am i the only person who's ever thought of this?

Transfer Students
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<p>i was talking to a teacher a couple of days ago, and told him that i didn't really want to go to any of the colleges i'd applied/been admitted to, but that, at the same time, i kinda wanted to do something. he asked me if i'd ever thought about maybe joining the army.</p>

<p>i haven't really since i was a little kid, but ive been looking into it for the past couple of days, and i gotta say, it has its appeal. as a career option, it's definetely intriguing. then i got what you might call a flash of inspiration/stupidity: suppose i join the army, do three, four years, probably, given the kind-of stuff id be liable to volunteer for, be sent to iraq. i come back, and apply to colleges. how many would be liable to reject me?</p>

<p>my high school record is decent, and improving, but nowhere near top-caliber. still shows flashes of inspiration though. my testing is ok, but i could make it really exemplary with enough studying and preparation, possibly rationalizing some of my bad grades (taking the initiative to fill in my own gaps etc.). but if i joined the army, did something fairly impressive (some of the stuff that caught my eye was indirect fire infantryman (mortars) or m1 armor crewman (tanks)), would any top colleges (ivy leagues or top 5 state schools) be willing to accept me? </p>

<p>does this sound a little sick/stupid to you? well, you may be right, but understand that even if the answer is "no, and these schools will forever blacklist you and your children" i'd still probably be equally enthusiastic. this whole ploy is just an added bonus. yes, i know its dangerous, yes, i know i could get killed (although statistically the odds are pretty low, and surprisingly lower for the above-mentioned jobs), im willing to accept that. i just need a straight-up answer; does anybody do this kind-of thing? its more curiosity than anything else.</p>

<p>on a semi-related note, people who take time off to work, apply as freshman, no? and is there ever a point at which a school will stop requesting a high school transcript from a freshman applicant?</p>

<p>on a final note, let me just repeat: the possibility of going to harvard, uva, wherever is not my reason for doing this. i'm just curious.</p>

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<p>if you believe sit in a 70 ton case with U238 armor enclosed it is good for your health, by all means, join the army.</p>

<p>you can be a nuclear missile operator and they reject you because it's not related to the major</p>

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<p>why the army? not against it, just curious . . .
you could also do a number of other intense things--some kind of volunteering, maybe international aid . . .
or what about some other service branch?</p>

<p>you better be sure you want to go into the army for the army, and not for a nice-sounding college, though I believe the govt does help a lot with tuition . . .</p>

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<p>WELL...i was also considering going in to the Army.....i hadda 3.61 GPA in highschool with a fairly difficult courseload. I decided against it. The person that actually had me convinced to enlist went off a year before me(he was one of my best friends)...he called me a few months after enlisting...."i hate bein in the damn army...i can't wait to get out"....he got outta ATI and then went directly to Iraq....he'dda been sent back there if he hadn't broken his leg a few months ago...."you don't know who's on your side and who's not...you can go in to a seemingly abandoned house, walk next to a bed, and next thing you know you're stabbed in the ankles bleeding on the floor with m16s and AKs going off from every direction..." did i mention before he went in he was really excited?...he thought it'd be the time of his life, and the recruiters had me convinced it would be as well.</p>

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<p>Recruiters are mighty tempting. They had me thinking I wanted to go -- I'm not the poster child for the Army (or the armed forces in general) with my physique and mentality (the "Why should I listen to you?" and burst into tears whenever someone yells at me thing ;D).</p>

<p>This is something you want to consider outside of college admissions. There will be few people who can tell you how it would affect admissions here because the majority of people I've seen here go straight to college or, at most, take a year off and do things like 546mp suggested.</p>

<p>The Army is intense. When you enlist, you are committing to a certain number of years of service, which is especially true if you hope to get a GI Bill or other military education fund grant out of it. You are rewarded, but right now is a particularly intense time: the situation in the Middle East means that you would be welcomed (I remember hearing about the Army or some branch falling short of their enlistment goals this year for the first time in 8 or so years), but you might be rushed through training, and that you may very well (particularly in the fields you're looking at) end up in the heat of it all. </p>

