Talk me out of enlisting in the military

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Ok, I’m not really sure why I’m posting this here, but here goes.</p>

<p>I’m a good student at a H.S. in the midwest. My dad was in the military(he’s retried now) and I moved around a lot as a kid. My parents never really pushed me into any career, but because of my upbringing, I’ve always wanted to be in the military. I’ also may pursue the FBI or CIA, but we’ll see. I’ve also thought of going to one of the SAs, ROTC or OCS. But I’m thinking more and more about enlisting. People tell me I’m nuts because I have a 4.1 GPA, probably a 4.2 GPA by graduation. Not a great test taker, but with work I should get at least 30+ ACT, hoping for a 32+. I’m an Eagle Scout too, which means if I do enlist I’ll go in as an E-3, which will help a little as far as pay goes. </p>

<p>I’m kind of bored with school, and civilian life in general. I’ll admit, I miss moving around and seeing different parts of the country. But if I would enlist, I’d go back to college at age 22 or 23, and getting the GI Bill would be nice. But it also worries me, being a 22/23 yr old with a bunch of 18/19 yr olds, but that is not a huge concern.</p>

<p>I guess it is normal to be burned out from H.S., but I’m just a sophomore, yikes. I’m really excited to go to college and with my grades I should have a lot of options for schools. But something just keeps pushing me towards the military. </p>

<p>I’ve been told I should get a very good ASVAB score, like 90+, so I could get practically any job I wanted, which intrigues me. </p>

<p>I would still want to be an officer, but maybe in a different branch than I enlist in. The branches I’m considering going into for enlisting or officer are Marines, Navy or Coast Guard. In a perfect world, I’d enlist in the Marines, get a MOS in Marine Intelligence and work for 4 years. Then go to a really good school like Stanford, Notre Dame, Columbia, etc…Then go to Coast Guard OCS and fly helicopters for search and rescue.</p>

<p>So, I really don’t know what I’m looking for as far as feedback goes, but here it goes.</p>

2

<p>How about West Point or US Naval Academy? With your grades, I think this is a better route. You get a great and free education, and also will become an officer after graduation. You get to go to school first instead of probably going to fight and come back and then go to school.</p>

3

<p>Since you are a sophomore, you still have plenty of time to consider your options.</p>

<p>If school bores you, find out if you can take any classes at a local community college, 4-year college, or university while you are still in HS. Usually these arrangements are called “dual-enrollment”. If your school district doesn’t have a program like this yet, maybe you can help get it started.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider, is that you grew up moving every two or three years. Part of your brain is thinking “Gee, isn’t it about time to move to a new post?” If your feet are feeling itchy, you need to think about something “new” to try since you can’t just make your family move. Is there a sport or school extra-curricular that might be new for you? Is there some aspect of an old sport or extra-curricular that you haven’t explored yet?</p>

<p>When you are looking at the service academies, don’t overlook the Coast Guard Academy or the Merchant Marine Academy. Lots of folks forget that those are out there too.</p>

4

<p>Coast Guard Academy might also be something you want to look at. Being a previous military brat I do understand what you are talking about.</p>

<p>My children also felt the same pull for service and being a part of something bigger than themselves. Both my son’s applied and received appointments to some of the service academies. One is now at Annapolis. It isn’t easy, but hey than everyone could do it!</p>

<p>The academies provide an excellent education with small classroom settings and there is LOTS of one on one attention! Sometimes more than you want!</p>

<p>Your summers are broken into parts with different assignments during each different rotation, at all the academies. Your assignments can take you to far flung reaches of the globe where you get first hand look/training on possible service selections ie, sub cruises, aviation cruises, gliding, jump school…the list is as long as there are service selections. You can also participate in switching academies for a semester (semester abroad!) also include international service academies as well.</p>

<p>I know Packmom’s son is graduating this May from NROTC and another poster’s son is AROTC. My other son received an NROTC scholie to MIT.</p>

<p>As a cadet or midshipman at any of the academies you are a student but you are active duty. You have movement orders, you are granted leave and you do report back in when gone, you stand watch, you have duty, you have training exercises, you have PT, you have a CO and a chief you report to, you are in the military. A percentage of your peers will be priors who have seen combat, so you will learn a great deal from them.</p>

<p>They know what it is like to go to the front lines and come back and then through their CO apply to one of the academies so they can go back and lead. Their knowledge is worth lifetimes- literally.</p>

<p>USNA produces Navy and Marine officers, and and their mission statement has been newly revised. There is a service academy forums here on CC and all the posters over there could help you tremendously. </p>

