anyone without a ton of money to spend on a college education should just go do what he enjoys regardless of common sense, but I do think it's important to pick something you find interesting--especially if you end up leaving the Navy sooner than you expected. Your major matters less and less as you replace college class experience with real-world work experience.

 

[ghost]

I think the other thing to keep in mind is that if your dream is to be a naval aviator and you go for the engineering (or whatever) degree you don't enjoy because you think it's going to help, and then get NPQ'd and even intel won't take you, you're basically stuck doing what you got your degree in, which kind of sucks if you never wanted to be an engineer. I don't mean that anyone without a ton of money to spend on a college education should just go do what he enjoys regardless of common sense, but I do think it's important to pick something you find interesting--especially if you end up leaving the Navy sooner than you expected. Your major matters less and less as you replace college class experience with real-world work experience.

This is some bad advice.

An engineering degree does not mean you have take an engineering job. You will not be "stuck doing what you got your degree in." Top MBA and law programs are always looking for people with engineering backgrounds in their admissions processes. EE degrees are a particular favorite of Wall Street. When separating from the navy, an engineering degree will not close any doors to any opportunities out there; it will only open doors.

If you are spending close to 100k on your education, it should be in a field that will improve your employment opportunities.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

This is some bad advice.

An engineering degree does not mean you have take an engineering job. You will not be "stuck doing what you got your degree in." Top MBA and law programs are always looking for people with engineering backgrounds in their admissions processes. EE degrees are a particular favorite of Wall Street. When separating from the navy, an engineering degree will not close any doors to any opportunities out there; it will only open doors.

If you are spending close to 100k on your education, it should be in a field that will improve your employment opportunities.

I review hundreds of resume's each week, and I will say it is amazing how many people I see that have technical degrees that are in non technical jobs.

 

[LET73]

This is some bad advice.

An engineering degree does not mean you have take an engineering job. You will not be "stuck doing what you got your degree in." Top MBA and law programs are always looking for people with engineering backgrounds in their admissions processes. EE degrees are a particular favorite of Wall Street. When separating from the navy, an engineering degree will not close any doors to any opportunities out there; it will only open doors.

If you are spending close to 100k on your education, it should be in a field that will improve your employment opportunities.

Fair enough; I stand corrected. I shouldn't have implied your degree locks you into a narrow field, and certainly it's good advice in general to get a technical degree--it's just not good advice for someone who doesn't want one and would do better in another field. There's a balance between a degree that will give you a high GPA, and a degree that makes you employable, and it does seem like that balance tends to tilt towards STEM majors.

Of course, the question about "what's the 'right' degree" isn't going to go away, and there's not a right answer (just look at the perennial discussions about ERAU).

 

[helolumpy]

Of course, the question about "what's the 'right' degree" isn't going to go away, and there's not a right answer (just look at the perennial discussions about ERAU).

What ever degree interests you enough that enjoy the course work and get the highest grades possible is the right answer.
Taking a technical degree because someone thinks it will enhance their package but end up with a 2.4 will loose out to the 3.5 history manager when they both apply to flight school.
Take what interests you since you will probably do better than coursework you have little interest in.

 

[MasterBates]

Take what you find interesting.. Just don't be shocked if you don't get picked up by the Navy, and are waiting tables with a degree in Art History because the local schools aren't hiring.

I'd say for an Ex-JO who gets out, degree is important, but nowhere near as much as a recent grad with no military experience trying to get a job. I can't hire enough engineers, but I have two humanities majors working for me as roustabouts.

Roustabout = manual labor. Pays Ok because it's oilfield, but there isn't much of a future in it. I've been tutoring one of the guys in calculus, as he's going to try to go back and get something useful. The other one may be registering here shortly, as he's studying for the ASTB and will be applying for OCS. I think taking him to Kingsville and Corpus to see the planes when we were off one day sold him. He's got a good GPA, but it's in something totally worthless. Women's Studies.

 

[MasterBates]

I know of a few friends who got caught in the 'Great FOS of 2011/12' and most are doing well. The guys with less marketable degrees were able to parley their Navy experience into jobs that needed their clearances, or experience with a system.

STEM degrees, and other useful ones open doors. Right now I'm doing project management.. I maybe do actual engineering two or three times a year.