DSS Major

WishfulThinking

WishfulThinking

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Joined
Nov 28, 2018
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Can anyone tell me about the DSS Major?

I am female Plebe. I want to branch Infantry/Intelligence, or Aviation.

I have recently changed my mind on not doing Law anymore. I will be minoirng in Russian though.

I am wondering if DSS is useful to the outside world? What opportunites does that major have while at West Point? etc....
 
I Googled "DSS Major USMA" and got a fairly detailed explanation of the curriculum as well as something of a mission statement/purpose of the Major. Assuming you have done that, then your best bet is to 1) ask that question of faculty and 2) grill cadets who are in that major.

I have no experience with the SA's, but as a general proposition the advice you will always get here is, except for a very few MOS's the Army will give you the training you need for your MOS. Therefore, your best bet is to study what you find interesting/challenging and concentrate on your GPA, which is a significant component of the OML. I think the Russian minor is a great idea regardless of your Major. Although it will be almost meaningless to your Army career in the first several years, it will enrich your understanding of the world. It could possibly be a defining credential further down the road in or out of the military.

Best of Luck!

Full Disclosure: I'm a Nashvillean by birth
 
All I know is DS was told that DSS stood for "Don't Study, Sleep". Nevertheless, (or maybe because of that moniker), he is interested in the major.
 
Everyone who is in DSS loves it. It is not very highly regarded by institutions outside of West Point as it is not an accredited major. If you believe you want to stay in the Army for a long time, that's not really an issue. Start talking about grad school, perhaps it may be a problem. It is considered to be the easiest major here, but that shouldn't be a selling point nor a deterrence. You can have some excellent instructors and AIAD opportunities.

DSS is a major that is highly-conducive to double majoring. Consider doing that with Russian, if you'd like. I am a Terrorism Studies minor which allows me to take some classes within DSS and still have a STEM major.

The best advice I received was "if you're smart enough to do STEM, you're stupid to not," but if that is not where your passions lie then obviously it wouldn't be a good fit. Let me know if you have any questions. I originally wanted to be a DSS major when I got here.
 
My youngest switched from International Relations to DSS--and he loves DSS. He loves his classes, his instructors, all the cool Army things he is learning and the field trips. His capstone project was presented to the former Secretary of the Army among others. It is for people who want to learn about the Army. He just loves it. You should study something you love--but don't feel like you have to decide today. You have multiple opportunities to talk to people and learn about the majors that are offered when you get to USMA.
 
Allectus said:
All I know is DS was told that DSS stood for "Don't Study, Sleep". Nevertheless, (or maybe because of that moniker), he is interested in the major.
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DS was told the same thing when he expressed interest in this major to his team leader who is a DSS major.
 
My son was a DSS major and he absolutely loved this major. It was a perfect fit for him. He was originally going to major in Persian but when he found this major, he was all in. And because it is a bit 'credit requirement light' as compared to some other majors, he had time to pursue other interests - he was on a D1 sports team one year and he was heavily involved with some clubs as well.
 
bookreader said:
Yes it does. I had no idea until he told us that he was going to be a Persian major - which was the plan until he discovered DSS.
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Well, best of luck to him!

Could be some very interesting opportunities for a Persian speaker in the National Security realm.
 
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