Questions: What's the best college degree to go along with being a SEAL

[dinatalepepe]

1.I want to be an engineer, would it be ok if I got an engineering degree?

2. Would it possible to go to ROTC, then to BUD/S a few years after? Is ROTC the best thing?

3. What's the best thing a high school kid can do to prepare? I'm doing Warning order, cross country team, wrestling, boy scouts are these thigns eneough? any non-physical things to do?

4. What if I can't keep up with the warning order? Like say I do good with pull ups the first week, but on the second week, I can't do the newly perscribed reps?

[sbd22]

Your profile says your 88 and thats a bit over the age requirement. I'd say youd need to do a lot of suave talking to get a waiver. And all of these questions have been answered somewhere on this website

An engineering degree would be good because it deals with original and clever thinking and a desire to change something. The ex-SEALs that I talked to at the local vets home said there were quite a bit of Physics majors but mainly that it was all over the place. Thats why I went with Econ. So when I talked to them about college they told me to go with whatever I would want to use after I was out of the service. My recruiter told me the same thing. He said get your degree in whatever I would use after the service, unless I planned on going medical, he recomended pre med for that.

[king henry viii]

ROTC would make you a Naval Officer. You could go straight to BUD/S but it is EXTREMELY competitive. Your PST scores have to be phenomenal.

It sounds like you're involved in a lot of good activities/sports.

For the Warning Order, if you can't do the prescribed reps/sets for the next week, go to the previous week and repeat it until you CAN do the next week.

You should also try to incorporate the CrossFit program on this site OR crossfit.com, into your routine.

Don't start out too fast an injure yourself.

[dinatalepepe]

I don't understand. Why are there less slots for officers than enlisted? Seems like they would want more men in SEALS that are college graduates? explain?

[honorman]

1.I want to be an engineer, would it be ok if I got an engineering degree?

2. Would it possible to go to ROTC, then to BUD/S a few years after? Is ROTC the best thing?

3. What's the best thing a high school kid can do to prepare? I'm doing Warning order, cross country team, wrestling, boy scouts are these thigns eneough? any non-physical things to do?

4. What if I can't keep up with the warning order? Like say I do good with pull ups the first week, but on the second week, I can't do the newly perscribed reps?

Best degree would be drinkin....pt'n.....whore'n.....yeah....get a master degree in that!!

[sbd22]

I don't understand. Why are there less slots for officers than enlisted? Seems like they would want more men in SEALS that are college graduates? explain?

Well this is a basic structure issue. You only have so many officers to go around and the more officers in SEALs the less to go around in the fleet. Hence youd have to train more officers and the government would have to pay higher salaries. (That was from an AROTC class sat in took, Not about SEALs but a general topic). SEALs do want the best of the best and they get the best of the best. Just because you have a college degree does not make you an officer so there are plenty of college grad in the teams who are not officers, I think the discovery video said 25% of SEALs had a college degree.

[king henry viii]

Best degree would be drinkin....pt'n.....whore'n.....yeah....get a master degree in that!!

haha, hilarious.

[deadskull]

Your profile says your 88 and thats a bit over the age requirement. I'd say youd need to do a lot of suave talking to get a waiver. And all of these questions have been answered somewhere on this website

An engineering degree would be good because it deals with original and clever thinking and a desire to change something. The ex-SEALs that I talked to at the local vets home said there were quite a bit of Physics majors but mainly that it was all over the place. Thats why I went with Econ. So when I talked to them about college they told me to go with whatever I would want to use after I was out of the service. My recruiter told me the same thing. He said get your degree in whatever I would use after the service, unless I planned on going medical, he recomended pre med for that.

Physics majors in SEALs? I'm a physics major right now in UMD, but I never figured that there were physics majors that were SEALs, maybe engineers? That really cool though, guess you learn something new everyday.

[FinishOrElse]

Well this is a basic structure issue. You only have so many officers to go around and the more officers in SEALs the less to go around in the fleet. Hence youd have to train more officers and the government would have to pay higher salaries. (That was from an AROTC class sat in took, Not about SEALs but a general topic). SEALs do want the best of the best and they get the best of the best. Just because you have a college degree does not make you an officer so there are plenty of college grad in the teams who are not officers, I think the discovery video said 25% of SEALs had a college degree.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I think "Lone Survivor" says 75% have a degree, including all enlisted men. Like I said, correct me if I'm wrong. It's been a few months since I read it.

