r/ArmyOCS

Civilian here trying to better understand what officer life/work is actually like across different branches/jobs.

From the outside, people often describe officers as either:

- primarily managers/leaders/administrators

or

- highly technical specialists/operators

I’m guessing the reality depends heavily on branch, career field, rank, etc... but I’m curious what the day-to-day balance actually looks like in practice. Particularly how much of your work was people management vs hands-on problem solving? And did that balance change a lot over time as you promoted?

Would especially appreciate hearing from people in technical or engineering-related roles too.

So, I have a low GPA of 2.9 for my Bachelors degree in Healthcare Services. I did this in my first years in the army and I had no idea how important it was to keep a good GPA. I just graduated my Masters degree in Acquisition and Contract Management on Dean’s list with GPA of 4.0.

I am thinking of applying but scared of my gpa being low

29M, TIS 9 yrs, I have been in MEDCOM, FORSCOM, and SOCOM.

How big is the GPA on the packet?

TIA

Can I get into Officer Candidate School (OCS) with a 2.8 GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Communications? I understand that my GPA may make the process more competitive, but I want to know if it is still possible to be selected. What OAR score should I realistically aim for to strengthen my application and improve my chances of acceptance? I’m also 24 years old. Athletic in shape.

What branch is the easiest to commission through?

I need advice from ANYONE that went to accelerated at Fort McClellan in the summer. Primarily land nav. I am an enlisted Soldier with 4 years TIS and I am pretty decent at land nav. I passed my pre-OCS and found all my points within the 4 hour time limit (Found 4 points in about 2 hours) over very hilly terrain in full kit, about 80 degree heat, and decently dense vegetation. I’m just trying to gauge how difficult the land nav is and if the attrition rate is so high because it’s mostly brand new 09S’s fresh out of basic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Okay I am graduating college in December this year and I have heard that OCS is becoming increasingly more competitive. I’ve been interested in commissioning since beginning of college but was unable to do ROTC. Can anyone give me a little insight on the current application process and characteristics that would make me a good candidate for OCS selection.

I also was interested if anyone can speak to the branch availability in their recent OCS classes- intel, signal, CA, etc. I have been interested in intel for the most part but I am not sworn off as I know there is limited spots.

Here is a few stats of mine:
3.0 gpa at University of Florida
Economics and business admin major
Supervisor and leadership experience at work
Strong fitness background and certified personal trainer
Age 21, Female, 165 lbs 5’11”
Coding experience, python, C++, R
Relationships with current and former federal LE agents
(I have a DEA internship lined up)

Hi all please i will appreciate some guidance
Still working on my packet for airforce OCS. I am to complete my MEPS physical soon. I wanted to go ahead and start getting my letters of recommendations ready
For previous recruits, is there a particular format to follow or it depends upon my recruiter
I am asking because i don’t want my recommenders to write a letter then i have to contact them again when the time comes for them to adjust formatting.
I’ll be in the comments for answers
Thank you all

This page has been a great help in the process! Yes, my name is on it. I was viciously nervous. I checked my atrrs, but no school date yet.

Congratulations to everyone on the list.

I'm a college junior with a 3.3 GPA interested in commissioning as an Army officer after graduation. I met with a recruiter recently and he's advising me to join the Reserves first to gain some military experience before applying for OCS.

I have zero military background, no ROTC, no prior service, nothing. His reasoning is that having enlisted experience will make me a stronger OCS candidate.

Is this actually good advice for someone in my position, or is he just trying to hit his enlistment quota? Would a 3.3 GPA be competitive enough for a direct OCS application? Any insight from people who've gone through this would be really helpful.

Why does no one talk about how becoming an officer through the guard is a great/very realistic plan for people. You don’t have to go through a board, quicker timeline, and the same OML ranking system as active and reserves.

P.S. this is the route I’m going and going to basic in June and then OCS sometime Jan-Feb. 09S.

Hi everyone, I am in the process of applying to OCS for the NG, I had to get a waiver for eczema when I went to MEPS the first time as an enlisted. I have a MEPS app for my commission physical I was wondering what could happen if I fail that physical for that same eczema condition would it affect me as an enlisted soldier? thank you

Generally curious as far as letters of recommendation for OCS packet.
My current recruiter is telling me I need 6 current/former Officer LORs.

