UTlife

I'm facing a major dilemma right now, I go to UT Austin and I'm majoring in Economics with a minor in Spanish or Finance I don't quite know for sure yet. Anyway, I signed up for AFROTC last week, but now I'm thinking that I should drop it. It's just that I have spent four years in the Army already where I did the whole nine yards, from getting deployed to being a non-commissioned officer for two years (a leader of soldiers). I have multiple awards, and great leadership experience under my belt. The only reason I chose AFROTC is because I want to be more competitive when applying for a top MBA (Harvard, Stanford) in the future. As a military officer your way more competitive than the average Joe when applying to business schools. What do you guys think? Do you think I should just pull off a high GPA and acquire a job for a couple of years then apply, or should I go the AFROTC route? The reason I ask is because I don't really know what to expect in the civilian world it's kind of scary, in the Army you always know what to expect.

To be honest, I'm kind of worn out from the Army.

raimius

Well, if you want advice from someone NOT in your shoes...

If getting another point on your resume is your primary motivation for AFROTC, I wouldn't reccommend it. To me, extra commitment in college with an 8 year commitment afterwords isn't worth it, if you are just trying to boost your resume.

Obviously, you know what military life is like. When you say you are worn out from the Army, is that from the specifics of what you did, or just the general style? If it was the lifestyle, more miitary might not be a good choice.

UTlife

I meant that my body is aching from all the long runs in the mornings, digging fox holes in the fields, getting deployed, and even kissing butts everyday. Anyway, I decided that I'm going to drop the classes.

CesareBorgia

Do OCS. Or just get a 3.9+ and a solid position for 2-3 years after school.

UTlife

I might do OCS, but I don't think that it's mandatory for me to have a 3.9+ GPA to get into a top MBA program. I say a 3.5+ , high 600 GMAT, and a solid position for 2-3 years will be just about right.

toblerone

I have a couple of friends who are/used to be in the ROTC unit at UT Austin. One of them actually went to Iraq and witnessed his teammate being killed. Now he's back in college completing his degree. I believe that being in the army and being in combat definitely gives you the "cutting edge" that i-banks and top b-schools look for, but for me personally, the cost exceeds the benefit.

As long as you have solid work experience prior to applying to top B-schools, I think you'll do fine! Good luck!

PS. I'm also a UT Austin Economics student, so if you'd like to talk more about internships, etc, feel free to contact me.