The First Milestone: Getting Into FT

Once you've decided that the Air Force is your path, there's something you need to understand very well. That is, your main short-term objective is to get selected to go to Field Training (FT). You will compete during your Sophomore (AS 200 / 250) for a FT slot, and your competitiveness is determined by your Order of Merit, shown here:

The POC Selection Process (PSP) determines your eligibility based on your Order of Merit. Put plainly, if you don't do your best to maximize the pieces of this pie, you may not make it FT, and therefore will not be able to continue towards a commission. 

Let's talk about the Order of Merit criteria. 

First, SAT-E refers to your best score from either the SAT, ACT, or AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test) converted to an SAT-Equivalent score. This is 15 percent of your Order of Merit. If you did well on your ACT or SAT in high school, don't worry too much about this category. If you were like me, however, you will want to improve your score! 

That's where the AFOQT comes into play. 

The AFOQT is a standardized test that you will have to take before the end of December during your AS200 year. There are several study materials out there to help you do well on the AFOQT. I bought a few books to study from; they had actual practice tests in them, which prepared me well. 

KEEP IN MIND: you are only allowed to take this test twice, and there must be six months between each time you take it. What does this mean? Well--if you are absolutely banking on this test, make sure you give yourself enough time to retake it, if the need arises. PSP applications are submitted in January during your AS200 (Sophomore) year--so as an easy rule--just make sure you take it before JULY the previous summer. Again, this is only if you believe you might need two chances. Otherwise, just get the test done before January.

Next, comes GPA. I wrote an entire post on this already. Bottom line: GPA is very important. Get straight A's. Why not? You have complete control over your GPA. 

Now for the Fitness category. This refers to your Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA). I will write about this in detail next week, but for now--you want to do your very best on the PFA. It consists of a 1.5m run, 1 min pushups, and 1 min sit-ups. In my experience, those who set their mind to it, and are determined, can get a perfect 100. Again, with few exceptions, you have complete control over this, so--why not max it?

Last, we have your Commander's Ranking. This refers to where you are ranked among your peers, as determined by your Detachment Commander. The score you receive depends on the number of people in your class. So, for example, a cadet ranked 2/25 may do just as well as a cadet ranked 1/5. I'm out of time for today, so I will also discuss this in more detail in another post. For now, here are two import things to remember about Commander's Ranking:

1. Be yourself - don't fall into the trap of trying to be somebody you're not. The most successful cadets are those that learn to lead how they lead. You each have your own personality. Don't try to imitate someone else just because you think the Commander likes that type of person. I promise you--by striving to be the best version of YOU, you will become a much better leader. 

2. Do well in the other areas, and you'll likely do well in Commander's Ranking - If you are doing well in the areas of GPA, Fitness, and AFOQT, you will likely be doing just fine in your Commander's Ranking. 

3. Get involved - At my detachment, Honor Guard was a huge deal. I got on the Drill Team, and dedicated a lot of time to it. Arnold Air Society, Cadet Choir, Color Guard, and other auxiliary organizations are great ways to increase your visibility. You want to make sure you are known. If you don't put yourself out there--even though it may be a daunting task--you will likely get a low CC Ranking. Get out of your comfort zone! It is ok to make mistakes in ROTC.