How can I determine if I am a competitive Army OCS Applicant?

2019-01-10T00:00:06-05:00

I am currently trying to apply for OCS with the Army. I have a 3.47 GPA in Political Science, National Security Studies from Virginia Tech (I was not in the Corps of Cadets or ROTC). I talked to a recruiter, and he is saying i'm not a competitive applicant. This recruiter's suggestion is that I go enlisted, and then do Green-to-Gold. I took the ASVAB and got a 122 GT, then they really pushed the enlisted route. My GPA could have been higher and I have a Liberal Arts Degree, I get that. Am I really that uncompetitive? What can I do to get competitive? Should I try a different branch? I want to serve as an officer, as sacrilegious as it may sound the branch is secondary to that objective.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 12:12 AM

2019-01-10T00:12:22-05:00

Did he say why you weren't competitive? Sounds like he just doesn't want to do the paperwork. If you're eligible, I feel like he should submit the package. Are you physically fit?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 1:32 AM

2019-01-10T01:32:00-05:00

Your recruiter is being a lazy turd and you can quote me. My former Sniper section leader was a recruiter and said the paperwork required for OCS was way more than for a regular enlisted contract and recruiters are all about the numbers. I got in with a 2.8 GPA for my undergrad and a 3.55 for my graduate and that was during the drawdown. It’s all about how the board interview goes, but let’s get the paperwork done first. Bottom line, your recruiter is being lazy, a 3.47 and a 122 are competitive and the Army doesn’t give a damn about your degree, very few of us have degrees that relate directly to our careers until later in our service. Go back and tell the recruiter that you want to do OCS and don’t let him convince you otherwise if that’s what you have your mind set on. If he’s unwilling to work with you, go to a different recruiting station, but don’t let him tell you that you’re not competitive.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 7:10 AM

2019-01-10T07:10:21-05:00

What your recruiter is telling you is absolutely false!!!

I was just accepted a couple days ago. My GPA and GT was lower than yours, and I know other soldiers that were accepted with lower scores than mine. I don't know if recruiters are being pushed to get a certain amount of enlisted in, or if what CPT Sleight said about your recruiter being lazy is true, but you are very competitive.

If you really want to be an Officer I'd suggest you apply. Another route you could take is to enlist as a SPC then apply later on like I did. Doing this you get to experience what it's like to be a junior enlisted soldier first. If that's not something you're interested in, just apply now.

As long as you're in shape, do good on your structured interview, have a good essay and LORs, you should be fine.

Response by Maj John Bell made Jan 10 at 2019 7:41 AM

2019-01-10T07:41:29-05:00

I was a Marine Officer 25 years ago. So my "theory" may be completely off base. But If you were asking me this question 25 years ago...

1) Recruiters are trying to fill enlistment quotas. They don't get any credit for contacts that get commissioned.
2) The recruiter in question is putting his goals in front of the Army's

Locate the nearest ROTC unit and ask to speak to the Officer in Charge. He/she may not be the correct person to get the job done, but certainly knows who is. My guess is that the "recruiter" will get a little "corrective" counseling as an added bonus.

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 9:13 AM

2019-01-10T09:13:28-05:00

Look for another recruiter, or even another branch. I've seen applicants get OCS with almost a whole point lower of a GPA. As long as your PT is good, 270 plus, you present yourself well and have a few leadership responsibilities you can articulate, you'd be a great applicant. Go find a different recruiter as long as you can still commute. If that isn't an option, go back in and tell him you want to put your packet in and roll the dice and you won't accept anything else.

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 9:15 AM

2019-01-10T09:15:17-05:00

Furthermore I don't even think you can do green to gold when you already have a degree? I'm not sure on that one you may be able to do it for an advanced degree but definitely something to consider

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 9:40 AM

2019-01-10T09:40:44-05:00

Sounds like ol' boy is trying to fill a quota. Don't accept less than what you want. The Army won't care about you or your career nearly as much as you do, so don't start that career off by accepting a consolation prize. Good luck.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 10 at 2019 10:22 AM

2019-01-10T10:22:00-05:00

Just apply for a graduate program and go ROTC if you're dead set on becoming an officer. That aside, there's nothing wrong with going enlisted first then transitioning over as an officer. If you think you're better than that then maybe you shouldn't be an officer and you should stick with private sector offerings.

Response by Maj John Bell made Jan 10 at 2019 11:29 AM

2019-01-10T11:29:17-05:00

A little crystal ball advice. If you are planning on making the service a career, do at least one full enlistment. I was selected for promotion, put chose to leave the service prior to pinning the next rank on. I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to set my family up for life. But many good officers in my year group with great service records were passed over twice before they hit 20 years. If you get passed over twice before you hit 20, it really changes your retirement options.

Unless you really really piss of somebody really bad; or totally screw up, repeatedly, having a 4-6 year enlisted period makes a 20 year career about as close to a lock as you can get.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Jan 10 at 2019 2:10 PM

2019-01-10T14:10:43-05:00

Unless your Recruiter was an Officer how in the hell would he know if you were competitive or not? He does not sit on Army Officer boards, only officers do that. You need to go and speak with a local National Guard or Army Reserve Officer that was recently commissioned. Don't do Green to Gold, continue with your persuit of Officer off the street. Your GPA is far more than acceptable, IMO. Find another Recruiter that takes their job seriously. Also, don't switch service branches just because you ran into a Recruiter that wanted to enlist you. Give the Army another try.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2019 2:13 PM

2019-12-02T14:13:01-05:00

OCS is the worst way to become an officer. If you have 2 semesters left you can do ROTC or you can start your masters and do ROTC.

Just my $0.02