How competitive am I for Coast Guard OCS?

Question

HEY

I am a senior at my state school studying biology with a minor in international studies and I am looking into my options after graduation. I have tons of extracurriculars, volunteer experience, leadership, research, and some work experience - and a GPA of ~3.4 Any thoughts on how to strengthen my resume or if I am competitive for OCS with the USCG!?

Research - 1 year of lab work, starting new project next semester which will likely result in publishing, paid research program for 1.5 years

volunteer - nursing home, free clinic, downtown museum, foreign exchange student program here at school, local farm for mentally disabled children

leadership - copres pre-med club, vp diversity club, crew leader for philmont, eagle scout
^high points of resume as of now

In case you were wondering I am also applying to medical school :)

THANKS

Answer 1

You're certainly not a shoo-in, but you've got a shot.



GPA is reasonable, particularly for Biology. I'm assuming by "state school", you mean major state university, which is well respected and that everyone has heard of - that helps. Eagle Scout is a big plus, as is the rest of the leadership activities you listed. The "Diversity Club" thing will play well too.



Bottom line - it's worth applying.



See a recruiter to learn more, and good luck!

Answer 2

Your not real competitive



1.Low GPA - they really are looking for 3.5+

2. Wrong major - they really want hard science degrees ( math, physics, engineering, computer science )



B. but your close enough, that it is worth trying

Answer 3

They have such a small officer corps, any spot will be hard. Their academy classes are only about 3-400 versus 1500 for the other service schools.

http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-your-career/officer-opportunities/programs/officer-candidate-school