Would going to a "less competitive school" increase your chances of getting a pilot slot?

A

aviator7

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So being a pilot has been my no1 goal of mine since I was little, and I was recently fortunate enough to get admitted to UC Berkeley (for Mechanical Engineering and CU Boulder (for Aerospace Engineering).

Now, I am leaning towards attending Berkeley, but I've heard it's really hard to get a good GPA and that they are known for grade deflation. Since GPA is important, would it be better to attend CU since I may have a better chance of having a higher GPA?


At the end of the day, does school choice really have an impact on ROTC service selections?
 
I am not a great authority on this topic but here's what I would say:

school selection may impact service selections. However, you're choosing a college to be a student at. I had the option between CU Boulder and The University of Rochester. I decided Rochester was a "better" school and I would be happier there so I chose it even though it is "harder."

I think the most important thing to consider is which school you will enjoy attending the most. While doing ROTC, you are a college student first, so don't sideline a school you think you may enjoy more just for the sake of ROTC. Both schools you are choosing between are excellent - I know CU has excellent ROTC programs and engineering programs.

This comes down to what your priorities are. I prioritized my college experience and the value of my degree. You might prioritize maximizing your chances at a pilot slot at the cost of these things. That's up to you.

Keep in mind:

1. You are going to leave the military eventually. When you leave the military, it's best to be as competitive as possible for the job market. Choosing a school which gives you a more valuable degree would help with this.

2. You might hate the military. It may not seem likely but you might end up hating it. In that case, you would probably feel upset over choosing what you deemed as a "worse" school for the sake of trying to get a pilot slot.

3. You might not get a pilot slot either way, and you would probably have similar feelings to my above point. If you read that and thought to yourself, "hell no, im GETTING a pilot slot," then use that attitude and motivation to go to Berkeley and get good grades despite it being "harder."

Just my 2 cents. Perhaps someone else here can provide some insight into how much school selection might affect your service selections, however if you are motivated enough you can get good grades at either school.
 
^^^ Terrific response. ^^^

More ROTC cadets/mids should apply this approach. Just as the advice is to select the service branch first, select the school based on the holistic experience rather than its ROTC unit or other peripheral factors. It’s great to have a single-minded goal, but there’s much more to life than that.
 
CU Boulder is a Top 10 school for Aerospace Engineering, so I don't think you'll find it as easy as you think. You have two different majors and two very good schools for those majors. Choose the major and campus you feel would be best for you. And defintely check out each detachment's website - that'll give you good info and a feel for how active they are.
 
You may already know this, but CU AF ROTC detachment is having a recruiting and info night tomorrow night, March 30, at 4:30 (mountain time) on zoom. My DS has similar questions about pilot slots, and is also wanting to major in aerospace engineering at CU. You may be able to get some of your questions answered at this meeting and get a feel for the detachment and school.
With regards to your question about whether the school matters as far as pilot slots go, we asked this same question to the AFROTC detachment CO at Embry Riddle since they seem to produce a lot of pilots. His answer was that he didn’t think it was actually school dependent but it was more that their school attracts kids who are great students and are generally interested in aerospace, engineering, and flight; therefore, they go for the pilot slots and have a good track record of getting them.
 
If you want to be an Army pilot go Warrant Officer. Guaranteed to fly. Do AROTC and Aviation is the most popular branch pick.

can you pass a flight medical?

Army officers don’t fly “that” much. You have a host of leadership stuff and staff work to do. Warrant Officers fly.

as to the original question- go to a school that you will do well at. Honestly Berkley hates America (not really but isn’t too “rotc friendly”). Boulder is pretty good.
 
Something you might not have considered: not everyone can fly. 1st the flight physical of course, but I'm talking about the particular, very perishable skills needed to become a pilot. Being very, very, smart is a big asset no doubt, but that's only one part of it. It's not the academic part, it's the flying part (airsickness, making the right decisions under a lot of pressure when fatigued, dehydrated, hand-eye coordination, just to name a few)

Bottom line: Pick the college you'd want to continue to attend if you decided that your 1st. major wasn't for you. That happens...a lot students switch majors, possibly more then you've considered.

