Path as a HS Sophmore....

[choc18]

Hello everyone,

Having been dreaming of becoming a naval aviator for several years now, I am ecstatic about having discovered AirWarriors. I've had so many questions about my consideration in joining the Navy and I'm hoping a few might be answered. Forgive me if I'm completely out of the lingo, but I mean it when I say that I have next to none of a background in the Navy. I've loved to research aircraft, ships, and other wonders over my years, but don't have the faintest idea about the commissioning process or life in the Navy.

I guess that I'll introduce myself with some background: I attend a private school-not a prep or military academy, just a normal Catholic HS- currently take all honors plus an AP or two, and have grades in the '90s range. I have never been exposed to the GPA format, but if I had to take a wild guess, I would say it's between 3.7 and 4.0. As activities, I write for the newspaper, am a witness/lawyer in mock trial, altar-serve, and am also a Scout. I am close to attaining my Eagle badge, which I'm hoping will help me in my path to the USN. In terms of nautical background: I am an avid sailor, part of the reason for which I became interested in the Navy. I also row crew for my school.

Now that's out of the way, I have a ton of questions that I would like to ask. I'm still trying to figure out if the Navy is right for me. I have a desire to serve my country, no doubt, as my older relatives have done. My experience in Scouting has instilled in me a firm love our country, and a desire to serve it and improve it possibly in politics later on (hopefully that isn't a sacrilege here. I won't get into any political things, but I would like to disclose that I have an interest in it, and, ideally, would like to run for public office if I ever retired from the Navy). As far as discipline goes, well, that remains to be seen. I'm happy that my parents have brought me up to not be dependent on people. I have to work for everything I get- I don't have an iPhone, car, etc. like most kids in my area do. Still, I won't even try to compare that to life in the Navy...I'm sure that it's much different than civilian work ethic.

Right now I'm considering two options: USNA, in which I have been working diligently in the application process, or a civilian college and then OCS. The civilian college I'm interested in does not offer ROTC of any kind. Are there scholarships offered that let you choose the college, even if it's not NROTC?

About the Academy- the one advantage, I know, is that I'd have more of a chance of getting on the aviation track (they claim 90 percent of the graduates get their first choice). But, I'm not sure I want to give up the civilian college experience or sign away my life till I'm almost 30. Correct me if I'm wrong, getting commissioned via OCS means less of a commitment? There's also a high chance I wouldn't get into USNA. Even though my grades are good and I'm in a good position for class rank, I wouldn't ever get recruited for sports, and have no political connections for nominations. Don't know how much of a factor those are, but I'm just guessing they amount to something.

Ok, then there's actually becoming a pilot. I am well aware that you don't join the Navy to "have fun", but I feel that I would be of best use as a pilot, both for myself and my country. I have 20/20 vision, but that's about the only thing going for me. I have no aviation experience apart from flight simming and immersing myself in articles about naval aircraft. Does getting a pilot's license help? Finally, what are the actual chances, assuming I enlisted after College, of getting an aviator commission? Is it sort of just a hit-or-miss after you get past the recruiter, or can they actually promise you a flight slot assuming you don't wash out?

Finally- this isn't meant to be out of desire for money, but merely practicality- what do aviators, upon being shipped out to their squadron, make monetarily? How about during OCS/flight school? This isn't out of concern for myself, but perhaps a future SO...or if I have college debt to pay off assuming I don't go ROTC. I know there's allowances for rent and things, but I would just want to know the cold paycheck after taxes/deductions/etc. A

Please excuse the denseness of this post- this is basically the first time I've been able to blow the lid off and ask all my questions. Thanks in advance for any replies!

-NP

 

[Harrier Dude]

First of all, great first post.

There's a lot of questions in there, but I'll answer a few in generalities:

1) Stay out of trouble with the cops.
2) Keep your grades up.
3) Stay involved in extracurriculars.

Apply to the colleges you are interested and USNA. If you go pilot, your commitment will be the same either way.

The rest of these subjects have been addressed many, many times elsewhere on the site. Look over the old posts and come back with specific questions.

Welcome aboard.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I will second HD in saying that was a good intro post, and welcome. To answer a few of your questions in no particular order:

1) USNA doesn't make you any more likely to get a pilot slot, at least from what I saw. Most of the guys I commissioned with through NROTC got their choice, provided they made good grades and stayed involved with the program. There is a misconception that the Academy gives you an advantage, but I have not seen that to be true. Do well in whatever program you choose, be it the Academy or somewhere else, and you will probably be just fine provided that you are physically qualified, and the Navy is needing more pilots.

