Is OCS a good source to commission from?

In comparison to AROTC and West Point, is OCS REALLY a reliable way to get a commission even if the trainee worked his/her tail off in the 12 weeks of tactical, military and in class training? how successful are the trainees in getting the branch of their choice and do they usually get active duty?

Thank You

Just out of curiosity, aren't you going to college this yr? If so are you trying to decide between doing AROTC and not doing it, but trying later on for OCS?

I know AF and the Army are not the same,so no wet LoMein noodles please, but in the AF world, regarding sought after career fields, it typically goes AFA 1st, AFROTC 2nd, and OCS is there to fill in.

I.E. 2 yrs ago because the AF was cutting personnel for the yr group they actually cancelled their July OCS board for non-rated.

OCS would be 4 yrs in the future, nobody in 2013 can predict the manpower need for 2017.

If you can do AROTC I would think that is a much better path for AD than taking the chance later on. Remember the DOD budget cuts we talk about are not just until Sept, but for 10 yrs. They are going to keep trimming for many more yrs to come.

JMPO, now throw it in the circular filing cabinet. Listen to more experienced posters than me. This is just as I said an outsider looking in from another branch.

In Army OCS, if you get into the school and pass, you receive your active duty commission. I know several officers who are OCS commission recipients and the one thing they all have said in common is that the branch selection from OCS is one of the only major downsides. OCS is the "filler" program for producing officers, and as such has the least selection in terms of branches. You do have a wishlist much like the academy and ROTC, but many OCS grads get forced into less desirable branches. A good friend of mine is a Chemical Corps officer, which is usually considered one of the worst branches, and he was at the top 3 of his class in OCS. Don't get me wrong, there are OCS grads who go on to fill competitive branches like Infantry and Aviation, but it's nowhere near a guarantee.

The other thing is that OCS for Active Duty and National Guard are quite different. The NG operates a state-based OCS in each state that's usually much shorter and can only commission officers into the NG, based on open officer slots that they have. It's much easier to get in to than AD OCS. AFAIK, AD OCS has a limited number of slots and is very competitive, but once accepted, if a soldier completes AD OCS, they go straight into an AD officer position. There isn't any the same competition like ROTC where if you don't score high enough you can be forced into the Reserve.

Pima said:

Just out of curiosity, aren't you going to college this yr? If so are you trying to decide between doing AROTC and not doing it, but trying later on for OCS?

I know AF and the Army are not the same,so no wet LoMein noodles please, but in the AF world, regarding sought after career fields, it typically goes AFA 1st, AFROTC 2nd, and OCS is there to fill in.

I.E. 2 yrs ago because the AF was cutting personnel for the yr group they actually cancelled their July OCS board for non-rated.

OCS would be 4 yrs in the future, nobody in 2013 can predict the manpower need for 2017.

If you can do AROTC I would think that is a much better path for AD than taking the chance later on. Remember the DOD budget cuts we talk about are not just until Sept, but for 10 yrs. They are going to keep trimming for many more yrs to come.

JMPO, now throw it in the circular filing cabinet. Listen to more experienced posters than me. This is just as I said an outsider looking in from another branch.

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yes