Field Training Odds

I'm currently a AS100 in a Det of about 50, and 25 cadets in my AS100 class. I'm an electrical engineering major. My current GPA is a 3.08 and planned to aiming, realistically, with finishing this semester with a 3.38. Right now I do not pass the PFA but that is only due in part to my running time, other than that (which is about 30 seconds off) with my pushups and situps score plus the minimum run time puts me at a 91 PFA score. My first semester I wasn't involved so much in the det, but this semester I'm doing honor guards and community service through the det. Where do my chances at getting to field training stand?

Only a fool would chance you. There is too much info missing starting with are you a STWM and ending with your AFOQT ...let alone your PFA

Your GPA is on track but that is only a part of what you are ranked on. Tech majors selected last year had an average PFA score of 97 and a GPA of 3.31. EA selection rates are cyclical so it is hard to tell what your class will be like. Also you still will have to take the AFOQT which goes towards your score. Rumor is that 24% who took it this year failed. Without a passing score you can say goodbye to SFT and without a competitive score your chances for SFT decrease yet again. Then comes the DODMERB...you need to pass and all your paperwork then needs to go through correctly. Essentially what I'm trying to say is take it step by step and things will fall in place.

I'm a AS200 waiting to hear on EAs right now but I'm staying relaxed because I did my best and it is out of my hands now. I encourage you to do the same. Stay involved and show that you want to be there. Try Arnold Air and volunteer to take leadership positions. At the same time make sure you have enough time away from AFROTC and make other friends.

IMPO You really need to get your PFA score up. It's not a good thing to be shooting for the minimums. To feel comfortable your 1.5 mile run should be on either side of 10 mins. The reality is that it is becoming more competitive to get and EA and cadets must be excelling in every category now. It'll take some work but if you stick to running this spring and all summer you may be able to get your run where you want it to be.

Pima said:

Only a fool would chance you. There is too much info missing starting with are you a STWM and ending with your AFOQT ...let alone your PFA

Click to expand...

Hopefully my comment doesn't classify me as a fool Pima!

Focus on grades. Sophomore year just gets harder than Freshman year, especially for engineering majors. Then, focus on PT and you really want get >95 on your PFA. Just my advice. Then get involved in your det.

I agree 95 should be your low target to feel a slight bit safe.

Jmpo, but you will go insane if you start worrying about SFT selection now. Right now take control of what you can.
~PT
~ CGPA
~ Volunteer for jobs within the unit....even the crap assignments. IOWS, team player.

In a few short weeks if your det. is like our DSs than they will be assigning the 100s their jobs for fall semester as 200s.

What I'm really asking is if my GPA will kill me? Yes my PFA score can go up and that will help in the long run (no pun intended). The way my det. is set up is not really a job assignment but more a voluntary basis, i.e honor guards are an event by event basis, we don't have one group that does guards. Unfortunately due to other organizations I'm involved with, I don't have the extra time for AAS so that isn't really a feasible thing for me.

As far as your GPA goes all I can say is that the average is about 3.3. I want to stress that the PFA is very important. It may be a deciding factor for you being selected for SFT. Your commander will look at it to rank you in your class and that is a huge part of the OML. When you are down at Maxwell you will take the PFA test a few times and they will evaluate you on it. Typically they say to subtract about 5 pts from your score and that is what you will get at Maxwell. If you want a rated position it becomes even more important. Remember that PT sessions are the bare minimum and won't get you into the kind of shape needed to do well on the PFA.

As far as jobs go your det. doesn't have a honor guard commander? That's my position this semester and it's provided me with a lot of opportunities to polish my skillset. How about GMCA, PFOA, operations officer, or logistics officer? Wouldn't it be chaos if nobody had jobs?

GMCA is typically a 200 so obviously I can't be one this semester, but the CW/CC picks the GMCA. The PFO has a deputy (also POC) and ops and logistics officers fall under POC jobs. There is an honor guard we do have an honor guard commander in that he schedules and sends out the sign up for the honor guard events, for each event there is a POC in charge but that is on a completely voluntary basis. Except for GMCA, all the det jobs are POC run

There is an exact formula for class ranking somewhere in the bowels of this site.
It is a formula...they take your ranking multiply, divided and throw it into the washing machine. Just joking, but you get the drift, there is an algorithm.

This maybe hard to read, but please understand I am saying this with kindness.

Sled is correct that score matters a lot more than you can imagine. It is their first true impression of you. When weighing you against the other 24 100s.
~ You are lucky to be in such a small unit. DSs unit had @250+ cadets, 100 of them being 100s. Their attrition rate was 25% from 100 to 200. 45% from200/250 to 300. Maybe 5-10% for 300/400s. They(cadre) didn't know a cadets name first unless they were on the very top or the very bottom.

This is where it comes back to the PFA. That is a first impression. If I were you, spring break is coming up. Workout everyday regardless of weather. When the end of the semester rolls around for your PFA get 97+. Repeat during the summer so you max day one.
~ Your CWC/CVWC/FCC will take notice. They have weekly meetings with the Cadre for insight on cadets.
~~ DS as cadet was an FCC and he had to write reviews for all 20 cadets in his flight. He would show up at 5 for the weekly meeting. He was also the wing PT leader one semester. He was able to tell them which cadet in the unit in his mind was the weakest.
~~~ If it is between you and another cadet between being top 50% and bottom 50% and both have the exact same cgpa, someone has to be the bottom 49% and that PT score could be the deciding factor.
~~~~ perception matters and that is part of the equation.

The PFA is a nice chunk of your WCS and the CoC can use that as a determining factor when it comes to ranking = double ding. If your unit is like my DSs the PT instructor jobs go to those that max. Equaling now a triple ding because another cadet is the flight PT instructor as a 200 and you are not