Work/Activities - Military Service hours?

[npbuac]

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I'm trying to get ahead on my work/activities section for the 2019 cycle. I served 3 years active duty USAF, how should the hours be calculated? My schedule was sometimes sporadic, some days I'd be on for 12-24 hrs, most of the time an 8 hr shift. Please advise. Thank you.

 

[BunsenBeaker]

I made averages and dumped each assignment in a spreadsheet.

ie I worked XX hrs/week during a Y month long deployment, so the total from that was my # of hours worked for that.
For a 3 year assignment, I worked an average of 45 hrs/week for 3 years... comes out to a lot of numbers, but it's accurate. For nontrads who've had careers before, it isn't a shock to have AMCAS activity section hours in the thousands.

I'll add that my reference and/or LOR writers are all people that can vouch for the average # of hours per week that I worked, and I gave them a heads up ahead of time as to how many hours I was putting down so they were aware and could talk about it if they disagreed. No one disagreed, and if they ever got/get a phone call about it, they can vouch for me if they wish to do so and believe that my numbers accurately reflect work performed.

I did not inflate any of the hours worked/volunteered/etc on my app. I've heard of people doing that before, but I believe in honesty, so I was honest about all of my activities and logged them the best I could and/or made sure to always have a supportive reference.

 

[daw05]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Once you put a very large number of hours (on the order of months or years straight), I think ADCOMs realize that it's different than normal shadowing or research type hours. For example, I put 8800 hours for a job that I did for a year, and 1488 for Ranger school. I mentioned fatherhood and put in 99999.

 

[npbuac]

I appreciate the advice guys! Another question, should you list two separate honors/awards sections? One for decorations, medals, badges, and citations. Another for academic achievement such as dean's list, scholarship, etc.? I ask because there are different contacts for both.

 

[BunsenBeaker]

I appreciate the advice guys! Another question, should you list two separate honors/awards sections? One for decorations, medals, badges, and citations. Another for academic achievement such as dean's list, scholarship, etc.? I ask because there are different contacts for both.

I actually only did 1 section because I wanted to jam in other stuff in the 14 other boxes... it didn't occur to me to do a separate one for medals/badges/decs, so I only included awards. Derp.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just did an average for hours. I took the average amount I worked on deployment, then calculated that total, then calculated the average i worked in port and bumped it up slightly to account for underways, then added those two to the time spent in training. To give you an idea, I think I had like 28,000 hours for 6 years.

As for awards, I left out the gimme awards and only included the meritorious ones so that I could fit them into one section. I chose not to include deans list and stuff because it is clear from my grades.

 

[Froggy25]

I only did personal awards and I put them all in one box, except for an award for valor only because I talked about that experience somewhere in my essays.

I agree with the poster above as far as a super high number of hours just sending a point to ADCOMS. I broke down military service by assignment, and used an avg. I think I had something like 20,000 hrs of work experience under “Marine infantry officer,” but was exact in my medical volunteering experience since it was so much less (200-something).

 

[esob]

I remember seeing my MEPRS hours before I ETS'd, so I took 75% of that and put it down because I know if anyone ever questioned it, that there were hard numbers to back it up. As for awards, I did them all in one section as others. I did leave out my weapons qualifications badges because someone (I think @Matthew9Thirtyfive ) told me to, which makes me sad because as a former pitcher, my expert qualification in grenades was something I was especially proud of 😀

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I remember seeing my MEPRS hours before I ETS'd, so I took 75% of that and put it down because I know if anyone ever questioned it, that there were hard numbers to back it up. As for awards, I did them all in one section as others. I did leave out my weapons qualifications badges because someone (I think @Matthew9Thirtyfive ) told me to, which makes me sad because as a former pitcher, my expert qualification in grenades was something I was especially proud of 😀

I left out my marksmanship medals because I didn’t have enough room if I wanted to put all my awards in one section. Also people don’t really care about your awards except for the individual merit ones. I’ve worn my uniform to every interview and only one interviewer has even asked about them. The ones she cared about were my MOVSM and my NAMs.

 

[esob]

I left out my marksmanship medals because I didn’t have enough room if I wanted to put all my awards in one section. Also people don’t really care about your awards except for the individual merit ones. I’ve worn my uniform to every interview and only one interviewer has even asked about them. The ones she cared about were my MOVSM and my NAMs.

That was internet sarcasm there, sorry I didn't make that clear, lol

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That was internet sarcasm there, sorry I didn't make that clear, lol

Oh yeah I knew you weren’t being totally serious.

 

[RNtoMD87]

I left out my marksmanship medals because I didn’t have enough room if I wanted to put all my awards in one section. Also people don’t really care about your awards except for the individual merit ones. I’ve worn my uniform to every interview and only one interviewer has even asked about them. The ones she cared about were my MOVSM and my NAMs.

