Anonymous User wrote: AF SJA who conducts interviews here.
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If there are any criminal, drug, mental health, credit, weight, etc. issues, what have you done to show that's not you anymore? If your interviewer likes you, they will try to explain these things away. Help them. If you got caught for underage drinking in college, maybe volunteer for some kind of designated driver program. Stuff like that. One thing specifically - do not be over your weight limit. That is likely an automatic no.
The more you can find out about what the job entails, the better. An easy example is the initial training we go through. Some students don't know that your first training is COT and JASOC. The applicant who asks specific questions about the training shows me they have put more thought into this. Maybe they ask a question based on a COT blog they read online. Or know what your PT test requirements are versus "I think running is involved." These are little things, but they separate the ones really ready apart from the 3L applying for the first time in April who has "always" wanted to do this.
So on the Army application submitted last month, I gave my honest weight of approx. 205lbs because I think it's not too reasonable at least at this stage in my life to assume I can operate under the expected weight for my height. My "standard" weight has been 210-15. With pushing myself this year in eating right I have dropped to 200-205. But I am 5'9" and even at my peak of fitness playing football in college, I was never under 200. I know I would easily pass the BMI standards right now. But figured there was no logic nor was it a good idea to lie. I considered explaining this in detail in my personal essay but wasn't sure it was the place to burn characters explaining this. My interviewer and my photo submitted can show that I am a fit and active person.
But this above ^^^ makes me concerned that I did not directly address it and just listed my weight as over my threshold. Any thoughts on this being a auto-ding as described above? specifically for the Army and/or Navy? (although I don't recall listing my weight on my Navy app)