going through my packing l for OCS. context, I am fresh out of basic and only have issued gear. my list says I need a summer bag and a winter bag, but I was only issued a summer bag. how can I go about getting a winter bag last minute? what does it look like? any links or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hello everyone,
just have a general question roughly on my timeline and what to expect in the process of Army Reserves to Active OCS.
I have been in the reserves for 5 years with my ETS approaching in December of this year (2026). I am 25 years old and with my reserves time coming to an end I really want to transfer to active duty and go to OCS as I have my degree now. I want to ensure a smooth transition and start OCS hopefully early 2027 (January- march) how likely is that to happen with me still waiting to get a dd368 (conditional release) from the army reserves and the process of what happens once I have my conditional release.
Thank you all.
Hi I passed the army OCS interview this month. I am a civilian commissioning.
My recruiter has not done an officer contract before, but he told me that final decisions will be made next month in August.. but he says he doesn’t know anything after that as far as when training starts?
Are there any recruiters on here that have a date for when I would leave for training for basic?
I got a low number on the selection because I don't have enough experience. I don't know what else I could do to make myself more competitive. I have been AC for 5 years and I am a SGT. I was the primary Armorer for my past 2 units and haven't had a bad NCOER. I have 4 degrees. I have 2 sets of Airborne wings. I just don't what else I can do to be more competitive for the next chance. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi everyone,
I’m graduating this summer with a B.S. (3.9 GPA) and have already been admitted to several master’s programs at ASU.
My end goal is to earn my master’s with as little debt as possible (I was fortunate to complete my bachelor’s debt-free), and I recently learned that graduate students can sometimes participate in ROTC and commission after graduation.
I may need a few medical waivers, so I know there’s no guarantee I’d be eligible. I’d also have to relocate from Texas to attend ASU, so I’m wondering if it would make more sense to pursue ROTC there or apply to master’s programs in Texas instead.
Or would I have better luck commissioning after my bachelor’s through OCS/OTS and then using my education benefits to pursue graduate school later?
I’m also open to different branches, not just the Army, so I’d love to hear from anyone who’s taken a similar path.
I’d really appreciate any advice. I’m exploring all my options after a bachelors. Thanks!
I am an E5 with 8 years in. I have a strong essay, strong interview, LORs from a 4star, 1star, 06 and an 05, 411/500 PT, 3.1 GPA in Cybersecurity.
Feel free for those who have been selected rate my packet. I did the best I could do and honestly that’s all you can do especially with them cutting the numbers of LT’s they select.
Here to see how stacked these other packets are for the August board as well as connect to keep each other in the loop when results drop in a few months.
Current college freshman here. Getting arthroscopic shoulder surgery (Bankart repair w/ remplissage) that has no metal hardware next month, and I'm wondering about the feasibility of a waiver. I will have 3.5 years of recovery before going to MEPS.
These are my main questions:
How much do I actually have to disclose? I know MHS GENESIS is a thing, but I want to maximize my odds.
Is this a waiver that will be terribly difficult to get approved, or is it routine?
Is this something I could get an ETP for?
Finally, how much does finding the right recruiter/effort play into this? I'm ready to go all the way in getting this done, but is it really all in the hands of the medical board?
Thanks.
8 year AD USAF E5 here. I am working with my Recuiter in order to start putting a package together. He recommended the letter of recs from just a flight (platoon) level.
That means my letter of recs would only be from a E7, O2, O3. In addition to two letters from my college.
My leadership asked me if going up the chain and getting a LOR from a O5, O6 would benefit me more but didn’t know if the letters were to be super personal and just touch on my “whole person” concept in my daily work life.
I agree with my leadership and they should go higher. I however like applying to USAF OTS the rank matters a lot on these letters, is that the same for the army?
I have my board interview tomorrow, do they still just go off of the DA 6285 form?
Also any thing I should know besides the normal speak clearly confidently.... and practice and recite Q&A's from that form?
Had a pre-board interview for officer candidate selection, and the panel felt deliberately adversarial throughout. Multiple members pushed back hard on answers, one in particular seemed to be testing for a reaction dismissive responses, visible smirking, repeating a point several times to see if I’d crack, that kind of thing. I tried to stay composed and consistent, but it felt like I was being rage baited at points, and I left unsure whether that hostility was a sign things went poorly or just a standard pressure-test tactic boards use on purpose. I feel confident in my answers and was extremely respectful the entire time so I’m curious if that’s a tactic to get people who are calm to crash out. It didn’t seem spiteful or aggressive but rather a strategy to get a reaction.