I debate which medals I would want to include. So far I think I will narrow it down to Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.

Gotta love that old grenade qual badge. What a joke. Honestly all marksmanship badges are a joke. If you can't hit 37/40 targets at a max range of 300m you need your eyes checked.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I debate which medals I would want to include. So far I think I will narrow it down to Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and Good Conduct Medal.

That’s basically the equivalent of what I did. I left the marksmanship ones off because there wouldn’t be enough room and because there are some pretty anti-gun people out there who might not be impressed that I am good at shooting.

Gotta love that old grenade qual badge. What a joke. Honestly all marksmanship badges are a joke. If you can't hit 37/40 targets at a max range of 300m you need your eyes checked.

We don’t get a badge for grenadier. It’s just a qual. I’ve never gotten to throw one, but I have fired them using the m203. That was cool.

Not sure how army scoring works. It’s fairly difficult to get expert in the Navy.

 

[RNtoMD87]

That’s basically the equivalent of what I did. I left the marksmanship ones off because there wouldn’t be enough room and because there are some pretty anti-gun people out there who might not be impressed that I am good at shooting.



We don’t get a badge for grenadier. It’s just a qual. I’ve never gotten to throw one, but I have fired them using the m203. That was cool.

Not sure how army scoring works. It’s fairly difficult to get expert in the Navy.

We got them just for throwing them. I’ve thrown 3 live ones, fired 1 live m203 (tons of chalk ones), 1 live claymore, 1 live AT4, and hundreds of At4 9mm tracer rounds lol

It’s a joke. You don’t even have to really account for drop at 300m. Shooting at 500m is more fun. It’s a big misconception that cops and military are adept at shooting. When I was deployed most of my squad mates concerned me with their shooting ability.

This wasn’t particularly hard for me to achieve. I mean you’re shooting 50M with the m9. It’s a “get off me gun” for a reason.

 

[esob]

We got them just for throwing them. I’ve thrown 3 live ones, fired 1 live m203 (tons of chalk ones), 1 live claymore, 1 live AT4, and hundreds of At4 9mm tracer rounds lol

I think that was the case for us too, if you threw them and managed not to blow yourself up in the process, you got the expert qualification, lol. I've fired a single live AT4 as well, after which, doing the tracers was always a letdown 😀

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

We got them just for throwing them. I’ve thrown 3 live ones, fired 1 live m203 (tons of chalk ones), 1 live claymore, 1 live AT4, and hundreds of At4 9mm tracer rounds lol

It’s a joke. You don’t even have to really account for drop at 300m. Shooting at 500m is more fun. It’s a big misconception that cops and military are adept at shooting. When I was deployed most of my squad mates concerned me with their shooting ability.View attachment 243365

This wasn’t particularly hard for me to achieve. I mean you’re shooting 50M with the m9. It’s a “get off me gun” for a reason. View attachment 243366

I don't even know how to read that course of fire lol. It's totally different from the Navy course of fire. It's not hard to qualify for us, but getting expert is pretty difficult. Very few people get it. It also doesn't help that we get zero practice with the rifle until we're qualifying.

You guys fire the M9 at 50 meters? That's the max effective range of that firearm lol. Our course of fire is at 3 yards, 7 yards, and 15 yards.

Our VBSS course if fire is a lot different. It incorporates M4 and M9 and involves a lot of running around and **** lol. It's super fun.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

We got them just for throwing them. I’ve thrown 3 live ones, fired 1 live m203 (tons of chalk ones), 1 live claymore, 1 live AT4, and hundreds of At4 9mm tracer rounds lol

It’s a joke. You don’t even have to really account for drop at 300m. Shooting at 500m is more fun. It’s a big misconception that cops and military are adept at shooting. When I was deployed most of my squad mates concerned me with their shooting ability.View attachment 243365

This wasn’t particularly hard for me to achieve. I mean you’re shooting 50M with the m9. It’s a “get off me gun” for a reason. View attachment 243366

Oh, also, a lot of the issues with accuracy in gun fights is not because they aren't trained, it's because you lose a lot of your fine motor skills under stress. So things like not fingering or anticipating start to happen because you're just pulling the trigger at a threat. I would argue that military folks are much more adept at shooting than most cops since we actually shoot fairly regularly. But when SHTF, a lot of those skills can fly out the window. They don't always though. Training helps.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Oh, also, a lot of the issues with accuracy in gun fights is not because they aren't trained, it's because you lose a lot of your fine motor skills under stress. So things like not fingering or anticipating start to happen because you're just pulling the trigger at a threat. I would argue that military folks are much more adept at shooting than most cops since we actually shoot fairly regularly. But when SHTF, a lot of those skills can fly out the window. They don't always though. Training helps.

