College

[shocker]

Hi!
I was just wondering what the advantage/disadvantage is if you go to college before becoming a navy seal?
And I was also wondering if you after you've served as a navy seal, can transfer to Judge Advocate General's court(JAG) and get you're law degree there, while you're working for them?

shocker

[elpaninaro]

Hi again shocker,

Interesting question and precisely what I had to think about myself a while back. I will not bore you with the reasons, but I elected to finish college/grad school first and then consider my options. So this was an issue for me big time.

The advantage of going in now is clear, you start earlier and get a jump on those who start later. It is also my understanding from discussions with many SEALs I have managed to meet that it is the enlisted men who spend the time in the field. This was certainly the case a couple of years ago when the military was downsizing and largely unengaged in any major conflicts. So this might have changed.

Logically speaking, if someone enlists and goes through BUDs at 17 years of age, then at 22 years of age they are going to have a full 5 years of experience over someone who goes to college first and then enters BUDs at the age of 22.

Also, having come out of college I think OCS is the proper course. This is entirely a personal matter and for you to decide however. It is not unprecedented for college graduates to enlist in the military rather than go OCS to ensure a better shot at special operations positions.

A couple of years ago I spoke with the SEAL detailer in DC at the time and he laid it out for me. He told me there are basically four scenarios for those who wish to become SEALs. First, you can enlist and go that way. Second, you can go to the Academy and then request BUDs as an officer. Third you can do ROTC in college and then request BUDs. Or you can enter OCS as a civilian college graduate and then attempt to get one of the officer billets for BUDs.

This last course is the most difficult to achieve and for obvious reasons- it the only option where you are trying to become a SEAL officer WITHOUT having had any previous military experience.

In case you or others are interested, here is what the SEAL detailer told me is expected of civilian college graduates looking to go to OCS and BUDs on that screening test that is on the warning order to even be considered for an officer billet,

800 meter swim SIDESTROKE in 8:00 minutes or less (the warning order calls for 800 meters sidestroke or breast stroke in- I think- 12:00, or it might be 11:30 I need to check.)

120 pushups in 2 minutes and 120 situps in 2 minutes (the warning order calls for 60 and 42 respectively I believe.)

25 dead hang pullups (the warning order calls for 6.)

1.5 mile run in 8:00 minutes (the warning order calls for 11:30 as I recall.)

Point being, there are far fewer officer slots than enlisted slots. And if you are not going to the Academy or doing a bang up job in ROTC during college, then you have a lot to prove before you are given a spot at BUDs. Not impossible, but definitely a lot more difficult to get in that way.

But consider too the other risks involved. In my case, I felt that by the time I got serious about this (I was in college at the time and not in ROTC) it was best for me to finish up and take it from there. Your circumstances may be different- so the above are the facts as I know them.

Hope this helps.

[elpaninaro]

Crap- make that 500 meters on the swim, not 800. I looked at that again and realized I was way off.

[shocker]

OK, thanks fot all the help...

[IncarNate]

What if you're willing to not have the officer status just to become a SEAL? Is that possible?

[Moose]

Another option not mentioned was to goto college and then enlist in the Navy with a SEAL Challenge Contract. After 2-3 platoon deployments, you can attempt to transition into an officer's billet (not sure how exactly this works, I think they just send you to OCS), but if you get accepted for this, you have to go through STT again. I believe its now SQT instead of STT, anyone know whats up with that?

Moose