I'm re-writing my post because my first post was out of "shock-and-awe"...I'm calmer now lol. I was out of town and just read all of these results....
(Side bar: Das, you are such a unique individual. You will always have my respect for all that you went through to prepare yourself for this board. You never even thought of giving less than 100% or giving up. Kudos to you, Das. I'm sorry about the results but it is defintely not an indication of any lack of dedication or hard work on your part.)
1) To those of you that didn't make it, please, try again....Especially if this was your first round. Sometimes the powers-that-be simply want to know that you want it bad enough to fight for it. I know this for fact.
2) To the poster contemplating going enlisted: (not that you asked my opinion but here it is anyway)
Don't. It seems like you would be doing it just to join and be done with the process and worry of it all. It would plague you to no end to go the enlisted route knowing that if you simply waited, improved your competitiveness, reapplied and were selected, you would have exactly what you contacted your recruiter for in the first place. I wasn't selected my first round either and I wanted to join so badly that I too contemplated that route for a moment. And honestly, I think they pass on a few to see if it tempts them to go that route. Afterall, why pay an officer when you can get the same person with the exact same skills locked into full-time at an enlisted rate?
Be strong, know what you want, and go after it...relentlessly.
3) Find out where you stood on the selection process. Ask your recruiter to see if you fell under:
a) "Strong candidates, but not selected due to the competitiveness of other candidates"
b) "Not competitive, not selected"
c) "Not considered due to missing NIRR endorcement and are requested to reapply"
d) "considered ineligible due to applicant reaching maximum age"
Knowing this will tell you where you stand and how you should proceed with your package. So if you can determine this factor, then you know what is needed to reapply or you will know that you should seek a different route.
4) Look at your package with your recruiter and go over it line by line. Make a list of ANY weak points and work to improve them. I wasn't selected my first round as I mentioned but I wanted to really nail it the second time. I skipped one board to give myself time to really make a noticible difference in my packet for the second board. Luckily for me that came easy since they skipped that board anyway as it turns out. So within that year, I worked to get any bit of help for my package that I could. I had made sure the RIPO endorcement that was obtained but recruiter failed to put it into the packet for submission (key bit of info there) was in the next packet, changed recruiters to one that knew how to work on DIRCOM packets (lol), took care of some other business, brushed up on some language skills, was accepted as a graduate fellow for my Masters, and then re-upped my package again and crossed my fingers. Don't know if any of that was needed other than the RIPO but...it didn't kill me
5) Pat yourselves on the back even if you didn't get it the first time (or the second, Das!). It takes a lot of hard work, patience, and a God-given love for this country to go through what we go through to put together those packages. The doctor visits, the documentation, the transcripts, the interviews, the endorsements, the letter from the emergency room when you were 5 and got three stitches, the dental, the asking your co-workers and bosses for support, the references, the recruiters, the waiting!, the phone calls, the hold music, the huge pain in the arse that you go through to do something to support and defend your country.
Not everyone would be willing to go through all of that. Even fewer are willing to go through it a second time. Remember, those reviewing the boards know that too. They want the fighters and the people that don't take no for an answer. They want those willing to go through it all again.
So, congratulations to those that made it in. And for those that didn't, I look forward to your posts on the next "long wait" going up for the next board.
Best of luck to you all!
-Charlie
