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Marks / Grades: School / GED or PLAR [MERGED]

  • Thread starter Thread starter SteelMag
  • Start date Start date
This is something I haven't seen posted in the time that I've searched, but hopefully I can get an answer because I'm looking at tendering an application as soon as is reasonable. I'm 25, and I got pretty poor grades throughout high school. This is mostly due to the fact that I had some serious attendance issues when I was in my early to mid teens relating to anxiety and some other stuff that took a long time to work through.

As I finished credits and matured, my grades got better, and I began to get grades in the upper 80s and 90s in some classes. However, at this time my mom got lost her job and got cancer in the same month, so I had to go to work to pay bills. This more or less left me with no real opportunity to finish school and I ended up getting my GED rather than draw out the process of finishing off my high school credits any longer than I already had. She then got cancer a second time, and while she has recovered, she's been out of work for several years now and I've been working full-time to support the both of us (she raised me as a single mom).

I'm a smart person, but the problems I had in my early-mid teens and some of the things that came up in my late teens meant that I never really lived up to my potential. I've had an interest in the armed forces since a speaker came to my high school when I was 15 or so. Currently my only real work experience is working full-time in a retail environment. It's not particularly useful work experience for anything except other retail jobs. I feel kind of trapped and this has me turning to the one career option that has kind of stuck with me for the past 10 years and always seemed like something that would be rewarding. I like working with my hands and would ideally end up in a position like weapons tech (land). I don't want to sound like I'm denigrating the position, but I don't think it's a job that would necessarily have the most stringent academic requirements. Also, I feel like I would do very well on the aptitude test (due to the practice tests I've taken) and could make a good impression in an interview.

But what I'm wondering is if having the grades that I did in high school put me at a severe disadvantage compared to other people? I feel like I have to accept responsibility for not having more self-motivation when I was younger but it bothers me to think that it's about 10 or so years later now and I'm still having to live with the mistakes I made when I was a dumb kid. Is this something that would be a serious negative on my application, or would a high score on the aptitude test and a good interview serve to help smooth that over?

I didn't mean to write so much, but I appreciate any input anyone may have. Thanks.
 
Sounds like you have some pretty tough life experience, those will make good for the interview. As far as grades, obviously the better you have done, the better your overall score will be. The fact that you graduated is a great thing. I can't compare in your young adult life, but can compare to your highschool life. I like you didn't have the focus. I graded poorly. This didn't keep me from applying. I start in less then two weeks as an AVN. Depending on what you have completed in highschool, some trades may not be available to you. Believe it or not Weapons tech is actually pretty demanding. Most tech jobs have a minimum requirement. your Recruitment office will fill you in with the details. There is no harm in applying , the worse they can say is no. So get your butt in a recruitment office, educate yourself on all the trades, and prep for the CFAT. The CFAT is a beast in itself. I trained by taking an overall IQ test and improving where my weakness was. Best of luck to you, and feel free to ask anymore questions.
 
The standard advice that we give here, just as dennmu gave, is "see a recruiter", and for good reason.

All that I have to judge you on is your story and writing style.

It seems to me that you have matured considerably since your school days, and you have dealt with some significant situations quite well. Those should count in your favour. Your story was laid out clearly and logically, your grammar was above average, and your spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and capitalization were all good. We (on this Site and in the CF) like that.

The biggest factor, though, is personal motivation. That will get you through almost anything. Want this enough, and work for it accordingly.

Go and see a recruiter.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. I intend to go to the recruiting office near me on Friday.

It's a little intimidating reading some of the posts from other people on this board. When I see people who seem just as qualified as me, if not much moreso, waiting months and months without a call, it's kind of discouraging. I'm more or less a normal guy with a normal life. I haven't had a 5 year plan to get into the forces. I haven't done any volunteering, and I wasn't in Cadets or anything like that. I feel confident that I'd excel if I got the chance, and I do believe in myself, but I think my biggest concern is whether or not anyone will feel the same just from looking at the relatively uncompelling application I am able to put forward.
 
MattM said:
Thanks for the responses guys. I intend to go to the recruiting office near me on Friday.