Has anyone else experienced boards or officer selection panels that felt this openly hostile or baiting in tone? Trying to figure out if this is a common evaluation style meant to test composure, or if it’s more panel-dependent. Also curious how people who went through something similar ended up doing in the end. wondering if a rough-feeling interview is actually a red flag or just noise. overall still a rewarding experience
I am an SPC 94F veteran and plan to pursue Active Duty OCS. I honorably separated from the Army at the end of 2018.
I just received my Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, and I currently work as an AWS Cloud System Administrator. My GPA is 3.20, and I have several AWS certifications and CompTIA certifications. My current biggest issue is my fitness, but I am working on losing weight and preparing myself by exercising daily. I want to start my talk with a recruiter when I am close to my H/W standard. I am 75" at 280 lbs, looking to drop 40-50 lbs in 6 months. What are my chances of being accepted at my age? If I drop the weight and improve myself physically to what I was 7 years ago, how competitive can my application be?
Hi everyone, I plan on submitting an OCS Packet for after I graduate college.
I am, however, on track to attend a study abroad program in Hong Kong during my second semester of Junior year. Would this affect my chances of getting selected for OCS or receiving a security clearance?
I’ll try to make this short, back in january and april of this year I was prescribed anxiety meds for one time usage to help with polygraph anxiety specifically. I don’t believe i was ever diagnosed officially since it’s situational.
I scored great on my ASVAB with a 98 and I’d really like to go 35F.
What are my odds of getting a waiver for Reserve or ideally OCS since I have a graduate degree?
Anything I can bring to Meps to help out with my odds? I can and have gotten an all clear letter from my doctor and the psychologist I saw in the past.
I’m going to be getting a security clearance for my officer packet for army OCS. I don’t have a serious background but I have a few things in my history that concern.
One traffic ticket for speeding ($225) but paid it off on time.
Employment
-11 jobs in the past 4 years.
2 were internships/temporary
7 were probably jobs I left notice before quitting, even if on short notice (1 day prior)
I practically ghosted 2 jobs.
-months gaps in employment, mainly because of college
Financial
1200$ in debt from two credit cards
One credit card is 240$ and has been charged off
Another is 1000$ with 3 late payments, but have been paying it off for the last 3 months
Address
I’ve had periods of living in my car since April 2025. From April to May 2025, and again from November 2025 to May 2026.
Drugs
smoked weed maybe 5 times during high school, it was never habitual, only smoked 5 times in total mainly in social settings. I did tell a doctor about it on a questionnaire form 5 years ago. Haven’t smoked in 4 years.
I’ve lived in the US my whole life but I’ve previously went to school in Mexico for 2 years from the 6th to 7th grade before moving to the US permanently. I have had contact with 2 friends and family members over there and have visited maybe 8 times since 2022, last visit was 7 months ago.
Got in trouble in high school during sophomore or junior due to attendance issues and was sent to a private counselor, only went like 2-3 times and never went again or had a problem. Never suspended, never sent to juvenile detention or had trouble with the law.
My main worries are the marijuana use, employment history, charged-off debt and foreign contact.
I have been in the NG for two years and want to go to OCS, has anyone else who’s done it have any advice on the process ? I still have four years on this contract and am trying to think ahead as I know the process is slow? I want to go AGR and stay in the army as long as possible but I can’t imagine surviving financially as enlisted because of how much I currently make I’d be taking a huge pay cut
Has anyone heard anything about the release of the In-Service results for the Reserves?
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I am 34yrs old, bachelor's in 2014 and masters in 2016 so it's been 10 years since I finished college, and I regret not joining the Army sooner. Looking for a career change and I am not interested in going to another private employer.
I have always wanted to be a soldier and I am at a now or never age. But I haven't had much luck trying to get into the officer side. The recruiters I have talked to are trying to trick me into just enlisting without the 09s on the contract.
If you have experience going through the 09s process please share your experience.
Thank you
Hey everybody,
Closing in on finishing OCS here and just branched Active Duty Infantry. We get to enter in a base preference list the next 2 weeks and I’m hoping to hear some people’s experience with their preferences list. Realistically, trying to figure out how arbitrary this process is.
Before I put 11th Airborne, 173rd, and 25th ID as my top 3 with little realistic chance to get them…. does the list I make matter much at all? Will putting more realistic options for my top 3 (101st Airborne, 10th mountain, 3rd ID) give me a better chance to get those units?
Also for those who entered their base preferences in halfway through IBOLC into the algo, that process has totally gone away
Just informed by my recruiter that my name was not on the select or non-select list for either the active or reserve lists.
This would make the second board in a row my packet wasn’t considered even though I was informed everything was submitted and ready to go.
Do I have any recourse other than talking to the station commander?
Hey, this is for all those selected from this most recent board in June. First and foremost, Congratulations! Please comment if you were selected, trying to form a group chat for us to drop insight and prepare for BCT/OCS the best we can. Secondly, has anyone heard anything about BCT/OCS dates yet. Lmk