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STA-21 Help
- Thread starter zarevich
- Start date
Whichever one gets you ready to crush the SATs...
Whichever NKO course allows you to outperform your peers and get a highly ranked EP Eval...
Whichever NKO course clarifies your reasons for wanting to be a Naval Officer...
Whichever one allows you to interview with senior officers in your chosen concentration and speak intelligently about why you would like to do what they did.
I think you get the point. There are 300 other things you should be doing to get yourself ready for a successful application to STA-21 and I'm pretty sure none are on NKO.
Whichever NKO course allows you to outperform your peers and get a highly ranked EP Eval...
Whichever NKO course clarifies your reasons for wanting to be a Naval Officer...
Whichever one allows you to interview with senior officers in your chosen concentration and speak intelligently about why you would like to do what they did.
I think you get the point. There are 300 other things you should be doing to get yourself ready for a successful application to STA-21 and I'm pretty sure none are on NKO.
I recommend "How To Take A Picture With A Digital Camera," and "Who Wants To Be A Master Chief?"
Seriously, they don't matter for STA-21. The board is more interested in your performance as an enlisted sailor, and the likelihood that you can make it through college. You can demonstrate that with great evals, etc and great test scores/college credits.
Seriously, they don't matter for STA-21. The board is more interested in your performance as an enlisted sailor, and the likelihood that you can make it through college. You can demonstrate that with great evals, etc and great test scores/college credits.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
crap, I missed that one, now I understand what happened to me!
zarevich
Well-Known Member
Well as you all know, even doing random NKO courses can get you a good eval, It is the same as navy advancement study books, if you send the answers to the navy from the study book, that gives you extra points for the test and also goes to your Eval. Also NKO courses can give you college credits, and who don't want free college credits for taking a 1hour course from NKO. Like BigBadBoJenkins said the more college credits the better.
I am currently taking college courses, I finished
-English Composition I (got a C)
-College Algebra (Missed Final exam and got a C, otherwise an A)
-Precalculus ( pretty hard with courses online, about to finish this month, will probably get C)
-World Geography (doing good as of right now, will probably get a B or higher)
And about to take Physics I, might try to take Calculus a month after that, depends how hard Physics going to be.
College online is pretty hard, i Took precalculus in HS, normal College and had As in both, im taking it now again with probably a C.
There is no one that can really explain you so i have to learn on my own. But doing my best to pass.
My first Eval i got an EP, this year looks like its going to be an EP too. Doing bunch of community services and should get my Ribbon by the end of the year.
Will probably sign up to take ASTB and SAT test tomorrow. Studying, but not that hard, going to take the test before going on deployment to see how is it, and study hard after that while on deployment. I also have to go for Physical exam to see first if i qualify to be a Pilot or not.
I think i'm doing pretty good, we will see.
I am currently taking college courses, I finished
-English Composition I (got a C)
-College Algebra (Missed Final exam and got a C, otherwise an A)
-Precalculus ( pretty hard with courses online, about to finish this month, will probably get C)
-World Geography (doing good as of right now, will probably get a B or higher)
And about to take Physics I, might try to take Calculus a month after that, depends how hard Physics going to be.
College online is pretty hard, i Took precalculus in HS, normal College and had As in both, im taking it now again with probably a C.
There is no one that can really explain you so i have to learn on my own. But doing my best to pass.
My first Eval i got an EP, this year looks like its going to be an EP too. Doing bunch of community services and should get my Ribbon by the end of the year.
Will probably sign up to take ASTB and SAT test tomorrow. Studying, but not that hard, going to take the test before going on deployment to see how is it, and study hard after that while on deployment. I also have to go for Physical exam to see first if i qualify to be a Pilot or not.
I think i'm doing pretty good, we will see.
As a high school junior my son took the SAT pre-test, once he saw the results, he wanted to improve his score. I enrolled him in a one day SAT prep course (@ $100) and his score improved 50 points on the actual exam (on the 1600 point scale).
