Should I go to school before I proceed with the process for a 153A?

Civilian education is good, but go ahead and get your packet in. The army is hurting for aviators and instead of paying bonuses to pilots, they are putting the money into flight school. Just focus on the SIFT and your recommendation letters.

Get that packet built and turned in. You can get your degree while you wait or after you're selected if it's what you want. Timing for packets currently is probably more important than trying to weight it with extra credentials. If you're really stoked about getting a degree and NCO first, go ahead, but it won't necessarily translate into a higher selection potential at that future time. However, get all the training and experience you can, deployment, etc. while you decide. Personally, though, I recommend getting the packet in now if your passion is in aviation.

I’m putting my WOFT packet together as well. I just graduated BLC and will probably make my 5 before I submit my packet. If this wasn’t the case and I wasn’t going to be an NCO soon, I would without a doubt pursue being a pilot. There’s no limit to the amount of times you can submit your packet to the board. You should build your packet and go to college at the same time. If being a 153A is important to you, you should make it your focus. You don’t need to a degree to do it. Others competing for a spot might have a degree, but just focus on the great qualities you bring to the table.