Thinking about BDCP again and have questions

[fox2102]

Ok so I'm thinking of applying for the BDCP program again and I have some questions.

I've searched around and i've gotten different answers from different people about this but do I have to pass the PRT test before I can apply? I'm pretty far off from metting the PRT requirements. Right now I'm focusing on losing weight and I know I have but i just dont know how much because my scale is broken. I know I can pretty easily meet the push up and sit up requirements. I know I can already do about 30 pushups. They aren't all perfect but i'm getting there. The problem I am having is the running. I'm not a total fat body but I have enough fat to slow me down. I dont think I've ever ran a mile and I know that I could but the problem is that I dont have time to run every day. I am in collage and i'm a work study at school. This means I drive 2 hours each way to get to school, I work 40 hours a week, and then on top of that I have class. I spend my free days walking and being as active as I can but there just aren't enough hours in the day. I can't afford to quit my job because I have a car payment and I have to pay for gas and food. This adds up a lot since I drive over 800 miles a week. So if i quit my job I will have time to train physcially but if i quit I wont be able to afford to go to school anymore... so you see my delima.

What i'm wondering is if I can go ahead and apply and possibly get accepted without the PRT test so I can afford to quit this job and focus on school and training. I've heard some people say you dont have to take it until before you leave for OCS and i've heard some people say that you have to take it before hand.

A lot of my other free time goes to volenteer work too. Like my sunday mornings go to running the power points and the IT area of my church services and my wed. nights go playing drums for my youth group now. It's not a lot of volenteer work I know but it's really about all I have time for.

Also my GPA is 2.92 as of right now. That's partly due to high gas prices in the past preventing me from being able to afford to get to school and my mother being in bad health and being hospitalized several times throughout the past couple years. I'm sure I can bring it up but if I were to apply now would that severly hurt me?

My vision is the other obstical I have right now. My ultimate Goal is to be a pilot but I just want to be an officer. I love what they stand for and in this day and age I want to be part of a group that actually stands for something rather than someone who stands for anything. I'm thinking about financing the PRK surgery but that is expensive so I'm just going to have to see how it goes...

SO thoughts? words of wisdom? suggestions?

 

[bubbagump]

When I started running, I could barely run a lap -- now I bust out 8 minute or less miles. It's called conditioning, and it sucks, but you don't have to like it; you just have to do it.

I'm almost positive you must take a PRT to qualify for BDCP, but I've been wrong before.

Point blank: don't make excuses for yourself; if you want it badly enough, you'll get it.

(Your GPA qualifies you; you have to have at least a 2.7 to be competitive, but it's a whole person concept. PS: learn to love the search function)

 

[fox2102]

Oh i'm willing to do it. It's just the time factor that is getting me. I'm not sure if 3 days a week of running will be enough to get me in well enough shape to pass the PRT

Oh and I'm going to talk to a recruiter next week to talk about my option. I dont know if he is an officer recruiter or not but he's the one that called me when I requested info on the officer program so if he isn't i'm sure he can point me in the right direction at least

 

[bubbagump]

It will if you're training right. The biggest problem with running is often getting winded -- you're not just training your leg muscles when you run, you're training your lungs as well. Depending on where you run, try shouting while you do so. Also, run hills if you can; they're a PITA but they make running on flat land seem like a breeze.

I feel your pain as far as being busy, but if you want this badly enough, you're going to have to MAKE time for PT. Just how it is.

 

[fox2102]

It will if you're training right. The biggest problem with running is often getting winded -- you're not just training your leg muscles when you run, you're training your lungs as well. Depending on where you run, try shouting while you do so. Also, run hills if you can; they're a PITA but they make running on flat land seem like a breeze.

I feel your pain as far as being busy, but if you want this badly enough, you're going to have to MAKE time for PT. Just how it is.

Yeah where I run is exacally 2.5 miles and it's small hills so it's a good workout. I'm actually been walking it lately but I'm going to start running it tomorrow. I only have 3 days a week I can do it though. I'm hoping that will be sufficient.

And yeah when i run for very long i feel like i'm breathing razor blades.

 

[eddie]

Oh i'm willing to do it. It's just the time factor that is getting me. I'm not sure if 3 days a week of running will be enough to get me in well enough shape to pass the PRT

3 days is fine to start with. Losing weight by changing up your intake will help a lot too. See what you can do.

 

[TopShot]

What i'm wondering is if I can go ahead and apply and possibly get accepted without the PRT test so I can afford to quit this job and focus on school and training.

You can go ahead and apply and get your Pro Rec and then take your PRT. That is what I did. At least that way if you get picked up you know your running with almost a definite chance of being in the program. A lil motivation :icon_wink

 

[nzachman]

How important is being an officer to you?

That should motivate you enough to make time to run. I cannot believe that you have never run a mile.....the physical fitness program at your middle/high schools epically failed you.

 

[m0tbaillie]

First off, spell-check. Use it. For someone in "collage", reading your posts made me cringe

Second, stop making excuses. You work? Congrats. Many of us on these boards are college students who work part-time or even full-time. Suck it up, get up earlier, and run more.

Your GPA sucks because of gas prices? That's pretty far-fetched. Stop making excuses. Excuses will get you absolutely nowhere.

Like Yoda said: "do or do not, there is no try."

