Hello all, I'm new to the forums here so let me just take a minute to introduce myself and then I'll ask my questions. Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me out.
My name is Drew, I am currently 24 years old. I am in my 2nd year of teaching high school Physics, and am sincerely interested in joining the Navy (or possibly Air Force) as an Officer, but I would like to get some opinions first. I do enjoy teaching, but I would really love an opportunity to serve my country, and I believe I have the talent and determination necessary to make a good leader and officer.
I didn't go to a prestigious school (Oregon State University), but I did get an Honors Bachelors of Science in Physics, with a 3.49 GPA for undergrad, and I also have my Masters of Science in Science Education (3.9 GPA for grad school). I never failed any courses, and only got a couple C's in undergrad (all A's and only 1 or 2 B's in grad school). I am pretty strong in mathematical/mechanical reasoning, have strong reading comprehension, but I lack a lot of specific knowledge pertaining to the Navy history, important historical figures, etc.
I'm in good physical shape, and have been working out a lot the last year. I am not a great swimmer, so I am still working on that. But as far as the pushups/pullups/running, I think I'll be able to manage passing those benchmarks without much touble. I enjoy physical fitness a lot, recognize its importance, but I never played any sports in high school or college, and I've heard that can be important.
I have a strong moral character and respect authority, work well with others, believe in the country and the armed services, etc. I don't do drugs, rarely drink, don't smoke, etc. Also, I am single, no kids, etc.
Alright, well now that I've given my background, I'd like to ask for your opinions/answers to some questions!
What do you think makes a good candidate for OCS? I know that ultimately the Navy will determine whether or not I am qualified, but I would like to possibly get your opinions to see if I've got what it takes. I know that Officer Recruiters are busy people and won't want to waste their time on someone who isn't worth it, and I would hate to actually get accepted only to find that I don't have what it takes to make it through OCS.
My interests are very broad as far as what type of officer or what field I would go into. Considering my passion for science and math, my physics and teaching background, do you guys have any recommendations on what I should look into, or ask the recruiter about when I meet with them? Aviation has always interested me (I feel as if I would love the opportunity to be a pilot), but I'm not sure if my talents would be best suited for that field.
As I mentioned earlier, I am currently teaching high school, and won't be finished until June. How early should I start talking to a recruiter about becoming an officer? Do I need to wait until I am done teaching, or nearly done teaching? Or should I start talking to one now and just let him know that I won't be able to start service until the end of the school year?
I've been reviewing the process and it looks like I will be taking the ASTB. I have been looking around and found some resources on helping me prepare for this. It seems like the sample math/physics/mechanics questions I've found aren't too bad for me. Do you have any recommendations for studying for this?
I've been spending the last month or so reading as much as I can, soul searching, talking with friends, family members, and coworkers, and I really do think I would like the opportunity to serve in the Navy as a commissioned officer. So I just wanted to thank you all for your time in reading this, and for any information/advice you have to share in relation to my questions or anything else you'd like to add.
Sincerely,
Drew Watson
P.S. A strong motivating factor in my looking into this is to want to do something meaningful, challenging, and rewarding with my life. Is that misguided? I expect a lot from myself and want to do great things, but is this the kind of attitude that I should have going in?
My name is Drew, I am currently 24 years old. I am in my 2nd year of teaching high school Physics, and am sincerely interested in joining the Navy (or possibly Air Force) as an Officer, but I would like to get some opinions first. I do enjoy teaching, but I would really love an opportunity to serve my country, and I believe I have the talent and determination necessary to make a good leader and officer.
I didn't go to a prestigious school (Oregon State University), but I did get an Honors Bachelors of Science in Physics, with a 3.49 GPA for undergrad, and I also have my Masters of Science in Science Education (3.9 GPA for grad school). I never failed any courses, and only got a couple C's in undergrad (all A's and only 1 or 2 B's in grad school). I am pretty strong in mathematical/mechanical reasoning, have strong reading comprehension, but I lack a lot of specific knowledge pertaining to the Navy history, important historical figures, etc.
I'm in good physical shape, and have been working out a lot the last year. I am not a great swimmer, so I am still working on that. But as far as the pushups/pullups/running, I think I'll be able to manage passing those benchmarks without much touble. I enjoy physical fitness a lot, recognize its importance, but I never played any sports in high school or college, and I've heard that can be important.
I have a strong moral character and respect authority, work well with others, believe in the country and the armed services, etc. I don't do drugs, rarely drink, don't smoke, etc. Also, I am single, no kids, etc.
Alright, well now that I've given my background, I'd like to ask for your opinions/answers to some questions!
What do you think makes a good candidate for OCS? I know that ultimately the Navy will determine whether or not I am qualified, but I would like to possibly get your opinions to see if I've got what it takes. I know that Officer Recruiters are busy people and won't want to waste their time on someone who isn't worth it, and I would hate to actually get accepted only to find that I don't have what it takes to make it through OCS.
My interests are very broad as far as what type of officer or what field I would go into. Considering my passion for science and math, my physics and teaching background, do you guys have any recommendations on what I should look into, or ask the recruiter about when I meet with them? Aviation has always interested me (I feel as if I would love the opportunity to be a pilot), but I'm not sure if my talents would be best suited for that field.
As I mentioned earlier, I am currently teaching high school, and won't be finished until June. How early should I start talking to a recruiter about becoming an officer? Do I need to wait until I am done teaching, or nearly done teaching? Or should I start talking to one now and just let him know that I won't be able to start service until the end of the school year?
I've been reviewing the process and it looks like I will be taking the ASTB. I have been looking around and found some resources on helping me prepare for this. It seems like the sample math/physics/mechanics questions I've found aren't too bad for me. Do you have any recommendations for studying for this?
I've been spending the last month or so reading as much as I can, soul searching, talking with friends, family members, and coworkers, and I really do think I would like the opportunity to serve in the Navy as a commissioned officer. So I just wanted to thank you all for your time in reading this, and for any information/advice you have to share in relation to my questions or anything else you'd like to add.
Sincerely,
Drew Watson
P.S. A strong motivating factor in my looking into this is to want to do something meaningful, challenging, and rewarding with my life. Is that misguided? I expect a lot from myself and want to do great things, but is this the kind of attitude that I should have going in?
Do you guys have any personal advice on preparing for OCS, military life in general, etc? I know that it will be extremely challenging, exhausting, that I won't be happy all the time doing what I will be doing, but I also expect it to be a rewarding experience that I will be proud of, which I hope is not misguided. Thanks again all for the feedback 
