Branch Selection, Infantry Slots

so there is no bonus for being an engineer for aviation. If the social sciences majors has a 3.5 GPA and your a mechanical engineer with Aeronautical Systems concentration and say you have a 3.2, chances are they would have a better shot than you?
 
so there is no bonus for being an engineer for aviation. If the social sciences majors has a 3.5 GPA and your a mechanical engineer with Aeronautical Systems concentration and say you have a 3.2, chances are they would have a better shot than you?

With the new branching system, it's hard to tell. I am not sure if they will be updating the "needs" of each branch and if so, how often that will occur.

You should just pick the major that interests you and not try to find which major gives you a "bonus" for aviation. This year, the First Captain (highest ranking cadet) branched Aviation while being a Mechanical Engineering major. The valedictorian is also a Mechanical Engineering major. I can safely say my GPA would be much lower if I had majored in something other than engineering simply because being interested in a subject makes all the difference.
 
With the new branching system, it's hard to tell. I am not sure if they will be updating the "needs" of each branch and if so, how often that will occur.

You should just pick the major that interests you and not try to find which major gives you a "bonus" for aviation.

The exception to this would be if the cadet planned to branch Corps of Engineers, Legal, Medical, etc.

That was one of the objectives for change in branch night methods, to allow branches to require specific majors if they felt it was important. Or at least allow it to be part of the evaluation criteria. (Per BTD)

Don't know how it played out this year, but they had indicated confidence that part at least would "stick" for the 2013 and beyond branching.

This year, the First Captain (highest ranking cadet) branched Aviation while being a Mechanical Engineering major. The valedictorian is also a Mechanical Engineering major. I can safely say my GPA would be much lower if I had majored in something other than engineering simply because being interested in a subject makes all the difference.

Very good input. DS has been reevaluating majors, and his observation is that the highly ranked cadets which he respects are all able to make it work even in harder majors. And that the cadets he sees which try to game the system also tend not to do as well, even though they had a seemingly easier major.

Correlation does not equal causation, chicken and the egg, etc all apply. But AF's input is very sound.

DS's thinking is multiple tracks to consider:

- Assuming you stay past commitment, what education will be position you to be successful as a mid-level officer or higher?

- Assuming you decide after 5 that you want to reenter the civvy workforce. What degree when combined with your Army experience will best position you to do something you like and will be successful at?

- Assuming you reenter civvy, but with an advanced degree, or immediately pursue an advanced degree... same question as the 2nd option.

So it gets complicated. Any engineer major who did not serve in an engineering area (Corps of Engineers, etc) will likely need to retool after 5 years if you really want to do hands on engineering. And it might be hard to enter the workforce as a senior manager of engineers without an advanced degree.

So there is no analytical answer, you just don't know enough, nor can you predict which path you'll take. Which leads back to: people tend to do better when challenged in something that interest them. Which will lead to better shot at getting what you want on branch night, etc.

And for what it's worth, most male cadets I know have changed their branch intentions more than once in the first 2 years, and about as many have changed majors. Yet felt they knew exactly what they wanted for both when they started. Female cadets I know (and know of) seem to have more of a target/goal in mind, though that's often shaped by some of the fields more of interest and historically open to females (AG, MI, Medical, etc)
 
Thanks for all the great info. I have a question though, just for the sake of curiosity and whatnot.

What if someone branches something in lines with Russian or PolySci, but branches Chem. Corps. and hates their life. Can s/he transfer to another branch after x years?
 
Thanks for all the great info. I have a question though, just for the sake of curiosity and whatnot.

What if someone branches something in lines with Russian or PolySci, but branches Chem. Corps. and hates their life. Can s/he transfer to another branch after x years?

You have the opportunity to switch branches at CPT via the Captains Career Course
 
You have the opportunity to switch branches at CPT via the Captains Career Course

Not really. You MAY have the option if your branch is excess in strength and another branch is receiving transfers. It's not always an option.
 
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Thank you!
Note: I meant "majored" in Russian or PolySci - not branched. My mind was thinking faster than my fingers could keep up.
 
Not really. You MAY have the option if your branch is excess in strength and another branch is receiving transfers. It's not always an option.

Of course it's not guaranteed I am just saying there is an opportunity for branch transfers. I don't know where in my post I said it was a sure thing, as we all know everything is based off of branch strength, but the OPPORTUNITY is still there for now.

The same thing goes for switching from reserves/NG to AD, there are opportunities available but it is hit or miss depending on a number of factors.
 
With a likely drawdown in the overall size of the Army coming in the next 5 years, don't expect many branches to be below strength (receiving). Functional Areas are still a real likelihood though for moving out of a branch that you don't enjoy and always, if you are one of the best, SF is an option that is suppose to grow over the coming years.
 
Thank you!
Note: I meant "majored" in Russian or PolySci - not branched. My mind was thinking faster than my fingers could keep up.

With a likely drawdown in the overall size of the Army coming in the next 5 years, don't expect many branches to be below strength (receiving). Functional Areas are still a real likelihood though for moving out of a branch that you don't enjoy and always, if you are one of the best, SF is an option that is suppose to grow over the coming years.

Yeah, with a major like you describe, perhaps becoming a Foreign Areas Officer would be a possibility. I don't know enough the steps to becoming one. Perhaps Scout can chime in as well as other functional areas which I am forgetting which would take you away from your typical branch career path in the event that you dislike it.
 
Becoming a FAO is a board process. One applies and the board selects who they want based on your merits (education, OERs, etc) and your language aptitude based on your DLAT score.

As for the branch switching "opportunity," the best way to phrase it is that the Career Course is the time when there MIGHT be the opportunity. There's no time when they sit everyone down and say "if you wanna switch, now is your chance." Secondly, the career course actually isn't critical to switching, as the CCCs are technically branch immaterial within categories (i.e. all combat arms branches can go to each others' CCCs). The only one I know that's a true requirement is that aviators wishing to become fixed wing pilots attend the MI CCC.

Long story short, branch transferring is next to impossible now. Especially if you're in one of the year groups targeted for reduction.

As mentioned, special operations offers a host of opportunities.
 
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