: Out :

[coronadolacrosse22]

yo,

it's just saying, a lot of the enlisted guys, on top of being enlisted, they went to college before their enlistment. So like you, they went to college, but instead of an officer slot, they enlisted to have a better shot at a BUD/s slot. I am not a SEAL, but there are pro's and cons to both.

I am about to complete my soph year and I am an oceanography major, I love it, really it doesn't matter what degree you do. I would say do what you enjoy, and that's the best thing for you. If you're doing a major you don't enjoy, in the end it's not worth it.

any more q's?

Rob

[bowtieman81]

1.I want to be an engineer, would it be ok if I got an engineering degree?



If you want to be an engineer then go for it. I have a bachelors in engineering, and have been working as one for almost 5 years now. Just be prepared, engineering school is not a walk in the park.

[TAMU_2008]

If you want to be an engineer/be in ROTC then go to USNA...

dosent get much better then that lol

I will have a double degree from Texas A&M in December in Political Science and History...yeah..not sure how thats gonna help me for a carrer in the Navy..but ya never know!

Gig'em

[coronadolacrosse22]

yo Tamu,

your comment made no sense?

be in ROTC? ROTC is a college program NROTC "Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps"

It is a program where you go to college for 4 years, you participate in the Navy Program, and when you graduate from Normal college, you get comissioned.

USNA is totally seperate, it's its own "college. or university." You go to USNA for 4 years and graduate with a comission. you can either go to a normal college and do NROTC, or you can go USNA.

I did NROTC in college for a year, then I applied to the Academy and got in. But you can't transfer to USNA, you have to start from the beginning. So now i'm at the end of my 2nd year at USNA. Not sure if i'll make it to SEALs, maybe SWO, but these workouts are great.

Any other questions on Officer Comission Programs, haha i've tried most of them, now i'm here.

Rob

[ddssdv]

Good info above.

[TAMU_2008]

I was just refering to the fact the he wanted to be an officer and an egineer...the military acadmies are (in my opinion) the best places to accomplish both.

I am aware that USNA is its own Academic Institution...if he is looking to go to college..and wants to be an egineer AND be an officer in the navy..is USNA not the best way to accomplish both?

even if he needs to go to NAPS for a year or so it is worth it..

Gig'em

[mikev]

I'm currently trying to get a degree in engineering. If your seriously thinking about being a SEAL then be prepared to manage your time. The classes aren't impossible, but you have to spend a lot of time studying if you wanna pass. Studying along with partying or if you join a frat really makes it hard for you to find time to train sometimes. Being in college for four or five years can really give you a lot of time to get prepared though, and the rec at your school should be a great place to train. Mine has indoor pool in the winter, and anything you need for the WOD that are on here. Plus all the sexy girls are there haha. Good luck on whatever you choose.

[rsctt83]

tate

Great post. There is one point that I take exception to and I think there is another way to spin this ....

"One thing that's never mention though is that schools like Harvard and MIT have something close to a 85-90% completion rate. Texas A&M's engineering program has a 65% failout rate. Most students either leave the school completely or switch to a non-engineering major. I'm biased, but to me, this says a lot. I'm more impressed with a school that flunks large numbers out vs. a rich kids club where almost everybody does well after getting in."

I would argue that by virtue of the extraordinarily difficult admission policy at both MIT and Harvard the completion rate is high because every student is extremely well qualified to succeed and therefore complete enginerring program. There is no such thing as rich kids getting baby through the program at either of those schools once they are admitted. The weekly problem sets are by tradition harder than anything you can ever imagine ditto with examinations. I speak from experience on this topic.

Anyway, this is minor point and I was very impressed with what you stated in your post. Please continue posting whenever the opportunity provides itself and best of luck with your career.

[jake6666]

Harvard, along with other schools, have been critisized for grade inflation. Therefore, they could have been 'babied' through the program.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1121-02.htm

[rsctt83]

Jake:

I attended Harvard and the science/math courses are extremely difficult and there was no grade inflation whatsoever. I cannot comment upon what is going on today but those two institutions {Harvard and MIT} are deeply rooted in tradition and I suspect courses like quantum mechanics are just as tough today as they were when I was there. The weekly problem sets handed out are very rigorous to say the least. If there is grade inflation I must have picked all the wrong professors for every class I took.

Did you attend Harvard or are you just basing your opinion on some article or hearsay?

[iamfubar44861]

tate

Great post. There is one point that I take exception to and I think there is another way to spin this ....

"One thing that's never mention though is that schools like Harvard and MIT have something close to a 85-90% completion rate. Texas A&M's engineering program has a 65% failout rate. Most students either leave the school completely or switch to a non-engineering major. I'm biased, but to me, this says a lot. I'm more impressed with a school that flunks large numbers out vs. a rich kids club where almost everybody does well after getting in."

