RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- More than 180 men and women from throughout America have earned an opportunity to become Air Force leaders following their selection for a commission, officials here announced Nov. 12.
Air Force Recruiting Service officials considered 205 applications as part of Officer Training School Selection Board 0501, which convened Sept. 28 to 30, and selected 183 for an 89 percent selection rate. Of those, 25 enlisted Airmen earned the chance to attend OTS and trade their stripes for gold bars.
A complete list of selectees is available at www.afrecruiting.com/index.asp?pid=brd5.
As part of the selection process, board members review both objective and subjective factors. Objectively, the board considers each applicant’s academic discipline, grade point average and Air Force Officer Qualifying Test scores. Subjectively, board members evaluate work experience, accomplishments, adaptability, character, leadership ability, potential for future growth and other recommendations. For active-duty enlisted Airmen, performance reports and commander’s recommendations are also evaluated.
Five Air Force colonels review every application. The selection process is similar to an Air Force officer promotion board. No single factor leads to an individual's selection or nonselection, according to OTS selection officials.
People selected can expect class-assignment information approximately eight weeks after their commissioning physical is certified. OTS boards meet about every six weeks at the Air Force Recruiting Service headquarters here.
The school is only one of the avenues the service uses to commission new officers. The Air Force also sends more than 1,000 young people to its service academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and awards more than $60 million in ROTC scholarships each year. Service officials continue to need qualified officers, including doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and engineers.
For more information concerning OTS and the application process, active-duty Airmen should contact their local education services office; civilians should contact the nearest Air Force recruiter.