It’s not about assessing someone’s values. That makes things personal and that’s not the intent. It’s a filter more than anything else.

Another poster by the name of duvie posted this in the UA forum.

“As a prior enlisted guy who did a 4 year degree on sight.... The two experiences are very different. I met a lot of super hard-working, intelligent NCOs that just didn't have it in them to grind through a 4 year program. (and obviously I know as many, if not more 4-year GPA studs who wouldn't last a week as an E-1)

The personality/aptitude it takes to make it through 121 ground school and succeed on our first few months on the line is a lot more narrow than many of us realize. Whether because of a military background, or civilian (where aviation often becomes a big part of your life), most of us are surrounded by personality types like our own. Mission oriented, determined, work-hard play-hard, etc. The general populous has a lot more variation out there.

The ability to get through four years of school, get good grades shows:
- patience
- commitment
- prioritization
- above average intelligence

All qualities you'd probably want when assessing a candidate for your organization.

THIS ISN'T TO SAY THAT MANY ENLISTED FOLKS DON'T HAVE THESE QUALITIES..

Its just to say that when sorting through 11,000+ applicants, the degree is tangible evidence of that.

The 4 year degrees that are done remotely show some of the above, but not to the same level, hence why Delta for one looks at how long it took you to get your degree from start to finish (and from where). United puts a larger emphasis on not selecting the same guy/gal over and over again, thus the thrust on diverse backgrounds/educations, different sectors of aviation etc.”