daniel, I am not disagreeing with you, but I will say that when you stick around here long enough you will see that the national avg is just that...an avg. Certain colleges historically will have a higher or lower selection rate.
As I always point out, it was a 55% LY, but VT had closer to 70% selection rate, and there is a poster here or was here, that at their cadet's school had 35%. DS's had 58%. Add those 3 together and you get @55%.
This is why I feel it is important for her and any cadet or candidate to ask the det what their selection rate is, and not so important to judge it against the national.
They should also ask the parameters of those selected. Let's face it a 3.2 at one college could be deemed the bottom of the barrel, whereas, at another it could be deemed the cream of the crop. You would not say a 3.2 UP cadet academically is below a 3.5 student from GMU (no insult to GMU, but GMU is not an Ivy). Nobody here knows what OSU parameters are, and a 3.3 could be on their high end for non-tech.
I am someone who will always be honest with non-techs, but I do so as motivation, because they are constantly told or reminded that they academically have to perform much higher and still will be at risk. It can create a negative cycle. It shouldn't. It should be used as a motivation.
At the same time I will be realistic.
75% of tech majors for SFT2011 were selected
45% of non-tech majors for SFT were selected
Either way there is no 100% there. Believe it or not, I recall reading the closest to 100% were nursing majors, and they were in he high 80's.
That illustrates where the manning needs are for the AF. You can take an engineering major and make him a flier or maintenance officer. You can take a non-tech and do the same. You cannot take either one of them and give them nursing as their AFSC. They have specific qualities from an educational standpoint that the AF needs.
Yes, it was 45% LY for non-tech, and maybe TY it will be 35%, we don't know. All we know is it wasn't 0%, and that means the chance is there.
Again the PFT is what bothers me. 96 is low and that will be placed into the equation. If you are selected, buckle down now and start training, I mean training!
Maxwell in July in 100 degree weather and 90% humidity takes a toll on your body. You will live in the field...no AC and comforts of home. If you have never lived in the south, this type of weather feels like you are about to burn your lungs as you take deep breaths. (When DS went they were registering 117 with the heat index). My sister lives in Cincy, I live in No VA., and even on the hottest days it is still not the same because of the humidity...NC comes close. The more you train, properly, the more you will be able to overcome this issue. At DS's school their C200 yr is all about PT for SFT. because they know that it is not uncommon for cadets to have issues with weather acclimation for PT when all of the sudden they are sent to the south. It was drilled so hard into his cranium, that every day before he left he would run at 4/5 p.m for 3 miles because that was the hottest part of the day.
Your SFT ranking will be a part of your AFSC selection. PFT will be a part of the SFT ranking.
Good luck.
