Final Select Questions

[mbraesicke]

I received a pro rec for SNA last week, and have a few questions about what to expect between now and receiving the FS letter. My recruiter told me that since i've been MEPS cleared, have filled out the NASIS questionaire (no problems there as far as I know), and have filled out all of the other paperwork necessary for a FS, it will make the process quicker. He quoted me a 1-3 months turn around time, but from what i've read on the forums it seems like it could be quite a bit longer.

1. Is getting a pro rec similar to receiving a tentative offer? Basically if your medical, background check, and whatever else is cleared you'll be given a FS. Or is it more of a "maybe/maybe not" situation, where regardless of the outcome of your paperwork you can't be sure if you'll get a FS or not. I've looked through quite a few threads and have not seen anyone get pro recced then non-select unless it was due to a paperwork/background issue, so I was wondering if anyones heard of that happening.

2. For those that have had a final select take longer than 1-3 months, was it due to issues arising from the background/medical/paperwork, or did it just take that long to go through? I realize that everyone's experience is different, but will you generally receive the FS within 3 months if nothing comes up along the way?

3. Are there any common hangups that people going through this process have run into on a regular basis? I've seen quite a few people post that they've had issues with their background check, but is there anything you can do about that other than fill it out as meticulously as possible?

Thanks in advance.

 

[revan1013]

1. Pretty much a tentative offer. They've basically said "we think you're worth offering this job to, so we're gonna forward it along to stamp everything else out". The real solid offer is the FS. Nothing is set in stone until you get your commission, and even then, there are unforeseeable events that can always occur. Nothing is ever 100% really.

2. Mine was about 2 months or so, so N/A.

3. Most people have some kind of medical or security issue that needs to be hammered out. It's normal, don't sweat it. Few things are really gonna cause major complications that haven't already disqualified you at this point.

EDIT- Also... don't get a DUI or get into a barfight or anything like that. Pretty obvious I know, but you'd be surprised to see the many ways people screw away their careers.

 

[Danielsw25]

1. It's not so much a "tentative offer" actually. The pro-rec is the major hurdle in this endeavor. You shouldn't have any issues in the background check unless you weren't forthcoming on your application. Medical issues and legal problems are what can amount to a rejection. From everything I have read, non-selects at this phase are pretty rare and usually based on medical problems.

2. N/A

3. I'd be curious to know what you consider "quite a few" to be. I have seen one guy on this site that received a non-select during this phase and not know why. Everyone else, which means a handful of people if that, were for medical reasons that weren't brought up during the application process.

I wouldn't worry about it. And Revnan is right. Make sure you don't do anything stupid and illegal. Also, attempt to avoid injuries because you are looking at a 6 month window on average before OCS class date. Could be longer, but regardless, a broken leg while attempting that double backflip on your dirtbike is going to hamper the process!

 

[ajalali]

1. pro-rec = professional recommendation from an evaluating board of Naval Officers. The meaning is in the writing, really...something like: "We, as professionals of the program, recommend this kid into the program." But like revan said, nothing is 100% in life so yes, it's a tentative offer.

2. Mine took longer than 3 months due to medical and paperwork.

3. If by issues you mean having to get interviewed, then I'd say that is pretty normal. I've had two interviews already due to questions they had about some of my answers. One was before FS and the other was after. Anything can happen man. Just focus on you, your fitness, and keep your eyes on the prize. That's what I'm trying to do and I think (I hope) it's working for me.

 

[mbraesicke]

Thanks for the responses guys, my recruiter is pretty confident everything will go through without a hitch. I've already been prequalified medically and am sending up my NASIS/JPAS stuff this week, shouldn't be anything there that can cause problems either. We had to submit some extra paperwork saying that the university I attended was only showing up as a junior college instead of a 4-year university (it changed names within the last 10 years or so, guess it hasn't been updated) and that they'll need to manually add that to my file. Pretty insignificant from my point of view, but i've had enough experience with bureaucracies to know even the smallest things can hang up the big machine. Not much I can do about it now I guess.

Another quesion though. I filled out and submitted the NASIS paperwork about a year ago when I first applied, and my recruiter is saying that once you submit it you can't change it. Has anyone run into problems due to their background info being out of date? i've changed addresses, jobs, and my insurance provider since I filled it out, and i'd hate to tack on a few extra months between now and the FS because of that. I've heard that before getting the FS they just do a preliminary BG check, run your name through databases and check your credit, then start back up on it later on. If thats the case I guess it wouldn't be an issue until later. Anyone know?