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Currently preparing to go to college, have wanted to serve in the military since I was little and never held any interest in a civilian career. One of the colleges I'm considering is Michigan State, which has Army and Air Force ROTC. The other is Miami University, which has Naval ROTC as well. Miami is out of state and private, so it's going to hurt, but my parents claim they can take the cost. We already have enough saved to go to Michigan State, though. I've visited both campuses and like both of them, so the branch I'm going into is probably going to make the choice for where I'm going to go.
I'm considering majoring in either Political Science or Operations Research. If I go Air Force or Navy, I'll do Operations Research. If I go Army or Marine Corps I'll do Political Science. I'm unsure about whether or not I can make it in Operations Research, since I just can't hack it in higher math levels. Political Science, on the other hand, comes easily to me as well as other topics like History.
Talked to every recruiter when they visit my High School, still unsure about which branch would be the most compatible for me. I'm drawn to the Marine Corps for some reason, but "there's a reason why there's so few long-term Marines".
Just some stuff about me.
- DODMERB qualified for all services (Taken when I applied for USMC, Army, and USAF scholarships)
- Relatively good eyesight, both easily correctable to 20/20.
- Aiming for 20+ years in service. This likely means that starting a family and stability will become factors after ten or so years in the service.
- In the long run, would like to work with something with Space Operations. Yes, it's a pipe dream thanks to sucking at Calculus. Intelligence is a second option.
- Don't have any scholarships thanks to slacking off early in High School.
Marine Corps PFT: 280/300
Army APFT: 271
Air Force PFT: 97/100
If it matters, I am Asian-American and can speak fluent Chinese.
Consider reserves if military will help with cost of school then enlist regular when you graduate. If no active duty consider a gubment job in D.C. or where ever. Go USAF.
Consider reserves if military will help with cost of school then enlist regular when you graduate. If no active duty consider a gubment job in D.C. or where ever. Go USAF.
Family can afford it (No aid needed) and I'm looking at commissioning. Also might try to earn a sideload on the way.
I'm worried about my academic prospects if I do a AFROTC technical major and worried about my prospects for being selected if I do AFROTC with a nontechnical.
Fully willing to go active, no interest in a civilian career.
I served 20 years in the US Navy, mostly on subs. Line officers that I served with have all been STEM majors [science, engineering, mathematics, technology, physics], with a few exceptions. Every Chop [Supply officer] was an accountant, every Legal officer has had a Law Degree, and Chaplains all have religious degrees.
To serve for long in the Silent Service as an officer means that you would likely be going through Nuclear Power School. So a STEM background makes sense.
Talking to the recruiters is a good idea. Though honestly their focus is on filling the enlisted ranks and not officers.
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... I'm drawn to the Marine Corps for some reason, but "there's a reason why there's so few long-term Marines".
The same can be said of Navy seals or any branch's Special Forces; train hard, live hard and you quickly amass a large assortment of disabilities. Look for people who consume a bottle of motrin (ibuprofen) every week, before they reach 30 years old and you will find people who expect a lot from their bodies. Unfortunately few of our bodies can survive that treatment for more than a decade.
You express interest in Political Science and Operations Research. I do not have much advice to offer you in either of those fields.
Then you mention Space Operations.
I worked in the field of Inertial Navigation. The systems that I operated on subs have direction application to space navigation. During my career I saw a lot of improvements made in my equipment and the math models that we use, to allow for better interplanetary and interstellar navigation. My Department Heads [the vessel Navigator] primarily had degrees as physicists before entering Naval service.
since your asian, the USN does have a high percentage of asian officers and speaking fluent Chinese languages [mandarin or canto] would be beneficial if you ever had to travel to those areas while overseas.
Asians and Pacific Islanders of various nationalities and ancestry—Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, Asian Indian, Polynesian—have been serving in the Navy since the early 19th century. Some groups have made the Navy their service of choice.
Currently preparing to go to college, have wanted to serve in the military since I was little and never held any interest in a civilian career. One of the colleges I'm considering is Michigan State, which has Army and Air Force ROTC. The other is Miami University, which has Naval ROTC as well. Miami is out of state and private, so it's going to hurt, but my parents claim they can take the cost. We already have enough saved to go to Michigan State, though. I've visited both campuses and like both of them, so the branch I'm going into is probably going to make the choice for where I'm going to go.
I'm considering majoring in either Political Science or Operations Research. If I go Air Force or Navy, I'll do Operations Research. If I go Army or Marine Corps I'll do Political Science. I'm unsure about whether or not I can make it in Operations Research, since I just can't hack it in higher math levels. Political Science, on the other hand, comes easily to me as well as other topics like History.
Talked to every recruiter when they visit my High School, still unsure about which branch would be the most compatible for me. I'm drawn to the Marine Corps for some reason, but "there's a reason why there's so few long-term Marines".
Just some stuff about me.
- DODMERB qualified for all services (Taken when I applied for USMC, Army, and USAF scholarships)
- Relatively good eyesight, both easily correctable to 20/20.
- Aiming for 20+ years in service. This likely means that starting a family and stability will become factors after ten or so years in the service.
- In the long run, would like to work with something with Space Operations. Yes, it's a pipe dream thanks to sucking at Calculus. Intelligence is a second option.
- Don't have any scholarships thanks to slacking off early in High School.
Marine Corps PFT: 280/300
Army APFT: 271
Air Force PFT: 97/100
If it matters, I am Asian-American and can speak fluent Chinese.
You did not say that you'd actually spoken to the ROTC counseling officers at those schools.
Do that. Don't depend on the information from the recruiters who have visited your high school. The ROTC counselors can give you the best information on things like college major choices and how they affect your ROTC selectability at that school and in that service.
The ROTC counselors can give you the best information on things like college major choices and how they affect your ROTC selectability at that school and in that service.
If it matters, I am Asian-American and can speak fluent Chinese.
Some people get very picky and lose sight of the options available. The services can be picky on who they select.
Linguists can be in demand at times, especially if you have a high DLAB score. I am bi-lingual but a low DLAB score, however it was beneficial in my career.
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 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.
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.
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You did not say that you'd actually spoken to the ROTC counseling officers at those schools.
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".
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.
Honestly, if I were in your position, I would try to get a dual degree in computer science and statistics. People always tell you to do something that you like because that's what you'll be good at, but the bottom line is that barely anyone likes their job.
What are you going to do with a political science degree if you get out of the military? It's useless unless you go to law school, and Lord knows we have too many lawyers. At least if you get a hard degree like statistics or computer science, you'll have options in the future outside of the military. Additionally, you'll be able to do more jobs within the military, that otherwise you wouldn't be qualified for.
I deeply regret not getting a degree in engineering or applied math. Unfortunately, I didn't have much direction in my life. If you look at a lot of companies that provide services, you'll see that at the higher levels, they are not business people, but engineers. They may have their MBAs at that point, but they started in a critical thinking discipline. Don't make the same mistake I did and have to back track in the future.
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