Whenever I went in office, I had one from a former retired Lt. Col, one currently enlisted Sgt who i’ve known for years and one from my current supervisor/director where i’ve worked for 4+ years, and she’s saying the last two just wouldn’t work. A “good” candidate for OCS would have 6, she’s FIRM on this, and this seems like a current barrier.

I’ve just graduated with my Bachelor’s in Social Work, 3.8 GPA, former Army Reservist (I’ve tried to find my former leadership contact information since i’ve been out since 2017 and that went no where), and went to MEPS last year until I had decided to wait to try for OCS.

I’ve been able to connect with one other current Officer who is willing to write me a recommendation, but I’m a bit stuck? I’m literally not sure if I need to look into a different recruiter, continue searching for more qualified candidates to write me LORs? Any advice?

I’ll likely be shipping out for BCT late in the summer and leaving my car and civilian clothes and such behind in storage where I live now (Washington DC).

I’m just trying to plan out if I’ll have time to pick up my car and things (including furniture) for BOLC after OCS, or if I’ll have to wait till my first duty station assignment to figure that out.

I understand that for most BOLCs, people live in long-term hotel rentals or something like that, so I wouldn’t need to get any furniture for that.

If anyone went through that process recently or has any advice, I’d appreciate it!

I've been working with a NG recruiter and have taken my ASVAB, going to MEPS in a few weeks for physical however I'm interested in the difference between NG and reserves with regards to OCS.

The gaurd essentially told me state OCS is the only guarentee. Once I got my scores sounds like I'm very competitive for accelerated OCS board and it's all but guaranteed unless i majorly screw other stuff up. However traditional federal OCS is still very unlikely since they get 2 slots a fiscal year and those are usually earmarked for enlisted unofficially since they're proven and know everyone.

How does this work for the reserve? Since they're federal are the only options to commission accelerated or traditional OCS?

Haven't talked to a Guard recruiter yet but hopefully will before or after I go to MEPS.

In addition if you branch at OCS and have a specific desired branch (MI, Signal, or Cyber) is there a resource to see what opportunities are near you guard vs reserve? It seems like a gamble for what you're going to end up doing so any info on that process would be appreciated.

TIA

So I’m asking this cause I’m writing my why I wanna be an army officer essay and is there supposed to be a specific format and if they are looking for something in particular.

I had my BN board interview last week. They said that I'll know if I'm selected or not this week, but my recruiter hasn't seen anything. I've heard most people find out they got selected by their BN immediately or the next day. The packet deadline for the USAREC board in June is this Friday, so I'm worried my packet might not get submitted in time. Has anyone else experienced this? What should I do?

I’m a 24M and feeling pretty lost on what direction I want to take my career. I graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA in Operations Management, but haven’t been able to land a job in my field, and I haven’t really found a path I’m excited about yet. I'm mostly worried about my physical fitness. I’m currently about 10–15 lbs overweight from not staying active the past few years, but I’m confident I can get back in shape if I commit to it.

I’ve been looking into Army OCS as a potential option and would appreciate any insight from people who’ve gone through it or considered it.

Hello everyone I’m preparing my packet for the August board and I’m wondering for anyone can give me some advice or templates to look over.

I am about to promote to SGT, but I want to go OCS. No one in my chain of command has any idea what I need to do, any and all advice/info would be great thank you.

Hey everyone, looking for some perspective from those who’ve been through this. I had my OCS battalion board on May 5th and it genuinely felt like it went really well. The board was reacting positively to my answers in real time, saying things like “great answers” and “wow I really like that.” So I do really feel like I was recommended, but of course I don’t know for sure since official results haven’t been released yet.

Today, May 8th, was supposed to be the day my packet gets pushed up to USAREC. I still haven’t heard official board results, and my recruiter hasn’t responded to my latest check-in. I’ve tried messaging and calling and haven’t gotten through yet.

I’m trying not to be too impatient and I trust that my recruiter knows what he’s doing way more than I do, but the silence today specifically is making me anxious because of the deadline. Is no news at this point normal three business days after the board? Should I just assume silence means my packet got pushed up and things are moving? Or should I be following up more aggressively? Any perspective from people who’ve been through this part of the process would help me a lot. Thanks in advance.