Should I commission Active or Reserves?

The nation has stood down so go for reserve.

It all depends on what you want to do…and what the OML has you at.

If you want to go Intel, go reserves because the majority, if not all Army Intel is reserves; I can’t comment on the others though.

I was drafted from my teaching job and then went to OCS for my commission. I was an infantry officer who served in Vietnam. I recently served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield as the Mobilization Officer. I was lucky enough to have dual careers, one as a school principal and the other as an LTC in a reserve unit. I advise you to keep both options open and follow the course/ courses that you are most interested in.

I served in Army National Guard as a 91B Medic and then went thru my State OCS program. The best decision I could have done. I was commissioned 2LT - Infantry 11A. I went to Infantry Officer Basic Course (IOBC) in Ft Benning. I earned EIB - it was part of our training.

Go JAG then help all these troops with the shot crap

Unless you are commissioning from one of the military academies you will receive a USAR commission at your ROTC school.

Then, once you have arrived at and began BOLC, you will take your active duty oath. That will officially bring you on active duty.

I have spent time enlisted in the guard, and commissioned in active duty. I loved both aspects for Different reasons. You need to weigh your options, and choose a path that will benefit you and your family/life goals the most. There
Is a saying that isn’t often talked about in the military openly, but you need too lol out for your own best interests. If you do not, no one else will.

That’s not to say that your peers and subordinates/ leaders won’t be going after the best for the army, but you can be certain they are planning their next move to be the most beneficial to them.

Ultimately the choice is yours. As I said I enjoyed every part of both aspects. And now I have transitioned out of the armed forces to civilian life. Your path will be very rewarding if you chose options that make the most of your skills and talents.

It's a choice that has a lot of varying considerations. When my youngest son joined the Army Reserves during his Junior year in high school, upon graduation, he immediately went Regular Army. He was born to be a warrior. His older brother asked my thoughts on enlisting; but he was not what I considered someone who would like a military career. I told him, "Join the Reserves ... it's a committment for weekends and typically two weeks active training. IF you like it, you can always switch to Regular Army. If you go Regular Army and DON'T like it, you'll be stuck for the entire enlisment." I also told him that, either way, he'd very likely deploy.
Both did 10 years service - the youngest in the Regular Army and medically discharged after 10 years and three combat tours. The oldest stayed Reserves and didn't really enjoy Army life except when he was deployed to Iraq. Drills and annual training were like a garrison unit and he hated it. Both made SSG and both are Honorably Discharged.
So, in your case ... the advice to my youngest might be the way for you to start to, "test the waters."

Here's a tip - the Army selects your branch, all you do is let them know preferences. Are you a SMP member in the Guard? Also, at the risk of sounding hardass, how old are you? Your statement that "I really want to earn a CIB" is pretty darn childish and indicates a total lack of understanding and/or comprehension of the actual truth about serving. If you don't know any better than that, you're not going to be a very effective officer, regardless of branch or whether you are active or reserve component.

Going full time or staying part time is a personal choice and depends on what you want in life. Both have their pros and cons but it’s on you to decide what fits best.

As for wanting a CIB and chasing awards I would just recommend focusing on the now. Everyone wants to play in the super bowl but a lot of it is down to timing and being in the right place.

Don’t make life changing decisions on something that is hypothetical either way at this stage

Commission to the active force, if you have the option.