AFROTC Change of Major

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TheDeadHornet

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I am currently a non-scholarship Freshman cadet in Air Force ROTC majoring in Electrical Engineering. However, I have realized that I am not passionate about engineering at all. I don't feel like I belong in EE, the only reason I chose this major is because I wanted to be a Pilot and I thought it would give me better chances at a Pilot slot. I think it would be awesome to be a Pilot or a Space Operations Officer, but I don't know if I truly belong in one of those careers if I'm not even interested in EE at all. I have always wanted to be a Lawyer and I think I would excel at that job. I was in debate clubs all through Middle School and High School and I always loved my history and government classes. I am thinking about switching to a Political Science Pre-Law major, but the biggest problem is that it's extremely difficult for me to afford college and if I don't get the scholarship I might have to drop out and work to save up enough money to afford University. How rare are non-tech scholarships? Is it even possible to get into law school after graduating from AFROTC and if it is not possible, what jobs would I be able to get in the Air Force with a poli sci degree? Should I change my major and follow my passions or should I stick it through and try to get a Pilot slot?
 
You ask some questions no one can answer, especially your final one. Only you can answer that.

What you major in during college has nothing to do with what your job is in the AF, including pilots. Pilots come from all walks. Most high school AFROTC scholarships are awarded to Tech majors. By most I mean something in the range of 70-85%. I have no idea what percentage of Tech vs non-Tech majors earn scholarships while in college. Same for advanced standing.

If you're not passionate about EE, I see no point in continuing, with the very strong caveat that you're just getting started so I don't know how you can have any idea of what EE even is yet.

One thing to think about is what type of craft you want to fly. I mention this because if you are willing to fly rotary aircraft then the Army and the Marine Corps do not care what your major is. They have plenty of rotary craft and even some fixed wing (especially the Corps). Perhaps you're in the wrong service along with the wrong major.

I would also add that there is no guarantee of getting a pilot slot in any service, and you should be in a service where yo would be willing to do some other job as well. The needs of the military always come first and you need to be prepared/willing to serve as an officer in any capacity.

Finally, some folks get to proceed to law school immediately after college. These people not only walk on water but can also fly without the aid of any craft whatsoever. These opportunities are very rare and I would think, while you might strive for it anyway, it's not a very realistic plan.

Just one man's opinion trying to provide some food for thought. It's worth what you paid for it. Good luck.
 
Start here: Which is your real passion, being a pilot or being a lawyer? That will dictate the best path.

If it’s pilot, then you can get there without a technical degree or ROTC. You can switch to a non-technical major (knowing it might be harder to win an ROTC scholarship) or go OCS after graduating.

If it’s lawyer, then you may want to rethink the whole ROTC path. ROTC exists primarily to fill active-duty billets, not to send graduates to law school. Remember that the needs of the Air Force come first.

In the end, I suggest you major in what you’re really passionate about. Your college experience will be immensely more positive. Major doesn’t matter much when assigning occupations in the Air Force. There are political-science majors flying jets and electrical-engineering majors manning desks.

But whatever you do, don’t pick a major you don’t want just because it may help you win a scholarship. You’ll likely be miserable.
 
+1 to MidCake, as usual. It seems appropriate to add my usual joke about college majors as you think through all this. What you major in determines the questions you'll ask for the rest of your life. If you major in accounting you'll ask "What does it cost?". If you major in engineering you'll ask "How does it work?". If you major in psychology you'll ask "Do you want fries with that?". Choose wisely.
 
Shack to MidCakePa. Quick pile on with some personal experience. DO NOT let the hope of a scholarship dictate your major. My roommate though college (he also did AFROTC) did this. He stuck with EE even though his heart really was not in it. He was dis-enrolled senior year due to multiple grade issues. He was very smart and would have commissioned with just about any other major. However, he simply got behind the power curve in a very tough major, and it snowballed. Let your dream dictate your degree, not the other way around.

Additionally, regarding technical degrees and flying.... out of my Viper-B course, only one dude has a tech major. The rest of us are either a flavor of Business or PolySci. Hope that puts it in perspective for you.
 
