Army ROTC while studying MechEngineering

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Edward_William19

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Mar 12, 2019
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I'm entering my third quarter of freshman year in college, joining Army ROTC as an ms1. Im studying mechanical engineering, and aspire to contract active duty in either infantry or the engineering corps. I can max an APFT, but am wondering how high my GPA needs to be in order for me to score high enough on the OML to receive the commission I want, considering that engineering majors get some extra points for their major.

Side note: Im relatively naive to the whole program, and am wondering what I need to do to receive opportunities for summer trainings.
 
Edward_William19 said:
I'm entering my third quarter of freshman year in college, joining Army ROTC as an ms1. Im studying mechanical engineering, and aspire to contract active duty in either infantry or the engineering corps. I can max an APFT, but am wondering how high my GPA needs to be in order for me to score high enough on the OML to receive the commission I want, considering that engineering majors get some extra points for their major.

Side note: Im relatively naive to the whole program, and am wondering what I need to do to receive opportunities for summer trainings.
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About the commissioning question, that all depends on what the other cadets on the National OML have in terms of GPA and it varies every year. A good rule of thumb though is to shoot for a 3.75 GPA in order to get your first choice.
On the second note about summer opportunities, that usually depends on your battalion's OML in your class. Most universities are given a few slots and give them out to those that stand out on the OML within their class. This usually factors in GPA, accessions points, PT score, and special team participation. These factors are the same as the national OML minus Advanced Camp score.
Hope this helps!
 
A 3.75 for an engineering major is a pretty tough goal. Since engineering students get a bump for their major do they still need to be shooting for a 3.75 to get their first choice?
 
As I said, it varies for each branch what the average GPA will be. Taking into account that engineering is a difficult major, it could be logical to assume that the average GPA would be lower. It also does look like engineering majors might get an extra OML point.
 
Well, some folks, like me, believe there is no dumb question. However, getting educated as much as possible before asking isn't a bad idea. I just think you would probably get better and more reliable info there. They are there to help, not to get in your way.
 
Edward,

remember GPA is only a portion of the picture.

do
1. Speak to your Cadre. If you haven't found it online already, your Cadre should be able to guide you to the FY18 OML.
2. If you hunt around a little, you can find a break down of where cadets placed on the OML versus branching. That will give you a rough target to plan around.
3. Expect things to change, what the OML ranking system today can/may/will change in the next few years (The new APFT may be interesting for some).
4. GPA is only a portion of the ranking. Once you understand the OML, you will see that there are some "bonus" points for certain degrees that help.
5. Plan around that target OML score and give yourself a buffer (Murphy's Law).
6. Remember the OML GPA calculation is based on your junior year GPA. So with engineering be very careful about course overload. The first two years are more than challenging.
7. Keep your eye on the ball. If you are at an ABET accredited school stay on the path towards gaining a license.

Also recommend you speak to your cadre clearly about engineering degrees. Many require a 5th year if you co-op. Your Cadre can guide you around that hurdle if needed. My DS received very good information from one of the few other cadets that was also an engineering major. This included some advice about delaying a class to the senior year.

My DS and I just went through this discussion in the last few weeks. Having a copy of the OML was useful to discuss time management and relative benefits of activities. Few engineering majors have the time for a language, but there are ways around that and other ways to increase your score.

Good luck from a Civil/Mech...(yes both)...
 
Thanks for the tips, I am most likely actually going to take a fifth year, as I also need to learn a foreign language to graduate. I figure it will also allow me to spread out the load, and have less trouble keeping up the GPA. I never heard that they only examine junior year GPA, but if thats true, ill most likely make sophomore and senior year suck so I can do great junior year. lol
 
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