Enlisted Military

[jct329]

So I graduated from a Big 10 university in 2008, worked for a non profit until the November elections, and then joined the military as an enlisted admin guy. I had a couple of underage drinking tickets in UG, so I was going to come in for a year and become an officer after that. I decided I didn't really want a career in the military (would be another 6 year commitment if I did an enlisted to officer program), and I really didn't want to be a supply officer (I'm colorblind, so that's about all I could do). I had a UG GPA of 3.9 with a double major in Political Science (Honors) and Econ, will have great LORs from two or three O6s and possibly an O9. I'm currently an E5 deployed to Djibouti for the year, and the rest of my experience is in a fairly corporate area of the military. Haven't taken the GREs, but I'm expecting to do well as I've always scored pretty well on standardized tests.

I'm getting out in December 2013, so I'm only applying to schools that have spring admission. I know this may not seem like an important thing, but I would have 6 months of nothing to do if I didn't. I'm very interested in domestic policy analysis. Three main schools I'm looking at are NYU, University of Maryland, and American.

Will being enlisted in the military be bad for me in applying? Is military experience generally only seen as relevant for officers?

[washdc]

So I graduated from a Big 10 university in 2008, worked for a non profit until the November elections, and then joined the military as an enlisted admin guy. I had a couple of underage drinking tickets in UG, so I was going to come in for a year and become an officer after that. I decided I didn't really want a career in the military (would be another 6 year commitment if I did an enlisted to officer program), and I really didn't want to be a supply officer (I'm colorblind, so that's about all I could do). I had a UG GPA of 3.9 with a double major in Political Science (Honors) and Econ, will have great LORs from two or three O6s and possibly an O9. I'm currently an E5 deployed to Djibouti for the year, and the rest of my experience is in a fairly corporate area of the military. Haven't taken the GREs, but I'm expecting to do well as I've always scored pretty well on standardized tests.

I'm getting out in December 2013, so I'm only applying to schools that have spring admission. I know this may not seem like an important thing, but I would have 6 months of nothing to do if I didn't. I'm very interested in domestic policy analysis. Three main schools I'm looking at are NYU, University of Maryland, and American.

Will being enlisted in the military be bad for me in applying? Is military experience generally only seen as relevant for officers?

Only speaking from experience at AU.. but being in the military is a really good thing. Lots of individuals in my classes are former or current military. No one that I know of is/was an officer.. everyone was enlisted.

[debellocivili]

I'm not sure about domestic policy, but being military is definitely a boon for people studying security studies, as they can call bullshit on unfeasible, impractical, or implausible ideas that sound good on paper. It's part of the reason I switched over from my political science PhD to a public policy oriented school. So many stupid ideas fly-by but because professors have credentials you don't and other students reflect those same biases, you can't call them out, despite you having personal experience in a particular subject.

[brien2000]

OP,

Glad and thrilled to meet another enlisted soul. I'm an active duty Marine Sergeant fulfilling my four year commitment after graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2008. I had the same plan as you originally, go officer after one year. I decided against it on my one year mark and chose to prepare myself for grad school afterwards instead. I'm getting out 2012 May, so I'm currently waiting to hear back from schools. So far I've been accepted to Columbia Business School - so it's definitely doable. It's a matter of execution, since you already have a much higher GPA than I do and you're expecting a high GMAT/GRE score.

Feel free to ask more questions if you want. I don't know if gradcafe has PM capabilities like GMATclub, but I'd be more than happy to help you in any way possible.

[Burnt Orange]

@jct329, I don't think being enlisted hurts you in any way, shape, or form. Had you earned your BA/BS through one of the many preditory for-profit universities while serving on active duty would have been harmful to your prospects. But in your case, you attended a Big 10 university, did well, and decided to enlist. I wouldn't even bother mentioning that you considered becoming an officer. It's irrelevant. I think you leverage your service by stating you felt compelled to serve in any way you could, patriotism, etc. As a consequence of being colorblind, you were pushed into your particular MOS but have made the most of it. You can certainly talk about your leadership experiences as an E-5. The reality is that while Army/Marine officers have led units ranging in size from 15 to 115 people, very few other folks applying to policy school have done that. Most applicants have leadership experiences that mirror yours - leading a small team of folks with a specific purpose and getting strong results. So that's all good stuff. I know you want to focus on domestic policy, but being part of JTFHOA is pretty unique. Guys like me can talk OEF/OIF 'til we're blue in the face, but have no experience, admin or otherwise, in HOA. So you bring a completely different perspective with your overseas experience than most other military folks do. Use that as best you can in shaping your domestic interests.

Your stats are solid and your work experience is great. Totally understand the desire for a spring semester enrollment. Check out SPEA at IU. They allow folks to come in the Spring on a case-by-case basis. You're already a Big 10 Guy so that might be a good fit for you. And of course, they do a lot things well there so you could probably find something that interests you. But something else to realize is that you'll be pretty competetive anywhere you apply. So waiting for a fall cycle might mean Georgetown rather than AU/UMD. NYU is solid no matter what though.

Oh one other lesson learned here. When seeking LORs, understand the Army's version of a good LOR versus an ADCOM's. The military typically uses LORs as a means for someone with rank, regardless of how well they know the person in question, to effectively endorse your candidacy. But in this case, you want your recommenders to sell your candidacy. Does that make sense? If your BDE CDR signs a great letter for you, it might be full of adjectives but lacking in substance. Unlike Army OERs/NCOERs, there is no magic language in ADCOM speak (e.g. Promote now, ahead of, or with peers / select below the zone, etc.) So the folks who write your letters should REALLY know you. This is because they are going to get an email with a link to an online form that asks them several questions, fill in the bubbles, then write a couple of paragraphs on you. These are not hard copy letters that you can proof and suggest changes to like so many other Army recommendations. So take care in selecting these people. There are lots of officers/ O-3 to O-6 who studied public policy on the Army's dime (I'll be one of them) who will want to help you out if you can find them. So be on the lookout for those folks.

Hope that helps. And like @brien2000, feel free to shoot me a PM or post here if you'd like to discuss more.