i. e., assuming you don't kill yourself, other/s...or make scrap of a 'multi-million $$$' aircraft!
BzB
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USNA Class of 2016
- Thread starter mr sparkle
- Start date
i. e., assuming you don't kill yourself, other/s...or make scrap of a 'multi-million $$$' aircraft!
BzB
You will feel the pressure to pick a Tier 1 major (engineering). If that is where your talents are then go for it. Otherwise, pick a major in which you have genuine interest and you believe you will do well in. I fell into this trap and struggled for two years before switching up.
Thanks for the responses and advice, I appreciate it. Personally, I believe that you can get a degree anywhere, I chose the Academy for the leadership and military opportunities, so I definitely won't neglect that part of the Academy experience.
Full disclosure, I'm not an academy guy (though I'm married to an alum and current BGO). Major in something that will allow you earn good grades.
When you're on the receiving end of this pressure, and AOCM is correct to say that it will come, remember that graduating from USNA or any other school with an Aerospace/Electrical/Civil/Mechanical engineering degree does NOT predict success in flight school. It may speak to your academic abilities, but it does NOT suggest that you'll outperform History majors - or even get winged. If you can leave school (wherever that is) with good time management skills, good study habits, and some level of maturity you should be fine in flight school. Of note, I had none of these when I got to API
Good luck.
Sage wisdom. You can study your ass off and rock the academics in aviation training, and still struggle in the program. BTDT; trust me. It's a strange combination of academic and physical skill that's needed to be good at this job, especially on the pilot side. The role of an NFO is a bit more cerebral and psychological, at least in TACAIR. But at any rate, academics take place at 0 knots and 1G, but you also have to be good enough at applying them in a somewhat different environment.Full disclosure, I'm not an academy guy (though I'm married to an alum and current BGO). Major in something that will allow you earn good grades.
When you're on the receiving end of this pressure, and AOCM is correct to say that it will come, remember that graduating from USNA or any other school with an Aerospace/Electrical/Civil/Mechanical engineering degree does NOT predict success in flight school. It may speak to your academic abilities, but it does NOT suggest that you'll outperform History majors - or even get winged. If you can leave school (wherever that is) with good time management skills, good study habits, and some level of maturity you should be fine in flight school. Of note, I had none of these when I got to API
Good luck.
I don't know if phrogpilot73 realizes it or not, but we know each other very well. CS '98 as well, lived one floor directly above him plebe year, taught his sponser kids...
As a clarification, my point regarding your GPA was a generalization. Absolutely, there is more room for movement than just a half point over the course of 8 semesters. But the point is that if you dig a deep hole, it's going to be a tough spot to climb out of. I meant is generally as more a rule of thumb. At the extreme ends of GPA, you have a lot of room to bring them up (or down) with a big correction. A guy who gets a 1.5 first semester, turns it around in the spring and pulls a 3.2, has definitely moved the maker. My thought was more towards the guy who didn't work through high school, showed up with crappy (no) study skills and pulls down a 2.3. Moving up over a 3.0 (the magic number for big time grad schools) from there is a challenge that eliminates room for error the next 7 semesters.
Again, GENERALLY SPEAKING, without a major change in study routine, attitude, determination...it was my experience that semester by semester a person's GPA hovers around the same point for the entire 8 semesters.
As far as "Bancroft Hall silliness" I was refering to the things that get you in trouble and distract from your true mission as a student at USNA (leadership training and commisioning) not the camaraderiebuilding of spirit spot filming, football tail gates, intramurals, wardroom fun, etc.
USNA is a great place, but the fleet, the admissions officer at <big name school>'s MBA program, the HR manager at <high paying job> doesn't care that you could spit out chow calls better than anyone else in your squad plebe year, or that you gave the toughest come arounds as a 2nd class.
I used to say this to my students and truly believe this whole heartedly:
USNA is the hardest thing you will EVER do. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spritiually, nothing you ever do will ever be a challenge after your time there. You will be prepared in every way to face any challenge in life by your time at the Academy. I have faced the challenges of flight school, SERE school, long deployments, sudden deployments, combat, graduate school, family & friends' deaths and other challenges. None of them were as difficult as the four years I spent in Annapolis. USNA prepared me to meet life's hardest test with my head up, back straight, and the knowledge that I would succeed and I was ready.