No I mean even before that. I had a SSG smoke the dog **** out of me because she kept hitting the ground in front of her with a 9mm while firing in the prone. I said “how’d you make it to E6 and you can’t even avoid shooting the ground?”

Also she told me I couldn’t sight in other private’s ACOGs because “I wasn’t trained in it”, until she struggled to do it and I said “hey sarnt it’s easy. Just like sighting in a deer rifle scope. Lemme show you how it’s done”. Guess who was the small arms instructor soon after that? Bunch of non shooting POGs I swear.


But no I get what you mean. First time I fired my weapon in Iraq I was in the MRAP gun turret firing my m4 at some muj that was dropping grenades off of a bridge at vehicles further up in my convoy. I thought my weapon was firing blanks. “PIECE OF SH GARBAGE!” Cussing my head off at my weapon, until I dropped the mag... it was empty.

 

[RNtoMD87]

I don't even know how to read that course of fire lol. It's totally different from the Navy course of fire. It's not hard to qualify for us, but getting expert is pretty difficult. Very few people get it. It also doesn't help that we get zero practice with the rifle until we're qualifying.

You guys fire the M9 at 50 meters? That's the max effective range of that firearm lol. Our course of fire is at 3 yards, 7 yards, and 15 yards.

Our VBSS course if fire is a lot different. It incorporates M4 and M9 and involves a lot of running around and **** lol. It's super fun.

Lol I had plenty of practice before the military

 

[RNtoMD87]

Still got my Top Gun qual target. Me and the runner up both had 50 hits. My group was just tighter

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

No I mean even before that. I had a SSG smoke the dog **** out of me because she kept hitting the ground in front of her with a 9mm while firing in the prone. I said “how’d you make it to E6 and you can’t even avoid shooting the ground?”

Also she told me I couldn’t sight in other private’s ACOGs because “I wasn’t trained in it”, until she struggled to do it and I said “hey sarnt it’s easy. Just like sighting in a deer rifle scope. Lemme show you how it’s done”. Guess who was the small arms instructor soon after that? Bunch of non shooting POGs I swear.

Jeez. I've been a line coach for 6 years and have seem a handful of people do things like shooting the dirt. I usually offer to go over shooting skills and dry fire practice before they do it for real though. And they usually sent me the remedials and inexperienced people because I'm good at teaching.

But no I get what you mean. First time I fired my weapon in Iraq I was in the MRAP gun turret firing my m4 at some muj that was dropping grenades off of a bridge at vehicles further up in my convoy. I thought my weapon was firing blanks. “PIECE OF SH GARBAGE!” Cussing my head off at my weapon, until I dropped the mag... it was empty.

lol yep. That's why we use big movements for dropping the mag, reloading, etc. Your thumb ain't hitting that slide release when you're getting shot at.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Lol I had plenty of practice before the military View attachment 243370

I actually touched a gun maybe twice before I joined the Navy lol. I just happened to be good at it. Probably because I'm a musician.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Jeez. I've been a line coach for 6 years and have seem a handful of people do things like shooting the dirt. I usually offer to go over shooting skills and dry fire practice before they do it for real though. And they usually sent me the remedials and inexperienced people because I'm good at teaching.



lol yep. That's why we use big movements for dropping the mag, reloading, etc. Your thumb ain't hitting that slide release when you're getting shot at.

No I mean I fired 30 rounds and didn’t realize it. I hadn’t dropped the mag. Since I was 15 I’ve ran shooting drills almost daily. I just never had an adrenaline rush like that. It’s the only thing I miss from the Army. I’ve never gotten that high again. Nothing in the hospital compares.

Killed my first squirrel at 6 years old with a crack barrel 20 gauge.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Still got my Top Gun qual target. Me and the runner up both had 50 hits. My group was just tighter View attachment 243371

I got top gun at VBSS school. They gave it to both of us. We both hit 24/24 and did it in 1:05. I thought that was so fast, but then when I went to do my requal like a year later, I did it in 45 seconds lol. That course is so fun. I'm kind of sad I'll never get to run it again.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

No I mean I fired 30 rounds and didn’t realize it. I hadn’t dropped the mag. Since I was 15 I’ve ran shooting drills almost daily. I just never had an adrenaline rush like that.

Killed my first squirrel at 6 years old with a crack barrel 20 gauge.

Oh yeah, I got it lol. I'm just saying, that adrenaline rush is why we train that way.

Edit: most of the fire fights we get into in the surface Navy are with actual fire lol. I've never been in a gun fight (been in a couple altercations on watch, but they weren't armed), but I've had to fight a bunch of fires.