2) You can google the pay charts for active duty officers, as well as the BAH we receive. It is hard to quantify the answer to that question, because your take home pay depends on where you are stationed, as BAH varies greatly between the various duty stations you will go to in flight school and beyond. For example, as an O-2/LTJG in flight school in Meridian, MS, I took home probably $4500 / month or so. As an O-2 at Miramar, CA in the Hornet FRS, I took home about $5600 / month, at the same paygrade, simply because the BAH was so much higher in San Diego. Once I promoted to O-3/LT, I was living in Virginia Beach, and I now take home 6k / month........so after a significant pay raise, and a substantial cut in BAH, I'm making just slightly more than I did in socal at a lower paygrade. In other words, it is hard to say exactly what you will make throughout your first few years, but I will say that the pay is more than enough for a decent lifestyle. You will have plenty of money to spare on dumb useless purchases as an ENS/LTJG for those first few years. If you can avoid a wife and family, you will probably still be living large as an LT as well (smiles for the AW wives......I'm mostly kidding, but it is still true....Mrs MIDNJAC is in bed and not reading this )

3) Keep doing what you are doing. It sounds like you have a solid foundation to build from. If you are still getting good grades, being a well-rounded individual, and staying away from trouble with the law, I think from the sounds of it, you would make a competitive candidate.

 

[cameron172]

I have no aviation experience apart from flight simming and immersing myself in articles about naval aircraft. Does getting a pilot's license help?

I'm waiting to check into flight training, so others may be able to answer this better than myself. But the gouge is to not waste several thousand dollars getting a PPL when the Navy is going to teach you everything you need to know anyway. But I suggest taking a few lessons as a student to make sure you can handle the aircraft okay, you're still as excited about flying once you dive into the nitty-gritty and you have an idea of what to expect in IFS. Some guys I know have gotten to flight school and realized they don't like flying because of what it really takes.

Don't lose focus on that Eagle Scout! It's always a notable "Honor/Award" that can set you apart.

 

[revan1013]

Sounds like you're on the right track man. You have a few more years to pad that resume and keep up the good work, but it's great to see someone motivated and focused, especially someone as young as yourself.

Don't enlist. Stay in school. Get that BA/BS, either through USNA, ROTC, or later on through OCS. OCS is the only entry point that can "guarantee" (I use that term loosely) a pilot slot. Either way, you're doing well, and welcome to the site.

I went the OCS route since I didn't want any military-anything in college after having done 4 years of military boarding school. I didn't have any real flight experience when I applied for a pilot slot after college. You won't have to get LASIK/PRK like I did, which is a plus.

Always feel free to PM if you have any specific questions.

Good luck to you.

 

[Uncle Fester]

About the Academy- the one advantage, I know, is that I'd have more of a chance of getting on the aviation track (they claim 90 percent of the graduates get their first choice)...

That's one of those technically true but misleading stats...the Navy is really good at those. That doesn't mean 90% get what they always wanted. It means 90% get the first choice of the billets they were qualified for. So, if you really wanted pilot but come precomm physical you were not qualified physically for aviation, you would only be able to put SWO as your first choice. Ergo, you got your first choice of service assignment.

 

[choc18]

Wow! Thanks so much for the help everyone...I never thought I'd get this many responses in such a short time!

Just one other question. From probing around this site, it seems that the most important thing for applying to OCS is your GPA in college, right? I have also read from you guys that a non-engineering major isn't too much of a killer. What about the college itself, though? Are you better off going to a college with a strong aviation program (like Perdue), or can you do just as well from a small liberal arts college? The only thing I'm worried about is the civilian college I'd want to attend is a very liberal, anti-military college. I wouldn't even mention my goal of going to OCS in the application process. Their education is stellar (average SAT of 2100)- a lot of people call it a "nerd college" because they're division 3 athletics and don't recruit much, but focus on academics. Would the Navy care a lot about this, assuming they looked into the college, you think?

 

[MGoBrew11]

Wow! Thanks so much for the help everyone...I never thought I'd get this many responses in such a short time!

Just one other question. From probing around this site, it seems that the most important thing for applying to OCS is your GPA in college, right? I have also read from you guys that a non-engineering major isn't too much of a killer. What about the college itself, though? Are you better off going to a college with a strong aviation program (like Perdue), or can you do just as well from a small liberal arts college? The only thing I'm worried about is the civilian college I'd want to attend is a very liberal, anti-military college. I wouldn't even mention my goal of going to OCS in the application process. Their education is stellar (average SAT of 2100)- a lot of people call it a "nerd college" because they're division 3 athletics and don't recruit much, but focus on academics. Would the Navy care a lot about this, assuming they looked into the college, you think?

