ROTP 2010-2011

[bdave]

Applied for Navy Log. Got rejected.

The recruiter said everything was great except for my marks:

"Your average was only a 77 and, therefore, not that competitive."
"I graduated with an 84 average."
"It says he your average was a 77."
"...I graduated with an 84, but I can go upstairs and check my transcript."
*Runs upstairs, grabs calculator and transcript.*
"Yeah, I had an 84."
"Hold on here."
*Checks file/stuff*
*Oh, they take the average of all your grade 10, 11 and 12 marks.*
"You're kidding me?"
"Unfortunately, no."

Why would they do that? I find that absolutely ridiculous.

Do the Canadian Forces know I switched back from public to private school for grade ten, leaving me in the dust with regards to math and chemistry? Marks in the fifties make for great averages...

Clearly, the selection board must have seen that every course I took in high school exceeded the Provincial honours level. They must also have seen that every course I took in grades eleven and twelve, along with two in grade ten, again exceeded this aforementioned level.

They must have seen that not only did I graduate with my provincial diploma, but also an International Baccalaureate diploma.

Do they not care/realise/choose to omit that a person can show great improvement over three years?

Anyways, yeah, I was pretty mad just for those reasons, but overall, I'm not that upset I got rejected. When I really started thinking about the fact I was going to have to take a four year degree in something I wasn't truly interested in, subsidised or not, my feelings shifted a bit.

Agreed. I think it's extremely...stupid. Judge someone on when they were immature and didn't know what they wanted in life.
"Oh hey, you've shown incredible improvement in the last few years. Oh hey, you're getting As in every course and you're an engineering major...but it says here you got a C- in math in grade 11. Sorry, refused."

 

[Dou You]

Agreed. I think it's extremely...stupid. Judge someone on when they were immature and didn't know what they wanted in life.
"Oh hey, you've shown incredible improvement in the last few years. Oh hey, you're getting As in every course and you're an engineering major...but it says here you got a C- in math in grade 11. Sorry, refused."

I agree. Grade 10 for me was only 4 years ago, but just in the past two years, which I have spent in University, I have matured a great deal. I have had many life experiences that have made me notice what I want in life, and what it would take to achieve it, but no, since I had a few bad marks from grade 10 and 11 I didn't even make the selection cap for Pilot. It's disappointing but I guess it'll make it so much more sweeter when I finally do become a Pilot in the CF later down the road.

 

[320102]

Thanks for the info about the application package guys. I've ogtten into RMC, Kingston, s artillery officer to do a bachelors of engineering. i didnt make the cut for pilot either, but thats cuz i screwed up on my last session in the sim..........i guess it was just my unlucky day........but where one door closes another opens

 

[fanman]

Thanks for the info about the application package guys. I've ogtten into RMC, Kingston, s artillery officer to do a bachelors of engineering. i didnt make the cut for pilot either, but thats cuz i screwed up on my last session in the sim..........i guess it was just my unlucky day........but where one door closes another opens

OMG me too, I screwed up royally on my last sim run..... I was devastated but hey... I got offered what I wanted 2nd the most, Aero Controller. I'll be seeing you at Kingston then?

Most likely during the orientation week mid August.
Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Jason

 

[bdave]

Thanks for the info about the application package guys. I've ogtten into RMC, Kingston, s artillery officer to do a bachelors of engineering. i didnt make the cut for pilot either, but thats cuz i screwed up on my last session in the sim..........i guess it was just my unlucky day........but where one door closes another opens

OMG me too, I screwed up royally on my last sim run..... I was devastated but hey... I got offered what I wanted 2nd the most, Aero Controller. I'll be seeing you at Kingston then?

Most likely during the orientation week mid August.
Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Jason

That is unfortunate. Could you please tell exactly how you screwed up? Was it a misunderstanding of information or ...?
I hope you guys find joy in your other paths.

 

[DexOlesa]

the final sim test is ridiculously hard. Its easy to mess it up

 

[X2012]

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I know what my problem was! I discovered that I am a very visual pilot, one the instruments reads differently than I am used to, and apparently I can get "the leans" (never happened in a real plane though, thank God). You also have a different set of priorities than you do when actually flying.
It's definitely true though that you just have to go in there and give it a shot. Not a whole lot of real advice I can give or anything, just see how it feels for you and try your best.

