What do I do next?

[jramire1]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site and am thankful for all the information.

I am a recent college graduate with a 3.6 GPA in Political Science. I am interested in becoming an Officer in the Navy. Here's what I've done so far:
1. Did as much research as I could on the different careers.
2. Filled out the information on the Navy site, after which someone from Tennessee called me and asked me qualifying questions(I'm from SoCal). Once he said I passed he gave me the number to a local officer recruiter whose number was disconnected.
3. I called my local enlistee recruiter who gave me the number of a Naval Officer Recruiting Station, where the LT. I talked to asked me more qualifying questions and told me I qualify for SWO, Intel, Public Relations, and Aviation.
4. He told me I need to take the ASTB and sent me links of places to take the test.


Okay, now that that's all out of the way, I have a couple questions. First, is this a normal progression of things? Where do I take the ASTB and who do I contact when i feel I'm ready for it? Last, when do I start putting my application together? The letters of rec, mission statement, etc; are all things I'd like to start collecting, but should I talk to the Lt. at NORS before I start doing this?

Any other advice on this process would be appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[gstapes12]

Here's my 2 cents coming from someone who's applying now...

I had a hard time getting any recruiter to talk to me at my NRD until I took the ASTB. So I picked up a study guide, studied (see ASTB thread), and set up a time to take the test at the NRD. I would try calling whoever you've been talking to and just ask to set up a time to take the test; they will point you in the right direction. To answer your question, it sounds like the progression that I went through.

After you get a score, your recruiter should sit down with you and discuss your options, i.e. "I think your score is competitive for X designator". My recruiter tried to steer me towards Nuke but I told him I wasn't interested so don't be afraid to tell him you really want sna or nfo or whatever designator.

Then he'll talk to you about the application for commission and SF-86. He should explain everything to you so I wouldn't worry about any of the paper work until he talks you through it. That doesn't mean that you can't contact people who you think would be good candidates to write a LOR for you and ask them if they would be willing...

My humble advice would be to treat every interaction with your recruiter as if he is evaluating you. I dressed up in a khakis and a dress shirt when I went in to take the ASTB, signed all my emails V/R, always addressed my recruiter and OPO as sir or ma'am etc.

That's all I have, hope this post helped.

 

[jramire1]

Thanks for the reply you gave me. One question about your answer though: You mention your recruiter several times. How do I know who MY recruiter is? Is it the Lt. I talked to, or the OSO nearest me or the people at the local enlistee office, or will I not know who it is until after the recruiter contacts me after I take the ASTB?

 

[gstapes12]

I had no clue who my recruiter was until he handed me my scores right after I took the ASTB. I don't think it would be anyone at the enlisted recruiting office, my best guess is that it might be the Lt. you spoke with on the phone at the Officer Recruiting Station. When you call them to set up the ASTB, it wouldn't hurt to ask whoever your talking to if you've been assigned one or how the process works...

 

[jtmedli]

Thanks for the reply you gave me. One question about your answer though: You mention your recruiter several times. How do I know who MY recruiter is? Is it the Lt. I talked to, or the OSO nearest me or the people at the local enlistee office, or will I not know who it is until after the recruiter contacts me after I take the ASTB?

You need to speak with Officer Recruiter. You can go through any office that you like (not the enlisted recruiting office). Usually a Chief of some sort will handle your package and check the Ps and Qs. The OR is probably the Lt you spoke with over the phone.

Study for the ASTB using the gouge on this site and "military flight aptitude tests" book.

The best bet at this point is see what you get on the ASTB and see what the recruiter says. And for god sakes, when you find out your score on the ASTB don't start one of those "what are my chances" or "how do I look threads"!! There is a place for that:

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145333&highlight=ASTB