bvsimon3 wrote:notarevert wrote:Hello Everyone,
Spent the last month combing through all of these posts and the information you have all provided made my application as competitive as possible. Thank you very much.
I completed my DAP interview this morning. It was a phenomenal experience and will post when I hear anything. Can also offer some advice at this juncture for those who want some info on the application and interview process; however, previous posts cover most of what I would offer.
Best of luck to those applying for the September Board and thanks again to all of you for the information.
Please Please share your experience. I have an interview this Friday and am pretty anxious about it. What did they ask you and how long was the interview? Did you need to bring anything like a resume, writing sample, etc? How many people did you meet with? thanks!
Sorry for the delay. Work, school, and last night I responded but my browser refreshed and I lost the post. Here goes.
Instead of answering your specific questions, I'll give a narrative description of events intermingled with advice and some disclaimers.
My interview was in the morning. I had to reschedule because my motion got continued to the same date - The Colonel obliged. After discussing the case with the DA, she dismissed chargers. I immediately contacted the Colonel to move the interview to the original time - she obliged.
She told me to bring my license and registration. Nothing else. I however also brought my passport.
When I arrived at the visitors center there was a bit of a log jam. I suggest getting their with ample time to figure out entry onto the base. Chances are there are multiple people trying to get onto base in a similar predicament as you.
The Major picked me up at the visitors center and drove me to the office. The ride lasted around five to ten minutes. He told me a ton about himself, and asked me some personal questions. Where was I from? Why AF JAG? Any other JAG programs? I answered all of these honestly and asked him about his experience. I told him about my desire to be a litigator and how the first location "Ill learn the blocking and tackling of litigation." It was something that I read somewhere and he agreed - he even brought it up during the ride back.
Once we got to the office, he took me into the building through the back. Immediately upon entering, the Colonel's office was to the left. The Major handed me off to the Colonel and our interview proceeded. She was an incredibly warm and kind person. Easy to speak to and passionate about her work. She sat me down at her conference table with my resume directly in front of her. The majority of the interview consisted of walking through my resume line by line.
She asked me why I chose to go to law school, why that school in particular, and what type of law I wanted to practice. I have a history in criminal litigation, mock trial and such which she seemed to really like. We talked about that for a long while, relating different stories and finding common ground. She discussed to me the potential opportunities for ADC and the specific entry-level JAG role. She told me based upon my experience that I should go to a larger base to get experience. I asked her about some of the bases that I have read on this forum and she said that I should be placed in one of those.
She asked about my undergraduate degrees and why I transferred. She asked about my travelling (very extensive) and it was generally smooth sailing. She asked me how I felt about deploying. Why AF JAG and why JAG in general. She asked if I was married. She asked about my leadership. I sit on the board of directors for a 501(c)(3), collegiate div 1 athlete, and various academic club positions.
We then discussed me so called red flags. What is hilarious is that I am technically too heavy for entry right now. I lift pretty regularly. We both kinda laughed at it and she said, "well your an athlete, but you have to meet the requirements." I told her to give me a week and Ill way however much I need to. I have a criminal charge from 2007 that I got a Deferred Entry of Judgement on. We discussed that and she said that if there was a reason that I would not make it on the first board, it would be for that reason. There is no telling who is going to be on any particular board and who will weigh what precisely. She mentioned that I would need to obtain a waiver but that it wouldn't be difficult. Take that with a grain of salt.
I ended the interview with reaffirming why I wanted to accept commission, why I would be a good fit, and if offered the position, I would take it.
The Major gave me a brief tour of the facility and then drove me back to my vehicle. He went into more detail about his experience and asked me how it went. I wished him well and thanked him for his help.
Advice:
I reached out to someone who recently accepted commission and let me tell you that was a bad idea. She made it seem like a long shot, and while it is, I didn't need to hear that. It kinda put me in a less confident mood than i had been previously. It wasn't until that morning that I reached out to friends and family to tell them what was going on. They gave me overwhelmingly positive feedback and encouragement. I relearned in that moment why I was doing what I was doing. I used that excitement and enthusiasm throughout the interview and hopefully conveyed it in an honest and sought-after manner.
Long day today. I am definitely leaving out aspects of the experience. Feel free to ask follow ups.
) but Ive been through the enlisting process and, unfortunately, what you are describing is all too common. This is probably a good look at what medical, admin, and finance will be like when you finally put on the uniform. Anecdotally, I dealt with an office sitting on/mismanaging an application I submitted for an EOT internship. What should have been a completely seemless and painless process took 8 months. 
