Greetings to all,

This is my very first post, so here we go: August is around the corner and one of this selection dates coming up. I am wondering if anyone is sending in their application or planning to do that for the next cycle. I am ROTC cadet going back to fall semester as a junior and I am starting to work on my packages for the Jan 1, 2011. I talked to one STO that saids it's best to send application during our junior year, I wondered if that's true in the case of CRO selection. Is there certain things that I should be absolutely careful for before sending it in? And If I do get picked in phase 1, should I expect to attend the phase 2 evaluation that spring break or summer? Answers and advices from anyone with experiences or even actual CROs are much appreciated.

V/R

Your best be is to read the STO and the CRO Selection Packages. The answer is in the text(s).

As a potential STO or CRO, you will be expected to find your own answers and think for yourself a lot on the smaller matters; better get used to it now. You'll learn when to ask for help. In this case, you haven't really done much research yourself so you are asking a little prematurely. If your Det Cadre are unable to get these documents, then you have a valid excuse and your Cadre have let you down. If you haven't asked them how to get these documents or looked for them on this site, then you've not tried hard enough.

As you spend more and more time around the Air Force, you will find that asking what the AFI or official guidance says can be misleading as people often "think" they know the answer or remember the answer from the "old days'. Your best bet is to read the document yourself. If you are still confused, then bring the document to a trusted source who's been in the USAF a while and ask them to read and explain it to you.

Good luck!

MC

Go to the documents page and do the research there in the "Cro Selection Package". It doesn't really matter when you submit your application. After you graduate field training is best, but you would probably get selected before then if you had a nice package. You're supposed to have a secret clearance before you go (phase 2), but if you don't, it's not going to get you kicked out or anything. You need to pay attention to detail big time with your package and get close to 700 as possible on your CRO PFT test. This test does not need to be done by a CRO/PJ, but could be done by any Air Force officer or NCO, I recommend your cadre. Make sure the test is done right, do your research and let your cadre know all the specifics and plan ahead so that the actual test will run right... get everything reserved. You should actual be shooting for scores 700+. "A 600 is good enough for me" attitude is not sufficient to succeed at phase 2. High PT scores are very attractive on an application. If you cannot do the minimums at phase 2, you will sure as hell be kicked out as soon as you get there, so don't waste your time if you are barely scraping by. Runts of the litter won't get selected and people that aren't team players won't get selected either. Know why you want to be a CRO and have some good reasons for it and be able to stand in front of a group of officers and enlisted with your reasoning.

AFROTC cadre, although they are great resources and they mean well and want to help, unless they have direct experience with assisting someone through the CRO process before, usually don't know how the whole system works, so you're going to have to do all the foot work yourself and educate them on it as you learn more. Get them up to speed. If you're at the Academy, well lucky you, because they have the best group training and application success of any group of cadets I know.

Good luck