Did any of you make it to OCS without much leadership experience?

[AllYourBass]

First off, I love this forum. I've pored through it for months and it's been tremendously helpful. I'll be putting in an Aviation/NFO/SWO package in September, and I'm planning to take my first ASTB attempt in July. I'm not at all troubled about areas I can improve, like my grades and aptitude test scores and fitness. I'm more concerned about a lack of extracurricular participation in my past.

I'm about to graduate with a journalism (lol) degree and a nearly 3.9 GPA. Assuming I do super well on the ASTB, I don't think my non-sciency degree will be too big a deal (so I've read), but I'm a little concerned about leadership experience. A great many of the OCS packages I've seen included experience in sports/Eagle Scouts/etc. I can think of only a few things that would qualify as volunteer experience, and the majority of them don't really entail leadership:

• Played music in my chapel team during senior year of high school (volunteer)
• Served multiple editor positions (including editor-in-chief) on one college newspaper for two years, then more editor work on a magazine for a year, and then more editor work at my next college for half a year
• Volunteered editing work for quarterly newsletter targeted to Huntington's disease community

The news/magazine editor stuff (especially EIC) was definitely a taste of leadership, but that's about it. Nothing really off-campus or sporty or anything like that. Have any of you been accepted to OCS with this much (or less) leadership experience to tout?

 

[BackOrdered]

Yes, that said I had several leadership activities when I applied.

But ask yourself this, why not? All of those activities have a way of being the guy in charge. Did you have a job or something?

 

[AllYourBass]

Yes, that said I had several leadership activities when I applied.

But ask yourself this, why not? All of those activities have a way of being the guy in charge. Did you have a job or something?

I appreciate the speedy reply.

No excuse for before high school, but for college it was always work and units. I've taken 12- to 18-unit semesters every semester (not including the journalism stuff) and I've supported myself through college with 40-hour work weeks ever since I started college at the age of 18. I'm sure I could have found time to squeeze stuff in on weekends and whatnot, but I'm pretty satisfactorily tapped out by the end of the week, not to mention living the straggling remnants of my life and such

As for sports, I just don't care about sports. Except paintball. Paintball's fun.

 

[BackOrdered]

As long as those 40 hour work weeks are well documented and stressed in your statements, you should be fine.

 

[AllYourBass]

Thanks tiz84, your advice is much appreciated.

 

[Renegade One]

Have any of you been accepted to OCS with this much (or less) leadership experience to tout?

tiz84 probably has better "current" advice...

In the olden days...yeah, probably most of us.

"80% of life is just showing up." ~Woody Allen

 

[BackOrdered]

Where did you go to college?

 

[AllYourBass]

Where did you go to college?

Started at Los Angeles Pierce College (community college) and transferred to California State University, Northridge to finish my degree.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

First off, I love this forum. I've pored through it for months and it's been tremendously helpful. I'll be putting in an Aviation/NFO/SWO package in September

Your question does not have a cut and dry answer, the reason is each designator is different and has different selection criteria, I have seen people picked up for SNA/SNFO with little or no leadership experience but very good ASTB scores, now I have rarely seen a person picked up for supply without leadership experience, SWO is a mixed bag so hard to call that one.

 

[TAMR]

I had a ton of extra-curriculars, but to be honest only one of them had any real leadership involvement. I played sports, but was never a captain.

 

[BACONATOR]

Never played a sport, was never part of a religious or extra-curricular group's leadership, nor had I ever had a full-time job. I was a 21 year old college-educated idiot when I showed up at OCS. And, in spite of most people's wishes around these parts, my career hasn't exactly spiraled into the proverbial toilet. You'll be fine. Or maybe you won't. But leadership experience before OCS (or lack thereof) isn't the litmus test to decide that.

 

[AllYourBass]

Your question does not have a cut and dry answer, the reason is each designator is different and has different selection criteria, I have seen people picked up for SNA/SNFO with little or no leadership experience but very good ASTB scores, now I have rarely seen a person picked up for supply without leadership experience, SWO is a mixed bag so hard to call that one.

Good to know. I'm sure SWO will be especially iffy given the limited need for more after the FY12 boards (assuming the FY13 boards even take place).

I had a ton of extra-curriculars, but to be honest only one of them had any real leadership involvement. I played sports, but was never a captain.

Yay It's all coming together now. I must've just read one thread's worth of pro-rec'd packages and gotten a false read on the implied acceptance requirements when everybody had been an Eagle Scout/professor/prior/president of 15 clubs at school.

Never played a sport, was never part of a religious or extra-curricular group's leadership, nor had I ever had a full-time job. I was a 21 year old college-educated idiot when I showed up at OCS. And, in spite of most people's wishes around these parts, my career hasn't exactly spiraled into the proverbial toilet. You'll be fine. Or maybe you won't. But leadership experience before OCS (or lack thereof) isn't the litmus test to decide that.

Awesome. I'm putting most my eggs in the ASTB basket. I've got a heavy gouge binder that could be used as a murder weapon and I'll be taking my first attempt next month.

 

[BusyBee604]

but I'm a little concerned about leadership experience. A great many of the OCS packages I've seen included experience in sports/Eagle Scouts/etc. I can think of only a few things that would qualify as volunteer experience, and the majority of them don't really entail leadership:

One thing to be considered by applicant's worrying about lack of leadership experience in their resume: Working hard at your employment/jobs, with excellent reviews/results/comments from employer managers/supervisors documented in your package. This indicates a form of leadership on your part, by being a fine example to your fellow employees, one of the pillars of leadership. You don't necessarily have to have had direct supervision of others to exhibit leadership potential!

If/when selected, you will have ample training & ever increasing opportunities to continue refining leadership skills.... as you learn to fly aircraft, drive ships that float or sink, or provide supplies, intelligence, etc..

*Edit: BTW OttoWrote8, there is no AW who would wish your career into the proverbial toilet...preposterous!
BzB

 

[AllYourBass]

One thing to be considered by applicant's worrying about lack of leadership experience in their resume: Working hard at your employment/jobs, with excellent reviews/results/comments from employer managers/supervisors documented in your package. This indicates a form of leadership on your part, by being a fine example to your fellow employees, one of the pillars of leadership. You don't necessarily have to have had direct supervision of others to exhibit leadership potential!

If/when selected, you will have ample training & ever increasing opportunities to continue refining leadership skills.... as you learn to fly aircraft, drive ships that float or sink, or provide supplies, intelligence, etc..
BzB

Awesome insight, I appreciate it

 

[Harrier Dude]

There are plenty of folks who make it all the way through their command tour without having any leadership experiences.