Since posting that I’ve been selected, I’ve been asked what my background looks like. Thought I’d share publicly, but considering that I’m an academic I believe I was a rather non-traditional applicant. From reading other stories on this site, I was honestly surprised that I was selected. Happy to answer any questions or provide more information. To those who were non-select, good luck and bon courage for next year!
General background:
-Selected for 1835
-28 years old
-White male (cf. person wondering about race/gender)
-Clean medical history, no problems at MEPS
-Current Ph.D. student in History at a university outside of Boston
-First time applying (I did part of this process while living abroad)
Things I had:
-M.A. in History from aforementioned university outside of Boston
-B.A. in History and French from the state university of NJ (4.0 GPA)
-Published academic
-Read/write/speak proficiency in French (fluent) and Arabic (advanced)
-Fulbright scholarship
-Extensive living and traveling experience in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East
-Scored 100 on all interviews
-Letters of recommendation from my Ph.D. advisors and from close friends (one of whom is a former 1LT in the Army)
-Extensive teaching experience
-Modest campus leadership/community service
Things I DID NOT have:
-Prior military experience
-Civilian intelligence experience
-Law enforcement or federal experience
-Corporate/business experience
-STEM background
-Security clearance
-Certifications of any kind
-Letters of recommendation from anyone in the intelligence community
-Letters of recommendation from anyone in the Navy
-Letters of recommendation from a member of congress