Choosing a Detachement

Raptor Factor

Raptor Factor

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Jul 8, 2013
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I'm a Navy 4 year scholarship winner and waiting to hear from Air Force, both for aerospace engineering. After college I have my heart set on getting a pilot slot in the AF or Navy. I was hoping to get some advise, based on my major and desire to fly, on which school to choose.

I applied to the University of Washington (UW), University of Southern California (USC), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) at Daytona Beach. Currently my Navy scholarship is to ERAU but I can request a different detachment. I don't get an admissions decision from UW or USC until March but would likely need to request a change in detachments before then to not get waitlisted.

For Air Force I believe I can decide after I get admissions decisions from the Academy and UW/USC. The scholarship (if I get it) I think can be applied to any school and their detachments don't fill up?

Personal experience or statistics on their engineering programs and number of pilot slots would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
AFROTC does not spread the wealth like Navy. They don't care if one det has 0% and another has 100% of all cadets on scholarship.

The one thing to realize is 80% of all scholarships are type 7. That means if your OOS college charges you OOS rates that are not equivalent to your IS, than you will need to convert it to a type 2 3 year.

Plus, before you question about going pilot, you need to get through the SFT/EA selection as a sophomore. It is a national board, and your cgpa is a factor with selections. Not selected and you maybe disenrolled from AFROTC.

IOWs clear that hurdle first before you start looking at UPT from a det. perspective. Plus, while you are going through this process the new PCSM has a new flight hours levels. Thus, you need to look at that selection process differently than SFT. One set may have every cadet holding a PPL, another could have zero. Flight hours are not cheap which can deter cadets from flying.
 
+1 Pima. The AFROTC HSSP Type 1 is the only 4 year scholarship that the AF offers that pays full tuition to any university you like. Only 5% of the scholarships awarded are Type 1. Statically, you have a better chance of getting an appointment to the AF Academy than a Type 1 scholarship.
 
So the scholarship type I receive might do the choosing for the Air Force option it sounds like.

Sorry if I should know this but I couldn't find out what SFT/EA selection stands for. Do you have to apply for a rated slot sophomore year and if you don't get it you are dis-enrolled? And this is separate from applying for UPT during junior year?

Also are you suggesting changing detachments based on pilot slots and competition if I pass the selection (aka Embry-Riddle would have a lot of PPL's)?

Thank you!
 
Type 1 scholarships from a numerical perspective is around 50 out of the 900 offered from a pool of 5000. Statistically, an appointment or any scholarship is around the same, 18%. Yet, to get a type 1 out of the candidate pool is more like 1%.

The AFROTC scholarship board WCS does not super score your SAT/ACT like the AFA. It is best sitting, and when you place that into the equation with the averages, the type 1 cadet has pretty high stats. I believe the avg is over 31 ACT and 1350+ for SAT. The type 7 stats are @28/29 and 1280 best sitting. I would think if they did super score their type 1 stats will probably be closer to 1400+ and several points higher for the ACT. Just giving you insight to the scores.

Additionally, not to be Debbie Downer, but supposedly the scholarship budget is going to drop drastically for FY15 which means even less 1 and 2s being offered.

If you accept the scholarship, and decide to switch from tech to non-tech you will need their approval. In this economic time, the chances of approval are slim to none. If you need the scholarship to attend, be prepared to pay if you opt to switch. Statistically, many engineer majors do not graduate from an engineering program.

Now for SFT/EA. It stands for Summer Field Training/Enrollment Allotment. There is a thread currently discussing this years issues. I suggest you read it to understand what is going on for these cadets.
~~~ In March they will find out the statistics. For a couple of years the rate was 93%, up from the rate of 55% for the year groups prior to 2012 commission. If the rumor mill is correct, I would think it will be around 55% again.

If not selected HQ AFROTC may offer the cadet the option to become a 500 and vie for SFT again the following year. They may also dis-enroll the cadet too.

The formula for selection is simple. 50% of the WCS is CoC's Rec., the remaining will include cgpa, PFA and AFOQT. AFOQT is the equivalent to the AFs SAT/ACT. The point is at powerhouse det. there will be many cadets vying for high vis jobs to get a better CoC rec.
~~~~Like the scholarship, it is a national board. They do not spread the wealth to each unit.

The UPT board meets your junior year. It mimics the SFT, but with the PCSM 2.0 included.

PCSM 2.0 has just started, and ERAU may have an advantage now because of their flight program, but by the time you come up, all of the cadets will have adjusted to it, and I would think the edge will be gone
~~~~ ERAU does give out from a numbers standpoint the second most pilot slots, only after the AFA. However, from a statistical percentage it is the exact same as the national average among every unit. IOWs, go to ERAU because you like the program, not because you think there is an edge for a UPT slot.

Finally, the rated board requires you to place all 4 rated options. Be prepared to take RPA, ABM or CSO just as much as pilot, because that happens every year. If selected, the summer of your rising 400 year they will send you to Wright Pat for a 3 day FAA Flight Class 1 physical. If you do not pass and cannot get a waiver, they will send you to the non-rated board the fall of your 400 year. This is also the time you will do your TS clearance paperwork.

I hope this gives you the breakdown, and why I was saying you are putting the cart before the horse. There are just too many what IFs to decide a university based on chances of getting a pilot slot. The successful cadet is successful IMPO because they love the college, the major and the det. equally.
 
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