Alright, so I got my package submitted 22JAN2021 (confirmed), and since my first post I made some additions/ learned some things so here's the final rundown:
I submitted for Intel and IP (it's med cleared and going to the 1MAR21 board per Mr. Celestin), and I am working on a waiver for Pilot. My birthday is in April so commissioning would likely be just a few months past my 32nd, depending on when I ship. I figured I'd take a stab at it, the worst they say is no.
Age: 31, Male
Service: Active Duty Navy, 8 yr STG1. EAOS is late August 2021 so this is looking like my only shot before I get out/go reserves. First time applying to OCS.
Bachelor's: 2.71 GPA, MS in Criminal Justice
Master's: 3.5 GPA MS in IT
OAR: 58
Appraisals: 1 Intel O6 (a former CO of a subordinate command), 1 Intel O5 (a current CO of a subordinate command), 1 IP O4 (EMO at my command)
Awards: JSOQ 2018, MAP to E6 2019
Evals: P, MP, EP, P, MP (the "normal progression")
Languages: Brazilian Portuguese 2/2, with NEC
Didn't end up getting any IT certs in time, had to rush this package in as it was. the deadline was more important than squeezing in the extras.
What I learned: people can be REAL shitty.
Story time: Wall of Text Warning
A fellow E6 has also been trying to get an 1830 OCS package together for a long time- total stud and he'll definitely get picked up someday. Anyways, he recently confided in me that his DIVO (1830) set him up with not one but THREE 1830 O7's for his appraisal interview- in one board. She had insisted that interviews had to be with O7 and above (wrong). According to my guy, he gave them honest answers and spoke from the heart when asked "would you take another community if Intel didn't work out?" He said "sure, because my first duty is to be an officer, and the IWC would be on top of that. And I would take a SWO/NFO job if Intel was unavailable because I want to serve"- the same answer I might give.
Apparently it was not the "Intel or die!" answer they wanted, and not one of these O7's even handed him back his appraisal forms, a couple even tore them up right in front of him. Now he looks bad and his DIVO looks bad for sending a "low quality candidate"...
So he comes back to work the next day just crushed, and his DIVO and another Officer run him through what they called a mock board (again, I fail to see why everything for his OCS package had to be a "board", this isn't an LDO package but whatever). This "mock board" was them just berating him for fucking up his O7 interviews. After that, his DIVO leaves the meeting and goes straight to our CO and says "Sir, don't even look at his package for another year". This is her guy that she's shooting in the foot! I thought leaders were supposed to help guide their guys and push for them, not hold them back?!?
So my man got screwed on the biggest chokepoint in the whole process: the CO endorsement. That's the one step that has no work-around/waiver/by-direction type of solution. And the CO will obviously take the opinions of the applicant's DIVO over an E6 whom he never interacts with. So my guy's package has been in purgatory while he gets yet another EP and continues to crush his job. According to his DIVO his package needs to somehow become more competitive before she even thinks of "allowing" him to apply. Furthermore, his DIVO claims a need to be hands-on for his entire process (wrong), and for him to go outside of her control would be seen as insubordinate (super wrong). It sounds like she's trying to control him vs guide him and it's making the simple things way too hard. My man needs 2-3 interviews and he's in. Everything else is done, and is better than my stats.
I showed him the instruction and we found numerous contradictions to his DIVO's word. Our solution is for him to just go out on his own to use my contacts for his appraisal interviews, and if his CoC gets pissy then we'll just have to get out the instruction and show them why they're wrong.
TLDR: Beware shitty application guidance from superiors who "know what they're talking about", have a need to control every part of the application process, are unwilling to prep their guys for high-grade interviews, but are willing to kneecap their own guys because their pride is hurt when that interview goes south. And be ready to take charge of your destiny and piss those individuals off to get to where you want to go.