Hello

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LankyA

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Joined
Jan 17, 2013
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Colorado
Hey all,

My name is Andrew. I am a recent grad in poly sci with an emphasis in international relations. I also enjoy learning about Middle Eastern politics and culture. At the moment I am job hunting and I have found that the job market out there is terrible for soft science graduates! My biggest desire is to be involved in the intelligence community in some aspect. I've taken the ASVAB and looking at the 35 series MOS in the Army. I am just waiting for a contract to come up that I would like. I have considered applying to civilian agencies directly, but my GPA is slightly below a 3.0 and I do not have a desired language. I am working on teaching myself Arabic to remedy this problem.

Right now, I would like to join the military with the long-term goal of getting my master's in intelligence studies or international relations. By doing this I hope to cancel out my sub-par undergrad GPA. My short-term goal is to get the contract I want and excel in Basic and AIT.

I joined this site mostly so I can use the search function, but also so I could ask questions that come up, if they've not already been asked. I probably won't be posting much, but I will lurk a lot. This place has been an excellent source of information!

Thank you,

Andrew
 
Andrew- consider exploring options to become an officer. Since you have a college degree, you might be able to enlist and go to OCS directly out of basic training (I had a lieutenant who did that). Also, after you've been for a while, you might consider competing for a slot at the National Intelligence University, it's a one-year masters-producing program run by the DIA. The Army's tuition reimbursement programs are quite generous, so after you have been in for a while, consider a couple of different MA programs to help boost your GPA and give you some more academic credentials. Intel experience in the military, along with a strong post-graduate academic showing, might open a lot of doors for you. I know someone who had a 2.9 GPA undergrad but still got into Yale's international relations MA program because of all the stuff he did in between.
 
Chopstick, Rackmaster, Policemedic, Red Flag 1, and CDG,

Thank you for the welcomes. Much appreciated.

Marauder06 said:
Andrew- consider exploring options to become an officer. Since you have a college degree, you might be able to enlist and go to OCS directly out of basic training (I had a lieutenant who did that). Also, after you've been for a while, you might consider competing for a slot at the National Intelligence University, it's a one-year masters-producing program run by the DIA. The Army's tuition reimbursement programs are quite generous, so after you have been in for a while, consider a couple of different MA programs to help boost your GPA and give you some more academic credentials. Intel experience in the military, along with a strong post-graduate academic showing, might open a lot of doors for you. I know someone who had a 2.9 GPA undergrad but still got into Yale's international relations MA program because of all the stuff he did in between.
Click to expand...


Marauder06,

I've explored my OCS option, but with the drawdown in troops, I am not a competitive person for OCS at the moment and it is a ton of work to drop a packet, then get denied. At least according to the recruiter I have been speaking to. He has really steered me away from OCS conversation. I think I'll make a jaunt on down to another Army recruiter.

I have also been talking with the local Marine Corps OSO and he seems willing to put in the time for me as long as I am able to get my APFT score at, or near, 300 (I can do that!). Though there is one caveat there, haha, the Marine Corps Selection Board has not chosen a white male west of the Mississippi in two years (I believe that is how long he said). So I am not really holding out hope there.


I read through the NIU website and it definitely sounds like an educational route that fits my interests. Thanks for the suggestion! Also, your words give me some hope for my future endeavors. I wish I could go back a few years and give college freshman Andrew a swift kick in the ass, :-)

Thanks for the advice, Marauder!

Andrew
 
If you do decide to enlist, Yale offers a lot to veterans, the MA in Global Affairs is particularly supportive.
 
Thanks for the welcome everyone. Much appreciated.

Marauder06 said:
If you do decide to enlist, Yale offers a lot to veterans, the MA in Global Affairs is particularly supportive.
Click to expand...

That was the exact program I was looking at. Yale seems a bit daunting...even if I were to enlist, have a great record in the military...it is Yale. Haha
 
LankyA said:
Thanks for the welcome everyone. Much appreciated.



That was the exact program I was looking at. Yale seems a bit daunting...even if I were to enlist, have a great record in the military...it is Yale. Haha
Click to expand...

It's definitely not easy to get in. The good news is, things you have done after you graduated are more important to most post-grad programs than what your undergrad GPA was. If you can put up some good numbers on your GRE and take a couple of grad school courses on your own before you apply, the experiences you can have in the military are often enough to push you past the cut line into a top program like Yale. You said you already have a language, right?
 
8654Maine said:
Welcome. The name means squat. It's what you do. Good luck.
Click to expand...
This is true. Thank you for the welcome.

Marauder06 said:
It's definitely not easy to get in. The good news is, things you have done after you graduated are more important to most post-grad programs than what your undergrad GPA was. If you can put up some good numbers on your GRE and take a couple of grad school courses on your own before you apply, the experiences you can have in the military are often enough to push you past the cut line into a top program like Yale. You said you already have a language, right?
Click to expand...

Ahh, yes, I plan on having a good background within the next 5 years. I know little bit of French, I used to be decent at it, but I feel I could take a few classes and get back into it. I am currently in the process of learning Arabic. I feel confident I'll have a language by the time I were to apply.
 
Got it.

If you end up following through on this in a couple of years, let me know. I'll probably be in a position to help. You do your part and I'll see what I can do to make it happen for you.
 

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