On an unrelated note, there's another ACSO spot open now.    My offer was conditional on my medical, and I got a no-go. Looks like I get to appeal again. Well see how that goes and I guess I'll either go direct-entry ACSO when I'm done university or pick something else. It's a good thing I'm stubborn....

 

[DexOlesa]

Yes visual flying (which is what all pilots are first taught) is very different than instrument flying. I am a flight instructor with an instrument  and multi engine rating and that sensitive little machine was a handful. I passed, so did people who have never been in a plane before. Its all about learning curve. It makes sense but is really annoying as there is no set "Standard" to meet. You just get a Yes or No on a printed slip of paper. Whoever is going to be the easiest and cheapest to train (ie learn the quickest) is who gets in, doesn't mean you are a bad pilot just means the very fast learning curve they want to see wasn't demonstrated.

 

[Dou You]

the final sim test is ridiculously hard. Its easy to mess it up

It's not that it's ridiculously hard, after all it is exactly what you learned in each of the previous three sim sessions. I think the part that gets most people is how long you are actually in complete control of the sim for in the last session. In the first three you are taught what to do and then you practice that certain skill and then after the practice you are set back to the sims normal position to learn and practice a new skill. In the final session there is no "resetting" of the sim, unless you go way off course. It is just a continuous loop of everything you have learned with no breaks. Focus is what is needed in the final sim. Plain and simple. In sessions one to three you have been taught the skills needed to complete the last sim successfully so you just need to focus and do what you have learned. In the last session for me I just got in there thinking "oh yeah I've got this" and then pushed the button to start, unfortunately not really thinking everything through; I actually ended up forgetting to turn on the first corner. So since I had gone way off course and basically "crashed" the sim I was reset. Before I pushed the button to start again I talked myself through everything, thought of what I had to do, and finally focused on completing everything that I learned the best I could. I actually took about 5 minutes to settle myself down before I pushed that button to start again. Needless to say I didn't crash at all after that and I passed. So my advice is to concentrate in every session, learn everything to the best of your ability, and in the final sim take as long as you want to settle down and focus before going ahead and pushing the button to start. Just focus, focus, focus...oh yeah and a cross-check would be helpful in there as well  Haha. Just my two cents. Good luck to anyone attending aircrew selection in the future.

On an unrelated note, there's another ACSO spot open now.    My offer was conditional on my medical, and I got a no-go. Looks like I get to appeal again. Well see how that goes and I guess I'll either go direct-entry ACSO when I'm done university or pick something else. It's a good thing I'm stubborn....

I'm sorry to hear that. It's unfortunate but just remember persistence pays off. Some may think that's a cliche but I believe it's true. Good luck to you in the future.

 

[320102]

i screwed up on the last session, cuz it was just a lot of time u were in control of the sim. i did pretty well when we were in control for just a short period. But the last one was way more stressful flying those loops. And the machine is also very sensitive, so when i think when i got stressed, my moves were not as fine as before, they got really choppy. so yea.....persistence and a calm cross check will keep everything going smoothly. Good Luck!!!

 

[CEEBEE501]

So if I may inquire on this years batch, are any of you from Vancouver Island?

 

[PrairieBoy]

Well, I got my call from the Forces. Of my three career choices (Infantry, Pilot, Artillery), all three are full already. So the petty officer listed off some other career choices that need filling, and none of them are interesting to me. So now I don't know what I'm going to do. Either take what I can get, or reapply next year, or maybe just join the RCMP instead.

Damn, I'm pretty bummed right now 

What would you all recommend I do? Wait until next year to reapply, or take what I can get and maybe transfer to a different career later?

 

[Trimm]

Well, I got my call from the Forces. Of my three career choices (Infantry, Pilot, Artillery), all three are full already. So the petty officer listed off some other career choices that need filling, and none of them are interesting to me. So now I don't know what I'm going to do. Either take what I can get, or reapply next year, or maybe just join the RCMP instead.

Damn, I'm pretty bummed right now 

What would you all recommend I do? Wait until next year to reapply, or take what I can get and maybe transfer to a different career later?

