Would it be better to just enlist and go to Sniper school or go to West Point and become an Army Ranger?

2016-03-03T09:09:51-05:00

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 3 at 2016 9:13 AM

2016-03-03T09:13:47-05:00

I enlisted in 1974 and was accepted as a cadet into West Point in 1976 and graduated in 1980 Private RallyPoint Member. You can become an Army Ranger either as an enlisted man or as an officer. My oldest son enlisted in the infantry and was assigned to 3/75 Ranger battalion after going through jump school and the RIP program at Ft Benning. Ranger school graduation is required fro all NCOs and Officers in the Ranger Battalion and Regiment.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 9:28 AM

2016-03-03T09:28:54-05:00

The phrasing of your question leaves too many other questions. What is your ultimate goal? What do you enjoy doing? Do you want the highest probability of shooting and killing bad guys? Do you want to make the most amount of money as soon as possible? Do you want to be a great leader of men and strive to become a general one day? There are many different ways to go about any of those goals.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 9:36 AM

2016-03-03T09:36:15-05:00

If you want to be a Sniper enlisted is the only route. Officers are not snipers. If you want to be an officer shoot for West Point. Can't do both.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 9:47 AM

2016-03-03T09:47:49-05:00

Truly, it really depends on what you want to do for your career. I'd recommend figuring out if you want Officer or Enlisted. And, if you want Officer and West Point, then start working on your West Point packet now. That way by the time you submit it, it will be even more rock solid.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Mar 3 at 2016 9:56 AM

2016-03-03T09:56:24-05:00

What's your ultimate goal? Enlisting would be easier than competing for admission into West Point, though the latter isn't your path to being a sniper. I think you need to assess what your goals are first -- why is being a sniper so important to you right now?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2016 10:24 AM

2016-03-03T10:24:17-05:00

I think you will be a more well rounded individual if you go to West Point. That school will set you up for life, military or civilian if you can make it in. However, if you know all you want to do for the rest of your life is be a sniper, then go enlisted.

Response by COL Jason Smallfield, PMP, CFM, CM made Mar 3 at 2016 10:28 AM

2016-03-03T10:28:34-05:00

A few thoughts:
- Basic answer is that it depends upon your personal/professional goals and what your priorities are.
- Being a sniper is an exclusive enlisted option (can not be an officer). You can be an Army Ranger either as an enlisted or as an officer.
- Therefore being a sniper, West Point cadet, and an Army Ranger are mutually exclusive unless you become a sniper as enlisted (quickly) the get to West Point before you turn a certain age (22 I think) then becoming an Army Ranger after that. Theoretically possible but unlikely.
- So the questions become "what do you want to do with your life?" and "of the things you want to do, what is most important?". Once you answer these questions for me then I can answer your question for you.

Response by PFC Tuan Trang made Mar 3 at 2016 10:50 AM

2016-03-03T10:50:50-05:00

I don't know what the title mean, if you want to go to sniper school, finish basic/ait and ask your unit for the sniper school. For Army Ranger, is the same ideal, you still have to finish basic and ait, the. wait til open slot.

Response by CPT Alexander Grant made Mar 6 at 2016 12:16 AM

2016-03-06T00:16:59-05:00

If your goal is to focus on shooting, enlist!

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 6 at 2016 8:56 PM

2016-03-06T20:56:16-05:00

Like everyone else says, it depends on your goals. I have been more than happy to let the army pay for USMA and medical school. Either way you'll be taken care of for life as long as you remain competent, committed, and improve yourself every single day. Just like anything, that's how you get what you want. Figure out what you want first. Money and post-service opportunities vary based on the decision you posed. I would argue that there are far more than just those two options.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Mar 7 at 2016 12:38 AM

2016-03-07T00:38:59-05:00

Private RallyPoint Member Does your question really pose a question? As I read, yes/no is not a vote for either option!

