sTUPID qUESTIONS aBOUT ocs

[psulaw0929]

Generally the boards are relatively quick (couple of weeks), but sometimes it can take up to 2 months (see Sept. 2014 IDC board). As far as how soon after will you go to OCS....only the gods know lol. Unless you are a special circumstance (for example, age critical) there is really no telling how long you will have to wait.

Ah yes, good old Sept. 2014 IDC board. Ended up being something like a 156-page thread. Wasn't sure they would ever release results. To follow up on what @LadyT said, I have seen people in Final Select Purgatory get their FINSEL letters very quickly (like a couple of weeks to a month - mostly, SNA and SNFO) and I have seen people wait almost two years (one particular SWO).

 

[Ka1ax]

Great, thanks to both of you. As far as banking at OCS, has anyone had particular luck with NFCD vs. USAA? I saw a thread for mortgage banking, but nothing on regular banking. I know plenty of friends who have had issues getting paid by the military (amounts, timing, etc.). If something went wrong, I'm sure it'd be good to be able to walk into a branch.

 

[KMC1020]

My husband and I have been banking with Navy Federal for 5 years and we love it. I have friends that bank with USAA and they love it as well. I personally like Navy Fed because there's a branch here in town and in most military towns. USAA is all online

 

[Ka1ax]

My husband and I have been banking with Navy Federal for 5 years and we love it. I have friends that bank with USAA and they love it as well. I personally like Navy Fed because there's a branch here in town and in most military towns. USAA is all online

Perfect, that's the answer I was looking for. Personally, I go to the bank maybe 1-2x per year and I have vehicle insurance with USAA. I agree with you on having a branch around, however. I have no idea what the military side of life will have in store; there are so many financial opportunities with deployments and such, it would probably be wise to be able to speak to a financial advisor face-to-face beforehand.

 

[LET73]

Stupid Question: As a civilian, I prefer the look of brown shoes with khaki. I see in the uniform regulations that brown shoes are authorized with khaki, regardless of designator. I know that everyone wears black shoes at OCS but would it be disrespectful/uncouth/indecorous for someone not in aviation (I'll be in Intel) to wear brown shoes with khaki in the fleet? Or does no one really care?

Brown shoes are for aviators, or anyone working with aviators (including intel). If you get orders to an aviation intel billet after NIOBC, you'll wear brown shoes with your khakis when you get to your squadron. Black shoes are the default before then.

 

[Gator Guard]

Are you sure that nuking the ankle length of your socks for dress uniforms is actually making your life easier? I think you've already spent too much time thinking about the issue.

Oh yeah, because I just don't have enough time right now to be preparing for OCS. I got my answer before you added your...helpful...comment, but thanks anyway.

 

[psulaw0929]

Brown shoes are for aviators, or anyone working with aviators (including intel). If you get orders to an aviation intel billet after NIOBC, you'll wear brown shoes with your khakis when you get to your squadron. Black shoes are the default before then.

Thanks! So, after I leave the squadron (or an aviation related billet), back to black?

 

[LadyT]

Yeah I ended up just buying a $15 watch at Target. It can go under water 100m and will time 30 laps. Has 2 alarms and it's not too bad to look at

I bought a black G-Shock Rangeman (GW9400-1). It's pretty intense and dramatically more complicated than anything I would ever need. lol

So I ended up getting the G-Shock DW6900-1V. Not quite as fancy as @psulaw0929's Rangeman, but I think it should get the job done lol.

 

[psulaw0929]

So I ended up getting the G-Shock DW6900-1V. Not quite as fancy as @psulaw0929's Rangeman, but I think it should get the job done lol.

I think that looks like a great choice!

 

[usnavymle]

Question: if indoc candidates can receive letters prior to RLP, do you think I'd be able to get a hard-to-open letter filled with glitter to one of them I know? I just think the DIs need to know how fabulous he is.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Question: if indoc candidates can receive letters prior to RLP, do you think I'd be able to get a hard-to-open letter filled with glitter to one of them I know? I just think the DIs need to know how fabulous he is.

I like the way you think. You don't open letters in front of DI's, but the DI's do pass out the letters in front of everybody, so you'll have to make the outside of the envelope fabulous. For some design inspirations, I recommend googling "My Little Pony rule 34" (not safe for work) (don't actually do this) (no really, DON'T)

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

As far as banking at OCS, has anyone had particular luck with NFCD vs. USAA? I saw a thread for mortgage banking, but nothing on regular banking. I know plenty of friends who have had issues getting paid by the military (amounts, timing, etc.). If something went wrong, I'm sure it'd be good to be able to walk into a branch.

