Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 4/9/2009

Question
Colonel Howell,
My son as a junior in highschool.  He is intrested in going to the Coast Guard Academy.  He is also looking into the Airforce Academy and the Navy Academy.  He is trying to make himself a good canidate for a service acamemy.  If he is not accepted what are other options for him to become a Coast Guard officer?

Answer
Tim,
It's good to shop around and explore his options because getting an appointment to a Service Academy is difficult. Tell him not to feel bad if he doesn't get accepted because he's competing against approx. 30,000 students across the country, of which only about 5,000 will make it.  Pretty tough odds.

There are three ways to earn a commission in the military.  1. by attending a 4-year Service Academy: 2. via ROTC at a university; or 3. via Officer Candidate School (OCS).  The USCG calls their version of ROTC CSPI (College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative).  Not all colleges and universities offer this so he needs to find one that does.

With CSPI he basically attends a school that offers the CSPI program
and then in his sophomore year applies for admission into the program.  If he has good grades, it's possible to obtain a scholarship which will pay full school tuition, fees, textbooks, salary, medical insurance, and other benefits during his junior and senior year.  Then when he graduates he'll attend Officer Candidate School (OCS)in New London, Connecticut for 17 weeks.  Upon graduation he'll be commissioned an Ensign.

With OCS he'll have to attend any accredited 4-year college or university at his own expense and graduate with a Bachelor's Degree (in any subject).  Then he is eligible to apply for OCS (OTS in the Air Force) is any service.

If he makes good grades and stays out of trouble he has an excellent chance at any of the above.

I wish him good luck and salute him for wishing to serve his country as a military officer.
Colonel H