I'll take fires. They don't shoot back lol.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Oh yeah, I got it lol. I'm just saying, that adrenaline rush is why we train that way.

Edit: most of the fire fights we get into in the surface Navy are with actual fire lol. I've never been in a gun fight (been in a couple altercations on watch, but they weren't armed), but I've had to fight a bunch of fires.

I'll take fires. They don't shoot back lol.

I’ve fired and I’ve been fired upon. But not at the same time, lol. We took fire, and kind of shot the way the fire came from after the fact once but you weren’t really expecting to hit someone. Good old MSR Tampa and Route Irish. They were so far away you could just make out the building. Our commander put another platoon in for a CAB but not us. He said it was because we were fired upon but did not return fire but the truth is he couldn’t be bothered. The reason he put the other platoon in, was because they were transporting him and he wanted a CAB.

He was a POG wuss who finally got relieved of duty and we got a better commander.

All of the fires I’ve fought were tracer induced forest fires lol

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I’ve fired and I’ve been fired upon. But not at the same time, lol. We took fire, and kind of shot the way the fire came from once but you weren’t really expecting to hit someone. Good old MSR Tampa and Route Irish. They were so far away you could just make out the building. Our commander put another platoon in for a CAB but not us. He said it was because we were fired upon but did not return fire but the truth is he couldn’t be bothered. The reason he put the other platoon in, was because they were transporting him and he wanted a CAB

All of the fires I’ve fought were tracer induced forest fires lol

Ha. Yeah, ships catch on fire a lot. I've fought all 4 classes of fire, including delta. Fortunately the delta was within a bravo fire, and by the time we had the bravo under control, the delta had burned itself out.

Just realized we totally hijacked the thread. If you wanna keep talking about it, tag me in the social thread!

 

[RNtoMD87]

Ha. Yeah, ships catch on fire a lot. I've fought all 4 classes of fire, including delta. Fortunately the delta was within a bravo fire, and by the time we had the bravo under control, the delta had burned itself out.

Just realized we totally hijacked the thread. If you wanna keep talking about it, tag me in the social thread!

I noticed the same thing bro. My bad. I’ll shoot you a PM.

 

[esob]

I noticed the same thing bro. My bad. I’ll shoot you a PM.

I see what you did there 😀

But yeah, thread hijacked, I helped in that, sorry OP, let's get back on track. For anyone reading this in the future and looking for the main point, it seems the consensus answer to this question is to list awards in one box instead of individually, which is what most of us did.

 

[npbuac]

But yeah, thread hijacked, I helped in that, sorry OP, let's get back on track. For anyone reading this in the future and looking for the main point, it seems the consensus answer to this question is to list awards in one box instead of individually, which is what most of us did.

Will be listing all awards; military and academic in one section. Thanks!

 

[RNtoMD87]

I see what you did there 😀

But yeah, thread hijacked, I helped in that, sorry OP, let's get back on track. For anyone reading this in the future and looking for the main point, it seems the consensus answer to this question is to list awards in one box instead of individually, which is what most of us did.

I want to just say, way to be an awesome moderator and be agreeable instead of authoritarian. Respect.

OP Good luck! And thanks for your service brother.

 

[rangerdad]

Hey, brother thanks for the advice the other day. I have decided to move my MCAT to June 1st and begin completing my AMCAS application (this is how I found this post). I am still going to apply for SGU as last resort but applying AMCAS and ACOMAS for FL and other schools. Like you said it will increase my chances to win my Voc Rehab appeal if I receive a CONUS acceptances. I will be applying kind of late in the cycle, but if I don't get accepted, I will go to SGU in January. We'll see.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Hey, brother thanks for the advice the other day. I have decided to move my MCAT to June 1st and begin completing my AMCAS application (this is how I found this post). I am still going to apply for SGU as last resort but applying AMCAS and ACOMAS for FL and other schools. Like you said it will increase my chances to win my Voc Rehab appeal if I receive a CONUS acceptances. I will be applying kind of late in the cycle, but if I don't get accepted, I will go to SGU in January. We'll see.

Do not go to SGU unless you’ve gone through at least two cycles of MD and DO and haven’t gotten in anywhere. Please. Do yourself a favor.

Also, June and July aren’t late. Even August is okay. DO you can apply even later. I applied to four DO schools in November and got interviews at all of them.

 

[EasyEveryoneWouldDoIt]

yeah i would do 3 cycles even before considering Caribbean schools. remember to add ETSU to your list while applying. they treat veterans as in-state. what i have seen that for most of us, once we get to the interview stage we tend to stand out since we have so many stories of leadership, teamwork, etc. i remember going to interviews where half of them had ivy league back grounds, but blew the interview out of the water with my experiences and ended up 5/6 with interviews ( I count a high priority WL at USUHS a win)