Charlie has hit everything on the head. Everyone should take a look at his post.
Charlie's a girl. Definitely a girl. ;-)
But thanks for the nod on the post. I am so encouraged by all of the "fight" I see in these posts. And you are right, this is what makes a great Officer. All of your relentlessness towards your goals are amazing.
To give some other advice on things I've thought about:
Recruiters - I changed recruiters after I didn't get picked up my first time. But I didn't change because I didn't get selected, i changed because he neglected to put in two very important (required) documents (RIPO endorsement and transcripts) so I felt I had to do as I was advised in these posts and take charge of my future Naval Career if I ever hoped of having one. That isn't a rip on my former recruiter, he just made a mistake - he's human. But I couldn't afford for him to make another one so I made the change. (By the way, your processor is a fierce friend in this process, treat him/her with respect and he can make mountains move).
Leadership proof/potential - You are all basically interviewing for a management position. Somewhere and somehow you have to show that you are ALREADY a leader and you have demonstrated this at some point. The DIRCOM program is basically designed to "skip" the leadership training (i.e. OCS - Officer Candidacy School where they would teach you how to become leaders) so you must be able to demonstrate to the board that you don't need that training because you have that qualification and training in your civilian career/life. If you aren't part of management in your civilian lives, that's ok. Take time to mentor new hires, be proactive and ask your supervisors/bosses for more responsibility or to be part of a new hire training team. Anything that you can show that you know how to guide and mentor others.
Other - Ok, I know this is not what anyone wants to hear but this one will require some serious work on your part. Find something to set yourself apart. Think of this process as a test. You get a score for everything you submit. Have an advanced degree? Oh, that gets you a couple points. Demonstrated leadership potential? Oh look, more points. Are you a PT nut? Ah, more points! So...what if let's say 80% of the submissions all have advanced degrees or education, demonstrated leadership potential and are amazing athletes? That leaves you with a large pool of applicants that you find yourself in with nothing separating you.
PapaK mentions learning about the Navy and Naval Traditions and Doctrines. He's learning about the Navy. What does the Navy need? What do they highly desire and seek in applicants and
need to fight the war? Hmmm, language skill is one I can think of. Can you imagine how much the Navy spends to send people to DLI for language training for 18 months?!? Now, think about how desirable your application could become to them if you learned basic language skills in one of the critical languages (Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Urdu, etc). They even pay you extra pay if you test out in one of the critical languages - that's how important it is to the fight.
So, those are a few things that I think will help you all on your way. Christie, I'm so glad you aren't giving up. Keep pushing on, afterall, we expect nothing less from our enlisted so we must be able to do it ourselves. From what I have read, I know you all will make fine Naval Officers very soon! I'm proud of all of you and your hard work. Keep thinking about the day you finally get that call from your recruiter saying "you made it!" It makes it all worth it when you can finally call yourselves a "Naval Officer". (And by the way, I remember I whispered that to myself in disbelief after 2 years of waiting - "I'm a Naval Intelligence Officer!")
-Charlie (Still, and always, a girl)