Chances Out of Undergrad/Down the Line?

[lsmith17]

Hi all,

First post so bear with me on formatting/courtesies. I wanted to get some insight about my stats and look for any input or feedback aside from the personal criticisms I’ve synthesized from checking every corner of these forums.

Here is my info:

Age: 21

Scores: PCSM: 87, AFOQT: 99/98/99/81/68/82 (both 1st attempt tests), 56.9 flight hours w/ PPL

Education:

• Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering Student @ highly-regarded institution, 3.57 GPA, graduating May 2026.
• On an accelerated masters track to get my MS in Aerospace Engineering as well (Late 2027/Early 2028ish)

Work Experience:

• Co-op (effectively an intern) @ industry leader in a few engineering depts
• Aeroacoustics research doing V&V on a perturbation equation solver
• LLM (large language model, AI) research for strategic wargaming and physics-based model simulation.

(Cumulative ~ 2 years of work experience in aerospace)
Some other non-aerospace related jobs (entrepreneur, content moderation, cumulative ~1 yr of work experience)

Extracurricular:

• Club lacrosse in college (No NCAA @ school)
• Social Fraternity (leadership roles as Vice President, New Member Educator, Risk Manager; also volunteering w/ philanthropic orgs)
• Did two years in Naval ROTC, various billet positions

Rec Letters:

• Retired Col., Fighters, Test Pilot from AF TPS
• Retired Brig. Gen., AD Cargos & Mobilization
• Academic Faculty Member, VP in Aerospace Consultant Group
• Flight Instructor from PPL training
• Retired Lt. Col, Current Airline Pilot

Other Pertinent Info:

• Parents both at the airlines, most connections through them
• Actively visiting units across the country

My plan is strictly fighters as of now, likely to apply to cargos as well. Specifically would appreciate advice around rec letters (i.e. – should I be looking for a non-military letter for my third?), overall competitiveness, retaking TBAS for higher PCSM (can’t retake it for boards closing this year), and anything else you feel pertinent.

Sorry for the word vomit, I appreciate any and all input, thanks!
 

[jonlbs]

You are so young, if you want fighters stick with fighters. You got 5 years of applying in my opinion till I'd start looking at non fighters. That is of course if you really want fighters.

Scores and letters seem good enough to get you in the door at most places. Good luck with the grind.