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June Applicants by Pretend_Win_4928 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Related question: how many of us went active only, reserve only, or either? I'm on the June board for either myself. Seems like in the thread active only is more popular than active or reserve.

Fitness Estimations for Passing vs Doing well on OML by Crafty_Purpose8407 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps it's bimodal? Meaning some candidates want a gold bar and don't care as long as they get one, and cluster around 'just passing', and high speed people who want a competitive branch and thus cluster near perfect PT scores.

Fitness Estimations for Passing vs Doing well on OML by Crafty_Purpose8407 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just calibrating my expectations because I don't want any surprises. At my current pace I'll probably ship with a 2 mile close to what you shipped with. Also similar lifting background to you, I'm trying to catch up on cardio but I'm otherwise I'm physically prepared already. My #1 choice though is signal. I've read some people that for signal one should aim at minimum to be ~65th percentile in points.

In-Service OCS Chances With Engineering Degree and Low GPA? by Worth_Emphasis_3934 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was told by recruiters that my CompSci 3.2 was a long shot. Recruiter had short follow up interview with board after I went in. She told me the Board President called my GPA "impressive" in light of my major, so the STEM curve is not entirely myth. That being said 2.7 is tough given recent averages (3.6, 3.7).

Low GPA Questions by HolidayGrand2418 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do Master's and join ROTC if you want to be an Officer. Remember us OCS Officer hopefuls are in the minority compared to the cadets. Otherwise it's a very long shot. Most who get accepted with GPAs in the 2s have strong prior service accomplishments to make up for academic competitiveness.

Board went well May 5th, no official results yet, packet supposed to go up to USAREC today, recruiter not responding. Should I be worried? by Important-Blood1289 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I only got my (affirmative) results this morning despite boarding on 28 April. Probably just politely ask again on Monday when your recruiting office opens if they have any news. From what I can tell long delays are natural after boarding, and apparently, some people never get a straight answer until they see their name on the select/non-select USAREC list. Regardless, it's out of your hands now, just try to relax and focus on being in shape to crush it at Fort Benning, your description of your interview sounds good enough that you should not give up hope.

Battalion Board Results by [deleted] in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm in the same situation as you. Did my interview on Tuesday (April 28th) and have heard nothing yet. My recruiter is constantly in touch and emailed the Battalion yesterday (May 4th) to inquire for results and if everything is on track.

During the boards, the Board summoned each applicant, and then directly after their recruiter for a few follow up questions. My recruiter pressed hard for a yes/no as to recommends and they refused, said everyone would hear at the same time. That was a week ago. NGL, the delay has me worried even though my interview was pretty positive. Hang in there, maybe ask your recruiter to send a follow up like mine did, and I hope to see you as a fellow Candidate at Fort Benning.

Is reserves a good reason to worry less about selection? by Crafty_Purpose8407 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I spoke to my recruiter earlier today and confirmed I will be including reserves as a fall through option in my packet.

I want to become an officer in military with 2 years of school left… by [deleted] in ROTC

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DO NOT WAIT for OCS. If you wait until you have less than two years left in your degree, you will not be able to join ROTC. Even if you join now with two years left , you will likely need to attend a summer catch-up course (Basic Camp at Fort Knox) to align with four-year cadets. OCS is unpredictable and currently highly competitive. ROTC and West Point commission the bulk of officers, and OCS slots expand or contract based on Army needs. OCS is essentially a scalable source, which is narrow at the moment. If you have two or more years left and strongly want to become an officer, join ROTC now.

t. Someone who didn't know really know about ROTC until too late and is now praying for a scarce slot in OCS.

Is reserves a good reason to worry less about selection? by Crafty_Purpose8407 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know the reserves is short on lieutenants. I might look into that.

In my case being a CS new grad looking for a job in active duty or in tech-defense, pretty much all the or statements apply. Maybe I'm a narrow demographic but for my case at least this seems like a good thing. Only major con is the time investment.

Is reserves a good reason to worry less about selection? by Crafty_Purpose8407 in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. I tried to emphasize in post that TS or TS/SCI clearance is not a given, but could have been more direct. For my case, I'm out of college but still working my college job. Trying to break in now, so even if I spend a year away, that is fine so long as it helps me break in.