Well this is definitely a decision that you have to make for yourself, but I will tell you what I would do if I was in your shoes.  ROTP is extremely competative to get into, so I would definitely not decline the offer for risk that you don't get accepted next year.  Also, I asked my recruiting officer and he told me that once you are in, switching careers is not impossible.  Don't forget that many may find out next year that the ROTP life isn't for them, and some spots may open allowing you to transfer.  On the other hand, if the careers are really unappealing to you, you may not want to risk spending so much of your time in something you hate.  Sorry, but this is definitely a question that you will have to answer all by yourself.

 

[X2012]

That's similar to the situation I was in when I got my second call. They gave me a list of trades that I would be medically qualified for and told me to take a day or so and let them know. I looked at the jobs, none of them were really anything I could say with any immediate certainty that I would enjoy them long-term. I considered just picking one and then trying to transfer, but I opted not to because of the risk of it not working out. Basically, in the end I called them, said that I wasn't ready to commit to another choice of trade and that I would be arguing my case on the medical (again...). I don't know where you're at in this whole thing, but I'm in second year university, so this was my last shot at ROTP, but for me it's worth the wait to get a career that's right for me. (And surprise, surprise, who calls me today but a pharmacy school I applied to as a back-up plan! Apparently I get an interview. Now if I only knew if I wanted to be a pharmacist... Man this is getting complicated!)

Really, it is up to you what you do. I recommend considering all the possibilities carefully, I know you're probably time-limited though.

 

[Murch]

Hey everyone --

Another update from my struggle. I was starting to lose hope, as some of you know... I got a call from my file manager yesterday. She called to inform me that I have been merit listed finally. Now I just need to wait, and hope for the best. My trades that I am eligible for still are Armored and Infantry... unfortunately, it sounds like they may both be full already. Guess I will find out soon.

If anyone has any information to share on either trade -- if you have received an offer, or have been told they are full, let me know.

Hopefully they offer me a similar deal and I have the option to take trades that I am qualified for that are not yet full. While I would prefer the trades I selected, I'm open to a number of other trades if they were available. Most are Army trades, but I wouldn't mind some of the Purple trades.

Hope everything is going well for you all, cheers.

 

[Cerulean_Sky]

I was accepted to ROTP 2010-2011, and I'm wondering what happens financially if you fail BMOQ? (either through voluntary release or because you're found to be unqualified)

Granted, from what I've read so far, it seems that as long as you prepare physically, do your best, and stick out the hard parts you have a decent shot at passing BMOQ. However, I like to be prepared for the future, and the reality of the situation is that the Forces are making a significant financial contribution before I'm found to be qualified (or not). I'm a university student living on my own money though, and if I'm asked to repay everything immediately, it would cause major difficulties. For this reason, I'd appreciate knowing what might happen in the unfortunate case that BMOQ (or any other tests / exams) eliminate me from contention to continue being in the Forces.

A secondary question: as far as I can remember, the recruiter I originally talked to said physical tests would all be during BMOQ, but are there any during orientation this August?

I would appreciate any input you have or a suggestion as to whom I should contact to ask these question.

Edit: I should clarify that I was accepted to ROTP in a civillian university.

 

[SkyHeff]

A secondary question: as far as I can remember, the recruiter I originally talked to said physical tests would all be during BMOQ, but are there any during orientation this August?

There was last summer, and we had a notable amount of people fail it. These people received an official verbal warning stating that they will be required to take on additional physical training (not sure if it is personal training provided by the CF or how that part works) throughout the months following August and they had to complete another test before Christmas of 2009.

 

[Smackimus]

Hey future OCdts,

            I would like to encourage all of you to join the RMC class of 2014 group on facebook. It's a much more casual and personal way to meet and greet your future classmates. Plus, as an added bonus, you could totally add everyone in the group as friends, stalk all their profiles, and find out who's the hottest one. (It's obviously me.  8))

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116614281686364&ref=ts

 

[calamityjoe]

xD nice

 

[Dou You]

Hey future OCdts,

            I would like to encourage all of you to join the RMC class of 2014 group on facebook. It's a much more casual and personal way to meet and greet your future classmates. Plus, as an added bonus, you could totally add everyone in the group as friends, stalk all their profiles, and find out who's the hottest one. (It's obviously me.  8))

Can't forget about the Civi U types either though! I feel so left out haha. There should be one big group on facebook that everyone selected for ROTP in 2010-2011 can join whether they are attending RMC or another university. Just an idea...