That is why people should go to the Academy and not ROTC at State University.
As a clarification, my point regarding your GPA was a generalization. Absolutely, there is more room for movement than just a half point over the course of 8 semesters. But the point is that if you dig a deep hole, it's going to be a tough spot to climb out of. I meant is generally as more a rule of thumb. At the extreme ends of GPA, you have a lot of room to bring them up (or down) with a big correction. A guy who gets a 1.5 first semester, turns it around in the spring and pulls a 3.2, has definitely moved the maker. My thought was more towards the guy who didn't work through high school, showed up with crappy (no) study skills and pulls down a 2.3. Moving up over a 3.0 (the magic number for big time grad schools) from there is a challenge that eliminates room for error the next 7 semesters.
Again, GENERALLY SPEAKING, without a major change in study routine, attitude, determination...it was my experience that semester by semester a person's GPA hovers around the same point for the entire 8 semesters.
As far as "Bancroft Hall silliness" I was refering to the things that get you in trouble and distract from your true mission as a student at USNA (leadership training and commisioning) not the camaraderiebuilding of spirit spot filming, football tail gates, intramurals, wardroom fun, etc.
USNA is a great place, but the fleet, the admissions officer at <big name school>'s MBA program, the HR manager at <high paying job> doesn't care that you could spit out chow calls better than anyone else in your squad plebe year, or that you gave the toughest come arounds as a 2nd class.
I used to say this to my students and truly believe this whole heartedly:
USNA is the hardest thing you will EVER do. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spritiually, nothing you ever do will ever be a challenge after your time there. You will be prepared in every way to face any challenge in life by your time at the Academy. I have faced the challenges of flight school, SERE school, long deployments, sudden deployments, combat, graduate school, family & friends' deaths and other challenges. None of them were as difficult as the four years I spent in Annapolis. USNA prepared me to meet life's hardest test with my head up, back straight, and the knowledge that I would succeed and I was ready.
That is why people should go to the Academy and not ROTC at State University.
phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
Ahhh, didn't realize it was you... And since you have orders to HI vice Norfolk, I'm guessing you're not going back to flying "Big Iron"...
Anywho, I totally agree with your second post - your first one just sounded like all you should care about is your GPA and only your GPA. Had it not been for everything else involved with USNA (Mother B stuff, military stuff, camraderie, etc), I probably never would have graduated. I had developed a strong enough bond with my classmates that they were able to help me get over the hurdle of my plebe year. I was WOEFULLY unprepared (I wish they had sent me to NAPS instead of straight to USNA) and had to fight an uphill battle.
I think a better way to put it would be:
"That is why I think people should go to the Academy and not ROTC at State U."
That's not meant as a dig on anyone. Different people have their different challenges to overcome. Some succeed, some don't, often times independently of their accession source.
Agree, the problem there is that appointments to the USNA are, relatively, much tougher to obtain than acceptance into an ROTC @ State U. Very few would actually get to make that choice.
BzB
As one of the few who was both a boat schooler and NROTC stud, I can say that both have their pros and cons. To claim that one produces vastly superior officers than the other is a matter of opinion and nothing more. I think it's safe to say we've all seen about an equal percentage of brilliance and bullshit emerge from both programs.
I would disagree with either being the most difficult to enter. BDCP back in the day was a damn difficult program to get into. Smaller window of time/chances and a much harder pool of applicants to beat.
To each there own.
I just played dead the entire time, and defecated on myself for cheap lols. Then again, I wasn't an Academy grad and was probably ill-prepared
I ran this thought by a few of my close friends who are also USNA grads. The collective response was that you must be living a pretty easy life if this is in fact true. Not a knock on you or disrespect meant towards your experiences, but that is BIG BOLD statement to make to the masses.
Maybe it was better written like this:
but what do I know.
^Walking USNA commercial. There is nothing wrong with going through ROTC at a state school. I feel my time as an enlisted helped prepared me to be a better officer and person than the Academy ever could. Because I was dealing with real world challenges at 18 years old. Maybe you should enlist first and then go to the Academy.
I'd say sadly I'm not going back to the Big Iron, but I'm going to Hawaii for some fixed wing time, so that would be a lie. I do love that monstosity though!