As an enlisted Nuke and STA-21 applicant (applying for Pilot, NFO, and Core), my son took Calc and Physics only ( www.tesc.edu ) . He got A's in both. He had very few college credits when he was accepted to STA-21 (FY 10). IMHO average grades in multiple college courses are not going to help your application considering the highly competitive nature of STA-21.
As an enlisted Nuke and STA-21 applicant (applying for Pilot, NFO, and Core), my son took Calc and Physics only ( www.tesc.edu ) . He got A's in both. He had very few college credits when he was accepted to STA-21 (FY 10). IMHO average grades in multiple college courses are not going to help your application considering the highly competitive nature of STA-21.
Just my two cents:
1st: Take the ACT, it's a much more straight forward test.
2nd: Do some digging around at the schools you want to attend and see if these NKO courses are transferrable. If not, you're going to have to do all the work over again. Not everything the Navy sells you as "education" meets any actual accredited educational standards.
Lastly: I think it's excellent that you are taking the initiative to complete some college level coursework, but banging out C's in Algebra isn't going to set you up for success in college or look good on your package. If you're having a hard time nailing down the math maybe you should look at completing some courses at you local community college using TA. Education, like many things, abides by the maxim of Crap in = Crap out.
As far as the Physics, I'd hold on that as well. That shit isn't easy and the Physics you need for STA-21 is all Calculus based. If you're not a strong math guy I wouldn't attempt a Calculus course, let alone a Calc-based physics course, online.
Best of luck.
1st: Take the ACT, it's a much more straight forward test.
2nd: Do some digging around at the schools you want to attend and see if these NKO courses are transferrable. If not, you're going to have to do all the work over again. Not everything the Navy sells you as "education" meets any actual accredited educational standards.
Lastly: I think it's excellent that you are taking the initiative to complete some college level coursework, but banging out C's in Algebra isn't going to set you up for success in college or look good on your package. If you're having a hard time nailing down the math maybe you should look at completing some courses at you local community college using TA. Education, like many things, abides by the maxim of Crap in = Crap out.
As far as the Physics, I'd hold on that as well. That shit isn't easy and the Physics you need for STA-21 is all Calculus based. If you're not a strong math guy I wouldn't attempt a Calculus course, let alone a Calc-based physics course, online.
Best of luck.
zarevich
Well-Known Member
The problem is Math is my favorite class, i always get As, it is just different taking math online. And as far as local community college, can't do it because i'm in a forward deployed ship and i don't have time to attend a class, because my ship is underway 250+days a year. But thanks for the info. I decided i will take some leadership NKO courses while on lunch or brake (every certificate counts on the package, right?), because that is what the Navy looking for. Leaders. Or am i wrong? It is the same as at work for me, I might not be the best worker, but because i take time to do NKO, USMAP, community services, collateral duties on my own time, i get EPs every time. So because of that i already look better than the other guys who just do what their chain of command tells them to do but nothing else on their own time but sleep or chill. I might be wrong but my opinion is : You might have better ACT/SAT or ASTB scores, and I have a little lower scores but i also have all the other little stuff that shows my dedication of going above and beyond. NKO is just small thing that i try to add to my package, i know it is not very important, but it is something for the reviewers to decide and i was just wondering if anyone knew any good courses.
No. That's what we've been trying to tell you. Your work ethic is strong, but misplaced. Several people here have given you better avenues to follow.
Reviewers are looking for documented leadership ability and the potential to take on even greater leadership challenges. It is going to be plainly obvious to the panel that you are not the best worker and needed to shore up your package with fluff from NKO. My friend, the people applying to STA-21 have high ACT/SAT scores, high ASTB scores, documented leadership (i.e. on the job not from NKO), and (you guessed it, here it comes...) EP evals.
But you seem like you've got it all figured out, best of luck to you.
zarevich
Well-Known Member
And i'm not saying i don't agree, i totally agree with all of you because you all made it and now helping us who want to make it, too.
1st - take ACT
2nd - find NROTC school and info on what needed to get accepted
3rd - take ASVB and SAT? or am i just good with ACT?