It's a little intimidating reading some of the posts from other people on this board. When I see people who seem just as qualified as me, if not much moreso, waiting months and months without a call, it's kind of discouraging. I'm more or less a normal guy with a normal life. I haven't had a 5 year plan to get into the forces. I haven't done any volunteering, and I wasn't in Cadets or anything like that. I feel confident that I'd excel if I got the chance, and I do believe in myself, but I think my biggest concern is whether or not anyone will feel the same just from looking at the relatively uncompelling application I am able to put forward.

Hey man don't worry about it. I had no volunteer experience and I was never in the Cadets and I got in. I'm anything but exceptional. I'm not exactly experienced in the CF - not by a long shot, but to my understanding each application is different and is case by case... some get in within a few months, some take a few years. I was lucky and only took 2-3 months.

Just perform your best on the tests, and make sure you study for the CFAT! It isn't impossible, but it isn't easy either. And make sure you review your trade(s) and what they entail.

Good luck, PM me with any questions!
 
MattM said:
Thanks for the responses guys. I intend to go to the recruiting office near me on Friday.

It's a little intimidating reading some of the posts from other people on this board. When I see people who seem just as qualified as me, if not much moreso, waiting months and months without a call, it's kind of discouraging. I'm more or less a normal guy with a normal life. I haven't had a 5 year plan to get into the forces. I haven't done any volunteering, and I wasn't in Cadets or anything like that. I feel confident that I'd excel if I got the chance, and I do believe in myself, but I think my biggest concern is whether or not anyone will feel the same just from looking at the relatively uncompelling application I am able to put forward.

You sound like your a little too hard on yourself. Like I said, I didn't do well in school. I was a chef for years, so I had very little experience other then cooking. Being a chef I had no time for sport activities or community service. This left my pplication pretty dull. That's why they don't always go by paper. Your recruiters will get a feel for who you are, and if you need to spike up your app a bit, they will let you know.  I waited a long time for my postition, but it was also pretty competetive position. Some get positions right away, some take a while. I never had a plan to join the forces either. I was curious, so I asked, and it led me to AVN. Now i am ready for BMQ, and soon after about to join in an adventure that few get to. Believe in yourself! Everything else will fall into place.

Dennmu
 
MattM said:
This is something I haven't seen posted in the time that I've searched, but hopefully I can get an answer because I'm looking at tendering an application as soon as is reasonable. I'm 25, and I got pretty poor grades throughout high school. This is mostly due to the fact that I had some serious attendance issues when I was in my early to mid teens relating to anxiety and some other stuff that took a long time to work through.

As I finished credits and matured, my grades got better, and I began to get grades in the upper 80s and 90s in some classes. However, at this time my mom got lost her job and got cancer in the same month, so I had to go to work to pay bills. This more or less left me with no real opportunity to finish school and I ended up getting my GED rather than draw out the process of finishing off my high school credits any longer than I already had. She then got cancer a second time, and while she has recovered, she's been out of work for several years now and I've been working full-time to support the both of us (she raised me as a single mom).

I'm a smart person, but the problems I had in my early-mid teens and some of the things that came up in my late teens meant that I never really lived up to my potential. I've had an interest in the armed forces since a speaker came to my high school when I was 15 or so. Currently my only real work experience is working full-time in a retail environment. It's not particularly useful work experience for anything except other retail jobs. I feel kind of trapped and this has me turning to the one career option that has kind of stuck with me for the past 10 years and always seemed like something that would be rewarding. I like working with my hands and would ideally end up in a position like weapons tech (land). I don't want to sound like I'm denigrating the position, but I don't think it's a job that would necessarily have the most stringent academic requirements. Also, I feel like I would do very well on the aptitude test (due to the practice tests I've taken) and could make a good impression in an interview.

But what I'm wondering is if having the grades that I did in high school put me at a severe disadvantage compared to other people? I feel like I have to accept responsibility for not having more self-motivation when I was younger but it bothers me to think that it's about 10 or so years later now and I'm still having to live with the mistakes I made when I was a dumb kid. Is this something that would be a serious negative on my application, or would a high score on the aptitude test and a good interview serve to help smooth that over?

I didn't mean to write so much, but I appreciate any input anyone may have. Thanks.

Another option, may I suggest you consider, is to join the Reserves. You'll still be able to stay by your mother's side and take care of her while gaining valuable military experience for yourself. Regardless, it won't hurt to go see a recruiter ASAP.
 
