Hi There-

I am finishing up some required units this summer at California State University, East Bay for a BA Political Science after the term is over. The job market is really slim here in CA and I have only been offered non paying internship opportunities and would rather have a 4-6 year adventure in the CG than a dull 9-5 in the world of politics. I am seriously considering applying for OCS in the CG and would like to start immediately if accepted (Sept-Oct 2009). As of July 11th, I have not spoken to a recruiter in the CG, however, I was considering joining the active Army about 18 months ago. During that time, I did take the ASVAB and believe I scored over 90 cumulative. I would like to know what the minimum requirements are to apply to the OCS since the gocoastguard website does not have ample information for me. I would entertain enlisting however, I feel that OCS is the avenue I would rather pursue. I do unfortunately have a rap sheet that includes a DUI and a misdemanor hit and run. On the positive side, I have maintained 3.00 college GPA and can get multiple letters of references. I am 25 years old, and am a full time student, in good health.

quote:

Originally posted by 15595727:
...I do unfortunately have a rap sheet that includes a DUI and a misdemanor hit and run. On the positive side, I have maintained 3.00 college GPA and can get multiple letters of references. I am 25 years old, and am a full time student, in good health.

It appears that your criminal history will likely make OCS a very difficult prospect. However, you need to talk to a CG Recruiter and get a straight answer from them.

The Army is currently taking first-timers up to age 42 with two minor felonies. You might want to go back there.

Unfortunately for you, the CG has lines out the door at the recruiter's offices and is MUCH more picky about who they let in the service.

Just like the other service academies letting folks in with "Congressional appointments," the CG Academy admissions are based strictly on academics.

My son (who took the ASVAB for kicks as a HS sophmore and got an AFQT of 92) needed a GPA of at least 3.5 from his junior college to apply for the degree program at the university he will finish up at. He worked hard and his GPA was over 3.6 when he graduated. One semester he had 19 semester hours and got straight A's despite working 30 hours plus a week at a local gas station (all different hours).

Plus he has a clean driving record. One accident, not his fault. Remember, we are both a military service & a federal LAW ENFORCEMENT agency. We uphold the laws, not violate them.

Now what would make you more marketable than him?

My son has no interest in entering the military. He still gets calls from recruiters here almost six years since he took the ASVAB.

I wish you luck...

I would agree with my friend Chris. Your chances of being accepted into Coast Guard OCS are very slim. OCS is a very competitive program and the Coast Guard is extremely selective in choosing which applicants to accept. Your criminal history would automatically be a big hit against you. Below are some of the general requirements for OCS applicants that you asked about.

General OCS Requirements:
Eligibility Requirements:
Age:
Temporary commission: between the ages of 21 and 34 (applicants must have reached their 21st birthday, but not their 35th birthday as of 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes)
Reserve commission: between the ages of 21 and 30 (applicants must have reached their 21st birthday, but not their 31st birthday as of 30 September of the fiscal year in which the panel convenes)
Military Status:
If you are currently serving in another branch of the U.S. Armed Forces or are enrolled in a ROTC program, you must provide a release from your service obligations prior to entering the Coast Guard. Applicants with six or more years of non-Coast Guard active duty service are not eligible.

Citizenship:
All applicants must be United States citizens.

Qualifying Tests:
All applicants must provide a qualifying score on the SAT, ACT, or ASVAB. No waivers will be considered. Minimum qualifying scores are as follows:

SAT: combined score 1000 on verbal and math
SAT 1: combined 1100 on verbal and math
ACT: 23
ASVAB: 109 on ASVAB General Technical (GT) Aptitude Area after 1 July 2004; 110 prior to 1 July 2004. The GT score is obtained by combining the VE (Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension) and AR (Arithmetic Reasoning) test scores.
Physical:
A full medical screening will be conducted in accordance with your application.

Educational Qualifications:
Reserve Commission Applicants must be in their senior year or hold a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Temporary Commission Applicants (active duty Coast Guard personnel E-5 and above with at least four years of active duty in any Armed Forces) must have a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university, or 25th percentile scores on general CLEP exams, or have completed at least one year of college (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) at an accredited college or university. Temporary Commission Applicants must also have completed one college-level math class or pass the general math CLEP exam. Contact your unit Educational Service Officer for additional information.

quote:

Originally posted by JerryG:\+

Just like the other service academies letting folks in with "Congressional appointments," the CG Academy admissions are based strictly on academics.