1st, get your sxxt straight! Would your grades gain you admittance to Hudson High? After that determination, other hard choices may appear.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 24 at 2016 2:43 PM

2016-03-24T14:43:29-04:00

Here's my take: First option:
You enlist. You choose your MOS, you go to BCT/AIT/OSUT depending (that's your Initial training cycle). Odds of going to sniper school straight from either one are astronomical. So you go to your unit. Once there, you are needs-of-the-unit. If they don't need or want you to go to sniper school, you won't go. Plain and simple. You could go years, or a decade or more without ever seeing a sniper option. And as an officer, outside of SOCOM (and that's upper-echelon like SF or CAG), sniper school is not an option at all. So let's explore option two:
You commission. You go through West Point, you gain commission, and you get assigned your Branch. Ranger School is no guarantee either. It sounds super high-speed and just that simple to get to, but let's look at the nasty reality that is Ranger School.
1. IF you get in, you could end up being a numbers drop. Which means they drop you simply because there are too many people in the class. It happens a lot more than people realize.
2. Your Branch can deny you the opportunity to go to Ranger School at all, simply on needs-of-the-Army.
3. You could go to Ranger School and fail, simply because it is a lot harder than you realize. Sleep and food deprivation, physical and mental exhaustion, motivation loss, and injury are just a few of the reasons people fail.

So your question pre-imposes the belief that you will just get handed whatever you ask for. Let me tell you, as someone who has been asking for schools and advancement opportunities for a good while, it's not that simple. I respect your motivation to be Hooah-Hooah, and high-speed. But realize that once your name is on that dotted line, your career path is only partially your choice anymore.

Response by SGT Ryan Fleek made Jun 7 at 2016 2:32 PM

2016-06-07T14:32:57-04:00

Sniper is enlisted only, but being a Ranger is both. However, as an officer you have access to a school called Sniper Employment (FM 23-10) Often times leaders have snipers under them and underutilize them and their capabilities. This school will give them the scope of what these soldiers can do. Long run, I would say West Point. The retirement of a CPT is the same as a SGM :)

Response by PO3 Donald Murphy made Aug 17 at 2016 9:28 AM

2016-08-17T09:28:05-04:00

Become a Navy SEAL. Ooops, sorry... A little biased... LOL

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Jan 28 at 2018 10:03 AM

2018-01-28T10:03:11-05:00

If you want to be a shooter, I think my recommendation would be to enlist in the Infantry with an Option 40 Ranger Contract, which means that you go to One Station Unit Training for the Infantry, then Airborne school, then then to Ranger Assessment and Selection Program. Rangers tend to have a priority on schools, so if you have the skill set, this would be the place to go for all those addition high speed schools.

None of this guarantees you a Ranger position, but it does guarantee you the chance to go for it.

You need to be a high school graduate, have an AFQT score of 50 and a GT score of 110 on the ASVAB, no moral waivers (no juvenile record) and be able to pass an Airborne Physical.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Jan 28 at 2018 10:18 AM

2018-01-28T10:18:49-05:00

If you can gain entry into West Point, that's the route to go.

Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Jan 28 at 2018 1:06 PM

2018-01-28T13:06:18-05:00

Go enlisted, 11X (Infantry) 40 Option (Regimental Ranger). They will send you to Ranger School, and once you have that you can try to convince them to send you to sniper school. From there, if you are still young enough, you can try for West Point or another commissioning option if you still want.

There was a guy in my 3rd Ranger Batt Company before I got there who did that. Specifically, he signed an 11X contract, got 11B (most do), graduated Airborne School and RASP, went to the Soldier of the Month boards and crushed it almost to the top of the board competition. For this, he was awarded his choice of three schools. He chose Military Free Fall, Sniper School, and Ranger School. Also while in Batt he got his CIB and EIB. Having checked pretty much every possibly block, he then went to West Point and commissioned.
To be clear, if you go to Batt, they will eventually send you to Ranger School unless you screw up. Once you have the Tab, they will often give you other cool-guy schools, but not before.
On the other hand, if you just want the Tab and don't care about being an actual Regimental Ranger, you could just enlist with an Option 4 (Airborne School, not RASP) and end up in the 82nd, where they will send you to any school you impress them enough to earn (read: don't be stupid, and crush PT consistently) including Ranger School and sniper school in any order, but preferably Ranger School first.

Response by CPL Raul Perez Jr made May 16 at 2018 4:27 PM

2018-05-16T16:27:56-04:00

Go to West Point.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made May 16 at 2018 8:38 PM

2018-05-16T20:38:32-04:00

1. USMA does not guarantee either Sniper nor Ranger slots and they do not ever guarantee passing the schools.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Jul 16 at 2019 10:25 PM

2019-07-16T22:25:41-04:00

If you can get into West Point do that.