My DS was an AFROTC scholarship recipient that majored in govt & politics, with international relations minor. He is an ADAF pilot.

There is a system in place. Do engineer majors get an edge? Yes, but only to a certain extent.
1. IF your grades are in the right parameters, than you will get an edge for selection compared to a non-tech. However, just because the min cgpa is 2.5, that is not the reality. The avg cgpa for a tech major is @3.0. For non-tech it is @3.3/3.4
~ IOWS if you stick with that major and have a cgpa lower than the avg, you may see a non-tech getting a slot because their cgpa is above the non-tech avg.
~~ Assumption, everything else is equal, PCSM, TBAS, PFA, etc.
2. Engineers get an edge much later down the line in their career as pilots, in 1 specific area.
~ Test Pilot School. Currently to attend TPS you must hold an engineering degree. However, to get to TPS, you need to wing out of UPT, and get Command support from your wing King/Queen to go to TPS. Those are a couple of big what ifs? TPS typically will not occur until you are on the edge of deciding whether to take the bonus or bolt. It is long way down this path.
3. I agree with a400831 regarding UPT and engineering school.
~ IPs at UPT do not care what your commissioning source was and your undergrad degree. They care about handling the stick.
~~ In my DS's UPT class. The #1 grad on the 38 side that got a 22, was a prior E, OCS grad with a business degree he got via the on base educational dept. (Bases have colleges like ERAU, UMD, etc as satellite campuses). Number 2 with an F15E was AFROTC, govt. grad. #1 n the heavy side was prior E too. fencer on this site had one of her twins in my DS's UPT class. He was a USAFA physics grad(TECH). He is flying the same airframe and at the same AFB as my DS.

Hope that helps.
 
OBTW, I forgot to say engineering can be a double edge sword when it comes to getting a pilot slot.

Certain engineering degrees are classified as critical manning, and it can change from yr to yr depending on the needs of the AF. A few yrs ago EE was listed as critical manning. I can't recall the exact % they took from AFROTC, but I believe it was less than 15% of all EEs in that yr group for rated as a ROTC cadet. Thus, see above regarding that cgpa, because you can bet your last dollar those rated slots went to cadets that had a strong cgpa. The rest went to flying a chair as an engineer.

I don't know if that major is still considered critical, but do you want to take the risk?

You have something in common with my DS. From the time my DS was 10 until he was 17, he wanted to be an AF JAG officer, not a pilot. At 17 for his bday he asked for pilot lessons, (his Dad flew F15Es) we obliged. He was bitten by the bug. That being said, as an AFROTC cadet he kept his back up plan of getting a law degree in place while in college. He did so by interning on the Hill for a Senator. He did it by majoring in govt & politics, plus international relations. He did it by carrying a cgpa over 3.4 (non-tech) In essence, he made sure that he didn't close one door, because he would have been okay with either path. What he was not willing to be okay with was hating 4 yrs of academics for a degree he had no desire to obtain.
~ My DH has very few regrets, but if you ask him what is his biggest regret is...it is he majored in Aerospace Engineering, and not Business. Yes, he got fighters, but that has more to do with other things, than his major. He commissioned by the skin of his teeth. He was the DG out of FTU. Why? because like our DS he loved flying and that motivated him at FTU to be the best.
 
DG = Distinguished Graduate aka not only number 1 out of training, but the top 10% of all grads throughout the fiscal year.
~ Some classes have #1, but not a DG.

FTU = Flight Training Unit aka the specific air frame training you will go to before your operational base once you complete the FTU course. It is @ 6-9 months long training. Once you complete you go to your 1st ops tour.
~ IE F15E FTU is at Seymour Johnson. From there they will go to their 1st op base.

Bullet will probably hate me for saying this on the forum, but anyways. He got DG for multiple reasons.
1. He was the 1st in many years to have multiple Exceptionally Qualified (EQs) on both the sim check ride, and his flight check right.
2. He was a WSO, doubled crewed.
~ This meant, he had to do check rides with 2 pilots because they did not have enough WSOs. If 1 bad ride with 1 pilot, he got dinged bc of that pilot. It equated to double duty when it came to flight planning and sortie checks.
3. Academically he studied his butt off for @ 2-3 yrs., more than he did in college.

