(BDCP) Choosing an officer community

[montgomery02]

Im a junior at Oregon State, working towards a degree in physics. Im 25 years old. I have a GPA around a 3.0. I have taken the ASTB and scored a 66, 7, 7, 7 and I have six years prior service with the national guard with a deployment to Afghanistan. Im having trouble deciding which officer community to apply for. I really want to be a part of a community with a more warfare oriented career path. SEALs or out of the question since my ears have trouble equalizing under water. What other programs are out there? Are my scores good enough for pilot? Im looking for as much adventure as I could find, any suggestions?

 

[CUPike11]

I can't reply as to which career path is more warfare oriented, but I can say that no one here can tell you what your chances are for any designator.

The best way to know your chances are to just apply. There have been people with low GPAs and low test scores that have gotten selected, and people with high GPAs and awesome packages get non-selected. There is no way of telling or trying to "predict" how the board chooses.

Also fair warning: Don't ask questions like "what are my chances, are my scores good enough for xxxx, what % get (insert platform here)" here. It won't end well.

Good luck though! Sounds like you are off to a great start.

 

[red_ryder]

Well, this site should give you a list of what's out there:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/officerjo2/a/menu.htm

Keep in mind, nothing is going to be quite like the movies. It's a job, and it's a lifestyle.

As for choosing...surely you feel drawn to some more than others? That's how I picked mine...

 

[alpha blue]

Not sure if this is the right thread to be asking this in, but if I were to apply for a commission in the Reserves, what sort of options can I expect to have in terms of officer communities or occupations?

 

[m26]

Not sure if this is the right thread to be asking this in, but if I were to apply for a commission in the Reserves, what sort of options can I expect to have in terms of officer communities or occupations?

Extremely limited. I know Public Affairs and Intel will take direct commissions, but I believe those are incredibly competitive (i.e. I think you need to already be doing civilian PA or Intel).

Other than that, it's possible that they'd take medical personnel, but I don't know for sure. Reserve pilots, surface warfare officers, etc, are former active duty (there may be exceptions).

edit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Commission_Officer#U.S._Navy_Direct_Commission_Officers
(wiki always an ultra-reliable source)

 

[MIDNJAC]

Im a junior at Oregon State, working towards a degree in physics. Im 25 years old. I have a GPA around a 3.0. I have taken the ASTB and scored a 66, 7, 7, 7 and I have six years prior service with the national guard with a deployment to Afghanistan. Im having trouble deciding which officer community to apply for. I really want to be a part of a community with a more warfare oriented career path. SEALs or out of the question since my ears have trouble equalizing under water. What other programs are out there? Are my scores good enough for pilot? Im looking for as much adventure as I could find, any suggestions?

Aviaton is an awesome choice in my opinion, but of course I am biased. I too was an OSU grad, though I went through the NROTC program. Your scores sound generally competitive, and I would think they would take into account your prior service. Do you have trouble clearing your ears while climbing to altitude in airplanes? That could cause you problems with getting into aviation depending on what your problem actually is. Age-wise you certainly want to get things moving, though you could possibly qualify for an age waiver given prior enlisted time. Maybe someone can speak to that who is more knowledgeable than I.

 

[alpha blue]

Extremely limited. I know Public Affairs and Intel will take direct commissions, but I believe those are incredibly competitive (i.e. I think you need to already be doing civilian PA or Intel).

Other than that, it's possible that they'd take medical personnel, but I don't know for sure. Reserve pilots, surface warfare officers, etc, are former active duty (there may be exceptions).

Oh, so if I'm looking at surface warfare or submarines then I can't be a reservist?

 

[skim]

after your initial active duty tour you can. Have you checked the Navy recruiting website?

 

[alpha blue]

Oh okay, so I'm on this page, and for submariners it has an X next to "Navy Reserve". Does this mean that only submariners who are on active duty are called up to serve on board subs? I've heard that there's really stringent qualifications on getting into the sub community, but I just want to get this cleared up.