Intro

[Decielo]

9th grader in Virginia. Dream school is USAFA. I am Scout. I would love to do intelligence or physics. I have a tendency to be thin skinned. I am obssesed with knowledge.


**Intended Major(s):Astrophysics and Poli Sci


Unweighted HS GPA: 3.71
All honors, along with Spanish.

Extracurriculars
Scouting and Band,Track,Skating trying to learn japanese on my own.
Unique facts about me: I have never had a true friend, I like trains. Time flies, feels like just yesterday I was celebrating my 4th birthday and was in kindergarten
Lurking since 2016
I have strong windows xp nostalgia
I feel a sense of belonging in whenever I go to or visit a military place, online or in-person. I have no prior connections

Side note: my verbal "talking skills" are lacking. Since I know the are important in the military how should I improve them.

 

[AROTC-dad]

my verbal "talking skills" are lacking. Since I know the are important in the military how should I improve them.

Welcome to the Forum!

I was lacking verbal skills growing up. I was also PETRIFIED speaking in front of groups. Today, I communicate and speak to large groups on a regular basis as part of my job as a financial wealth manager. It is a SKILL and can be LEARNED. The solution is practice and engage in every opportunity to increase the skill.

My DS was similar. Sports and Scouts helped a lot. Leadership positions were a big plus as well. He is now a 1LT in the Army and is an Abrams Tank platoon leader. His guys seem to really respect him, so it worked out well.

 

[ProudDad17]

I have a tendency to be thin skinned.

Don't worry too much about this. Many people at your age are thin skinned. It comes from a lack of true self-confidence and experience. Many people will try to mask this in various ways, but it is usually there.

Side note: my verbal "talking skills" are lacking. Since I know the are important in the military how should I improve them.

You may want to see if there is a Toastmasters chapter near you. Toastmasters focuses on public speaking skills and leadership.

 

[99Gold]

I agree with the others that neither being thin-skinned nor lacking in verbal skills is much of an issue for a ninth grader. I would say that noth are mormal for your age. My ds (USAFA bound) barely spoke to anyone when he was 13-14yo. Now, he's a great public speaker and had the lead in his last play. Some things that really helped him: speech and debate class in 10th grade (I forced him to do it and he didn't die), scouts, drama (his own choice in 11th grade).

 

[AROTC-dad]

I agree with the others that neither being thin-skinned nor lacking in verbal skills is much of an issue for a ninth grader. I would say that noth are mormal for your age. My ds (USAFA bound) barely spoke to anyone when he was 13-14yo. Now, he's a great public speaker and had the lead in his last play. Some things that really helped him: speech and debate class in 10th grade (I forced him to do it and he didn't die), scouts, drama (his own choice in 11th grade).

Drama/Theater is a huge confidence builder!