Recruiters

I'd do what Ken said though - apply with what you have before retaking the astb. Could save you some waiting time.

It might, it might not. But OP is asking the question because he/she is unsure about the competitiveness of his/her package. If that is the case, why not do what you can to improve it to the point where you feel comfortable with it?

So yeah, I've got a couple of concerns with recruiters still. So far I've managed to take the ASTB a few months ago and spent most of that time with family problems (and writers block on my essay) that held up finishing my application. Finished it all up and then called my recruiter to no avail. Later found out my recruiter is no longer recruiting and that my file is still listed with him.

Does anyone know if I should call the recruiting station and ask for a recruiter to figure out what is going on or just wait? Another recruiter has been emailing a bit, which is how I found out about all this fun, but so far he hasn't gotten back to me (been about a week).

The only thing that is left for my application is the codes for the officer program preferences, which I do not know, and to get my transcript sent in. But I have no idea on where or whom I should email.

I was planning on beginning the application process while I'm still in college (during my senior year) rather than waiting for graduation, hoping to speed up the process. However, I looked on the Navy's website and found there is no OR where I attend school, but they gave an 800 number to call. Do you think it'll be more difficult or take longer to go through the application process without having an OR? Should I just wait to graduate and when I move back home start my application process there (since there actually is an OR in my hometown)?

I wouldn't wait. I called the 800 number with no joy. So I ended up calling the enlisted recruiter in the town I currently attend school and asked for the OR's number that takes care of my area. I was in contact with the OR by the next buisness day. My OR is located almost 2 hours from where I attend school this is because OR's take care of regions unlike the enlisted recruiters in every decent sized city that only worries about that particular area. You will not be able to go through the process without an OR as they will have the most current paperwork. Once you have the paperwork most of the stuff is up to you to do on your own such as LOR's, motivational statement, filling out the application, etc... Good Luck!

Asking an enlisted recruiter may be hit or miss. It may be easier to look up which NRD you are likely to fall in, and call them directly. That worked pretty well for me.

Depending on the willingness of the recruiter, much of the process can be done by email, so you won't necessarily have to travel to begin the process, although there are some things that must be done in person, such as MEPS, PRT, and the ASTB.

twobecrazy, thanks for the gouge. I meant to ask if it would be harder to do the application without being able to go to an OR in person, I figured you wouldn't be able to do it without one, but I definitely don't think I'll wait till after graduation.

Thanks, m26, I think I'll look up the NRD like you said.

M26 is dead on. I have done my entire package through e-mailing my recruiter. I just had to call her to get the checklist and any paperwork associated with it e-mailed to me. I filled it all out, scanned it, and e-mailed it back to her. I think this is a great way to do it because I have copies of everything including LOR's so if my package every gets lost or I am reassigned a new OR I have my package together to make sure I'm still in the hunt...

My NRD is a 2 hour drive away so does that mean to take the ASTB, PRT, and go to MEPS I'll have to go there to do all that or is there anyway it can be done with the enlisted officer in town?

I meant enlisted recruiter in town.. my b.

I believe you will have to go to the OR to take the ASTB unless a ROTC unit or somewhere close to you have the computer system on which the test is conducted. Your OR may allow someone else to do the PRT such as enlisted guys but I'm not sure about that. I think my OR said I will be able to do the PRT through ROTC guys at my school. You will have to go to the nearest MEPS station to do that. I don't know where that will be but it will probably be close to where your OR is located.

You'll go to the nearest MEPS if you enter the military regardless of how you come in. I'm lucky to be near one - while I was at MEPS in Utah I had other guys processing from Las Vegas and Idaho.

You'll have to ask your OR about the PRT, but I doubt they'll let you get away with it.

I'm confused, though. My first OR was a 2-hr drive away, and I felt I was lucky to have one so close. The next one was in Miami, 5 hrs away. That might have been rough, but 2hrs isn't bad at all. My current recruiter is 10 mi away, but it was a 50 minute commute before I got my car.

Point being, are you hard up for transportation, or perhaps working full time? A two hour drive is a real small hurdle for something like this.

Oh, by the way, you don't need to find the actual NRD, just a Naval Officer Recruiting Station (NORS).

