Chance of Acceptance STA 21?

[Carolina23]

I'm shipping off 20160216 as AECF (originally wanted nuke, training to obtain waivers and clearances - foreign born family). I scored 94 on ASVAB 80 on NAPT. Have a little over 60 college credits. I majored in Mechanical Engineering in college but want to switch to Chemical/Nuclear Engineering if I get accepted into the program. I'm 21, Female, Hispanic & bilingual. I had a 3.7 GPA in college, 5.8/3.5 GPA in HS. I'm retaking the ACT in a week. How do you think my chances are if I apply to the STA program? Second, if I leave for bootcamp in Feb, and applications are due by June, do you think I'll be able to apply for this round or next? Thanks in advance!

[spekkio]

I'm shipping off 20160216 as AECF (originally wanted nuke, training to obtain waivers and clearances - foreign born family). I scored 94 on ASVAB 80 on NAPT. Have a little over 60 college credits. I majored in Mechanical Engineering in college but want to switch to Chemical/Nuclear Engineering if I get accepted into the program. I'm 21, Female, Hispanic & bilingual. I had a 3.7 GPA in college, 5.8/3.5 GPA in HS. I'm retaking the ACT in a week. How do you think my chances are if I apply to the STA program? Second, if I leave for bootcamp in Feb, and applications are due by June, do you think I'll be able to apply for this round or next? Thanks in advance!

So you're dropping out of school to enlist, under the hopes that the Navy puts you back in school? Bad plan.

Finish school. If you want nuke, you can apply NUPOC. Better pay and QOL while in, plus you get E-6 pay + BAH in your school's location with no military obligations while you finish your last two years of college.

To answer your question directly: Your chances of getting into STA-21 out of boot camp are near 0%. If you go nuke, you will have an opportunity to apply for STA-21 (nuke officer only) out of prototype, about 1-2 years into your service. Your selection will be almost entirely based upon how you perform in A-school, power school, and prototype. If you don't get selected, you will not have another opportunity to apply for STA-21 until you are within 1 year of your EAOS, since the nuke community will not approve the waiver to leave and you can't apply for STA-21 nuke unless you are a student or instructor at power school/prototype.

If you don't go in as a nuke, your application will be based upon your performance as a Sailor at-sea. You're looking at a minimum of 2-3 years to get really good evals and make yourself 'known' to the command to write you a good recommendation. Basically, you better have quite a few sailor of the quarters under your resume.

[Carolina23]

I didn't really drop out. My goal is to finish my degree, dropping out wouldn't get me there. I enlisted hoping that I would get into the nuke program, but since I have a foreign born step parent that wasn't possible.
And I found this on the STA 21 site:

How many years in service do I need to have to apply to STA-21?
A: Unlike many of the previous Fleet Commissioning Programs, STA-21 has no minimum time in service requirement. In other words, all enlisted personnel from the junior Sailor in 'A' School to the seasoned Chief Petty Officer can apply, so long as the applicant meets the minimum age requirement set by the program they desire to enter (see Program Options). Note: The STA-21 CEC Option requires a minimum of four (4) years of active duty (of which at least three years were in an other than formal training environment), as of the scheduled start of Naval Science Institute (NSI) for the year applying.

[spekkio]

I didn't really drop out... I enlisted hoping that I would get into the nuke program...

Enlisting would require you to drop out of school to fulfill your commitment. I'm not sure how you think you can continue to do both, particularly if you went nuke.

but since I have a foreign born step parent that wasn't possible.

I replied to your other thread: plenty of people get TS/SCI with foreign born family members. The bad news is that if you are ineligible to become a nuke because of your clearance, you will also be ineligible to become an officer through STA-21. You are going to need a higher clearance than an enlisted nuke.

And I found this on the STA 21 site:

I'm telling you what's realistic. There are something like 90-100 spots out of the entire fleet available year-to-year, something like 40% of those are reserved for nukes out of prototype. Do you really think that you'll have the credentials for the program as a shiny newbie whose only service record entry is that she graduated boot camp? If you enlist the Navy hired you to do an enlisted job, you're going to go do it... at least for a little bit.

