I'm looking to join the reserves as an officer once I finish my bachelor's in December. Can anyone offer any advice?

The best advice that I could offer is listen to your senior NCO's, talk to them, express your own concerns and follow their advice whenever possible, odd's are they have encountered any situation you could find yourself in and know how to handle it, of course that is for after you become an officer, good luck

What are your interests in life? Do you like to fly, sail or camp? Are you interested in computers and computer games and simulations, solving problems, shooting weapons, or something more esoteric such as fixing peoples bodies, soles or breaking them. These can be answered through military MOS or AFSCs (military operations specialty or Air Force specialty code). Sailing in the Navy is not quite the same thing as on a yacht, and camping with the Army is not quite the same as with the Boy Scouts, but the first thing you need to decide is what it is you like to do. Every service has their own Army, Navy & Air Force, it just may not be that services' primary focus. Being a nurse, doctor, chaplain or attorney are also options, however they are not considered "line officers" and meet differing promotion boards. Look at what you received your BA in and would you like to do that for 20 years?

Geez, you could have had the military pay for your degree and along with ROTC, after graduation u would be obligated to 2 years active duty then you can go reserves.. Note, recruiters for officers are different than recruiters for enlisted, don't be fooled. Ask to speak to someone about being an officer. Also, there may be a way for the military to pay for your schooling if you commit to a couple years active duty, there are always some programs going on. When I was in, you had to commit to 6 years active.. Make sure you talk to the right person. Also, like the man said, you can do like my Senator Tom Cotton, he had a Harvard Law degree but went in as enlisted then Ranger training then to OCS..... Google him and watch his videos of him in the military.... Make sure you are not misled and talk to the right person... What did you major in, what field are you interested in? Infantry, medical, supply?

Who you need to see is the officrr recruiter which I believe is an officrr also. I can tell you only this much: thr Army will require you to go to basic training first. I only know that because I have 3 friends who went Army or Natl Guard. Cant speak intelligently about the Air Force or Ait Guard. The Navy sends to to OCS for training and orientation. Thats sort of like officers boot camp. I think thr Coast Guard is the same. Don't know about Marines also. I will recommend you speak to an ofgicer recruiter from each branch to see what options you have.

I am currently on Recruiting Detail for the Army Reserve. As others mentioned best bet will be speaking with a Recruiter. You can start the process now and go to the OCS board with a letter from your school with the date of completion of your degree. It is a bit of a process but if this is something you want to do you can start the process now.

Jacquelyn,

While recruiters will certainly try to sell you on the Army, dispel the notion that they will outright lie to you as that is not reflective of the recruitment process writ-large. That certainly wasn't my experience. Be more concerned that your packet/paperwork will get lost or your recruiter fails to inform you of important dates. So be sure to stay on top of that, which is advice I strongly suggest you implement throughout any military career.

1. Timeline. Becoming an officer in the military is a *long* process if you aren't a doctor, lawyer, or skilled cyber professional(?) (via direct commission) and is actually one reason many decide to go Enlisted. Since you will already have your undergraduate degree, I recommend OCS over ROTC (graduate degree program). If you go OCS, your timeline will probably be 1-1.5 years from packet submission to commission. For ROTC, that process will likely take 3-4 years. This assumes no injuries during training or other delays for whatever reason. Not common, but worth considering.

2. Preparation. The best preparation is to prepare yourself physically as the Army heavily emphasizes physical fitness in evaluations. Begin a workout routine that focuses on cardio (running in particular), pushups, legs/lower body, and "whole body" exercises in general. A year or two ago I would have just suggested pushups, sit-ups, and running, but the Army recently changed its physical fitness test (see below).

3. Questions. You need to ask your recruiter how you will be tested for physical fitness at OCS (for ROTC, follow the "whole body" approach outlined above) since the Army is adopting the ACFT and doing away with the APFT. These tests are drastically different and preparation for one does not translate into success for the other. You need to ask your recruiter about any financial incentives the Army is offering for Enlisted and Officer (to compare). If he/she doesn't know, ask the recruiter to provide you the contact information of an Army Reserve Career Counselor or even a Retention Officer).

More importantly, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I really want to go Officer, or will Enlisted give me what I'm looking for on a faster timeline?

2. What do I want out of the Army? To lay a foundation for a civilian career, or to get the "Army experience." Because if you want an Army experience, I suggest going combat arms. if the former, select a branch/MOS that will teach you valuable skills that translate to a civilian job you want.

3. Do I want to go Active Duty or stick with Reserves? Active duty will generally set you up for a more successful Army career, whereas going Guard or Reserves will allow you to pursue civilian employment. But keep in mind, unless your employer is a government agency or contractor, many private sector companies have an aversion to hiring Reservists due to Annual Training requirements and the risk you will be deployed.

Hope this helps. Good luck. The military can be a very rewarding career path, despite all the BS you will put up with along the way.

Jacquelyn Olson so what did you decide?

My wife went to OCS after enlisting. I earned my commission through ROTC. I believe that there are some programs in which you can earn a commission with a degree but they are mostly very skilled specialties like Veterinary Science, etc.

Go talk to the people at ROTC for which ever service you are interested, also reserve units.

Do you mean Guard? Army? Air Force? There is not a lot of info here.