February 2012 SNA OCS Board

[AT3Macklin]

Staff - I would just keep trying to get other interviews. You are not required to submit all interviews. Just the ones that amplify your package.

 

[staff03]

Does that include if the interviewer faxes the form to my OR? Or does that only apply to cases where the form is given to me and then I could choose to turn it in or not?

 

[Lucy]

Technically, you ARE requried to submit any interviews you have done. Whether your OR will or not is different though. Same goes with LORs.

 

[egd33]

I had an officer interview today and thought I would put in my .02 about what to expect for those thinking about getting one. Mine was from the XO of my alma mater's NROTC program. I will be applying for SNA/NFO and I know my naval aviation pretty well, which I was quizzed on, but I am definitely lacking in my knowledge of surface/subs. This sounds kind of silly, but KNOW your ships, ex. name of carriers, class of carriers, names and class of subs, etc. KNOW that the core values of the Navy are honor, courage, and commitment. I went in not knowing everything I possibly could about the Navy and got reamed for it. Don't just know your designator, know as much as you can about all of them. That being said, I was wondering if a poor officer interview is as good as a nail in the coffin to your application? I feel like I just blew 6 years of effort on one interview, any insight would be appreciated. Thanks

My interview went nothing like what you described. I had a really nice O-5 who was much more concerned with who I was as a person and trying to figure out what kind of officer I will make (and what I would do in certain situations) than specific Naval knowledge (which will all be learned along the way; he clearly did not expect me to already know everything as he did not bother to ask specific questions). I think that is what is most important and how they should interview considering knowledge can easily be obtained, but character is something you either have or lack and is something they should be focused on screening for in order to field the best officers. My interview was relatively short (~30 minutes).

With that said, knowing all the things you outlined will certainly be useful in the long term whether your interviewer asks about it or not (esp if you have yet to take the ASTB). An interview could go in many possible directions because every interviewer is different and this is definitely a case of your mileage may vary (I used to work in recruiting for a F500 and some managers were naturally good at conducting interviews...finding the right questions to ask and properly leading the candidate... and some people just suck at it). Being highly prepared definitely helps with confidence which can have as big an effect on the interview as anything as well.

 

[staff03]

Egd, I had an interview previously with a current aviator and it went very well, basically just an easy conversation. This one was just Q&A from the beginning. I blame myself for not knowing everything I possibly could about the Navy, it was just so different it threw me off. I guess I'm just going to wait and see what my OR says about it.

 

[flyeagle111]

Can anyone confirm that you can apply within a year from graduation? I was reading the August thread and saw someone was non select because they hadn't graduated yet.

 

[Tonkovich.J]

Can anyone confirm that you can apply within a year from graduation? I was reading the August thread and saw someone was non select because they hadn't graduated yet.

You are probably referring to what happened to me at the August board. It used to be anywhere within one year of your graduation. However, unbeknownst to me and my recruiter they changed it somewhere down he line to six months or more preferably with a degree already. I graduate in May and hopefully I can get picked up this spring if they have a board. However, considering how many applicants already have a degree this could hurt people like you and I. Don't let that discourage you from applying before your graduation. I have already been to three boards in 19 months and I'm going to keep on applying until they say I can't anymore.

 

[leviathanms]

My OR told me that there are only ~50 spots for pilot for the entire next FY. Has anyone else heard anything like that? That seems incredibly low, even for the current times.

 

[canav08]

My OR told me that there are only ~50 spots for pilot for the entire next FY. Has anyone else heard anything like that? That seems incredibly low, even for the current times.

I've heard 110, hence the possibility of 2 boards. I believe this was stated on usnavyocs.com and maybe even previously on this forum as well. Too lazy to check right now. I think the general consensus from those that are in a position to make an educated guess is 100-ish.

 

[CBR11]

I would be skeptical of any proposed numbers this far before the board. If true however, 50 pro recs per board isn't bad if there are 150-200 applications per board as usual.

 

[boostadikt]

My OR told me that there are only ~50 spots for pilot for the entire next FY. Has anyone else heard anything like that? That seems incredibly low, even for the current times.

Are you talking about FY13? There was some "good" info that came in that said there would be 114 or something selects from the August board for FY12, this came out to be untrue. They still don't know the quota for FY12 so I would be EXTREMELY skeptical of any numbers thrown around for FY13 at this point. Quotas for the past few years have been around 110-120 so take it for what it's worth.

 

[leviathanms]

Well I just saw Lucy's post that was saying the quota is around 100 for the next FY (which would be FY13), which is better than what I heard. I just know that my recruiter told me 50, but I don't think that's right. He also told me that he won't be able to work with me any longer unless I drastically improve my package. So any kind of news seems crappy today for me. I'm just trying to figure out what my next move is.

 

[CBR11]

He also told me that he won't be able to work with me any longer unless I drastically improve my package. So any kind of news seems crappy today for me. I'm just trying to figure out what my next move is.

What are your stats?

 

[leviathanms]

25/M
3.1 GPA bachelor's in music performance from LSU + 1 year of master's degree completed at the San Francisco Conservatory
6/7/6 55
2 interviews with an O-5 and O-8
LORs from teachers, employers, family friends, etc.
some music scholarships plus some extracurricular music activities
currently doing some volunteer work when I have the time, but it doesn't amount to much right now
no prior flying experience
about to undergo PRK surgery

 

[canav08]

Well I just saw Lucy's post that was saying the quota is around 100 for the next FY (which would be FY13), which is better than what I heard. I just know that my recruiter told me 50, but I don't think that's right. He also told me that he won't be able to work with me any longer unless I drastically improve my package. So any kind of news seems crappy today for me. I'm just trying to figure out what my next move is.

I'm not pretending to be in the know by any means, I have no inside information. That said, recruiters can be quite negative when they are attempting to blow people off. He could have meant ~50/board and 2 boards, he could have pulled it from thin air, he might just be trying to get rid of you. Lucy has a pretty good track record from what I can tell and appears to know inside info sooner than anybody else on this forum or the other one. Not to start a war or a guessing game over numbers, we are all proceeding with our packages just the same.

Sorry to hear your recruiters opinion of your current package, be persistent and best of luck to you as you move forward.