Hi all, as the title says I've got my sights set on OCS next year and just looking for people to talk to about it.

I'm a college junior/senior and I've been working towards the OCS goal for about a year, planning on talking to a recruiter at the end of this semester. I have a couple of misc. questions if anyone can lend a hand:

- From what I gather acceptance into OCS seems unpredictable, I'd like to think of myself as a competitive candidate but then I hear the stories of the Harvard grad who didn't get in, and others that make me worry. Do they really look at the whole candidate, or would an on-the-surface average kid (3.6-3.7ish GPA, average state university) turn them off?

- How early should I start talking to a recruiter? I was planning on the beginning of May, a year before I'd graduate. I won't be 21 until April of next year, do I have to be 21 as of my application or as of the board meeting?

- Do all applicants get an interview, or only the ones who pass a first round of scrutiny?

- If I have a medical history that technically meets their guidelines (i.e meets the age cutoffs, etc) but is still on the record, will that reflect poorly? I don't think I'll need any waivers, which I hear they don't give anyway, unless they take some things more seriously than necessary.

- What are some things I can do in the next year to help my competitiveness?

Basically I'm trying to get a sense of how worried I should be about my competitiveness. Like I said, I think I'd be pretty competitive but at the same time I don't have much to compare it to. If anyone here has been accepted into OCS as a civilian can you let me know what kind of qualifications got you in? Any other advice, comments, suggestions about anything would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to be reaching out to some contacts in the CG soon, but until then I really don't have anyone to talk to about it. Thanks guys, stay safe.

Yes, they look at the total package. The military is not full of Harvard grads. In fact, I cannot believe many even made it through college.

If you want to be competitive make sure you are not just your average student. Meaning, all you did was go to school. You need to show some leadership examples. That could be by working in extracurricular school activities or showing leadership at a job. Those points right there keep many an applicant away from the service. You won't be able to BS your way through if you have not met those challenges.

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Oh I'm far from an "average student", I just won't have a 4.0 from a well known college.

The college itself doesn't matter. That high GPA will help. All OCS applicants get an interview. The interview is a crucial part of the application process. If you haven't already done so, go to www.gocoastguard.com. Under Officer Careers, click on Officer Forms and Deadlines. Look for the OCS checklist and print yourself a copy. Go through it and gather everything that you can on your own. Most of the forms are located right there on the site. Other things, like your police record checks, credit check, and physical is done by the recruiter. Unlike enlisted recruiting, most of the OCS ground work is up to the applicant. Pay attention to the details of the checklist. For instance, it asks you to write a personal narrative that is no more than 2 pages double-spaced that addresses your goals and objectives. Make sure you are following that instruction. Don't write your life story. If you show up to your first meeting with the recruiter with a good chunk of the package already completed, itwill help you out a lot.

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OCS 2011 hopeful too! As soon as the new board dates come out someone please let us know.

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J. Grant Furlong

Pain is the Payment for Pride.

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.
-Richard Brinsley Sheridan

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
-John Quincy Adams

As far as I know, the panel for the January 2011 class (the one Im applying for) is this coming September. Your package must be submitted by Aug 1 I think.

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No dates have been specified on the Panel. Keep checking gocoastguard.com. We should see new dates in the June time frame.

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

No dates have been specified on the Panel. Keep checking gocoastguard.com. We should see new dates in the June time frame.

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Vr,
Chuck

These poor, plain men, dwellers upon the lonely sands of Hatteras, took their lives in their hands, and, at the most imminent risk crossed the most tumultuous sea…and all for what? That others might live to see home and friends. — Annual Report of the U.S. Life- Saving Service, 1885

Recruiting Website

Read here for answers to the most often asked questions about joining the Coast Guard!

Hey, I've got a follow-up question.

A friend of mine in another branch (ROTC) told me I might be able to get medically cleared before talking to a recruiter through DoDMETS this summer. I don't know much more about the subject, but that I want to do everything I can leading up to my initial recruiter contact to show I'm dedicated and proactive. Is this something I could/should do? Can anyone lend some insight?

Be careful with this statement now... I graduated last fall from basic training and 41 out of 88 of us had college degrees, 6 more had associates, and 3 of us had a masters degree. Not to mention that all 6 of my instructors at A-School had a degree or were finishing them up this semester.

DNeezy,

I stand by my statement but you have to understand what it was. This was a question about officers and I answered in regards to officers. My point wasn't that people didn't have degrees because as you said many do. My point was that there are a lot of officers and since you brought it up, enlisted members as well, and I will even add civilians that have degrees yet are complete idiots. A degree does not necessarily equal a well rounded person or even a smart one. Thus the comment "I cannot believe many even made it through college."

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You might want to see if you can get in a CG Auxiliary flotilla close by and complete some of the training. It would look good if you were Boat Crew qualified or even had served as a Flotilla Staff Officer. there are a lot of options in the Auxiliary and those would look good on your app.

I wish I could, but I don't live near the coast or near any major waterways, and I already have an internship for the summer. That would be awesome though!

lineallowsfor,

Have you already applied, or are you waiting for the next board? I know there is a board meeting this week, but the next one isn't scheduled until next spring.

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I'll be applying for spring 2011.

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Question, if I don't get a slot in the 2011 Boards I'm starting to look at the Reserve Officer options since I I hear there are more opportunities in the Reserves. How does the jump from Reserve Officer to full Active Duty Officer work? Would it require extra training, is it difficult and/or competitive?

And I guess on that note, how competitive is a Reserve Officer position compared to Active Duty?

It's very difficult. It is all based on the availability of active duty slots. I would say that it's just about impossible these days to integrate into active duty. There just isn't any room.

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But wouldn't it improve competitiveness to have Reserve experience, compared to my current position of coming straight out of college?