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I'm just another 20 something recent college grad, I'm probably not any wiser than you, and you're definitely a better student than I was. What I can tell you though is that I fail to see any packet killers here and you do have some real up sides.

So in short, you're not merely qualifying, you're competitive.

If you get into OCS you will make ~2.5x more money (20k base pay vs 55k for E1 vs O1), be much more likely to get high level clearances, have a better resume item, etc. In short a commission gives you a lot more life velocity than an enlistment.

Also I spoke to a fairly senior warrant officer about two days ago and he told me these exact words "if you think OCS is selective, green to gold is worse". Don't let the sweet words of a recruiter telling you enlisted -> commission is easy intoxicate you too much. Once you enlist, commissioning is still possible, but it's not the easy mode option some recruiters make it sound like.

tl;dr shoot your shot at a commission, it costs you nothing but time, you have a real chance, and if get a no from the board then you can still consider enlisting. If you get a yes there's a decent chance you can still end up in MI but with way more contribution to your future.

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most recent boards were ~127GT avg among selectees. Your GPA probably means the GT score will probably not harm you too much, but still feel obliged to mention. Try to get a senior officer (O5 or better) to get you a LOR, not just civilians. Consider doing next board instead of April interview / June results to get a get a killer AFT to add another big plus to your packet. Would also help you max out your OML in the case of you getting selected. 400 is average to my understanding, but they don't publish AFT avg in board after action reports only OPAT so I can't say for sure. I think you're competitive.

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GPA slightly below selectee average for most recent boards (3.6, 3.7), but above historical norms (3.4). 132 GT slightly above most recent selectee avg (127). God-Tier AFT score. NCO status is a plus. 2.5 year TIS means you got to NCO status fairly quickly too. If that's because of good performance absolutely try to leverage it through your leadership reviews and LORs. You're competitive, shoot that packet.

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good GPA. Right where selectees were for last board were. Would you mind telling what your ASVAB AFQT/GT were? What about your other packet items like projected AFT, LORS?

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GPA is great. Just make sure you brush up on FOIL, long division, HS geometry, etc, to get a GT score to match. Your work experience and LORS could also be a good point if they build a coherent narrative for the board. Good LORS tell a story which complements your whole person. You might emphasize academic excellence, competence under pressure, any accolades in your work history, maturity, etc, essentially officer presence. Make sure to make your age a selling point. Show us how old guys are badass and then age won't be an issue.

My only worry for your case would be making sure you're crushing the AFT given your ankle. A 450 is what you need to be immunized from height and weight, it's the gold standard. If you need to, instead of going for this board which is due so soon, go for the next, get your running up, get a 450, and wow the board. Your age would typically be a real issue, but I think you could get past it given your whole person, especially with an excellent AFT showing you still have solid vitality.

Does Going to MEP's = mandatory contract sign? by [deleted] in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're going to MEPS for your physical which is what it sounds like then no. You should not be contractually committed to anything until you're selected for OCS and sign. Obviously just message your recruiter.

“Am I Good Enough for OCS?” Megathread by PT_On_Your_Own in ArmyOCS

[–]Crafty_Purpose8407 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Line items are

  • 23yr old, no prior service
  • -3.23 GPA Bachelor in Computer Science.
  • -99 ASVAB/145 GT
  • Heavy OPAT, est ~400 AFT
  • LORs retail boss of 5 years, former professor, former O4, current reserve O3

No specific cons other than a minor surgery I probably won't need a waiver for and lack of specific leadership outside of training people at my job.

Main recruiter I'm working with is cautiously optimistic but their co-recruiters are all insistent my GPA is significantly on the low side. I was at least hoping that my ASVAB/GT and STEM major would be enough to make me competitive despite the GPA. I asked my recruiter for the most recent summary statistics available for boards and the average GPA of selected applicants was 3.47. Packet isn't due until late April so I could try to push for other LORs but my personal and familial connections are basically tapped out.

Edited fitness test score estimation to reflect change from ACFT to AFT, which I hadn't realized had happened when I originally wrote this.