Extending Military Contract or Apply to an MBA?
Over a year ago I made a post about heading to flight school in the Military. After months of academics and training I actually got to the flying portion. This is where I found out that I was not comfortable with flying an aircraft, and I didn't enjoy it at all. I was put up for re-designation back in January, which is a scary position because if the military wants they can discharge you if they don't have any need for young officers. Luckily, I got picked up for my number one choice as a supply corps officer and head to training next month.
Now at the crisp young age of 27, i'm preparing myself to embrace life as an old man on campus when I eventually apply for an MBA. My contract resets back to the initial 4 years of service, and I'm not sure if the last year and a half of my life counted against this or if they don't count this time of training towards that 4 year. If they did count it, that means by the time i finish training I'll only have 2 years left on my contract. This basically means I'll only get 1 deployment cycle out to sea. Because of this i'm worried I won't be as competitive as people who didn't fail out of something, and had 4 full years at least of solid leadership experience. I really want to do a top 25 MBA at the least, like Michigan, Duke, Texas, UCLA, Cornell, NYU... but plan to reach for schools like Columbia, Chicago, HSW as well. I was hoping to do banking or consulting when I got out.
Do you think I should apply after my 2 years are up at the age of 29, or do you guys think it would be more beneficial to extend my contract for an extra 2 years just to make sure I get 2 full deployments under my belt and a shore tour and apply around 31/32? I had initially expected to do 10 years, so I don't necessarily see 6 years as that bad of a deal, and I want to make sure to give myself the best chance possible.
Hey rj1443, I swear if I had a silver banana for every lonely thread I posted too I'd be richer than @compbanker ...
Calling relevant pros to the rescue! roddick_1493 Tom-Rosser Ahuja
You're welcome.
I don't think a deployment is going to swing your admissions decision, and I do not think the adcom knows or cares about a deployment, unless it was Afghanistan or Iraq. I am not sure why you are so concerned about this. You also probably don't ever need to mention getting dropped from flight school, unless it would make a good personal essay on failing and bouncing back as a rockstar supply officer. Lots of military applicants are above the median age. Reach out to vets at the schools you are considering.
Also, if you're a supply officer, why do you have a profile picture of a jet?
All of this. Bouncing from potential flight aviator to suppy corps is just another line in a resume. It's the story you tell and in your case don't tell. Admission commissions won't know the difference in a couple of initial training months for flight school. It's not the private sector I world just leave it out honestly.
mostly cause I haven't updated this profile in over a year... probably going to change it soon enough. I think my goal is to get 2 year sea tour, 1-2 year shore tour then apply. Thanks for the insight. Someone suggested Service to School who provides free admissions counseling for MBA apps. Placed a lot of kids in top 15 schools
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