Well now I actually feel silly for even worrying about that from now...I'm just finishing up my sophomore year, so I won't even be able to apply until fall 2011 or spring 2012 (when I'll be a senior). I'm just extremely curious about the whole process and can't wait to apply. I know I could always do BDCP, but I think it'll work out better to just go for OCS because I need a year to get a waiver from my doctor for ADD medications. I currently share a car with my sister so I do have a way to get to MEPS (when the time comes) but when you share a car and your parents pay for it, a 2 hour drive becomes a big deal (which is completely ridiculous in my opinion). I'm currently in Tallahassee so I think from here to Jax is about a 2 hour drive. I'm from Miami though and I know MEPS is down there too so maybe I could just do it there. I don't know...I still have well over a year to figure it out.

If you are set on the Navy you are out of your mind not to do BDCP. You'll have to deal with waivers whenever you apply, but with BDCP you get paid in the time between getting that done and shipping to OCS. If you're looking at civilian life or a different branch that's a different story, of course. I'm doing BDCP for just a year and it's still a great deal.

If you're hard up for transportation your recruiter will get you there. Or you can do as I did and rent a car (long story).

***Last time I was at the school*** there was a recruiter across the street from USF, and one across the street from UF, so I'd bet there is one in Tallahassee, probably near FSU. You can do everything through that office, and then work with the Miami office when you're home. I started in Tampa, then had my recruiter send my stuff to SLC once I headed back to school here.

See, for the ADD waiver, I have to stop taking my medicine for a year and then the doctor has to evaluate me and my grades and say I'm ADD-free. I personally am hoping for the best on this one and think there's a good chance I'll perform just fine without my medicine. With that said, you think BDCP would still work for me? I just don't see how they would pay for someone when there's a chance that my doctor might not approve me after the year. I guess to me it just seems like a risk of lost money. Or is this something I should call the OR and ask? Because if the whole waiver process won't be a problem, then I'll definitely apply for BDCP.

Oh and about the recruiters near FSU. I thought being in a college town, especially since there's technically 3 colleges (FSU, FAMU, and some consider TCC), there'd be a Navy OR but all I've been able to find is a Marine OSO and Navy enlisted recruiter. I know FAMU has NROTC so maybe there's an OR just closer to their campus? I don't know, I'll have to check it out.

Well, how do you know about the ADD waiver if you haven't talked to a recruiter or been to MEPS yet?

At any rate, I did not mean that you should apply now if you need a waiver. First, you need to find out if your NRD does MEPS before or after seeing the boards (which means you'll have to talk to a recruiter). If it's afterwards you can apply in a few months and apply for your waiver on your 366th day off the meds. You could squeeze 8-14 months in the BDCP program, if my math is anywhere near right.

The alternative would be to wait until a few months before graduation and then apply to OCS. Obviously you won't get paid as you would with BDCP. Plus, if for some other reason you don't get medically qualified, you could find yourself stranded. By going the BDCP route you'll probably be tipped off early if you won't be allowed to go the military route. Worst case scenario, if medically qualified, is that you apply again for straight OCS like you were planning anyway.

You need to locate your recruiter and have this conversation with him/her. They'll be able to advise you on how to proceed, even if it is only to say that you should wait for a while.

I found out about the ADD waiver from reading about it in other threads on here and then also on campus there was a Marine OSO and I asked him about it and he said it was a service-wide policy so all branches have the same requirements.

It can't hurt to ask! BDCP is definitely worth trying for. If I had known about it back when there was still time to apply for it, I would've jumped on that in a second.

Good luck.

I only live 45 minutes away from NRD Seattle, but I have still done most of my application through email with my recruiter. Most of the big forms (including the actual application for commission) have simple fields to fill in and are pretty user-friendly. The paperwork side of the application process will go really smoothly as long as you listen to the directions of your recruiter on how to answer questions.

Thanks for all the input guys! I've been trying to get in contact with NRD Jax to ask what I should do but haven't gotten through to them yet. I really appreciate all the info you guys have given me.

Navy needs to update their site. It said there were no ORs in Tallahassee. I went to the enlisted recruiter today by my campus to find out that Tallahassee has 2 ORs.....what a ridiculous website.

Spammer

My recruiter is a real nice guy and we've been working on my package for quite some time. He is very busy but always picks up my calls and answers my questions. Now after many months I finally got my package submitted March 23rd and he said the April review board would meet and I would hear back by the end of April. I've been waiting with bated breath all month and now May 5th I called and he said "still nothing maybe we'll hear something by the end of this month." My question is how long should it normally take to find out if one has been accepted or not? And is a more lengthy time a bad sign or just how it normally goes? He is very busy so is it my responsibility to call him everyday to find out or will he normally call as soon as he finds out? It just seems 2 months is quite a long time.
Any insight would be a great appreciation. I really just need to know what to tell my family and friends because they keep asking.