Oblc
- Thread starter hellopeople
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Trying to get to BOLC before your class starts can be very problematic. The biggest stumbling block is your security clearance. No clearance no BOLC. The second problem is getting your record to the HPSP office from the Recruiting Command. Without receipt of your paper record at the HPSP office, you will not be enrolled at the Medical Education website and as such there can be no ADT. Also, if the HPSP office has not received your record there is a very high probability that your command has not received their copy. When your command does not have their copy, they cant initiate your clearance.
I recommend that you keep in touch with your recruiter. While he will tell you that he has forwarded everything, most of the time (99.9%) that the record is not forwarded is because there is an error that the recruiter needs to correct.
By security clearance, are you referring to the "OK" from Congress (called "scrolls" or something like that) that takes months? I can see why it has been hard to pull this off in previous years.
I guess I'll contact my recruiter and see if I have some luck on my side.
Excuse me if this seems like an obvious question, but what record does my recruiter need to send? Or will he know what I'm talking about when I say "my record"?
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By security clearance I mean your secret security clearance that you need in order to be an officer in the US Army. This is much different from the scroll.
The packet I speak of is all the information that you have filled out while at the computer in the Recruting office. Your recruiter is well aware of what needs to be sent to his command. He needs to check periodically to ensure that his command is not asking for something else. An example would be another copy of your fingerprints (for your security clearance) because they have a short lifecycle. Meaning that if they don't make it with the rest of your application for a clearance to the proper office within 30 days, the fingerprints submitted earlier will expire and you will need to submit new ones.
I see. Thanks for the info. I'll try to get more "in the loop" and on top of things.
Hey People,
It can be done, because I did it. It came down to the wire though. I got my orders for OBLC about five days before OBLC started. Contact OTSG. 1-877-MED-ARMY.
It can be done, because I did it. It came down to the wire though. I got my orders for OBLC about five days before OBLC started. Contact OTSG. 1-877-MED-ARMY.
same here. i wanted to do it b/f d school. i was commissioned in feb, applied for oblc in feb, the recruiter confirmed that i'd be going in march and april, and called in may that i won't be going b/c the class is full. they called me again in june, just 3 days b/f the start date, to invite me in.
if it is possible, i recommend you do that and get it over with. there are many advantages to get it done early. for example, if you do the math carefully, you'd get more $ than doing it after d school. the only potential problem is doing it b/f d school would put you in the lowest priority, so it's really hard to know until the very end. in my year, i was only one came b/f d school, among 70 or so oblc dental corp buddies.
overall, my experience was pretty good.
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My recruiter set me up with a contact that emphatically suggested that I avoid doing OBLC before dental school. The contact said something about not getting paid during one of the 45 day periods you would otherwise receive 2LT's pay during dental school.
I thought it was a shame, but I guess not jumping into things gives more time to relax before the grind begins...
well, whoever told you against it has his or her opinion. oblc, in my experience, is nothing compared to typical enlisted soldier's boot camp. it's geared more toward military knowledge and physical fitness. we had rooms with AC, nice superiors, good food, shooting weapons, etc, and i'm no way close to a "typical soldier" type. so to clarify math, your pay would start 45 days sooner than everyone else if you do attend oblc. now, during the 45 days of training, you are active; you're entitled to full military compensation as 2LT, such as BAH II, BAS, leave pay, transportation compensation, etc. it is more than what you'd get paid if you were just using 45 days ADT in school. moreover, it is true oblc would count toward 1 ADT if you so choose to do it while in school, but you'd be still getting your stipend in lieu of ADT pay while others who have not done oblc are doing their school ADT. so there is some difference in pay, but not by much. so if you do attend oblc, you'd be getting stipend for 12 months, instead of 10.5 months.
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Interesting. I was under the impression that the lost 45 days of 2LT pay would not be replaced by a stipend. If you still have a stipend to cover living costs during that month and a half, it doesn't really seem like a bad idea to take the course this summer.
Makes me wonder why I got the advice I did.
you'd get paid more by doing oblc than school ADT, so you'd get more even if you get nothing during the 45 days while in school. i found school ADT annoying b/c i cannot travel abroad while i'm on ADT, which falls when the school's in recess for 2 weeks.
putting the money aside, in my opinion, while oblc is a good experience, it's just better to do it and get over it. i'm happy that now that's done, i could start working immediately after i graduate.
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Did anyone else get orders to BOLC before starting dental school? I got my orders in the mail yesterday and booked my flight today. I will be starting my first year at Tufts Dental in the fall. Is anyone in a similar situation?
