<p>I want to have a long career in the United States Army as an officer. The branch I will try to get into is the JAG Corps, and I would like some feedback on what undergraduate majors and minors I should pursue before law school. Overall, I am curious on which majors will be helpful for ROTC, getting into JAG and law school. Right now I am thinking about getting my major in Business Administration, but I feel that this is not right for the army. Lastly if I were to get a ROTC scholarship would I need to minor in Military Science.</p>
<p>Starting with the last, no, you do not need to minor in Military Science. However, some colleges allow you to do so, and you will be taking enough classes for that.</p>
<p>I agree with your hunch that Business Administration is not a good fit for an Army career. Considering that you want to go JAG then you want to prepare for law school, then Political Science is a popular major for people aspiring for law school. So is History. Actually, both of those majors are also popular among Army ROTC, and even West Point, cadets. You will be surprised to hear that majoring in Classical Studies, which includes Latin and Ancient Greek languages, is among the best preparation for law school. Perhaps this is because so much of law still has latin terminology such “pro bono,” and “quid pro quo.”</p>
<p>I assume that you will explore the Army ROTC scholarship, and it is a good idea to apply for it unless your parents have plenty of money. The Army allows you to major in pretty much whatever you want, if you get a scholarship. So, no problem there. My only advice about the Army ROTC scholarship is that you might as well use your scholarship at a private university and get all the benefits which come with private schools. Also, you might want to know that several colleges offer free room and board to you if you use your scholarship at their school. That is very handy, to say the least.</p>
<p>Do you know how hard it would be for someone to get an Army ROTC scholarship with</p>
<p>ACT Score: 24</p>
<p>SAT Scores:
Reading: 480
Math: 560
Writing: 530
Overall: 1570</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.3
Weighted GPA: 3.94 </p>
<p>I have played 2 years of varsity football and I am apart of the key club.</p>
<p>Before you decide to become an Army Officer you need to get an accurate read on what your chances are of becoming a JAG Officer. I don’t think the Army currently allows many (if any) new AROTC grads to go directly to law school after finishing their undergrad degrees, and if they do I’m fairly sure it is extremely competitive to get selected. How do you feel about serving four years as an Armor Officer instead? Just make sure you know what career paths will be available to you after you graduate from college. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks do you think they would let me go to law school if I were to pay out of my own pocket or agree to serve more years in the army because I would not mind being in the army for over 20 year because I see the army as an opportunity that can fulfill my life better than a 3 year run in the Peace Corp and although I would not mind being an Armor or Infantry officer I do not want my parents to be worried about me while I am away. Overall I want to help people in the Army more than those in other countries because I want to serve my country not another one. </p>
<p>Again, you need to do some research. The following link is to a site with a LOT of knowledgeable military people. If you post there I’m sure someone can give you more specific answers than I.
<a href=“United States of America Service Academy Forums”>http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php</a></p>
<p>As I understand the military JAG system: If you pay for your own college (and not enroll in AROTC at all), you can apply to the Army and ask them to pay for Law School with the understanding that you will be a JAG Officer after graduation and will serve X number of years as a payback. Another option is to pay for your own undergrad and Law School and then apply to the Army as a JAG officer. The third is the option I suggested in my first post; AROTC through college and then ask/apply to the Army for permission to go to Law School before coming back as a JAG officer. The fourth and (AFAIK) final option is to serve four years as an officer (something other than JAG) after AROTC and college and THEN apply for the JAG program. Someone MUCH more knowledgeable than I will need to give you your odds of pursuing any of these options.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>I think you need to improve your SAT/ACT score for any realistic chance of a scholarship. Competition is intense for ALL the military branches and they are all reducing their numbers of officers. JMPO…but discard the writing portion and focus on only reading and math for the SAT. Minimum should be 600 ea but 650 would be more helpful in receiving an AROTC scholarship. Some people do better on the ACT…focus on whichever one you do best at as the Army doesn’t care which test you take. Even if you don’t receive a scholarship before college, the Army offers them while you are in college if you do well in AROTC and keep your grades up.</p>
<p>Again…Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks this was really helpful, I have only taken the SAT and the ACT, and I have been taking prep classes in and out of school to get a better SAT score</p>
<p>You’re very welcome. Keep practicing on those tests and you’ll do fine. Definitely take a look at that other site. It will be very helpful to you as you navigate this process.
Never mind…just saw your post on the other site. The fact that you are an African American male (I assume since you play varsity football) should help you application substantially. Good Luck…again.</p>
<p>I agree with everything “aglages” has said, but also would add that the Army is very interested in your physical fitness. So, do not neglect that while attempting to raise your ACT/SAT scores. If you can become a team captain, that would be very valuable. You might also consider trying out for track and/or cross country. The Army loves people who can run.</p>
<p>There is no reason to settle for armor or infantry unless you like those branches. One of the most important parts of the Army is logistics, known as the Transportation Corps. It is large, and is also one of the most transferable skill sets to civilian life. </p>
<p>Perhaps I should retract my advice about majoring in business administration. The Army does have the Finance Corps. If you get a business degree and specialize in finance, that could be very useful and might make a relatively good combination with a law degree.</p>
<p>Also, this is just speculation on my part, but I think that there are ways to earn your law degree online. You might look into how that could be done while serving in the Army.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, a year or so I typed up the following list of Army branches:</p>
<p>Combat Arms:
- Infantry
- Armor
- Field Artillery
- Air Defense Artillery
- Aviation
- Corps of Engineers</p>
<p>Combat Support:
- Signal Corps
- Military Police
- Military Intelligence
- Chemical Corps
- Civil Affairs</p>
<p>Sustainment:
- Transportation Corps
- Ordnance Corps
- Quartermaster Corps
- Finance Corps
- Adjutant General Corps</p>
<p>JAG is not listed, and neither is Medical. Maybe that is because they are rather small branches, and require so much additional professional training.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I thought you might want to look at the list.</p>
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<p>Political science is the most popular major among LSAT takers by far, but is far from being a majority of them.</p>
<p>Other popular majors among LSAT takers are English, business management, psychology, and history, though they are all less than a third as popular as political science.</p>
<p>However, popularity of a major among pre-law students does not necessarily say anything about how well the major’s courses prepare the student for the LSAT, law school, or any particular type of law practice.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Phil/upload/LSAT-Scores-of-Majors.pdf”>http://www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Phil/upload/LSAT-Scores-of-Majors.pdf</a></p>
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<p>Would a major in industrial engineering, systems engineering, statistics, or applied math be suitable for that?</p>