MattM said:
I think my biggest concern is whether or not anyone will feel the same just from looking at the relatively uncompelling application I am able to put forward.

While our recruiting system is imperfect, it is fairly good at selecting the right people, and probably as good as any recruiting system could be.

There are reasons why there are several different steps in the application process - mainly in order to produce a good appreciation of each applicant.

There are also many factors involved in determining how long applicants wait before being called. The most brilliant applicant in the country could wait for years if he is holding out for an occupation wherein only one slot opens up every four years.
 
You've got A LOT of life experience here, I can relate to the whole "not so good grades" in high school because I didn't have a solid idea of what exactly I wanted to do and only worked part time jobs and dropped my college education for the army and I haven't looked back since.

Good Luck
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement guys, I appreciate it.

I don't mean to come across as being too hard on myself. I believe in myself and know that I would do a good job, I'm just trying to think about what someone who isn't familiar with anything about me except what's on paper would think. I was hoping I'd be able to give my application tomorrow but while filling out the paperwork I just had too many things I wanted to ask, so I'll stop in tomorrow, get some help, and apply on Monday.
 
The CF knows that high school grades do not reflect a persons level of intelligence.

http://i.imgur.com/VPqOi.jpg

^ Picture related.

Its all about your aptitude, medical and interview.
 
No idea how hard they actually look at the highschool grades however id assume the CFAT is more important to them.  Just as a bit of encouraging information, im on course with 2 guys that only have GED 1 dropped out in grade 11 the other in grade 9.  We can boost your confidence about the possibilitys but the only way anything happens is by going to your recruitment center and talking to them.
 
Welp, I went to what I THOUGHT was the nearest recruiting centre without checking if it was still there, and sure enough it had been closed down. I checked when I got home, something about budget cuts? Oh well, I called the one in Toronto and got most of the questions I had about my application answered anyway. I'll bring it there on Monday with all the documentation I need.
 
My average in grade 9,10, 11 were all very low 70 average in total, than my grade 12 marks so far (English - 85, kine - 83, business leadership - 80) I am taking adv functions, world history and a yearbook class which is a U level course. I plan on finishing with a mid 80 average for my grade 12 marks. I have played and volunteered for many sporting events throughout my high school career. I dont really have any experience with the Canadian forces in any way. I am wondering if i even have a legit chance to get in the RMC for business administration? If no is there any thing i could do to get in?  ???http://forums.army.ca/forums/Smileys/Armyca/huh.gif
 
My average in grade 9,10, 11 were all very low 70 average in total, than my grade 12 marks so far (English - 85, kine - 83, business leadership - 80) I am taking adv functions, world history and a yearbook class which is a U level course. I plan on finishing with a mid 80 average for my grade 12 marks. I have played and volunteered for many sporting events throughout my high school career. I dont really have any experience with the Canadian forces in any way. I am wondering if i even have a legit chance to get in the RMC for business administration? If no is there any thing i could do to get in?
 
Only one way to find out. Apply. Nobody here can forecast your chances of getting into RMC because we know only what you have told us about yourself and nothing about any of the other applicants.

RMC is very competitive. Have backup plans. You can also consider applying for ROTP (subsidized education in exchange for service) at civilian universities; it's similar enough without all the crap that comes with going to RMC.
 
Are you really sure you want to apply for the Business Administration Department instead of the Department of Redundant Redundancies?
 
George Wallace said:
Are you really sure you want to apply for the Business Administration Department instead of the Department of Redundant Redundancies?

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure General Natynczyk graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration.

Bowmanbr012, apply, it's simple as that. You're grades seem to suit the standards. Keep up the sports and volunteering. There is plenty of people who come to RMC with out any prior military experience. No one who applies is ever one hundred percent likely to get in. There is too many variables to determine your likelihood.

Do what I did, apply and prepare yourself for both results. If you're accepted, congratulations, if not, hey, you tried. I personally thought I had no shot of being accepted since I lacked a high standard of physical fitness. In the end, my highschool marks were deemed impressive as well as my volunteering and extra-curricular activities. I was accepted either way. Like I said, too many variables.

Good luck!
 
Phobos said:
Please correct me if I'm wrong ..........

I guess that went right over your head.  The OP has posted the same question multiple times, only changing the wording of his question slightly.  This has nothing to do with what the former CDS graduated with.
 
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