You will "Service Select" in the fall prior to graduation along with the nation's OCs who will be graduating with you. You'll submit a dream sheet with preferred designators ranked from 1-5 to be considered along with your evaluations and points accrued while in school. There is a thread in the NROTC section titled "Commissioning Formula for Rankings" with a lot of good gouge. The exact numbers may have changed somewhat since the original post but it gives you a good idea of how it works.
I've seen some CORE OCs roll through under the radar only to have it burn them come service selection time. "Target" option OCs can get away with just showing up (especially at a large unit like SD), but I don’t recommend CORE OCs do the same. Achieving a high GPA, great PFA scores, and positive unit involvement will help maximize the likelihood of getting your first choice. At the end of the day however, the needs of the Navy trump all (especially nuke needs).
OCD