I would argue that by virtue of the extraordinarily difficult admission policy at both MIT and Harvard the completion rate is high because every student is extremely well qualified to succeed and therefore complete enginerring program. There is no such thing as rich kids getting baby through the program at either of those schools once they are admitted. The weekly problem sets are by tradition harder than anything you can ever imagine ditto with examinations. I speak from experience on this topic.

Anyway, this is minor point and I was very impressed with what you stated in your post. Please continue posting whenever the opportunity provides itself and best of luck with your career.

Jeez Rsctt, Ivy-league educated, marathoner......what can't you do haha?

[TAMU_2008]

Tate,

What year are you? Im 2008 Graduating in December (should be august but my Arabic Class got canceled last semester and everything got pushed back!)

I am not engineering major. Double Major in Poli Sci out at the Bush School and History Yeah Yeah yawn..but I love it here in CS

TAMU is a Great Engineering School to go to as well..I just have many friends who are at USNA and engineers and this is why I failed to mention TAMU but if he gets into the corps he needs to get into SEAL platoon. the physical requirements of the Corps are NO WHERE near what the academies are


Gig'em

[scskowron]

tate I agree that was a good post. When I read the first few sentences I was thinking "no way" but once you explained your reasoning it made a lot of sense. It still won't convince me to leave my school in the middle of North America's greatest city though. :D While the service academies may not be focused on research, there's something to be said about the fact that they always have a few students receive prestigious fellowships like Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, etc....those are a big deal. I regret not having applied to USNA; I didn't plan on joining the military until right after I started college. I'm graduating with my degree in computer science next year (my junior year) but I'm going to get my BS in engineering (yes another bachelors) immediately after that. I'm going to study abroad next spring too; 5 semesters of arabic has to be good for something...

Although I have to agree with rsctt83 that a high failure rate is not a good thing. The sign of a good engineer is being able to overcome challenges, including classes that may be insanely difficult.

[rsctt83]

scskowron

Remember whether you are in BUD/S or taking really rigorous classes one of the key's is the concept of baby steps. Break down what at first glance appears to be an extraordinarily complex problem into lots of small understandable problems and than start solving the small problems which after a while will reveal the solution of the big mess of a problem you were confronted with at first.

I cannot tell you how vaild this strategy is, it has worked for me time and time again. Write this down on your bulletin board BABY STEPS

[wiscoseal200]

I don't understand. Why are there less slots for officers than enlisted? Seems like they would want more men in SEALS that are college graduates? explain?

Somebody has to carry the coms...and the 60... and the demo...oh, and be able to nav...

[overcome.101]

Its nice to see all the enthusiasm about college, its almost mandatory these days. Just thought i add im doing civil engineering at NC State. The program isnt terribly hard as long as you go to class and pay attention, take notes, and stay off the drugs, women included. Keep your end goal in sight and time will fly, Im almost finished with 4 years and it seemed like it was just yesterday i started. Keep in mind engineering is a safe field, humans will always be building something. Go long and stay strong!

[mmaakuma]

I don't doubt that Texas A&M are rated higher in engineering over Harvard or Princeton... They aren't "engineering" schools per se.

I agree that engineering is engineering wherever you go. I'm graduating with math and math is very much like engineering in that I'll pretty much have the same general knowledge as most math graduates in the elite private schools. Where you get your education does not determine how good a mathematician or engineer you'll be in the work force.

Texas A&M may have a higher dropout rate for engineering, but MIT has a better pool of candidates and offers less majors. MIT is a technical school and isn't as large or as broad in scope as A&M. People primarily go to MIT to be math, physics/astronomy, engineering, and economics majors for undergrad. I've read that MIT also has one of the largest suicide deaths per student in the nation.

However, in terms of civilian employment, getting the first job is easier with a MIT degree than with any other degree. Since this is about a government job, this is irrelevent. However, the educational opportunities are greater for schools that are nationally recognized as premiere schools. You are taught by Nobel prize winners if you go law or economics in UChicago or Yale, who can do more than just research. I personally would like the life experience of being able to work under and work with the top guys in the field.

A&M probably is a great school, but so are the academies if the original poster wants to be an engineer major, an officer, and a SEAL. The academies rank very high in engineering, you get a free education, and have their own pipeline (albeit with ~20 billets) in selecting SEAL officers versus NROTC and OCS.

