Advice on Admission

[Ankea]

Hello everyone.
I was wondering if I could get some advice on which of several options would give me the best chance of getting into OCS and eventually into aviation.

I am young and have no student loans, am expecting to graduate in September. I started college at 16 and I have a relatively clean record, except for a recent careless driving charge. I have a 2.7 gpa, which due to unavoidable events is much lower than I would have liked (cancer my first year in school and a botched quarter due to pneumonia, I'm fine now) which I understand is not considered competitive, hence the evaluating my options.

I got accepted into graduate school for after I get my Bachelors. I understand that if I choose to go to grad school, that gpa will be considered instead of my current gpa. I am very good at test taking, and took the "practice" ASVAB from a naval recruiter before starting college, scored in the 98th percentile.

I never considered the navy an option for myself, even though it was always my dream, due to restrictions that are now being lifted.

The way I see it, I have several choices:
A) Study like mad for the ASTB, get my recommendations together and hope
B) Go to graduate school and apply in a couple of years with an est. 40k in loans
C) Stay in school for an additional quarter and retake a few classes I could have done better on (the highest gpa I could get from doing this I calculated to be at a 2.96)


What I am wondering is which, if any, of these options stands the best chance and also what my chances would be if I applied when I graduate from undergrad?

Thank you for your time and input, and by all means any advice is helpful.

 

[FlyBoyd]

What I am wondering is which, if any, of these options stands the best chance and also what my chances would be if I applied when I graduate from undergrad?

Wow...a what are my chances post...really?

I was gonna go off but I am getting nice in my old age. Here is my advice...

1. Search this forum for info and don't waste anyone else's time. Pay attention to what makes a strong package.
2. Apply this year and every year until you are too old.
3. Go to school and have a strong backup plan.

 

[fc2spyguy]

Admit nothing, make counter accusations . . . oh wait, different admission carry on . . .

 

[CUPike11]

Welcome to Airwarriors. "What are my chances" type posts are usually shot down way more harshly than you've gotten so far, so take that for what its worth. These guys are being generous w/ the info they've given. And its not that we don't like newcomers or don't want new posters, but we get tired of having the same questions answered literally hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of times.

I got into the Navy with a 2.7 undergrad GPA. Granted I have an engineering degree as well and I also submitted a statement talking about certain circumstances that led to that gpa as well per my recruiter (who is also in Denver, where I got recruited). With that though, I did grad school at the Univ. of Colorado and had a 3.9 in Aerospace there for part of my Masters that is done, so that outshined my undergrad.

But none of us can tell you what your chances are or what designator will give you the best chances at getting into OCS. That is a retarded and ignorant way to go about picking a career. Your ultimate designator is not going to be OCS. Choose a job that you are excited about and want to pursue....OCS is NOT the real Navy. Take Boyd's advice and search the forums....THOROUGHLY. There are hundreds of posts about OCS, the ASTB, people's packages and their scores and how their packages stacked up in the month they applied, etc. All that info you have right at your hands on here....you just have to do a little digging.

Lastly, no one is going to make life decisions for you....because they are your life. Nor should you really be asking a forum full of strangers a question that could potentially make or break your future. You and only you can decide that. But again, I'm echoing what Boyd has said....apply and keep applying (if you don't get accepted the first time) until they tell you "NO, SHUT UP AND KEEP COLORING." If you feel you want to get a higher GPA, then you can still apply and still be in school at the same time. It is possible. Not to mention, last I heard, OCS spots are a ways out anyways, so it probably suits you better to beef up your gpa if you want. Study your ass off for the ASTB and do well on it. The ASVAB means nothing to officers as the ASVAB and ASTB are two completely different tests.

Good luck.

 

[lowster]

I wish there was a "like" button for the above post!

 

[JMonte85]

The asvab is pretty easy compared to the ASTB... The ASTB really isn't that bad either.. The AFOQT on the other hand.. (Air Force).. Now that was tough in my opinion. Anyway, The first thing I would do if I were you is take the ASTB, that will determine if you can even qualify for OCS. And in school get some leadership experience, maybe join a club. Volunteer work?

I think the fact you starting college at 16 will overshadow your gpa a little.. Not entirely. Make up for that small difference with the rest of your package.