I have a checking account at both USAA and NFCU. In terms of military pay, I have my direct deposit with USAA, and I've never had an issue getting paid on time (typically the paycheck is posted on the business day before the 1st and the 15th), but my roommate has his DD with NFCU, and he says he gets it a day earlier. I took the Career Starter Loan from USAA, so I have to keep my DD with USAA, but when that's paid off, I'll probably switch it over; the Flagship Checking has a better interest rate, as long as you keep a minimum $1,500 balance.
In the meantime, USAA has met 99% of my banking needs. My only issue was when I needed 3 grand for a security deposit and first months' rent: no personal checks. I tried to do a money order, but it exceeded my withdrawal limit. I called them to increase my limit, but the next time I tried to do it, it was declined because I exceeded my daily withdrawal limit or something like that. Long story short (too late), after three or four calls to USAA and no money changing hands, I went to NFCU, deposited a USAA check into my account and got a cashier's check. In and out in ten minutes. Morals of the story: for a money order that big, call them before you do it; and there are some things that are easier when you can walk into an actual building and annoy people until you get your way.

 

[psulaw0929]

Great information. Is there any reason you got your Career Started Loan with USAA v. Navy Federal? Do they both offer one? I though I had read that on another thread. I had both USAA and NFCU when I was enlisted; however, I didn't really use either of them very much as I had two other bank accounts I already had bills being taken out of and didn't want to switch everything over. I did use USAA for all of my insurance though and really enjoyed the service I received from them. Also, I felt their insurance rates were competitive. However, I was disappointed when I went to them for a car loan and the rate they quoted me was higher than all the other institutions I solicited quotes from.

 

[LadyT]

I have a checking account at both USAA and NFCU. In terms of military pay, I have my direct deposit with USAA, and I've never had an issue getting paid on time (typically the paycheck is posted on the business day before the 1st and the 15th), but my roommate has his DD with NFCU, and he says he gets it a day earlier. I took the Career Starter Loan from USAA, so I have to keep my DD with USAA, but when that's paid off, I'll probably switch it over; the Flagship Checking has a better interest rate, as long as you keep a minimum $1,500 balance.
In the meantime, USAA has met 99% of my banking needs. My only issue was when I needed 3 grand for a security deposit and first months' rent: no personal checks. I tried to do a money order, but it exceeded my withdrawal limit. I called them to increase my limit, but the next time I tried to do it, it was declined because I exceeded my daily withdrawal limit or something like that. Long story short (too late), after three or four calls to USAA and no money changing hands, I went to NFCU, deposited a USAA check into my account and got a cashier's check. In and out in ten minutes. Morals of the story: for a money order that big, call them before you do it; and there are some things that are easier when you can walk into an actual building and annoy people until you get your way.

Do you think it would be advantageous to switch from say Wells Fargo to NFCU?

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Great information. Is there any reason you got your Career Started Loan with USAA v. Navy Federal? Do they both offer one? I though I had read that on another thread. I had both USAA and NFCU when I was enlisted; however, I didn't really use either of them very much as I had two other bank accounts I already had bills being taken out of and didn't want to switch everything over. I did use USAA for all of my insurance though and really enjoyed the service I received from them. Also, I felt their insurance rates were competitive. However, I was disappointed when I went to them for a car loan and the rate they quoted me was higher than all the other institutions I solicited quotes from.

As far as I know, Navy Federal doesn't have a Career Starter loan for OCS grads. If there is, they're not doing a very good job of advertising it. I have auto with USAA too, but their rates do seem to be higher for loans (Career Starter loan being the expection at 2.99%, any other unsecured loan would have a much higher rate).

Do you think it would be advantageous to switch from say Wells Fargo to NFCU?

Hard for me to say, I've only ever done my banking through USAA and NFCU, so I don't really know how other checking accounts stack up. The nice thing about the USAA and NFCU checking accounts is that they each give you ATM refunds up to a certain point, so for the most part you can use any ATM you want to (or need to) for free. NFCU also does free checks. It all depends what you're looking for, but if you're paying monthly service fees or maintenance fees at Wells Fargo, I'd definitely switch. Active Duty checking for no minimum balance/monthly fees and early military pay, Flagship checking for the interest rates and because direct deposit isn't required (minimum balance of $1,500 to avoid a $10 monthly service fee). They have some other options that I don't know that much about: https://www.navyfederal.org/products-services/checking-savings/checking.php