I'm just finishing the process of getting into OCS, so I'll let others chime in as well, but where you go does not really matter. GPA and your ASTB (the standardized test component of getting into naval aviation) are probably the most important factors on an OCS application.

Your school and major matter. However the "real proof" that you can succeed is GPA and ASTB.

If you look at a thread with OCS admission stats or "what major should I pick" threads, there are winged pilots on here that studied theater and art history. I studied history myself (liberal arts) and got picked up for an OCS pilot slot with Calc I being by far the most "tech" class I took in college. As far as the politics of your school, I don't think the Navy would really know or care...by applying you are telling the Navy you are interested, regardless of your own school's politics.

 

[revan1013]

BTW, I went to a SUPER liberal college, in a even-more liberal part of the country.

We had 1600 in my school, and no ROTC program. There were protests every week about so-and-so. I know people who went to Berkeley, and such, and are currently in the military, so don't worry about that.

Your college doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

you have many years ahead of you, and what applies now may not apply in a few, hell, requirements for people to apply for some designators have changed in the 3 years I have been recruiting.

Currently ASTB and GPA are the important items for Pilot selection in that order, degree can factor in but the amount depends on ASTB, and the same with the quality of the school, the USN has a tier system that ranks colleges, how that factors in can vary as well.

otherwise I would just repeat what Harrier Dude has said.

 

[choc18]

Guys, I'm just curious, can you get a 180k scholarship from NROTC to any school you want (i.e. non-ROTC offering schools), and then do OCS afterwards? (read an article about a girl who did junior ROTC and won a ROTC scholarship to any school of her choice, although that's obviously a hard to achieve circumstance). Here's that articel for reference: http://riverheadnewsreview.timesrev...180k-naval-scholarship-to-attend-any-college/
NROTC for a civvie college would basically be a financial help, to not burden my parents or myself any more than I need to. Even if I was accepted, I would still have to consider the fact that I would spend a lot of time with ROTC and sign away part of my summers (not a great thing as I love being a counselor at my summer scout camp, which a lot of college guys do as directors.)

BTW, I heard something about a Marine program that is essentially ROTC, but gives you the option to go to OCS after college. I think they make you do certain activities throughout the year, but they cover your tuition and offer you a commission after graduating. I have no interest in jumping ship, but I'm wondering if there's something that USN offers akin to this.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Guys, I'm just curious, can you get a 180k scholarship from NROTC to any school you want (i.e. non-ROTC offering schools), and then do OCS afterwards? (read an article about a girl who did junior ROTC and won a ROTC scholarship to any school of her choice, although that's obviously a hard to achieve circumstance). Here's that articel for reference: http://riverheadnewsreview.timesrev...180k-naval-scholarship-to-attend-any-college/
NROTC for a civvie college would basically be a financial help, to not burden my parents or myself any more than I need to. Even if I was accepted, I would still have to consider the fact that I would spend a lot of time with ROTC and sign away part of my summers (not a great thing as I love being a counselor at my summer scout camp, which a lot of college guys do as directors.)

BTW, I heard something about a Marine program that is essentially ROTC, but gives you the option to go to OCS after college. I think they make you do certain activities throughout the year, but they cover your tuition and offer you a commission after graduating. I have no interest in jumping ship, but I'm wondering if there's something that USN offers akin to this.

It is just written bad, it has to be a NROTC school.

 

[BUDU]

I'm waiting to check into flight training, so others may be able to answer this better than myself. But the gouge is to not waste several thousand dollars getting a PPL when the Navy is going to teach you everything you need to know anyway. But I suggest taking a few lessons as a student to make sure you can handle the aircraft okay, you're still as excited about flying once you dive into the nitty-gritty and you have an idea of what to expect in IFS. Some guys I know have gotten to flight school and realized they don't like flying because of what it really takes.

Don't lose focus on that Eagle Scout! It's always a notable "Honor/Award" that can set you apart.

I would second the idea of getting at least a few hours. You don't have to actually get your PPL. But if I'd had some time in a plane before IFS, I think I would have been far more comfortable.

 

[choc18]

I would second the idea of getting at least a few hours. You don't have to actually get your PPL. But if I'd had some time in a plane before IFS, I think I would have been far more comfortable.

I'm going to try to do that. A flight school near me offers about 1.5 hours of free flight time to never-before-pilots for a price. I'm going to try to get some time with them.

 

[Harrier Dude]

How is it "free" if it's "for a price"?