hipfinnsy,
The recruiter was wrong. You don't have to be out of college to apply. The recruiting criteria is below. You can go to gocoastguard.com to get more info. Yes, it is possible but it is extremely competitive right now. Hopefully you will bring something to the table beyond "I went to college" because that won't be enough.
And HAL pilot, as far as the carrier discussion goes, you are right we don't have them. So while you are landing on the "postage stamp" we are deftly landing on the fringe of that postage stamp.
Age:
Temporary commission: between the ages of 21 and 34 (applicants must have reached their 21st birthday, but not their 35th birthday as of 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes)
Reserve commission: between the ages of 21 and 30 (applicants must have reached their 21st birthday, but not their 31st birthday as of 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes)
Military Status:
If you are currently serving in another branch of the U.S. Armed Forces or are enrolled in a ROTC program, you must provide a release from your service obligations prior to entering the Coast Guard. Applicants with six or more years of non-Coast Guard active duty service are not eligible.
Citizenship:
All applicants must be United States citizens.
Qualifying Tests:
All applicants must provide a qualifying score on the SAT, ACT, or ASVAB. No waivers will be considered. Minimum qualifying scores are as follows:
SAT 1: combined 1100 on verbal and math
ACT: 23
ASVAB: 109 on ASVAB General Technical (GT) Aptitude Area after 1 July 2004; 110 prior to 1 July 2004. The GT score is obtained by combining the VE (Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension) and AR (Arithmetic Reasoning) test scores.
Physical:
A full medical screening will be conducted in accordance with your application.
Educational Qualifications:
Reserve Commission Applicants must be in their senior year or hold a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.5.
Temporary Commission Applicants (active duty Coast Guard personnel E-5 and above with at least four years of active duty in any Armed Forces) must have a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university, or 25th percentile scores on general CLEP exams, or have completed at least one year of college (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) at an accredited college or university. Temporary Commission Applicants must also have completed one college-level math class or pass the general math CLEP exam. Contact your unit Educational Service Officer for additional information.