I do agree with Harvard undergrads being babied though. Harvard has recently been criticized for inflating their grades "in an attempt to standardize their grading system with the rest of the country." That's just presumptuous, elitist crap. Harvard thinks that an "A" in their school means a "C" in other schools, so they they might as well give at least a B average to everyone... This is true for their business school, but then again, every MBA program kinda inflates their grades. The babying doesn't apply for those going for a professional (JD, MD) or doctorate degree.

[rsctt83]

I attended Harvard and the science/math courses are extremely difficult and there was NO grade inflation whatsoever. I cannot comment upon what is going on today but those two institutions {Harvard and MIT} are deeply rooted in tradition and I suspect courses are just as tough today as they were when I was there. The weekly problem sets handed out are extremely rigorous to say the least. If there is grade inflation and babying than I must have picked all the wrong professors for every class I took.

I am BTDT and there was no grade inflation

[jumpingbum]

tate

Great post. There is one point that I take exception to and I think there is another way to spin this ....

"One thing that's never mention though is that schools like Harvard and MIT have something close to a 85-90% completion rate. Texas A&M's engineering program has a 65% failout rate. Most students either leave the school completely or switch to a non-engineering major. I'm biased, but to me, this says a lot. I'm more impressed with a school that flunks large numbers out vs. a rich kids club where almost everybody does well after getting in."

I would argue that by virtue of the extraordinarily difficult admission policy at both MIT and Harvard the completion rate is high because every student is extremely well qualified to succeed and therefore complete enginerring program. There is no such thing as rich kids getting baby through the program at either of those schools once they are admitted. The weekly problem sets are by tradition harder than anything you can ever imagine ditto with examinations. I speak from experience on this topic.

Anyway, this is minor point and I was very impressed with what you stated in your post. Please continue posting whenever the opportunity provides itself and best of luck with your career.

Thank you RSCTT. I appreciate your making that minor point. I have friends and relatives who went to MIT and Harvard and sweated (I realize that is not a word... ) blood to get into and through those schools. They were by no means "spoiled rich kids." I met many more spoiled rich kids at the State University where I earned my MA.

There is a parallel example worth thinking about: In this country there is a very high drop out rate for law school, but a very low one for Med School. In Med School? Once you're in? You're IN. Even if you have to repeat a year. Law students are weeded out right up to graduation day.

What I'm trying to say is that the work necessary to stay IN Harvard and MIT is done BEFORE you get there - the developing of the 'won't quit' mentality (beat into you almost from birth) and the preparation (the private schools, tutors, etc.)

I'm sure the military could save a lot of money if they could figure out which individuals would make it through the SOF training ahead of time. I did some research on it and we sure couldn't point to one thing. (I have my own opinion which I will not post here because I have to wish to be shouted down but I'm perfectly willing to discuss it in private.)

Thank you for your time and your service. This is one veteran who is very grateful for all of you.

[rsctt83]

Jumping

I agree with everything you have said in last post. I have spoken with SQT instructor and he told me NSW is doing research into the indentifyable qualities that are present in those that make it through BUD/S. My friend {instructor} said the research is providing new insights into the 'typical' successful recruits.

[od]

From my standpoint (not a SEAL):

You major should be something that you are interested in. My rational is you will perform better in school if you are interested in the topic, and after school in your chosen field if you find yourself not in the navy for whatever reason. Plus, before and and after college, you'll be happier.

If your preference for major in college would be something that would in no way be put into practice as a SEAL, I would seriously reconsider if being a SEAL is what I want to do. With that being said, consider the broad range of work that SEALs do. Is it really likely that your degree would have no applications as a SEAL?

In a previous post, somebody mentioned having a dual degree in Poli-sci and history, not believing it would be of use. I disagree. SEALs are doing the work of politicians, making history, repeating history, and avoiding repeating history. From operation plans to humanitarian missions, to black ops, to just about anything a SEAL team would do would have some application to poli-sci or historical theories.

Teaching - you better believe you'll be expected to be a trainer in some capacity.

engineering - think explosives

architecture - ops plans/building schematics

biology - survival (clean water/food sources), knowledge of human reactions

PE - I think this is obvious

I'll cut it short with one more, because I think you get my idea. The last one explains my mistake:

Nursing - medical support

Why was it a mistake? Because I accepted an ROTC Nursing scholarship, which slated me for Nurse corps only. I find out later, no Nurse corps officers in SEALs. I could have tried out when I was enlisted, but I chose to put my education first. Sometimes you have to close one door to open another.

Which brings me to clarify another point regarding ROTC. You may participate in ROTC without an obligation to the Navy, however, if you accept an ROTC scholarship, you are then obligated to serve in the Navy.