Has anyone out there been to Air Force OTS? I was considering applying, but first I wanted to know what I was getting myself into. What is the experience like? What is a typical day there like? What kind of things do they put you through? How hard is it to get in? Any information would be appreciated!
MerqutioM, thank you for starting this thread. I’ve had the same idea lately, and I was getting ready to turn to the SDMB for advice. I’ll post more information about myself and my situation later, but right now, I was just hoping for the Straight Dope on what to expect from OTS and life in the Air Force in general. I don’t know yet if the military is right for me, or if I’m right for it.
My father went to Air Force OTS, but that was back in the 1960’s. He has told me that the physical aspect of it was hard but not as hard as the mind games that went on. the upper classmen serve as part of your superior officer corps and they will mess with you at every opportunity just to see how you react.
For example, my father told me that they had room inspections on a regular basis. these inspections are so picky as to hold that your room’s trach can must be perfectly clean. What’s the point of a trash can if not to hold trash? No matter, the point of the exercise wasn’t about how clean you could get your room. It was about how well you held up under pressure to perform a task that would never meet with satisfaction. Would you get mad? Would you fall apart?
During one of these room inspections, a senior student planted a candy wrapper in the trash can and then made a big show of displaying it. My dad and his roomate offered no excuses and no reaction. As a result, after a bit of extra pt, they were pretty much left alone.
When my dad was a senior, he tried to go pretty easy on the underclassmen. That was until one of the underclassmen snuck off base and the rest of his class lied to cover for him, then it was open season for a while.
I went through OTS back in 1987. Blackclaw is right - the physical training portion hard but not as demanding as, say, Marine boot camp (I went there out of shape and ended up loosing about 25 pounds). The more physically fit you are before you go, the easier it will be dealing with the physical requirements.
The most difficult aspect is dealing with psychological stress. You’ll be juggling many different responsibilities and tasks. While I was there, we were up around 5:00 am every morning and lights out was 11:00 pm. And you will be kept busy the entire time (12 weeks total: first 6 weeks were the most hectic; 2nd 6 weeks weren’t as bad as you were finally given some free time - not a lot, though - on weekends). You’ll have PT every day, you’ll be given daily chores to complete; you’ll also be taking classes every day and exams at specific intervals; you will also drill constantly. You’ll also be subject to weekly room inspections (and can be inspected on your knowledge of the regulations and uniform appearence at any time). And, if you fail certain exams (written exams and a physical requirements exam) too may times, you can be forced to leave.
Getting in is very competitive (at least, it was when I applied). I waited for over a year after I passed the initial exam to get a training slot. Things may be even more competitive now if the Air Force is reducing forces.
At the time I was going through OTS, I hated every minute of it. However, looking back I can honestly say it was a good experience.
I got my commission through ROTC in 1990, and while technically I didn’t go through OTS I did go through the ROTC 6-week training course in the summer of 1988. It’s fairly similar to the first half of OTS.
What the previous posters have said is true - you will be pushed physically, but stress will be your biggest enemy. You will not have enough time to accomplish tasks, you will be hassled for the most minor deviation or mistake, and (most importantly) you will learn to remain calm and make rational decisions while subjected to enormous amounts of stress. Overall, a great experience. At times it was miserable, but that’s part of the training.
As to getting a slot, OTS is the easiest source of commisions for the Air Force to turn on and off at will. If the AF needs 2LTs, OTS gets ramped up. If they forecast overages and need to reduce the number of commissions, OTS is the first source to get turned off (the other two sources being ROTC and the Air Force Academy).
Right now the Air Force is above it’s Fiscal Year 2005 End-Strength numbers with officers - in other words, it’s trying to get rid of officers right now. I have several friends who are still on active duty who are applying for and getting waivers to leave active duty early and go into the Reserves.
This doesn’t mean that the AF doesn’t need new 2LTs every year - it does. It’s just that the numbers vary, and the door can shut very quickly.
Talk to an officer recruiter or the local university’s ROTC folks to find out about current OTS needs.
Good luck!
I assume you’ve already looked at the OTS page. You can google numerous blogs and sites dedicated to individuals’ OTS experiences. OTS is one of the main ways currently enlisted personnel pursue officer commissions.
Like pilot141 said, word on the street is that OTS has recently focused primarily on specialties that are in high demand and difficult to fill. Most pilot-training slots are going to USAFA and ROTC grads, but I believe reservists who will attend JSUPT or ENJJPT attend OTS prior to flight training. I didn’t commission through OTS, but most (if not all) of the guys I work with who did knew what career field they were going into prior to beginning OTS. Talk to a recruiting officer for the most current info on your options . . . good luck!