<p>You say you realize that there's a chance you may die, but do you really realize that? Do you consciously accept that enlisting in the Army means a much greater chance that you will die than taking a year off and applying to colleges with some other real life experience on hand? Are you willing to devote your life to military service?</p>

<p>To answer your question: yes, people do that. Do many? No. And a lot of people who go to school after military service do it as a consequence rather than having planned for military-to-school (with the exception of doctors and other professionals, since grad school is expensive and the military has excellent education payment plans).</p>

<p>You say you'd "probably" do it even if the schools blacklisted you and your children. Sit and think. Would you really? If it meant never going to college (which it might if you get killed or find you get into being the military so much you want that to be your career -- more chances to not go to college than to go), would you still enlist?</p>

<p>I think there's a lot of reflecting you need to do. Joining the Army is nothing to take lightly.</p>

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<p>If you gonna be a M1 crewman, go for it, none of the crewmen died from enemy attack ever since the m1 series commission, just watch out for</p>

<p>-RPG7V
-RPG22 NETO
-RPG29 VAMPIR
-9M111 and AT missiles like such
-little kids, always stop for them.</p>

<p>ha.</p>

<p>Frankly, i think every male (every person actually) NEEDS to have at least one year of experience in a military situation. it's a rite of passage of some sort.</p>

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<p>"Frankly, i think every male (every person actually) NEEDS to have at least one year of experience in a military situation. it's a rite of passage of some sort." </p>

<p>...What? Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's make sure we keep invading other countries so everyone can get some exposure.</p>

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<p>No, I am a huge anti-war person if you seen me on other forums.</p>

<p>I am talking about serving in a peaceful army. This will bring you strength and ability to command and take command.</p>

<p>Killing people is not a mandatory experience.</p>

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<p>Calipharius,</p>

<p>I think you are missing the point; enlisting in the army helps one mature spiritually and mentally.</p>

<p>This notion of forced democratization gives us this false sense of hope that I think is a necessary condition for any male to properly develop.</p>

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<p>thank you nspeds.</p>

<p>it's a rite of passage.</p>

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<p>I am actually being facetious.</p>

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<p>Keep in mind you may or may not be able to decide what "job" you get to do in the service, and if you are sent to a warzone, you have to see some pretty bad shi*t. Consider the Navy or the Airforce if you're really in to it, though; I've had family who went career in all the branches, and they all say those are the safest (and you'll travel the most with the Navy.)</p>

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<p>Navy would surely be your safest bet if you'd like to stay out of the war zone....Airforce is safe as well, and it opens several academic opportunities after you get out.</p>

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<p>well, do realize that you don't get to toy the F22 while defending some small town in Texas from missile threats....</p>

<p>That means you actually gotta put your a** against stingers, SA-Xs, and 15/25/30mm AAAs.</p>

<p>ha.</p>

<p>Navy is good until China and US fight over taiwain, then you may get C-801ed.</p>

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<p>wellumyeah....if you want to get involved in the military and be safe at the same time...your best bet would be.....move to Switzerland</p>

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<p>what if there is an alien invasion?</p>

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<p>then just make sure you don't die a virgin</p>

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<p>If you are considering a career in the military, I would look at your prospective school's rotc program. Granted, rotc does not accurately portray life in the military, but it provides you with the insight on whether you have the stamina and will power to succeed in such an institution.</p>

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<p>dec advice all. i know the army is probably a huge pain in the ass, but frankly, the whole being yelled at, forced haircut, everything you do is regimented thing doesn't bother really bother me. im not exactly the type to lash out against authority. the physical **** seems really easy, if the longest run i ever have to do is 5 miles than im set. the army does have a certain level of job placement, and there are certain ways to up your chances of getting your chosen mos.</p>

<p>i just wanna do it though, just to say i did it. im sure ill hate parts of it, no doubt in my mind, but for some reason its just a really compelling option. these days its a pretty unique thing. probably theres a limit to how much you can trade on the novelty, but i still feel like itd go pretty far.</p>

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<p>you'll have to run a little bit more than 5 miles on average....and there's a lil twist behind the 5 mile run...you do it mostly on uneven surfaces, in the heat of the day, with a 40+ pound sac on your back</p>