Am I competitive for Army OCS?

James Wells — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 14:39:52 -0500

I’m a college junior thinking about applying to OCS after graduation and was generally wondering how my application would stack up against the rest, in your honest opinion. (I can currently score a 250 on a PT and will work on bringing that up as much as possible, so I’m more curious about thoughts on the non-physical aspects of my would-be application).

1. Junior at a top ten college, think UChicago/Duke/UPenn. Valedictorian in High School.

2. American History major with a focus on military history, national security policy and grand strategy

3. A major GPA of 3.9, but a cumulative GPA of 3.0. I was a STEM major but flunked out despite my best efforts

4. Haven’t taken the ASVAB but I got a 31/36 on the ACT, with a 34/36 on both the Math and Readings sections.

5. One rec letter from a former US Ambassador, one from a current US Ambassador, and one from a current and well known US Senator (think Cruz/Cheney/Rubio).

6. Three unpaid internships in public service: one at my local city hall in the treasury office, one with the State Department as a diplomatic intern at one of our largest embassies in the world, and one on Capitol Hill in the office of a US Senator.

7. Significant leadership positions in academic clubs but nothing in sports or things like that.

Not sure what other information is relevant. I’m very new to this whole process so I’d appreciate any and all feedback/advice/criticism.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 5 at 2019 8:09 PM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 20:09:33 -0500

Does your school offer ROTC?
If it does, you should join. Not only can they help pay for your tuition, you could get an allowance, and they will give you the experience you need to start your military career.

Response by Bobby Maddox made Nov 10 at 2019 2:05 AM

Bobby Maddox — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 02:05:59 -0500

My recruiter showed me these metrics for recent acceptances for AD OCS

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 4 at 2019 9:35 AM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 09:35:14 -0500

I just got accepted into OCS and I’m in service and I can tell you your PT score is going to be one of the biggest metrics they look at. When I was completing my packet and getting advice from other Officers and OCS graduate the first thing they ask me about was my APFT score. I’m just going to be honest with you, a 250 isn’t going to cut it. You need to be in the 270< range. As a young 2LT leading a Platoon your soldiers are going to look at you different if they are out running you and PTing you. Other than that your credentials look pretty strong.