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Sophomore in college. What should I be doing right now?
I’m in my second year in college as a mechanical engineering student. So far what I have going for me is 4 years of JROTC in high school (staff, squadron commander, etc.) Current CAP senior member. I am a Private Pilot with about 80 hours (I got my PPL through the AFJROTC flight academy). I am working on my instrument rating right now, and plan to get to CFI or CFII by the end of college. I work as a security guard on campus and can likely work my way up into leadership positions there too. I’m involved in a few engineering and social clubs and could move up in those as well if I decide to put in the time. I’ve also recently joined a club that does community service in health care.
What I have going against me is mostly my GPA. I had a rough freshman year and failed 3 classes and have a 2.8 GPA. Things are going a lot better now I’ve retaken one of the failed classes and passed with a B and I’m retaking another right now and looking at a B or C. With the way things are going, I expect my GPA to improve to at least a 3.0 by the end of the year. I am also not very fit at the moment. I am working on losing weight and improving my fitness but it is slow going.
So my main questions are what are my current chances and what can I do to improve them? Are those failed classes going to be a major obstacle down the road? How much of my experience actually matters and where do I stand among other applicants? Most importantly what else (besides improving my grades and fitness) should I be doing right now to make myself the best applicant I can be?
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3 Replies
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I should probably add that I’m looking for a fight slot in the Guard.
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Hi!
I would definitely recommend checking out the new analytics tool that was announced here last week. It provides data on competitiveness based on units and numbers.
I’m currently in AFROTC and started as a sophomore in college so it’s another route to consider. There is currently a program to commission directly into the Reserves. It’s pretty competitive and you still need to get hired by the unit but it’s an option worth looking into (note: the program has not been announced yet for this year).
AFROTC would be a three year program for you (much longer than OTS if you get picked up for ANG) and if you don’t get the Reserve gig you would have an Active Duty service commitment. However, based on the volume of slots and applicants your chances of securing a pilot slot are typically higher with the AFROTC route. Importantly, you don’t know what airframe you will fly if you go AD so you’ll have to continue competing for a fighter at UPT.
Definitely a lot to consider given your situation but if your goal is to get in the cockpit I would also recommend doing some homework on AFROTC. Happy to answer any questions you have.
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You sound like you have a lot going for you. WAS gave some great advice. In addition to his, since you’re a Sophomore, I’d say just slow your role and really focus on classes, especially since your GPA is giving you so much trouble. You’ve got a ton of time ahead of you so don’t try to do everything at once, you’re already ahead of the game so spend the next two years hammering in on GPA, there’s plenty of additional tricks to punch it up too like summer classes and the like.
Same with your fitness. Start heading to the gym if your college has one, or a local one. Go for a run, start swimming for fun, try to diet (it sucks but it’s not too bad, saves you money at least). It’s very good for your health and spirit, even outside the military requirements. Those are the important things. Even to what WAS said, you need to maintain a certain GPA and a standard of Physical Fitness to stay in ROTC.
At least that’s what I would do; if you have a weak spot attack it first and hardest. But you know your own situation best. Take what advice you think is applicable to your context and situation and do your best. I wish you the best of luck mate.
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