 

[navy09]

^ +1

 

[m26]

You can go ahead and apply and get your Pro Rec and then take your PRT. That is what I did. At least that way if you get picked up you know your running with almost a definite chance of being in the program. A lil motivation :icon_wink

It depends on your NRD. My recruiter is insistent that I pass the PRT before I send in the app.

 

[ASHWND]

First off, spell-check. Use it. For someone in "collage", reading your posts made me cringe

Second, stop making excuses. You work? Congrats. Many of us on these boards are college students who work part-time or even full-time. Suck it up, get up earlier, and run more.

Your GPA sucks because of gas prices? That's pretty far-fetched. Stop making excuses. Excuses will get you absolutely nowhere.

Like Yoda said: "do or do not, there is no try."

Thank you, and not to sound mean at all but the first thing I thought was that it was a joke post. You don't find time to go to the gym, you MAKE time to go to the gym. You also have to pass MEPS (before or after PROREC), is your body weight going to be an issue? You DO have to submit a PRT prior to Final Select, and every 6 months after that, so maintaining your physical fitness is important.

Did somebody force you to buy the car, or take the work study program, or live/work 2 hours away from school? No, these are all decisions you made and you can only blame yourself if it is not working for you. This is meant to be constructive criticism, so suck it up and make some changes in your schedule to allow for regular PT. If this is important to you, you will... if it's not, you won't.

Good luck, it's a goal worth achieving, keep fighting for it.

 

[fighterpfeif]

You are going to learn one major lesson at OCS if you go...time management. I started the day at 4am and stopped maybe around 12-1am. Obviously you won't do this when in school, but just be ready.

Also making excuses for not getting things done is a horrible trait for an officer. I know you are just asking a question on this forum to get info. But watch out for the excuse...it won't fly down here. Your future superiors and sailors are looking for no excuses, they want to see decisiveness and dependibility. If you have a problem you find a solution and accomplish the task. Find some time in your schedule to get in a 2 mile fast run and 2:00 minutes of max pushups and situps; morning, evening, whatever. Complaining will only make things worse. There is always someone watching! Remeber that for you guys going to OCS.

 

[Pistol719]

First off, spell-check. Use it. For someone in "collage", reading your posts made me cringe

Second, stop making excuses. You work? Congrats. Many of us on these boards are college students who work part-time or even full-time. Suck it up, get up earlier, and run more.

Your GPA sucks because of gas prices? That's pretty far-fetched. Stop making excuses. Excuses will get you absolutely nowhere.

Like Yoda said: "do or do not, there is no try."

+1 for this post I am with ya 100% I just want to add my 2 cents now.
To the OP: Please do not take this as a personal attack I just want to share something with you.

I whole heartily agree and fair warning to the OP as a few of the current officers and OC's have said already. If you want it bad enough you will suck it up and do whats required. Go take a looksie at a few of my past posts and you will see I have a similar (actually lower until this semester) GPA then you due to some family issues. While yes I made note of it on my application that is about as far as the issue goes.

Allow me to tell you how my life has gone since January 6th.

I work full time for the FAA while maintaining a full course load at my school. To add insult to injury this entire spring semester I have been sent all around the country doing various other training schools for my job on top of that! (Right now I am writing this from OKC) I have only slept in my OWN bed all but a week and half since January 6th Yet I have managed to learn whats required of me for my job, work out at least 4 times a week,(Including getting my ass out of bed early Saturday mornings, which is now becoming fun actually) and I ended this semester with a 3.8 semester GPA bringing my Cumulative back from a 2.79 to a 3.0. Oh, Did I also mention I am in the reserves and had to go out of town for a week for additional training on top of all this?

WHILE doing all this I have been able to keep on the ball with my prospective NROTC unit and get my application in for the 2 year scholarship in on time, took the few days I was actually back in Tampa to do my interviews. And I am even studying for the ASTB because I have already started my BDCP application for the June board in case I do not get NROTC!

And to put the final nail in the coffin while I have been out here on business my girlfriend of 2 years whom I have been living with for the last 8 months decides its a good idea for us to break up 2 weeks before my ass gets home.
Not that I really care and the rest of the story is my own business to keep but just giving you a gauge of what I have been through...

So yes trust me where there is a will there is a way...Take into consideration the phrase above my avatar "Will over Skill" right now I eat, breathe, shit, sleep whatever I have to do to become an officer, it will happen no matter what I have to do.

It sounds like you are definitely interested and got the motivation, now you just need to formulate a plan, cowboy up and be ready to make some appropriate sacrifices if needed, be it studying more, e-mailing people if you cant make it to class.. whatever the case may be.

Will over skill...ftw

 

[fox2102]

Thanks everyone. I don't take any of this personally at all. I didn't mean to sound like i was making excuses. I suppose to a degree i was but I was wondering if I could get into the program first so i could quit my job so i could make time to PT. My Time management skills are pretty poor to be honest. Today I made the best of it though. Got a good nights rest, got up, went to run errands and then went for a 2.5 mile run/walk and then went to the gym for an hour or so.

I think I'm going to make a habit of doing at least 20 to 30 push ups every morning as soon as I get out of bed. I finally bought a new scale today. I've lost 20lbs so I'm at least on the right track.

Honestly I think part of my problem is that I'm just over whelmed by what I have to do physically. To get into that kind of shape seems like such an impossible task for me since I've never been in that kind of shape

And sorry for not spell checking. School computers don't have it.

For the record... Becoming an officer isn't something I just want to do. It's something I'm going to do. I'm just trying to lay out how I'm going to do it at this point.