I get it. Trust me, I do! However, I have lived this life as a spouse and a Mom.
Fencer, Stealth, Flieger, Bullet and I can tell you that the idea of I AM going to be a pilot does not equate to YOU WILL be a pilot.
~ I don't have enough fingers to count on when that 9:00 pm phone call came while they were at UPT, seeing on the phone my DS's name, and wondering if this is a good phone call or a bad one?

Again, the idea of flying an F35 and being Tom Cruise (Top Gun) is fun. The reality is what raimius has posted on his blog. It is yrs of sacrifice, doubt, sleep deprivation, and chair flying.

If you think engineering is hard, trust me, it is a cake walk compared to UPT. That being said, it doesn't mean an engineer makes you a better pilot or officer.

I truly wish you all the best. You are the future when it comes to the defense of this country, but only if you find where you fit regarding how to make you happy.
 
My son was not a STEM major and was still able to get a pilot spot through AF Rotc. While they like STEM majors when it comes to pilots, you can still do it without that type of degree. As for scholarhips, I hear it is very tough to get one for a non STEM major
 
I presume that no one is forcing you to participate in AFROTC, and that you are doing so out of a conviction that it will be mutually beneficial for yourself and the Air Force. I also assume that as you are already a declared EE major, you have the aptitude to successfully earn an engineering degree.

Here is my suggestion. If you really want a scholarship and a commission, why don’t you make it easy on the Air Force to give you what you want by giving them what they want? AFROTC has made no secret of the fact that they really want students like yourself to accept the challenge of a technical major; and as tens of thousands of students just like you manage to earn engineering degrees every year, it is hardly an unrealistic expectation. Of course, this assumes that you are willing to work as hard as a college student as you should expect to work as a junior officer – which is to say, as hard as it takes to get the job done. I don’t think you should avoid the challenge out of fear that you won’t like it or won’t keep you grades up. Aim high.

One final point. While it may be theoretically possible to go to law school after AFROTC and commission as a JAG, you shouldn’t count on it or even assume that it is a realistic option. You should also understand that being a JAG is a relatively narrow field of law. On the other hand, it is always possible to pick up a law degree on your own, either during or after your AF service. I got mine at night while I was on active duty. I never served as a JAG, but I have enjoyed a long and satisfying legal career after leaving the Air Force.
 
@Pima Whew! Thanks! I thought FTU might be Flying Totally Upside-down. I won't even mention what I thought DG might be! :D
 
Thank you to everyone that responded and gave their inputs. After thinking about this, I have decided I am going to stick to EE. I would feel like a quitter if I switched to Poli Sci and I am not a quitter. I might have to spend more time trying to understand the concepts, but I feel like I can handle EE. Plus I really need the AFROTC scholarship and switching to a non-tech major is too risky for me.
 
Good luck with your decision. Hope it all works out perfectly for you.
 
I am not going to tell you what to do. Only you can decide that. I think you should major in the subject that will not only get you the better grades but more importantly make you happy both now and in the future. It isnt an issue of being a quitter or not. If you were quit college or even maybe Rotc, you could call yourself that. You probalby wont spend the rest of your life in the military. When you get out, should be able to have a job you enjoy doing. I dont believe in the concept of giving the AF what they want so that you can get what you want. In one sense the game is rigged. Sure, if you play the game, you may get what you want when you serve. What happens when you get out. If you get to be a pilot and want to continue that in civilian life, all will be great. Better yet, what if you dont get to be a pilot or be part of Space Operation. You are going to get a degree you really dont want so that you may or may not get the job you want. Even if you get the job you want, what if you want to do something else when you leave the AF.. What do you do if you want to apply the skills you currently have. Sure you can go to college again, but are you going to be able to afford to go to college and help provide for your family.

I think you need to really think this through and decide what you want to do
 
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