Which military branch would be the best to join in my position?
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It's going to be incredibly hard to get commissioned with a political science degree. Like...ridiculously hard. The thing that might help is your language skills.
Have you talked to the ROTC units? They all might have different standards. You might not be able to even do Air Force ROTC depending on your SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA. You might not be at all competitive. It's really competitive.
We're very selective about our officers. Getting medically qualified is only a small part of it. The branches want STEM degrees. You wouldn't get selected to come into the Air Force as an officer if you have a political science degree unless you wanted to be a pilot and could do well on the AFOQT and TBAS.
Operations research is also not one of the degrees we look for (Air Force). We look for STEM, Architecture, Engineering, Math, Chemistry, Physics, etc. I don't even think Operations research qualifies you for many jobs. It would qualify you for intelligence, but you'd be competing against people with masters degrees in intelligence studies, world affairs, and other related degrees.
Please talk to the ROTC units and talk to some officer recruiters so they can help you pick a competitive major.
I recruiting officers for the Air Force about 3 years ago, and I'd have shown you the door with a political science or operations research degree unless you wanted to fly. (we'll take just about any major if you're willing to be a pilot, ABM, or Nav).
Operations research IS a STEM degree. Additionally, there are operations research analysts within the government. Operations research is very similar to a degree in statistics, and its a career field that is becoming increasingly in high demand.
I met one of the officers at the detachment for MSU and he said it was a technical major since it was listed on the AFROTC website. The second option I have is Aerospace, then gritting my teeth to plow through Calculus. Sure, I hate math with a fiery passion, but you gotta do what you gotta do. With Aerospace, at least I'm interested in how aircraft and spacecraft work and how they're built.
I contacted the NROTC officers at Miami and University of Arizona/Arizona State (Safeties) along with MSU. ASU didn't reply. Miami told to to do Systems Engineering since it was a Tier One Major if I was going Navy Option, and both units said that whether or not I would make it would completely depend on the "needs of the service".
Do be aware that if you decide on operations research/statistics/system engineering you are likely going to be required to take far more math than just basic calculus. Although you may not like math, hopefully you have the interest/ability to do fairly well in it.
Whatever you do, don't major in Political Science. You might want to consider majoring in statistics rather than operations research. They are essentially the same thing, but statistics is more applicable to other disciplines, even economics.
Would International Relations with a minor in Chinese, then going into the Marine Corps as a intelligence officer then seeking work in the Intelligence community when I get out be a better idea than Political Science?
Would International Relations with a minor in Chinese, then going into the Marine Corps as a intelligence officer then seeking work in the Intelligence community when I get out be a better idea than Political Science?
The minor in Chinese would be the key there. But again, check with the ROTC counselors at the school itself.
Although--from my personal experience--political science with an emphasis on international studies is an excellent background for intelligence. I found it a trial teaching STEM graduates how to do actual analysis of intelligence rather than merely cataloging data. Commanders despise it when you give them merely cataloged data. "It's not what they did yesterday that's important, it's what they did yesterday indicates they will do today and tomorrow that counts."
Would International Relations with a minor in Chinese, then going into the Marine Corps as a intelligence officer then seeking work in the Intelligence community when I get out be a better idea than Political Science?
In order to qualify to be a Marine Officer all you need is a degree and a 300 PFT score. If you can run 3 miles in 18 minutes, do 20 real pull ups, and 100 crunches, you can become a Marine officer. The problem is that your job is determined by your performance in OTS.
From what I understand, the top guys tend to choose pilot and infantry, but you would probably want to ask people with actual experience to be sure. Are you even sure they have Intelligence Officers in the Marines? If so, it might be a highly competitive career field to get into.
In the Air Force and Navy, you will find out your career before you got to OTS. If I were you, I would go to talk to an officer recruiter before you decide what you are going to major in. If you enjoy International Relations, you might want to skip the military all together and look for jobs in the State Department.
What exactly is it that you want out of the military? The military is good if you want to serve 20 years and have a guaranteed pension, which will likely not be there for anybody else in the private sector except for very few companies. The military is also good to put on your resume, especially as an officer, but are you sure that it's what you want to do?