<p>They helped my boys who had tough decisions to make. And even now still hold my hand as one nervous possible Marine mom.</p>

<p>As a sophomore you have time, your junior year you can participate in the Summer Leadership Seminars at the academies and then request your initial Candidate application. It takes a while to complete all the requirements, it is not the same as a civilian application but again if it was easy…</p>

<p>Good luck, and go ask questions on the Service Academy forums.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

5

<p>CG is actually the branch my dad was in, and I plan on applying to CGA and probably USNA. </p>

<p>But my dad has been retired for over 5 years now, and we haven’t moved in over 6 years either, so this is weird because it’s not like I just moved. I guess it just comes with aging and “maturity”. </p>

<p>And happymomof1, my brain is going nuts, because I’ve stayed in one city for such a long time, lol. </p>

<p>Thanks everyone.</p>

6

<p>You sound like a very sharp kid. What I am trying to understand is why you want to spend 3 years of your life on hold as an enlisted, unless there is a specific skill you want to develop (some go to get an intense education in foreign languages for example) before you go to college.</p>

<p>Yes, high school can be very boring to those who know what they want to do with their life. I’m surprised you haven’t joined (if there is one) your HS’s NJROTC. While it is not quite the same as where you want to be, you can at least get something out of it.</p>

<p>Another suggestion to break the tedium and give you some adventure would be to look at one of the summer programs at one of the Senior Military Colleges. Helps with the resume too.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>I’m really not sure why I want to enlist. I guess I just want to get into the real world, then go back to college. But honestly I don’t know why, I just kind of want to. Getting money for college is a plus, and I’m guessing it might not be a “hook”, but it may help for admission at some places. </p>

<p>My school does not have a JROTC program. I was going to join the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, but my parents wanted me to focus on getting Eagle Scout. But, now I think it is kind of too late to start up. </p>

<p>I’m probably going to apply to AIM and NASS, so we’ll see how that goes. </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

8

<p>cooledge,</p>

<p>First of all, thank you for wanting to serve. I commend you for this choice.</p>

<p>Secondly, I think it’s early to try and talk yourself out of anything. It is a good time to start your research though. With your grades, desire and Eagle Scout status along with other EC’s, you could indeed be a good match for the service academies. Start looking at them a bit more deeply so you can apply for the various summer programs for rising seniors. You can likely begin applying around the first of the year. It will be a great way for you to see what life as a cadet/mid would be like. </p>

<p>You really need to think about what you want to do in the military. And also think about how you get to the FBI or CIA. And if a service academy isn’t for you, then perhaps ROTC will be the right choice. Or maybe OCS. Also, take a good look at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. As a graduate of this SA, you could go into any branch of the military. And it’s an interesting option to spend a year at sea. </p>

<p>I’ll suggest getting on the mailing lists of each of the 5 academies. The only way you can make the most informed decision possible is to do your homework. And if you choose to enlist after high school, it will be because you made your choice with all the facts in front of you. Another poster suggested looking at the Service Academy threads here on CC. You’ll find quite a few others also interested in learning all they can so that they can make a similar decision.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you!</p>

9

<p>It’s very admirable of you to wish to serve your country.
You’ve received a lot of great advice here, much better than I could give. Just consider one more thing…with a higher level of education you’d be able to serve in a higher capacity.</p>

10

<p>good luck on the decision coollege.</p>

<p>In the perfect world we would not need the military to protect us and no bad guys would exist but we don’t live in that world and need the military and those who serve. I have had two uncles retire as officers from the Navy and they are both brilliant people.</p>

<p>I dropped out of college early on, and gave up a full ride academically, to work for 3 years before being ready to go back and chase my dream which came to me late. It was no big deal and I found plenty of students near my age to relate to at a State U.</p>

<p>Chase the dream.</p>

11

<p>… coolege, thank you for considering joining.</p>

12

<p>If a good part of the pull is the need to wander and see different places look at summer programs, possibly volunteer organizations where you could travel somewhere and do something engaging.</p>

<p>My other thought is that for someone with a travel bug the State department ( foreign service) might suit you better than FBI/CIA as a potential career path. Another avenue for travel and adventure, which is ignored by many, is a teaching certificate on top of whatever you major in…and teaching in an international school. Great opportunities there for someone to explore the world and get paid for it.</p>