What is your degree in? Also, what was your minor traffic violation? You don't need to be aloof here. We are not going to judge you.. BAHAHAHA.. okay okay.. I needed a laugh. Many will judge you, but the more details you give, the more accurate your advice will be.

 

[Seafort]

Whole. Person. Concept.

Excel in all that you do from the moment you talk to an officer recruiter. You can't fix the past. You can (sometimes) make it irrelevant. I started my process in December of 2008, and I've only seen one board in that entire time. I haven't even gotten a board for every designator I've applied for yet! Since then, my scores have improved, my GPA has gone up, I've had more interviews and more letters of recommendation, more leadership positions, more... yadayadayada. I treat every day like the day I'm going to hear "you're up for another board." I've been on and off for aviation like twice now (currently off). Which means the package that got me rejected from a single community has long been replaced by a far more substantial package that will be sent to multiple communities. Whatever those communities end up being.

I've been in this process for two and a half years, and I still have no frikken clue what my chances are, but I swear there are staff in Millington who keep saying, "Goddammit, we're still getting applications from this guy?" Yep. And you're gonna keep getting them until I see a board, get too old, or die.

 

[Ankea]

Turns out my "minor traffic violation" actually is a criminal offense. It's reckless driving, I bumped a lady's car without apparent damage in a parking lot, and here I am community service hours and 300$ in fines later.
As for my degree, it's in media arts and animation. I've done volunteer work and am a member of an adult swim team (non school affiliated, art school dosen't do sports), but considering most of my volunteer projects have been politically affiliated (dealing with the GLBT community) putting them down as a strength makes me a bit nervous because I have heard that it still isn't necessary something that is considered acceptable to a large portion of the military.

I wasn't really looking for a what are my chances board, more a would grad school help more or would studying my ass off for my tests and busting ass for the physical produce a more favorable outcome. It's about which will give me the best chance.
If I can get in without going to graduate school, that's the route I'd rather take. I know this is what I want to do for my career, and plan on doing my "art work" as part of retirement. My pixar dreams are long dead, and it's time to do something equally wonderful and twice as pragmatic. I should be able to get my GPA up to a 3.0 before graduation.

Also, I appreciate everyone being so nice about just how they are telling me to shut up . Believe it or not, I have done a lot of digging and have been studying my butt off from most of the Gouge info the users here have so nicely posted. It seems to me like a bit of a crap shoot though, as to getting admitted that is, and was wondering what people thought was the most important aspect of getting in, because looking at the numbers alone from the scores bored and other things, it doesn't seem like there is an answer.

I guess in the end I'll just try my best and see

 

[GreenLantern330]

I am young and have no student loans, am expecting to graduate in September. I started college at 16 and I have a relatively clean record, except for a recent careless driving charge. I have a 2.7 gpa, which due to unavoidable events is much lower than I would have liked (cancer my first year in school and a botched quarter due to pneumonia, I'm fine now)

I'm not 100% familiar with the medical standards, but I feel like a history of cancer and/or pneumonia could be an issue. Might want to look into that.

 

[Ankea]

Probably something to bring up to the recruiter I suppose, they're generally there to help correct?

 

[GreenLantern330]

Probably something to bring up to the recruiter I suppose, they're generally there to help correct?

Yeah, your OR will most likely have you fill out a pre-MEPS screen survey that asks about various health issues and all that jazz. If you mark yes to any of them, you will have to elaborate on it and get some documentation if a waiver is needed. The reason I say your OR will most likely have you fill it out is because not all ORs have their candidates do MEPS prior to selection.

 

[Ankea]

Interesting. I'll have to make an appointment after finals week (next week) and go talk to the OR. The cancer hopefully won't be limiting, I didn't need chemo or anything, just one surgery and it was over. Still was a little mentally stressful though, and at 17 I think my grades that quarter probably suffered a little.

 

[GreenLantern330]

That's totally understandable, and I think cancer, no matter how invasive, is mentally stressful at any age. If you PM feddoc, or post about it in the Doc's Corner, he should be able to give you answer about the medical stuff. Best of luck!

 

[Ankea]

Well thanks for the advice. I posted in the Doc's Corner forum, and will have to see what they say.

I think willpower may matter more than numbers

 

[JMonte85]

I'm not 100% familiar with the medical standards, but I feel like a history of cancer and/or pneumonia could be an issue. Might want to look into that.

I think you will be okay as long as it is cured.. Ive seen instances of this before.