Hello,
I just finished my secret clearance interview and would appreciate any advice, so I created this throwaway account. I know no one here can give me the odds of being cleared, so I'm just ranting.
Overall, the interview went okay. 2 hours long, and all the issues I put down on the SF86 were touched: past weed use (last time 2023 and only did it sporadically), foreign contacts (studied abroad and lived in a foreign exchange house at my local university during my senior year of undergrad), and I volunetrred to be hospitalized for two nights due to sucdial gestures in 2019 (no tretaemnt or diagnosis from the hospitial). However, what's getting to me is that I have a history of soliciting escorts.
Initially, I did not disclose this on the SF86 since I was never arrested for it, and the form never asked about sexual matters. During the interview, questions along those lines came up, and I answered honestly—nothing but the truth. I solicited an escort five times from 2022 to Jan 2026 due to unanticipated rejections from dental school and field training for AFROTC. I could go into detail about why I did it, but to boil it down, I was afraid of not having a future and no direction in my life. Fortunately, I now have a bright future, and the underlying motive for my seeking escorts is gone. I have told my therapist about these incidents, and she agrees that the root cause is behind me and that she is more than willing to write a statement in support. I've also told my family, my personal trainer, and my ex-girlfriend (told her before we started dating, and she had no problem with it).
I am in talks with a law firm with secret clearance about my next steps if I receive an SOR. Hopefully, I will be cleared in the future and can start my career in the military.
Thank you for reading my rant!