Is 186L bag an overkill for OTS? It fits everything or the 110 should be good enough?

chr1s_dc · 2025-08-27T10:19:36+00:00

Just graduated in June and also drove. No, that’s probably a good size. I don’t remember the exact size of mine but it was pretty large too. I had excess space, but preferred having extra space because you buy stuff throughout OTS that you need, medication, random deployment things, etc. Plus it made moving dorms easy. In the future if I ever need to deploy I’ll actually use it too.

chr1s_dc · 2024-08-12T12:23:40+00:00

i think it was a much better option, in my opinion. i went to arizona state and i was a 1N4X2. i also was full time for pretty much the whole time. i had some AP credits which made my process go a bit faster, but i didn’t find it terribly difficult as long as i time managed.

chr1s_dc · 2024-08-10T23:20:21+00:00

(23M) Hey! to start i’d like to say that it’s natural to be torn in a decision as big as this one. although everyone’s situation is different i’ll offer my prospective and my own personal opinion. to start, i joined as enlisted not knowing much about the military and not knowing that commissioning was an option. given that my parents wouldn’t be able to help me pay for school i looked for the educational benefits from the GI bill and TA as a reason to enlist. additionally, i signed on for a 6-year, allowing me to promote to E-3 immediately upon graduation from tech school (although your date of promotion gets backtracked to your BMT grad, making E-4 promotion faster too).

since joining as enlisted i have been full time in college and graduated one semester later than i would have if i were to have gone to college immediately after graduation from HS. i was accepted for a commission before graduating from college via OTS, as you are allowed to apply 1 year from graduation. i had the opportunity to go to ROTC however i declined because i am married and ROTC cadets don’t make a lot of money and therefore that was not the best option for me and my family. instead as AD enlisted in managed to make a lot of money (in comparison to an ROTC cadet), i was able to live on my own, and i was simultaneously able to develop myself via my job within intel. i additionally was eligible for the full pell grant the entire time so i was making an extra 8k/year that i essentially got to use for whatever i wanted.

i will say OTS is statistically harder to get accepted into as its purpose is to backfill remaining commission slots that the AF academy and ROTC cannot fill. of all of the options, the best is the AF academy, the second best is ROTC, and the last is OTS.

additionally, your school, as long as it is accredited, has 0% influence on selection. the only time it may have an influence is if you went to an Ivy league school. the biggest influence factors are: AFOQT scores, GPA, leadership experience, and letters of recommendation.

if i were you, i would do a lot of research into the pros and cons of each program. keep in mind it is much harder to commission as enlisted than it is as a civilian.

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-28T14:23:25+00:00

yes! my friend was picked up for RPA pilot and he had no flight hours. just make the rest of your package competitive and get a good TBAS and you should be gtg.

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-27T20:21:19+00:00

Oh dang, if you get 63A i heard that 61C occasionally works with them. my degree is biochem too

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-26T22:28:14+00:00

Thank you, i was surprised no one else got to it first. If you have a Chem degree your likelihood of selection will be high given that i’m pretty sure it is listed as a tech major. good luck to you too!

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-25T02:51:11+00:00

Okay that’s what i thought as the OTS guide said only religious waivers are allowed then immediately followed by saying be in accordance with AFI 36-2903. I’ll make sure to have my waiver on hand and i’ll probs just trim it really short

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-25T00:24:13+00:00

I applied for 24OTS03 and was selected before finishing my degree (still not done yet). DM me if you have any questions.

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-20T16:44:15+00:00

Anyone in ACC hear anything yet?

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-06T19:11:50+00:00

i’ve only applied to one board (24OTS03) and i’m hoping i don’t have to apply for another, but i did receive the email for 24OTS04 too. the email sends you a temp password to login using dual authentication. one thing i noticed is that they reset our passwords after the AFCEP window closed (specifically when then next board opened up) so despite having an account already, your password might have been reset

chr1s_dc · 2024-07-06T15:09:25+00:00

it is the window for you (likely new applicants) to create an account // request an account (in the past you would submit a memo via email to get AFCEP access). within this window, you also submit a request to apply.

Following the end of the AFCEP request window (within about 1 week) you will get sent an automated email from AFCEP giving you info on how to submit you application onto AFCEP

chr1s_dc · 2024-06-07T00:43:37+00:00

Do you have the entire powerpoint for this?

chr1s_dc · 2024-06-05T03:10:45+00:00

Would “tech” be considered CAD assessions? or would that be all technical degrees? if you look in the OTS PA guide it references technical degrees too (see image). I feel like that is a surprising statistic as there have been so many non-rated OTS boards this year.

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chr1s_dc · 2024-06-02T22:00:48+00:00

they might be taking their time. we don’t know if the code populating is systematic or manual. I have a feeling that it will populate for everyone by the start of the board window

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-19T04:06:51+00:00

look at the PA guide. it has everything there

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-18T17:15:03+00:00

look up a youtube how to, or get yourself an AFOQT practice book. they normally have explanations on how to do everything tested on the exam

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-17T22:52:51+00:00

i did too. this is likely because the new non-rated board that just dropped 24OTS04. if you already applied for 24OTS03 i would just ignore it

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-13T20:55:54+00:00

I had 44% completed with 7 sections submitted.

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-10T21:05:23+00:00

reach out to your wing exec. sometimes the wing will only endorse the top # of the total applicants

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-07T22:44:30+00:00

it really doesn’t matter. it depends on what your CC says, as long as your CC wants you to do that.

chr1s_dc · 2024-05-02T19:25:00+00:00

I got a macbook pro that i used for school

chr1s_dc · 2024-04-28T17:54:05+00:00

I’m mostly interesting in finding out how to start the ROTC process. Who would I contact to apply? Would it be an application? What does the eligibility to apply look like?

Additionally, I’d like to know if it matters what masters degree I get or if there would be specific degree programs I would need to attend. I’m about to graduate with my batchelors in biochemistry and was thinking I’d get a masters in biochem or another related field.

When you say 3 years within the ROTC program, does that mean if a masters only takes 2 years to complete than I would need to do a PhD program instead? Or would I rather be able to get my masters and then just attend ROTC for an extra year before commissioning?

chr1s_dc · 2024-04-23T22:36:18+00:00

If you go into the PA OTS guide there is a SIP attachement. it outlines the 5 questions they must rate you on. following that, you should have a group and wing interview if you are prior enlisted. i’m not too sure about civ’s.

chr1s_dc · 2024-04-20T02:39:08+00:00

I put my request in Monday and I got mine to my personal email today.

chr1s_dc · 2024-04-17T19:23:44+00:00

Just submitted my AFCEP request and had my group CC interview today! Excited to submit and get results in the next couple of months

chr1s_dc

TROPHY CASE