Air Force Questions - DEP and OTS

Question

Little info about me first - I got an 88 on the ASVAB, I will soon be a senior in high school, i want to work around aviation, and my goal is to be succesfull.

The enlisted recruiters I have talked to have told me that I can DEP in and get my college degree and compete for entrance into OTS. They also told me that if i signed up for DEP and if I get a rotc scholarship, i wouldnt have to go enlisted and my "enlisted contract" would be ripped up and I would go to college right after high school.

After talking to an officer recruiter he told me that everything they told me I have to get in writing. Of course that makes sense, but what I want to know is if I go enlisted, is there a good chance I can get into ocs after i get my college degree? Yea its "possibe," but I can also "possibly" win the lotto but you and me both know that I wont win the lotto.

Also, if I decide to sign up for DEP, will I have enough time to study for a degree while working as a loadmaster or a crewchief?

Next, If i do in fact get into OTS how tough is it to selected for pilot (heavy - transportation, helicopter, etc.)? Im not sure how the selection process works, whether I chose before or after I am in OTS.

Thank you in advance for all your help.

Answer 1

If you are going to go into ROTC then don't sign delayed entrance paperwork. If you are confident in your ability to get accepted into a ROTC program then you would be making your life unnecessarily complicated by signing on the enlisted side. If you do enlist then just know that even if you get your degree quickly you still have to serve a certain amount of time in your primary afsc (that means you have to get through all of your training (including load or crew chief training) and then do a couple of years before applying to OTS. Even then you have no guarantee of a pilot slot. Could happen but the stars have to align for you. My advice to you is to go to the Academy or through an ROTC program and compete for a pilot slot. Don't enlist unless you are okay with the commissioning stuff falling through leaving you on the enlisted side.