I wouldn't say that it is strictly academics. I will say that unlike the other Academies that have Congressional Appointments, applicants to the CG Academy are in direct competition with each other for an appointment. Acceptance into the CG Academy is based on the whole person concept just as acceptance into the Coast Guard is. Test scores and academics do play a huge role (they have to believe you can succeed in CGA's challenging academic environment), but extracurricular activities, athletics, and demonstrated leadership such as being the Student Government President, Captain of a sports team, Boy/Girl Scout, etc. are all looked at by the board as well. The ideal candidate is well rounded and demonstrates a strong moral, academic, leadership, athletic, and extracurricular history.

15595727, as a recruiter in charge, I would tell you straight up you would more than likely not be selected due to your DUI and hit and run. It takes a lot of time, effort and taxpayer money to get an OCS package together.

A Boy Scout in my son's Troop asked me about the CG and tried to check out the CGA through the AIM program, but did not get selected for the program due receiving a "C" in a math class in his Sophomore year of HS.

According to his parents (Dad's the Dean of Students at a local HS and Mom is an elementary teacher specializing in gift kids), Kip was "a little wild" with sports his Sophomore year and let his grades slip a bit, which is where the "C" in math came from. All the rest of his grades were "As" and "Bs."

Now with that said, Kip lettered in Soccer, Basketball and Track, was a certified Lifeguard at the local community pool, earned every aquatic-related Merit Badge in the Boy Scouts, and made Eagle Scout.

Yet the folks who facilitated the local AIM program told me there were stronger candidates out there for the program.

I think that's pretty competitive, dont'tcha think?

quote:

Originally posted by JerryG:
A Boy Scout in my son's Troop asked me about the CG and tried to check out the CGA through the AIM program, but did not get selected for the program due receiving a "C" in a math class in his Sophomore year of HS.

According to his parents (Dad's the Dean of Students at a local HS and Mom is an elementary teacher specializing in gift kids), Kip was "a little wild" with sports his Sophomore year and let his grades slip a bit, which is where the "C" in math came from. All the rest of his grades were "As" and "Bs."

Now with that said, Kip lettered in Soccer, Basketball and Track, was a certified Lifeguard at the local community pool, earned every aquatic-related Merit Badge in the Boy Scouts, and made Eagle Scout.

Yet the folks who facilitated the local AIM program told me there were stronger candidates out there for the program.

I think that's pretty competitive, dont'tcha think?

Jerry,
I think your son's friend would be competitive for admission into CGA. I had a similar background in high school. (As and Bs, Scouting, Athletics) I think I even got a C in one of my classes. I was also involved in band and student government. There are many high schoolers who have been accepted into CGA that were not selected for AIM. From CGA's AIM website:

quote:

On average, the most qualified 500 rising seniors will be selected for the AIM program. Each year we have more qualified students than we have spots available. If you are not selected, however, please do not feel that you will not be competitive for an USCGA appointment in your senior year. Many students not admitted to AIM apply for and are offered appointments the following year. We regret that due to space and resource limitations, we cannot expand the AIM program at this time.

Check out this website to see the characteristics of those admitted for the CGA class of 2011.

<https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/pdf/full/United_States_Coast_Guard_Academy_College_Profile.PDF?schoolId=159&page=all>

CGA also has another program called the beansprout program in which high school seniors visit CGA during the academic year and spend a day going to classes and exploring the campus with a current cadet. They also eat meals in the cadet wardroom and spend the night in Chase Hall in a cadet room. The beansprout program exposes you to life after swab summer by letting you directly observe cadets during the academic year. Might be worth checking that out.

quote:

The job market is really slim here...would rather have a 4-6 year adventure in the CG than a dull 9-5 in the world of politics

If jobs were plentiful in your area would you still be interested in the CG? Or any branch of the military for that matter? In my tenure in the CG thus far, albeit short, I find that most enlisted and officer personnel are very passionate about what they do and are more or less in for the long haul. Generally speaking, this applies to AD and reserve. Playing "tourist" in the military can be a risky endeavor for the obvious reasons of safety, well being, etc. And you can't just quit because something better has come along in the private sector.