[MMM]

To sum up, here are your options:

1 - Finish your degree (this is first for a reason) then either apply for OCS or get a civilian job. This option will take about 2 years.

2 - Drop out of college to enlist, wait 1-2 years before you can apply for STA-21, then, if you're accepted finish college, if you're not, you can try to finish you degree on you own time. This option if you get accepted will take 3-4 years, otherwise, closer to 8 years.

Seriously, finish the degree first. FYI, ME is a lot more versatile than NE.

[Carolina23]

That was originally my plan. But I transferred schools and didn't get into the school I transferred to because they didn't receive my transcript on time. So I chose to enlist. Another thing is, debt. I don't want to be in debt and pay off school loans. And I think the STA 21 program will help me with that. I ship in 2 weeks and I feel like it's too late to back out.

[spekkio]

That was originally my plan. But I transferred schools and didn't get into the school I transferred to because they didn't receive my transcript on time. So I chose to enlist. Another thing is, debt. I don't want to be in debt and pay off school loans. And I think the STA 21 program will help me with that. I ship in 2 weeks and I feel like it's too late to back out.

Checks with chart.

Median starting annual salary of a Chemical Engineer: $70,000.
Estimated pay you can expect to earn during your entire 4 year enlistment (assuming single/no BAH): $100,000

So by my rough calculations, even if you never got a raise as a Chemical Engineer, you are leaving a minimum of $180,000 on the table in lost income by enlisting. Even the 9/11 GI bill doesn't even that out (total estimated value: $105,000), especially when you start to consider that a 27 year old Chemical Engineer with 4-6 years of experience has a median income of $96,000.

For someone with good grades in a tech major, you made a gross math error somewhere if you think enlisting for the college benefits was going to be the financially better option.

[Gamecock]

Seriously, finish the degree first. FYI, ME is a lot more versatile than NE.

I second what he said.

Cheers,

GC

[Gamecock]

Checks with chart.

Median starting annual salary of a Chemical Engineer: $70,000.
Estimated pay you can expect to earn during your entire 4 year enlistment (assuming single/no BAH): $100,000

So by my rough calculations, even if you never got a raise as a Chemical Engineer, you are leaving a minimum of $110,000 on the table in lost income by enlisting.

I think your math is wrong.

70K x 4 = 280K
100K in four years
280K-100K=180K in lost income, not 110K.

Cheers,

GC

[spekkio]

Heh, good back up. My excuse is I majored in biology 

[Tylor]

I agree with what everyone has said, it sounds to me like you may have received some misleading information. I you want to enlist as a nuke, don't settle for AECF in the hopes that you can land a commissioning program. I have gone through the nuke pipeline, been an instructor at a prototype, and I applied for STA-21. Even with great evals and performance in the pipeline, I wasn't selected. It's very competitive, and enlisting in a job you didn't want, assuming you'll be selected is a very long stretch.
In my opinion, you would be much better off focusing on school, and talking with officer recruiters about commissioning programs like OCS or NUPOC. Both great programs that will have you doing what it seems you want to do. Debt can be very frustrating, but so is being stuck in a job you don't enjoy because you expected something different.
Best of luck with your decision.

[spekkio]

I ship in 2 weeks and I feel like it's too late to back out.

You are under no obligation until you swear in at boot camp. You can tell the recruiter you want out, or you could decide to just not show up to MEPS. The former is the better option, but if they hassle you about it then option 2 is still available.

Backing out will result in you becoming administratively separated with a code of ELS (entry-level separation). The adsep is so you don't get veterans benefits (which an honorable would confer to you). There is no penalty for this, you don't need to report it when you apply for jobs or anything.

The only hitch would be that it could be a ding against a future officer application package if you wanted to apply for NUPOC or go to OCS after college, since the military (and only the military) would see that ELS code. You would have to explain that you decided it was in your best interest to finish college and seek a commission rather than to enlist halfway through college. Most likely it wouldn't be a big deal, but that will depend on supply/demand of officers at the time you apply.

However, the reenlistment code you get would allow you to enlist after college if you still had an itch to serve. Enlisting in the Navy would require a waiver, but the other services would not.