13

<p>Coollege – Don’t forget to talk to your parents about this stuff too. They will have their own take on it which, while maybe not what you want to hear, is valuable. As for being bored in h.s., I hear you. Try to remember it’s just a small part of your life and it has an ending even if it’s two years off. Find challenges. Consider things like getting your scuba cert. (can’t hurt in the Service!), learning to sail, learning to fly (you can learn at any age)…etc. Think about what you want to do long-term and try those ideas out on a small scale to see if they will keep your interest. Best of luck!</p>

14

<p>Coollege - Military service is a completely honorably career, I’m sure you know that. As a military brat, you might not be aware of the many careers you might be great at. With that in mind, I’d encourage you to defer your decision for a couple more years. I say this as someone who enlisted during a time of war and afterward earned my college degrees. Regrets? No. Do it the same way again? No, not by choice. Good luck with your decision.</p>

15

<p>One young man from D’s high school went ROTC to Harvard. I think he had to go over to another campus (Yale?) for his actual ROTC activities. Don’t you get more “bang for your buck” from ROTC (full scholarship) vs. the GI bill? I have heard gripes lately that GI bill benefits don’t even cover most of a state school scholarship (where ROTC can cover the whole cost of a private college, I think, although I am not really familiar with the details). This young man also earned a Truman Scholarship (30K for grad school in public service), but has to wait until his Navy committment is over to use it.</p>

16

<p>I agree. Try ROTC, that will allow you to continue on your academic road and be in the military plus if you go to coolege with ROTC some if not all of your schooling will be paid for. I know several kids that have done this and have really liked it!</p>

17

<p>coollege - you sound like an amazing young person. Good for you for exploring all your options and being willing to serve your country.</p>

<p>Your are correct that the NEW GI Bill is especially enticing. ROTC and SA’s are other excellent options as well.</p>

<p>There is no one “right way” or “wrong way” to go about starting your life and career. You would not be the first to enlist, serve and then go to college and you won’t be the last. Some kids also, go to college for a semester or two, then enlist, serve and complete their degree. </p>

<p>If you decide to enlist you obviously know that after three years active duty you will be entitled to 100% of the new GI Bill. Your education will be paid for, essentially and you will continue to collect a very generous living stipend. Your desire for a college education will be looked upon very highly by colleges - with your excellent high school credentials and status as a military veteran you may very well find yourself admitted to a college that would be out of your reach coming out of high school. In other words - military service is a big plus when applying to schools.
If you still desire a FBI or CIA career your enlisted experience will serve you well.</p>

<p>If you decide to take the officer route ROTC (which offers very nice scholarships) and/or a Service academy are, of course, excellent options.</p>

<p>IF you do decide to enlist, you also can apply to a service academy out of the service. A young lady I know enlisted in the Army after graduating in 2007, as she didn’t have enough money for college. After basic she was sent to the DLI in Monterey, heard about West Point, was accepted and started the summer of 2008.</p>

<p>There are many paths - the key is to find the right one for you. You have time, keep exploring your options.</p>

18

<p>For Federal Financial aid purposes - military veterans, regardless of age, are considered independent students. Their parents income will not apply.</p>

19

<p>Sounds like you need a little time off between HS and College. Nothing wrong with that. Military service would be an honorable way to spend your gap year or two or more. Consider enlisting with the Marine Reserves - Wisconsin (if you are interested, let me know). The following applies to WI, and I don’t know if other states are similar.</p>

<p>Enlistment is an 8 year commitment, part of that in the Reserves. With WI, you can enlist 6 years active reserves, and 2 years inactive reserve. After bootcamp (92 days), you would be eligible for the WI GI Bill, which pays tuition at a UW school. Simultaneously, you can apply for the PLC program (officer training). If accepted, your PLC orders will superceed deployment orders (except in a WW 3 situation). Thus, you can finish college, have most of it paid for, and then have a 4 year active duty commitment as an officer.</p>

<p>I’m not sure how the scenario would differ if you went Active Duty. Although then you would qualify for the Montgomery GI bill, which can be used at any school. Also, I don’t know whether active duty personal are eligible for the PLC program.</p>

<p>Finally, all courses taken, while on active duty, are fully paid by the Military. I don’t know if this counts against your GI bill or not. supposedly on-line learning are available at all stations, and satellite learning is available at most. Think of it as getting Community College credits towards your 4 year degree at a more prestigious college. Or, you could get a degree from them.</p>

20

<p>

</p>

<p>Harvard (and Tufts, Wellesley, Endicott, Gordon, and Salem State) ROTC students go to MIT for ROTC. MIT is kind of the metro Boston ROTC focal point.</p>

<p>I agree that many posters that ROTC is a good option. I understand that you are burned out on civilian life right now, but keep in mind that your college life will be different from your high school life anyway.</p>