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Current high schooler applying to WOFT, someone told me to post this here.


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NOTE: Some of you may have seen this on the general forums, I apologize for the inconvenience. I was told that this was a better place to post this topic so I decided to give it a shot! Thank you for your understanding.



Hello everyone, I am a pretty new member and I am still learning to navigate the forums. I apologize if a similar post has been made elsewhere.



I am currently a senior in high school going through the WOFT packet process. So far:



  • Police records- clean record
  • Health- Everything is good other than glasses, correctable past 20/20
  • Asvab - 97
  • GT - 133
  • GPA - Weight: 4.0, Unweighted: around 3.5
  • Education: High school diploma (graduating tomorrow)
  • Flight experience- none
  • College credits- none
  • Essay - Second draft completed
  • LORs - None so far, but I got in contact with one of my senators.

I have heard mixed answers about this. Some warrants including a few high school to flight schoolers told me that it is very possible for me to get selected. Some tell me that I should drop a packet but be ready to get denied because of my age and lack of experience. My first recruiter told me straight up I won't get in and he wanted me to enlist. My second recruiter is helping me through the entire process. I would like to know how you guys feel about my stats, and if there is anything I could improve on.



Some questions I have are:


If I am selected, what is the time between selection and shipping out to basic?



Any tips on studying for the SIFT?



How should I approach service members for letters of recommendation, given the fact that I know very few.



Any additional advice will be greatly appreciated.




EDIT:



I understand that being a high schooler, my resume will be VERY weak. In fact, a recent warrant officer who did high school to flight school advised me to just leave the resume blank.



Given the points above, I would like to make it clear that I am set on completing this packet. I wish to enter this program before enlisting or going to college, and my chances are 0 if I don't even give it a shot. That being said, I sincerely appreciate all the advice and help I have been given thus far, and look forward to working with some of the most talented men and women in this country.


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How's your vision without glasses?

 

Maybe someone else can better advise but I think you probably should build a resume and just weigh it heavier with extra-curriculars, hobbies, interests, etc.

 

Mike

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All I’ll say is my stick buddy in the UH-60M course was an 18 year-old, so it’s possible. Though, he also had some prestigious recommendations and a decent amount of rotary time in a Schweizer.

 

Unfortunately I can’t give you much advice past that. Good luck!

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I had a kid straight from high school in my WOCS class. He flies Echos now so dont think it cant be done. For the resume, did you have any summer jobs or participate in any school clubs/sports? Basically something that will show leadership potential. Based on where you are located, try to find the nearest Army aviation unit, guard or active, and give them a call.

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You have great asvab scores already so what I would focus on are the things you can directly control. Get a high SIFT score and quality letters of recommendation for your packet. There are some free study tools for the sift out there. The FAA website actually has downloadable pdf for the helicopter flight manual that would definitely help if you do not know much about aviation. You should study the first 4 chapters. Also highly recommend downloading the quizlet app on your phone and search for SIFT study sets. They have information that I actually came across in the test almost word for word. Lucky for you just graduating high school, math and reading comprehension should be fresh on your mind. Be sure you can do long division on paper and basic algebra like solving for X and Y. Do not let anyone convince you that you will not make it because the only people who have a say in that are big Army and medical. Only talk to warrant officer recruiters as they want you in the program and regular recruiters just want you to enlist. Find your nearest Army aviation unit and get to talking with them hopefully theyll point you towards a CW5 to help you out for your LoR. Best of luck!

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I'll throw in my experience so far as well since I am a civilian picked up for street to seat.

 

I was selected on the September 2018 board and my BCT ship date is July 16th. So I have a 10 month wait between selection and shipping out. It varies from class to class, but that is how mine worked out.

 

Others have already mentioned how to study for the SIFT. Buy a study guide from Amazon and use that and also study the first 4 chapters of the FAA rotocraft manual. That helped me the most on the aviation section.

For LoRs I did not have any close contacts to aviators, so what I did was contact the closest Army air base to me and tried to get in touch with anyone in aviation. From there I went onto LinkedIn and searched for any army aviators located at that air base and professionally message several of them telling them I am interested in the program, here are my achievements, and asking for any advice they could offer. Surprisingly I got several responses and everyone I spoke to was very helpful. Eventually I was able to speak to a few of them on the phone and they agreed to meet me in person for an interview. I had to drive 4 hours to get the the base, but also scheduled my flight physical on the same day to kill 2 birds with one stone. I spoke to a CW4 in person and asked a lot of questions about the program, and at the end of it he asked how my packet was going. I told him I would be honored to have a LoR from someone like him and that it would elevate my packet greatly. He agreed to it and he sent it to me a few weeks later.

Your essay needs to be short and to the point. No more than 1 hand written page. Usually around 3 paragraphs. Focus on your strengths as a person and leadership abilities. Saying "I have always dreamed about flying my whole life" is pretty much understood and just fluff.

 

I am sure many others have better advice to offer, but this was my experience through the process last year.

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Dont be discouraged by those who say you are too young. I know of plenty high school to flight school guys. You have the right mindset of the worst the can say is no. Seems most of the advice I can normally give has already been taken but feel free to PM if you have more questions about the process or would like a look over of your essay.

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