Naval Aviation

[AndersonE014]

So I have been contemplating going into the military for sometime and have decided I want to go into Naval Aviation. I am 23 years old, turning 24 next September and am still in school. I will graduate in 2011 with a bachelors degree in Physics and Natural Sciences from Xavier University, a small Jesuit college in Cincinnati, OH. I do not have any physical problems, good hearing, good eye sight, 190 lbs 5'10" and physically fit. The problem I am worried about is I am not sure what I should do for my situation. I will be going into my 6th year of college, yes 6th, because in the beginning I didnt care too much because I wanted to join the SEAL teams and I knew I didn't need an education for that. My current GPA is 2.9 but I have a lot of leadership background and volunteering. I read that to be competitive for flight school I need to have at least a 3.4 GPA. What I plan to do is go back and retake courses that I did not do so well in and increase my GPA as much as possible, because the grade gets replaced. I have a scholarship that pays 90% of my tuition until Im 25 so I can afford to stay in school. But I am worried that if I retake the courses, the Navy will frown upon all the courses I retook and will hurt me more than help me. What should I do?

I guess I could also add that when I was 17 years old, in summer of 2004, I did go to Norfolk Virginia and training with SEAL team 8 for 3 weeks through the Naval Sea Cadet SEAL Training. WIll having that on my record help?

 

[Lonestar155]

Do not wait until you waste your time re-taking those courses that you finally decide to apply. You have a good foundation, so I would encourage you to speak with an officer recruiter now. The waiting game now is really long so the quicker you apply for a 2011 spot, the better off you will be. Good luck!

 

[jtmedli]

My current GPA is 2.9 but I have a lot of leadership background and volunteering. I read that to be competitive for flight school I need to have at least a 3.4 GPA.

I don't know where you got this from, but its BS. Obviously a higher GPA will look better on the application, but GPA isn't everything. Your ASTB scores will be more/equally as important and the Navy really tends to look at the whole person rather than some number.

Your GPA does not say who you are as a person or will be as an officer. Retake the classes if you want, but keep in mind that your ASTB scores and other 'qualities' will say more about you than a GPA that's 0.25 points higher.

EDIT: Start the application now because it will take you a while to finish everything and get it sent off. Your transcripts and other data can be updated as you go.

 

[Uncle Fester]

...I will be going into my 6th year of college, yes 6th, because in the beginning I didnt care too much because I wanted to join the SEAL teams and I knew I didn't need an education for that. My current GPA is 2.9 but I have a lot of leadership background and volunteering. I read that to be competitive for flight school I need to have at least a 3.4 GPA. What I plan to do is go back and retake courses that I did not do so well in and increase my GPA as much as possible, because the grade gets replaced. I have a scholarship that pays 90% of my tuition until Im 25 so I can afford to stay in school. But I am worried that if I retake the courses, the Navy will frown upon all the courses I retook and will hurt me more than help me. What should I do?

I guess I could also add that when I was 17 years old, in summer of 2004, I did go to Norfolk Virginia and training with SEAL team 8 for 3 weeks through the Naval Sea Cadet SEAL Training. WIll having that on my record help?

I'm not sure what you mean by not needing an education to be a SEAL. They don't take dumbasses to be officers in the Teams. It's not all about how far you can carry a telephone pole...that's just part of the screening process.

Perhaps someone told you that meaning you don't have to be an MIT-trained rocket surgeon to be a SEAL, which is true to an extent. It's also true for being a Naval Aviator. However, a lackluster GPA in college because you "just didn't care that much" doesn't indicate anything good to a selection board.

Retaking courses may be a 'do-over' as far as your college is concerned, but an OCS selection board is still going to look at your transcript. Rather than spend the time and money retaking classes, focus on demonstrating that you really do have your shit together now (excel in your remaining classes, start volunteering, etc). The Navy loves nothing so much as a reformed shitbird. Seriously...talk to any Chief and hear the dumb stuff they did as an E-3.

Saying you hung out with a SEAL team when you were a Sea Cadet...no, that's not all that impressive. Being in Sea Cadets isn't a bad thing to have on your application, but that was when you were 17. You're almost 24 now. What are you doing with your life now? And why would it make you a good candidate for Navy Air?

 

[HeyJoe]

I will be going into my 6th year of college, yes 6th, because in the beginning I didnt care too much because I wanted to join the SEAL teams and I knew I didn't need an education for that.

Did someone tell you that or did you assume that because you could go to BUD/S as an enlisted member right out of high school after recruit training that college didn't matter? Regardless, you are dead wrong because so many applicants want to become a SEAL, they are picking the best of them, and so few get selected for officer pipeline, that college graduates who don't get pick up for the officer boards are flocking to the enlisted route. So the answer is if you really want to be a SEAL (especially an officer), you better be able to blow away their Physical Readiness Test and show some real smarts/education. The competition is fierce!

I guess I could also add that when I was 17 years old, in summer of 2004, I did go to Norfolk Virginia and training with SEAL team 8 for 3 weeks through the Naval Sea Cadet SEAL Training. WIll having that on my record help?

Wouldn't hurt, but if you do include it, then you need to show (in intervening 6 years) that wasn't a flash in the pan (ie you went as part of Sea Cadet experience, but didn't do anything else or was motivated and sought other leadership and challenging opportunities).

 

[OUSOONER]

To harp on what the rest of them are saying..it can't be emphasized enough. From my short time in NAVAIR and the Navy in general (including OCS). I have learned that it's pretty much "What have you done for me lately?"

You will be presented with many hurdles that at that TIME are very important, for you...the ASTB, GPA, etc. Nobody is going to care that much about what you did 5-6 years ago. After you smoke the ASTB and get 9/9/9 80 and make straight A's the rest of the way through, nobody is gonna care about that once you show up at OCS.

When you show up to OCS and become REGCOM and #1 in your class, once you arrive on deck at NAS Pensacola, nobody is gonna care about your OCS class standing, your ASTB etc... they will only care about how you perform at API.

When you get to Primary, nobodies gonna care about your exam scores at API or where you finished in your class, your ASTB scores, etc.. (except to build a case against you if you are barely stumbling through)...

I think you see where I'm going with this... Try and be great at everything you do and once you accomplish it, the Navy is gonna expect more out of you. It's what you do NOW that sets you up for your future, so keep that in mind as you go along through your process and hopefully, into your career as a Naval Aviator.