sTUPID qUESTIONS aBOUT ocs

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I don't know how you snuck into a board this way. They shouldn't have even seen your package given that you haven't been to MEPS yet. Either way, congrats, and the only advice anyone can give here is to enjoy the wait. Average wait time depends on designator, but for SWO, you're looking at a 3-9 month wait from pro-rec to OCS report date. If your MEPS goes smoothly and you need no waivers, you may ship sooner. If you need a waiver, you'll be waiting for the N3M gods.

N3M letters aren't needed for SWO boards.

 

[navy2014]

N3M letters aren't needed for SWO boards.

Then I really, really don't understand why I wasn't in the March board... my OR, man.

 

[JDtoSupply]

N3M letters aren't needed for SWO boards.

I stand corrected.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

It honestly depends on the recruiter when it comes to physicals. Obviously for Pilot and NFO they need to be done. But for everything else, some recruiters will wait until board results are out until sending them down to OCS. On my end, I like to get it out of the way first and add the N3M letter to the kit when it gets sent out. Only under certain circumstances will I generally send kits out without an N3M letter, mainly if they're boards that rarely meet and the deadline is rapidly approaching.

 

[America]

I don't mean to be too ambitious or too far ahead of myself, but what happens after commissioning at OCS if selected for the SNA/SNFO community? Do we go straight to Pensacola, or go home for a bit?

Thanks so much in advance for any information and insight.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

I don't mean to be too ambitious or too far ahead of myself, but what happens after commissioning at OCS if selected for the SNA/SNFO community? Do we go straight to Pensacola, or go home for a bit?

Thanks so much in advance for any information and insight.

The quick and dirty is that it sounds like people are getting some time between OCS and API. From what I hear, people are getting OHARP duty (basically going home and doing officey stuff at the local recruiters' office for a few hours per week) because of the backlog at API. Not sure how long that's expected to go on, or how much time people are getting for OHARP, I'll defer to someone else for that.
But I didn't get OHARP and I was still able to take at least a week of leave between OCS and API. It depends on your NLT date (no later than) which is the absolute latest date you can check into your next command. If you don't get OHARP, and you don't check into Pensacola within about four days of graduating OCS, you'll start getting charged leave. And you'll accrue about seven days of leave while at OCS.

 

[America]

The quick and dirty is that it sounds like people are getting some time between OCS and API. From what I hear, people are getting OHARP duty (basically going home and doing officey stuff at the local recruiters' office for a few hours per week) because of the backlog at API. Not sure how long that's expected to go on, or how much time people are getting for OHARP, I'll defer to someone else for that.
But I didn't get OHARP and I was still able to take at least a week of leave between OCS and API. It depends on your NLT date (no later than) which is the absolute latest date you can check into your next command. If you don't get OHARP, and you don't check into Pensacola within about four days of graduating OCS, you'll start getting charged leave. And you'll accrue about seven days of leave while at OCS.

Again, thanks so much @Tycho_Brohe for providing so much insight and detailed info. A follow up question: would there be a reason why a person doesn't get OHARP and not check into Pensacola within about 4 days, causing them to use leave time?

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Again, thanks so much @Tycho_Brohe for providing so much insight and detailed info. A follow up question: would there be a reason why a person doesn't get OHARP and not check into Pensacola within about 4 days, causing them to use leave time?

No problem. The main reason I didn't check in at P'cola right away is that I wanted to spend some time with the fam before starting API. It was mid-July, so we spent some time in Orlando, went to Disney World and so on.

If you ate your Wheaties, you can make the drive from Newport to P'cola in a day and a half (should be about 20 hours of driving, all told), but to give you a little leeway, the Navy gives you one travel day for every 300 or so miles that you have to travel between commands. So since it's like 1200 miles, they give you four days. Not sure how the travel situation changes if they give you OHARP, but if they give you that, I'm sure they'll let you know what's up.

But anyway, if you don't want to use any leave at all, four days should give you plenty of time for the road trip down (unless you have to drive home first to pick up/drop off some stuff, then it depends on where you live).

 

[navy2014]

Well, while people are talking about what happens immediately after OCS... I've seen people ask here, but never get a straight answer--what happens for SWOs? Sounds like they stay in Newport for training, but it seems to vary how long that lasts, and when that starts. Obviously not an urgent question...

 

[America]

No problem. The main reason I didn't check in at P'cola right away is that I wanted to spend some time with the fam before starting API. It was mid-July, so we spent some time in Orlando, went to Disney World and so on.

If you ate your Wheaties, you can make the drive from Newport to P'cola in a day and a half (should be about 20 hours of driving, all told), but to give you a little leeway, the Navy gives you one travel day for every 300 or so miles that you have to travel between commands. So since it's like 1200 miles, they give you four days. Not sure how the travel situation changes if they give you OHARP, but if they give you that, I'm sure they'll let you know what's up.

But anyway, if you don't want to use any leave at all, four days should give you plenty of time for the road trip down (unless you have to drive home first to pick up/drop off some stuff, then it depends on where you live).

Awesome! Thanks so much for the info again. And congrats on waiting for Primary! Definitely going to miss getting a laugh out of reading "laters on the menjay"

 

[Fronch]

Well, while people are talking about what happens immediately after OCS... I've seen people ask here, but never get a straight answer--what happens for SWOs? Sounds like they stay in Newport for training, but it seems to vary how long that lasts, and when that starts. Obviously not an urgent question...

I spoke with an Intel O-5 a couple of days ago, and @Tycho_Brohe 's account matches up pretty well with what he told me about his experience. According to him, he got a NLT date to report, but would have gotten charged leave if he didn't report right away, and as a fresh-off-the-apple-truck ENS, he didn't have much leave to spare. When he did report, he didn't have anything to do, basically just had to show up in the morning and got sent away every day until his class started.

 

[navy2014]

I spoke with an Intel O-5 a couple of days ago, and @Tycho_Brohe 's account matches up pretty well with what he told me about his experience. According to him, he got a NLT date to report, but would have gotten charged leave if he didn't report right away, and as a fresh-off-the-apple-truck ENS, he didn't have much leave to spare. When he did report, he didn't have anything to do, basically just had to show up in the morning and got sent away every day until his class started.

I don't quite understand. This guy was intel, right? So his training after OCS was in Dam Neck (or something)? You sound like you know what you're talking about more than I do, so I'm just missing something about what this means for SWOs after OCS, haha.

 

[navy2014]

I spoke with an Intel O-5 a couple of days ago, and @Tycho_Brohe 's account matches up pretty well with what he told me about his experience. According to him, he got a NLT date to report, but would have gotten charged leave if he didn't report right away, and as a fresh-off-the-apple-truck ENS, he didn't have much leave to spare. When he did report, he didn't have anything to do, basically just had to show up in the morning and got sent away every day until his class started.

Also, totally off-topic, but how do you have an unofficial OCS date without a Fin Sel letter? Thought I knew what it meant to get a fin sel... guess not, haha. Thanks in advance.

 

[Fronch]

I don't quite understand. This guy was intel, right? So his training after OCS was in Dam Neck (or something)? You sound like you know what you're talking about more than I do, so I'm just missing something about what this means for SWOs after OCS, haha.

I wasn't talking about SWOs in particular, but it sounds like the stories are the same for API and for Intel school, so I would assume it's similar for SWO (and, relevant to me, IW).

 

[navy2014]

I wasn't talking about SWOs in particular, but it sounds like the stories are the same for API and for Intel school, so I would assume it's similar for SWO (and, relevant to me, IW).

Ah, ok, yeah, that's good to know that the NLT date and leave situation works the same way. Thanks.