Supply Corps to Surface Warfare Officer

[BroskiOCS]

Hey everyone,

So I have been working on my OCS package for Supply Corps Officer and I am about 90% complete. I'm talking....OAR, medical screening, appraisal, LOR's, application, etc. So I emailed the Community Manager today to request an age waiver (I just turned 30 on February 24th) and I was shut down. Apparently it is in the Program Authorization that prior AD service cannot exceed 6 years. I am about to hit my 10 year mark. Unfortunately, this is not something I can bypass with a waiver. So needless to say.....I'm SUPER bummed. I am seriously considering applying for SWO or maybe even Intel.

So I'd like to list my stats below then ask for any recommendations on moving forward.

OAR: 50 (I was cut off on both the reading and mechanical portion because I ran out of time. Should I retake?)
GPA: 3.8 (Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice)
Current HM1 (10 years of AD service in April)
5 LOR's (1-Recently Retired CDR Medical Corps, 2-AD LCDR Nurse Corps, 3-AD LT Nurse Corps, 4- AD LT Medical Corps, 5- Civilian Registered Nurse)
1 Interview Appraisal (06 Supply Corps - All 10's)
All great evals with a positive trend.
Gonna need a tattoo waiver just because of the size of a couple of them but only one shows in PT gear.
I am a little short on volunteer items so I plan on helping out a few places to fix that.

So I feel like I should have a decent shot at SWO but I would like to do anything I can to beef up my package before I submit. I was almost done with the LS correspondence courses because I figured that would look good for my Supply Corps package. Now that that is out of the question I was looking at any courses or qualifications I can knock out to make me stand out.

Also, I didn't have much help working on my package (no one in my command knew what they were doing) so I made a few rookie mistakes. The main one being, all of my LOR's mentioned their support for me joining the Supply Corps. Looking back I probably should have just kept it neutral by just having them recommend Officer Candidate School. Do you guys think I should rewrite those LOR's to reflect OCS or even SWO and have them resigned?

Thanks everyone.

---Bryan

Any input on my package is GREATLY appreciated.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Any input on my package is GREATLY appreciated.

Scratch intel from your application. No STEM degree + no enlisted IWC experience = Slim pickings.

SWO is probably your best shot. Having a BA vice STEM degree really limits the possibilities of getting selected for programs like Supply, Intel, etc. As for the OAR, I would submit with that 50 and if you don't get selected retake and improve your score.

As for LORs, YES, have them all SWO-centric and recommending you to be a SWO.

 

[BroskiOCS]

Scratch intel from your application. No STEM degree + no enlisted IWC experience = Slim pickings.

SWO is probably your best shot. Having a BA vice STEM degree really limits the possibilities of getting selected for programs like Supply, Intel, etc. As for the OAR, I would submit with that 50 and if you don't get selected retake and improve your score.

As for LORs, YES, have them all SWO-centric and recommending you to be a SWO.

Yeah....that makes sense about the STEM degree. That was actually one of the reasons I leaned towards Supply in the first place. I assumed I would have a better shot at supply than most other Designators. One thing I just noticed in the OPNAV is getting me worried. I know the cut off for SWO says 29 with a waiver but then it has this note at the bottom. Since I havent requested an age waiver yet will this DQ me?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Yeah....that makes sense about the STEM degree. That was actually one of the reasons I leaned towards Supply in the first place. I assumed I would have a better shot at supply than most other Designators. One thing I just noticed in the OPNAV is getting me worried. I know the cut off for SWO says 29 with a waiver but then it has this note at the bottom. Since I havent requested an age waiver yet will this DQ me?

Program authorizations trump the OPNAV INST.

 

[BroskiOCS]

Program authorizations trump the OPNAV INST.

Cool man. Sounds like SWO may be my only option then.

 

[BroskiOCS]

Program authorizations trump the OPNAV INST.

Hey man....quick question. So as I said earlier....Supply is no longer an option. The only Interview Appraisal I have so far is from the CO of a supply command out here in Hawaii. He gave me all 10's so I definitely want to keep that. He also set me up with an interview with the XO this Wednesday which is also a Captain. I know I need to have at least one appraisal from someone in the SWO community. Will it look bad if I only submit a package for SWO and 2 of my appraisals are from Supply Officers? I would really like to keep this interview scheduled for Wednesday because it was such a pain in the ass to find and schedule these two appraisals. I searched through the forums in an attempt to answer my question before asking you.

Also, the Program Authorization says that 29 is the age limit (35 for prior service SWO applicants). Technically, no age waiver should be required since I fall into the prior service category but do you suggest that I add a write-up on section 3 of my personal statement to address my age and prior (current AD) service or is that evident by the inclusion of my evals?

Thanks.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Will it look bad if I only submit a package for SWO and 2 of my appraisals are from Supply Officers?

Yes it will. The entire purpose of the interview appraisal sheet is for a senior member of the community in which you’re applying to give an accurate assessment and ability/potential for said community. A SUPPO appraisal sheet won’t do you good for a different designator in which you’re applying.

 

[BroskiOCS]

Yes it will. The entire purpose of the interview appraisal sheet is for a senior member of the community in which you’re applying to give an accurate assessment and ability/potential for said community. A SUPPO appraisal sheet won’t do you good for a different designator in which you’re applying.

Makes total sense. I know the OPNAV says "at least one interviewer should be in the designator for which the applicant is applying" which seems weird. That's a bummer to have to get rid of such a great appraisal but it's my fault for not realizing I was ineligible for Supply Corps. Thanks for the info.