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Tips on Navy OCS???

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edegroot

Registered User
I'm someone who's researching Navy OCS and I discovered this great resource. I was wondering if amy of you could provide me with some advice.
First a few details about myself...I'm a 28 year-old male with an Economics degree from Johns Hopkins. I'm currently pursuing an MA in Int'l Affairs/US Foreign Policy from George Washington and will be finished in Fall of 2004. I've been working for a major financial firm for 6 years; but have always wanted "something more" in my career, specifically a job where I'm doing something for the country. I'd like to find out about Navy OCS...
I've heard that it's hard to find a spot in OCS, numbers-wise. Is this really true or is that more relevant to those wanting to become pilots? Is it that hard to get in, even if you are qualified?
For someone in my situation/age-bracket, how much of a disadvantage would I face in long-term career advancement? Not to sound demeaning in any way, but do OCS officers garner the same respect and consideration for promotion that a Naval Academy grad does? Basically, I'm trying to find out if a guy who goes into OCS at my age can make it far in the Navy or if I will always be way behind in career advancement, with a ceiling as to how high I could ever go.
What about the area you work in? Let's say I have my heart set on Naval Intel. Can you get into OCS expecting to do Intel, then be told: "Sorry, there's no room in Intel, you're going into Surface Warfare instead?"
I'd really appreciate some honest answers to these questions and any other advice people have.
Thanks!!!
 
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version2point0

Registered User
it all depends on what you want to do with yourseof in the navy. piloting would seem (to me) to be a waste of your talents. you might wnat more of a leadership position like surface warefare officer (SWO) or even nuclear submarine officer. that is the hardest to get, but if you went to johns hopkins, you are pretty much qualified. call your recruting office and ask for the "officer programs" specialist. they can get you in to take the officer test (very easy if you have math in your degree). once you take that test and find out your score, you can better establish what you are qualified to do in the navy and then decide what you want to do. it only takes like an afternoon, so its really not a waste of time. if you dont like your score or you dont like the options resulting from your score, then you are no worse ofr wear.

there are study guides for the test on this site too, so that can help your decision. oh one more thing... you kinda gotta go faster than you think because i believe the cut off for some programs is age 30, meaning you have to be done with OCS by your 30th birthday. others can clarify that rule for me. however, like i said, just your degree sounds pretty competitive. if you have good people to write letters of rec and have at least a little community service (church help... volunteering etc...) then you should take the test and see what the navy holds for you

-v2.0
 
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Eteled

Registered User
Talk with an officer recruiter. There is no obligation and they won't send you spam.

Look around this site: http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/noru/orojt/ojt.htm It should be very helpful, but some of the information isn't correct (medical).

Most OCS spots seem to be rather competitive at the moment (lots of applications post 9/11 and poor economy). Check out the sticky topic "Stats & Scores" in the Paths to commission folder (on this site). It'll give you an idea of what some packets look like, what people are shooting for and who's getting selected.

You get three (you prioritize, don't have to list three) choices on billets (i.e. Intel. SPECWAR, NFO...). Your packet gets sent to your first choice. If the community is interested in you then you're professionally recommended. You then send in more paper work and the community will make a final decision on you. If they say yes, you're in with that billet provided nothing comes up during OCS. If they say no, your packet goes the second choice and possibly the third. If no one picks you, you can reapply.

Contact a recruiter. Most of them are straight forward, not like enlisted quota fillers. You should start your packet now (application, ASTB, getting LOR's and so on). I took the ASTB on Oct. 10 and my packet is finally being sent Tuesday.
 
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jaerose

Registered User
I don't think you're right about the age cut-off because my class (I'm at OCS now) has two 34 year old candidates.

JR
 
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version2point0

Registered User
were they prior enlist? i thought that no prior service cut off was 30. or maybe im thinking that pilot selection cut off is 30... i dont know.

-v2.0
 
thundersquid

thundersquid

New Member
pilot
Prior enlisted can get age waivers (month for month) up to 31 for SNA slots. Supply/Intel/Crypto I think get up to 35 years old even without prior service, but someone will correct me if I am wrong
 
slasher

slasher

OCC 186 Bound
28?! Where've ya been your whole life boy? Probably bad mouthing your country and.......Oh wait?... What?!... Sorry, been watching "An Officer and a Gentleman," and it's an eminently quotable movie. Hey, at least I didn't question your sexual preference! j/k!

Anyway, good gouge here, these guys are right on. With your background you'd probably be well-suited to serve as a supply officer. Hell, with your MA complete, you'd look pretty good for Intel also. Don't worry about the OCS vs. Ring Knocker thing. If you're a good officer it will be recognized regardless of your pedigree, and you'll be promoted accordingly. Don't waste too much time though, get the ball a-rollin'!
 
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aoconnor

Registered User
edegroot, I am 29 and am heading to OCS w/ a NFO billet on 24JAN04. So don't worry about being 28, just as long as you get on it, and are serious about making a commitment, you prob have a job working for the best company in the world.
 
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demax182

CEC Officer from Class 15-03
NAVY OCS and Bootcamp

I'm just curious to know how NAVY OCS compares to NAVY Bootcamp. I've heard that OCS is harder from some people and I heard that bootcamp is harder from other people. When I was going to OCS, I was talking to some of the enlisted, they made it sound like the inspections they have to go through are tougher than the ones we went through at OCS. I don't know, I thought our RLP's were pretty intense, I can't imagine how much more intense it can get. Also they don't get the nice loving care of a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant. Anyways, I'm just curious.
 
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version2point0

Registered User
its like whoever thought up the whole process deserves an award. i was philosophising on the concept of a marine corps gunnery sergent as a training official for navy officers and i think it is the smartest thing! i mean, this guy is not in our branch, so why should he care about us... but he DOES. he puts so much time and effort in to us and we will never get to pay him back, but hes a recruit, which means that on the day we graduate, he is sorta required to salute us. and he does, but not because hes required to, but because he has a personal investment in our success. and from our perspective, we have no reason to like or remember this one person who yelled at us for 13 weeks straight, but in the end we will never forget him because he made us better than we are. learning from his example far outweighs the ups and downs of OCS and teaches us more practically about how to be a leader by example than any book could teach us. we are taught to understand the feelings of others because we too were once in a subordinate positiion getting dragged through the mud, and we are taught to make the hard decisions regarding training of our subordinates because we now know what is best for them. but the most important thing is that we do it with them as a team. that DI never stopped working with us and we should never stop working with the people underneath us, not because we want friendship, but because we want respect. and you dont get respect by telling someone else what to do or bossing others around, you earn respect by being a good leader by example and making the tough calls at the right time.

in my opinion, i think OCS will be harder than bootcamp because we are going to be taught so much more mentally rather than physically challenged, and it is our jobs to take that training and know that the sheep will never follow the shepherd except through that which the shepherd has gone first.

-v2.0
 
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Crowbar

New Member
None
Originally posted by version2point0
but hes a recruit, which means that on the day we graduate, he is sorta required to salute us. and he does, but not because hes required to, but because he has a personal investment in our success.
-v2.0
Click to expand...

What do you mean, "hes a recruit"?

And what do you mean, he's not required to salute you? When you graduate OCS, you are then commissioned officers, right? Please, somebody fill me in, because I think I'm missing something.
 
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