Candidate Q:
I have been in the application process for quite some time, and I’m finally in the contract stage. My OSO informed me that the last board had a 23% acceptance rate, and some classes are becoming reserve officer only. My OSO told me that it’s not easy moving from reserve officer to active duty, but would it be a better idea to try that route with the recent cutbacks and competitiveness?
A:
Candidate, that’s a personal call. If your choice is civilian vs Reserve officer–which would you prefer? If your choice was Reserve or Active Duty, I’m assuming you’d choose Active Duty. However, if you answered “civilian” to the first question, you shouldn’t go Reserve and hope to be one of the lucky few who transitions to Active Duty.
It would take luck, lots of bureaucratic paperwork, and time to go Active with a Reserve contract–and you will have quite a bit of competition for it in the current environment.
Weigh your options and get as much advice from different sources as you can.
Lastly, waiting the current situation out is probably the wrong answer–it is unlikely that Active duty contracts get any less competitive over the next couple years.
Good luck whatever you decide!