Make sure that you're making the right decision. If you choose the right major and you excel and you speak Mandarin, you could be in high demand in the corporate world. Again, if I were in your shoes again, I would attempt to get a dual degree in statistics and computer science. Why? Because the world is heading towards automation.
If you get a degree those two disciplines, you will be in high demand. Later on you can get a Masters degree in something that interests you especially as more and more universities allow online opportunities. Hopefully, the cost of tuition will begin to fall, but with the government causing interest inflation through excess available capital, educational institutions have no incentive to lower their prices.
If the military gives you an opportunity to finish school debt free in exchange for four years of service, than by all means, follow through with the opportunity. Just make sure you get into the right career field that will enhance your resume and teach you valuable skills that are coveted in the private sector. Even if you can hardly stand the military culture, you should be able to put up with it for four years and move on to bigger and better things.
It's starts now though. If you don't take care of business when you're young, you'll find that it will be increasingly more difficult in the future. Just convince yourself that you have to study even when you don't want to study and take a math/engineering degree/computer science degree path and deal with the pain.
Operations research IS a STEM degree. Additionally, there are operations research analysts within the government. Operations research is very similar to a degree in statistics, and its a career field that is becoming increasingly in high demand.
I do stand corrected. We do have a specific career field requiring that degree.
In order to qualify to be a Marine Officer all you need is a degree and a 300 PFT score. If you can run 3 miles in 18 minutes, do 20 real pull ups, and 100 crunches, you can become a Marine officer. The problem is that your job is determined by your performance in OTS.
From what I understand, the top guys tend to choose pilot and infantry, but you would probably want to ask people with actual experience to be sure. Are you even sure they have Intelligence Officers in the Marines? If so, it might be a highly competitive career field to get into.
If I am to go Marine, it will be because I want to earn the title of 'United States Marine' and whatever job I get will come second. And yes, I have asked several current active-duty Marines and there are intelligence MOS'es for officers, the largest of which is Ground Intelligence Officer.
Physical performance is not a problem, I can crank out my 20 pullups already and am working on lowering my run time by three minutes through cross-country.
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What exactly is it that you want out of the military? The military is good if you want to serve 20 years and have a guaranteed pension, which will likely not be there for anybody else in the private sector except for very few companies. The military is also good to put on your resume, especially as an officer, but are you sure that it's what you want to do?
Well, if I wasn't, I wouldn't be asking.
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Make sure that you're making the right decision. If you choose the right major and you excel and you speak Mandarin, you could be in high demand in the corporate world. Again, if I were in your shoes again, I would attempt to get a dual degree in statistics and computer science. Why? Because the world is heading towards automation.
Even though I don't have the best experience with engineering and mathematics, I agree that Computer Science is a very solid field and my parents have strongly urged me to major in it. Even though the field doesn't appeal to me at all, I think it is a much more practical choice than Poli-Scy.
If I am to go Marine, it will be because I want to earn the title of 'United States Marine' and whatever job I get will come second. And yes, I have asked several current active-duty Marines and there are intelligence MOS'es for officers, the largest of which is Ground Intelligence Officer.
Physical performance is not a problem, I can crank out my 20 pullups already and am working on lowering my run time by three minutes through cross-country.
Well, if I wasn't, I wouldn't be asking.
Even though I don't have the best experience with engineering and mathematics, I agree that Computer Science is a very solid field and my parents have strongly urged me to major in it. Even though the field doesn't appeal to me at all, I think it is a much more practical choice than Poli-Scy.
Just be sure that the military is what you want to do. Understand that if you join the Marines, while you have some say in your position, dependent upon your performance in OTS, you are taking a significant risk.
Also, be aware if the US gets into a real war with a country that has satellite capability and the ability to disrupt communications via space warfare, electronic warfare, as well as directed energy weapon capability, you may not make it out alive.
Granted, this is a risk that we all take in life as we unwittingly support an unsustainable lifestyle and stand idle as our "elected" leadership robs this country blind. However, you are going to put yourself in a precarious position in which you may be just as likely to be a casualty of war as enlisted folks.
While advertisers have done a tremendous job at marketing the Marine brand, you have to really ask yourself if your desire for the "title" of Marine is worth the real responsibility of a Marine officer.
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