4th - so should i stop taking online courses because of my grades? I know its Cs, but i am an engineer and 80% out on deployment. It looks okay for me, but i am guessing the reviewers won't realize and understand that. So should i continue with online college or not?
5th - Medical screening if qualified for Pilot program?
6th - get all my boards from higher ups.
7th - put everything together with a good essay on why i want to become an officer
8th - send it up
Are this steps good?
1st - take ACT
2nd - find NROTC school and info on what needed to get accepted
3rd - take ASVB and SAT? or am i just good with ACT?
4th - so should i stop taking online courses because of my grades? I know its Cs, but i am an engineer and 80% out on deployment. It looks okay for me, but i am guessing the reviewers won't realize and understand that. So should i continue with online college or not?
5th - Medical screening if qualified for Pilot program?
6th - get all my boards from higher ups.
7th - put everything together with a good essay on why i want to become an officer
8th - send it up
Are this steps good?
More or less, it's a good starting point. You can take either the ACT or the SAT, I personally recommend the ACT if you like math/science more than reading/writing. Take the ASTB as well, do all of this ASAP.
The medical evaluation and looking for a college can wait until after selection, but it's a good idea to have a couple of institutions in mind.
Online college =/= NKO. NKO, in my opinion, is a waste of time. If you feel you can successfully (B or better) enroll in some online courses with your work schedule, knock it out. Otherwise spend your free time upgrading your shop qualifications, earning a warfare designator (or two), demonstrating leadership ability, studying for your rating exam, writing your personal essay, talking to the Officer's in your wardroom about being an officer, working with your career counselor on your package, getting your medical screening done, and not getting in trouble.
All this has to be completed while you are still kicking ass in your shop and making yourself the go-to-guy for your superiors. That's how you get selected for STA-21 man, not NKO courses.
Additionally, start writing like you want to be an Officer...especially on this forum.
The medical evaluation and looking for a college can wait until after selection, but it's a good idea to have a couple of institutions in mind.
Online college =/= NKO. NKO, in my opinion, is a waste of time. If you feel you can successfully (B or better) enroll in some online courses with your work schedule, knock it out. Otherwise spend your free time upgrading your shop qualifications, earning a warfare designator (or two), demonstrating leadership ability, studying for your rating exam, writing your personal essay, talking to the Officer's in your wardroom about being an officer, working with your career counselor on your package, getting your medical screening done, and not getting in trouble.
All this has to be completed while you are still kicking ass in your shop and making yourself the go-to-guy for your superiors. That's how you get selected for STA-21 man, not NKO courses.
Additionally, start writing like you want to be an Officer...especially on this forum.
Include this in your personal statement.
The following is straight from the NAVADMIN that was released yesterday:
THE APPLICANT'S PERSONAL STATEMENT SHOULD ADDRESS WHY THE SAILOR WANTS TO BECOME AN OFFICER, HOW THE SAILOR'S SELECTION WOULD IMPROVE THE NAVY, AND WHY THE SAILOR IS APPLYING FOR A SPECIFIC OPTION. SAILORS MUST ALSO ADDRESS ANY HARDSHIPS OR UNIQUE EXPERIENCES THAT SHAPED THEIR CHARACTER. JUNIOR SAILORS SHOULD PROVIDE INFORMATION ON HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCES. HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS RARELY PROVIDE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ON INVOLVEMENT IN
SPORTS, CLUBS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC. ADDITIONALLY, APPLICANTS SHOULD EXPLAIN ANY MITIGATING ISSUES THE BOARD NEEDS TO CONSIDER (I.E., POOR HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE GRADES AND UNEXPLAINED GAPS).
The STA-21 instruction is good to use to figure out a timeline. Focus on what needs to go in your application package. I don't remember doing a flight physical until after I had sent my package in, and had learned that I was accepted.
Your problem is the board doesn't know that. The Calc/Physis requirement is no joke and they need to know you will perform well. The promise that you will proves nothing. I can tell you as a guy who chopped many STA-21 packages, the guy who already has the jump on those courses via community college and did well is often a lock for getting the CO's approval and selection.