Congratulations on getting accepted to 2 great schools & all the best of luck!
 
@SOG-SA, @Montana State Army ROTC :
Princeton Professor Stephen Kotkin tells a story of when he attended Berkeley it was so left wing that the student body thought Walter Mondale was a Republican!:biggrin:
 
Hey friends, Expanding the question .... more acceptances came out this week and so now I'm wondering about the same thing for my DS. Not about getting a pilot's slot but about what would be more valuable / provide more opportunity in the Army.

When this question is applied to life outside the Army, the answer is clear, but inside the Army, using the OP's example and putting it more straight toward the academics/opportunities/(salaries?), does it matter very much while getting placed after graduation and serving for the next 10 or so years whether someone graduates from Berkley with a B average vs. graduating from CU with a solid A?

Thanks as always for the sage advice here in this forum. I'd be lost without it.
 
FastFood44 said:
For NROTC; no. Lots of reasons why, but to put it short, no.
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I should've made this clear as I was referring to AFROTC. To clarify, are you saying school selection affects pilot slots just for NROTC?
 
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aviator7 said:
I should've made this clear as I was referring to AFROTC. To clarify, are you saying school selection affects pilot slots just for NROTC?
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For AFROTC, school selection doesn't directly affect pilot slots (i.e. the board doesn't see which school you go to nor do certain school get you bonus points. However there are a couple things that could be affected by your school choice.

1. GPA is a part of the board and it's possible you could get a higher GPA at one school
2. You are ranked among the cadets at your detachment and the average skill across detachments likely varies

However, both of those are unknowns and highly doubt you could say with confidence that going to school X would benefit you more than school Y and because of that I would agree to pick the school that is the best fit based on other things such as degree value and experience.
 
Montana State Army ROTC said:
If you want to be an Army pilot go Warrant Officer. Guaranteed to fly. Do AROTC and Aviation is the most popular branch pick.

can you pass a flight medical?

Army officers don’t fly “that” much. You have a host of leadership stuff and staff work to do. Warrant Officers fly.

as to the original question- go to a school that you will do well at. Honestly Berkley hates America (not really but isn’t too “rotc friendly”). Boulder is pretty good.
Click to expand...
 
Part 1.
Here is the thing, whatever I am going to say to you is based on pre-covid knowledge. Right now, the AF is so full, I think they arent going to complete the latest OTS board. So its become very competitive and having a high GPA and a STEM major can only help. Having said that GPA only counts for 10% of your total score when they decide who gets a pilot spot. If you kick butt in the other 90% of your score, your GPA isn't going count as much. My son got a pilot spot in 2018 with a 3.0 GPA (non STEM). As of 12/31/2019, I would have told you that Is probably the minimum you need assuming you do well on your PCSM score. Today who knows. My guess is you can still get way with a 3.0, but the bigger issue with Covid and high retention rates, is that in order to even commission, you must go through Field Training. When my son went in 2016, everyone went. Today they are pickier so again the higher the GPA and the better the major (STEM) the more likely you will be invited. So while a 3.0 may get you a pilot spot, it may not get your past Field Training.

Part 2
People always ask what's the best detachment or which detachment will get them a pilot spot. The typical answer and the correct answer is always to choose the school first. If you don't like your school, you will be miserable regardless of the detachment. If you love your school, your detachment will be fine. Additionally, who is promising they will let your commission or you will want to commission by the end. So if you don't commission and now what. You are going to need a school that provides you with the best opportunities to get a job when you graduate. That may not be that detachment. Choosing a school by detachment can only work if all the other facts work out. There are too many ways that won't work out. Berkley while politically crazy, is a top-tier school and you were lucky to get in. Do your best the rest will work out
 
aviator7 said:
I should've made this clear as I was referring to AFROTC. To clarify, are you saying school selection affects pilot slots just for NROTC?
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I am saying the complete opposite. School selection does NOT affect pilot slots. Grades and ASTB matter way more. Major also not too relevant.
 
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