First Time User, How's my Intel Package #2?

[rey007]

Alright I am waiting to go before the board this Dec 05, I already turned in my application for an Intel slot in the RESERVES. I am a former Army Intel Captain that is trying to go Navy Intel. Why? Because the chance is there and its a step up on my career ladder. I’d just like to get some peoples opinion, especially if there is anyone who has done an IST or deals with.
Here are my status :

30 year old male
2.5 Overall PGA, International Studies, Minor in Foreign Languages, 3.0 Major GPA; Virginia Military Institute, Va. (A BIT LOW BUT WAS INMATURE AT THE TIME)
8 Years Military Experience, 3 Enlisted as an engineer, 2.5 as an Infantry Officer and 2.5 as an Intel Officer.
Graduate of both the Junior Officers Intel Course with a 96% overall and Intel Officers advance course 92%.
Active TOP Secret clearance
LOR: 3 Field Grade Officers and 1 Company Grade, including a LT Colonel who is the Deputy chief of operations for the National training center. 2 O-4's and an O-3
I still haven’t gotten my ASTB scores back but I am speculating it will be around a 40 OAR, 3 AQR, been out of college for 6 years and hadn’t seen a fraction in over 8 years.... I might not have time to take them again before the Dec Board (THIS IS WHERE MY WORRIES ARE MOSTLY AT)
My recruiter requested a waiver from the ASTB for an IST but haven’t heard anything back yet.
I am also going to be going down to San Diego and speak with the 2 Intel Officers and try to get a letter of recommendation from both of them.
I have also submitted 2 Intel briefings in my packet that I had to do for the Intel CPT's Career Course where I got over 90% on both.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks

 

[HH-60H]

Just a question: If you are prior, and even prior Officer, why did you have to do all that stuff? It just seems silly that they would make you take all those tests and BS.
Also, when you finished with the Army, did you resign your Commission? No IRR or anything? If you retained your Commission, I would think you would be doing an interservice transfer, instead of a "new hire".
I really don't know anything about this stuff, I am just curious.

 

[rey007]

Shrug!

yeah I am still in the IRR, and I don't know why I had to go through the whole nine yards, but I was told i had to so I did it. Got the DD368 form signed and everything. My Army comission will transfer over when and if I get accepted.

 

[rey007]

ASTB Results

Well I got my ASTB Results back, I got 4/4/4/ with a 46 OAR. I had an Interview with a RIPO Officer today and he said he would write a letter of recomendation for me. So hopefully that helps. Anyone have any comments?

 

[CDumas821]

I suspect there will be few problems with your application. Just be persistent with your detailer. Navy intel is not one of those hard fill desginators right now, so just keep on him.

 

[Logico]

I got selected for intel and am going to OCS in a few weeks. I agree with the people up there who said that you shouldn't have to go through all this junk in order to go in.


BUT.....if I only look at things from a "new hire" perspective then I have the following comments. First, your cum GPA is not very competitive. Also, your major GPA isn't all that competitive either. I got in through BDCP and perhaps those standards are higher but I was told that unless your GPA was at least 3.5 (give or take a few .1s) you were not going to make it. Also, your ASTB was a little low. Most people are scoring at least 50 to be competitive in BDCP.

THE GOOD NEWS: The above paragraph may not matter for you given your experience. Most of those "stats" are just used to cross compare people whom the board has very little other info about. In your case they can look at your service record which will blow away any other applicant.

MY ADVICE: In your motivation statement to the board I would address the less than optimal GPA while at the same time 'talking up' your experience and success in Army Intel. If you had maturity issues early in your college life that affected your GPA you need to tell them that. This is particularly true if a "wake up" point can be seen on your transcript. That is, if you have F's and D's up to a certain semester and then you start getting all A's and B's you should talk about the event in your life at that time (birth of a child, getting married, fell on your head, whatever) that prompted you to "wake up" and start kicking a** in school. They will see that in your transcript and it will turn your GPA into a STRENGTH. This is because it will show your maturity to be able to admit mistakes and to overcome them.

This is exactly what I did, by the way. I had a 3.0 GPA when I applied for intel BDCP. But if you look at my transcript it was all mistakes I did when I was young and stupid. Then, I got married, had kids, etc. and I grew up. On my transcript you can see where I took a semester or two off and then when I came back it was all A's. I addressed this change in my motivation statement and got accepted. Also like you, I had great work experience (although not as perfectly relevant as yours) and had solid letters of rec.

Good luck! Please consider this approach. The last thing you should do is NOT address it and take the chance of some idiot not looking at your packet further than the initial "OK let's cut everyone with GPAs lower than....".

 

[rey007]

love those recruiters

Well here is the latest, I got denied for the second time in 4 months back in March. My Recruiter was actually pretty pissed as to why I got overlooked, especially since he says I am more than qualified, in his opinion. So he got on HHC's case and now they actually want to take another look at me for the upcomming board. This will be the 3rd time in 7 months. Originally he told me that they would not look at me until September (6 mo after my last rejection)but because of his persistance they are willing to give me another shot. If I can just pass the DAMN body fat test :icon_tong I should make it this time. In the past he has never been able to get an answer as to were I am comming up short. By the way I have always passed the body fat test.