Well I got done yesterday around 2:30 but didn't get back here until around 5:30pm (where I dropped down and passed out until 9:45am today) :lol:
The recruiters were telling me that at MEPS they will interrogate you over and over to try to get some information that you are holding back. I don't know whether that’s true or not; or maybe I got lucky. Be sure to get lots of sleep before MEPS and a good breakfast because it’s a LONGGGG day.
This first part: (0530 to ~1100) You start at 0530 on the dot. At that time you will get your first briefing of the day (what to do and not to do at the MEPS). From there you check your bags in. Then you're off to your military liaison where you turn in your white folder and get your name tag. After that you go to the front desk and get your medical packet. As long as there isn't a navy "richard" there they will tell you to go to the briefing room. There depending on how much time you have until the commander comes in you will take your vision or hearing test. In the briefing room you will wait for the MEPS Commander (ours was a Marine Major, a really nice guy too). After that you get to finish the basic medical exams (urine, blood, vision, height/weight, hearing, physical, and motion tests).
Second Part: (~1100 to ~1420) After you finish your medical examinations they will tell you whether you qualify or not. If you qualify you get to go back to your liaison and give them some paperwork. (This is where my memory gets hazy because I got one of those lack of sleep headaches) After you turn in that paperwork they tell you to take a seat in the lobby and get some chow at 1130. You get your packet that you turned in that morning and you take it to the front desk. They will tell you to go to some other station where you will be given an opportunity to give up any information you think you should tell them. (This is where they "interrogate" you, I had a Marine Sergeant and I think he was having a bad day because he basically asked me if there was anything I needed to say and that was it) After your time in the one to one conversation you get to be finger printed. Once all that is done you back to your liaison. You turn all your paperwork back in. They will call you back to your liaison office and there you will talk about what MOS you want and all that. (Took about 10 minutes for me since I was going College First, but be sure to talk about everything you need to know about your MOS before signing) You get more papers and you take them to the front desk. After that you get to wait some more and come back to be sworn in. Swearing in is cool (you'll learn the "at attention" and "at rest" positions; be sure to keep your shoulders back, chin up, adn say it like you mean it). After swearing in you take your paperwork back to your Liaison and the Army gives a nice backpack full of goodies. THEN YOU’RE DONE!! (not sure if I'm allowed to say it but theres only one statement about MEPS) To easy!
Depending on your college hours they will go ahead and acclerate your rank in the DEP. Right now I'm a PFC.
Sorry about the length but thats about all I can remember from yesterday
Posts: 367 | Location: College Station, TX | Registered: 30 October 2003
[quote:cac6486318="Miranda"][quote:cac6486318]the Army gives a nice backpack full of goodies. [/quote:cac6486318]
What kind of goodies???? All I got was a folder with the army logo on it![/quote:cac6486318]
Got the backpack, a bumper sticker, 2 bumper stickers for your parents, a 5 minute basic training video, t-shirt, 2 folders of good info to know before leaving for basic, and a video game.
Posts: 367 | Location: College Station, TX | Registered: 30 October 2003
Yeah... They pull up a list of the slots that they have in the ARMY that need to be filled. Most MOS positions still should be open because it is a new fiscal year, however as the year goes on slots get filled and MOS positions disappear. So remember if you want a certain job and they don't tell you about it ask.... and don't sign ANYTHING before you are ready to accept that job for that length of time. Don't get me wrong, most won't try to trick you into taking something you don't want but it is their job to fill all of the army positions available.
Posts: 295 | Location: Somewhere out there | Registered: 25 September 2003
[quote:663add5a7a="enforce"]Yeah... They pull up a list of the slots that they have in the ARMY that need to be filled. Most MOS positions still should be open because it is a new fiscal year, however as the year goes on slots get filled and MOS positions disappear. So remember if you want a certain job and they don't tell you about it ask.... and don't sign ANYTHING before you are ready to accept that job for that length of time. Don't get me wrong, most won't try to trick you into taking something you don't want but it is their job to fill all of the army positions available.[/quote:663add5a7a]
Exact thing my recruiter told me, but didn't matter because I was going for College First. He also said that when he went in they had laser discs with videos to show for almost every MOS. Might want to ask them if they have a dvd or something for your MOS so you can take a look.
Posts: 367 | Location: College Station, TX | Registered: 30 October 2003
If they don't have what you want then, just say you want to wait and get up to leave. If they want you bad enough (which they do!) they will tell you to stop because a slot just appeared! Failing that, just leave and come back later!
Tex, sorry this post is so long, but I think you should read on -- important information about College First. This is not to scare you, but rather to educate you on your contract. Bottom line up front: stay enrolled full-time and give your recruiter the enrollment info every time you enroll for classes.
It's been quite some time since you first posted this. Congrats on college first -- it's a GREAT program for you, if you do a couple things properly. Now that you're in the bigtime, it's extremely important that for every term (semester/quarter) that you register for classes (and it must be as a full-time student), you give a copy of your enrollment verification to your recruiter so he can process it. Being enrolled full-time will get you paid (what is it now, $200 or so a month?), but you have to repeat that process every term to get the pay. If your pay stops, it's because you didn't do this. Recruiting Command is tracking you and they will know when you don't. It will indicate one of two things to them -- either you need to obtain a copy of your current enrollment and give it to your recruiter asap; or you have stopped going to college full-time. By the way, this includes summer session -- unless you enroll full-time over the summer, your next paycheck won't be until the fall, because "spring session" was the last time you were enrolled full-time.
One other thing you should know -- don't drop out of college, don't take a sabatical, and don't reduce classes to part-time (summer session is the only exception). Not that I think you would, but for anyone else who is curious about college first. When Recruiting Command notifies your recruiter that they have not received your current full-time enrollment verification, he will contact you asking for it. When he can't furnish higher headquarters with a copy, you will then have 2 options -- 1) pay back all money that the Army has given you and you are released from the DEP with no further obligation; or 2) go to MEPS immediately to pick a job and ship out on the first available date (you can keep the money if you take this option) -- just a note, you can do option 2 voluntarily at any time.
If a person decides they no longer want anything to do with College First, the Delayed Entry Program, or the Army, and they refuse both options, the Army retains the right to pursue legal actions, and whether they do or not, they will garnish your tax returns and get their money back from you as repayment of a debt to the government.
Like I said, this is not to scare you but rather to educate you on your contract. Stay enrolled full-time and give your recruiter the info and everything will be fine. See you on top of the hill! Best of luck.
Thanks Getsome. Yeah I understood all that before going to MEPS. My recruiter told me he would get a verification form himself for this semester but I still haven't gotten paid for this month so I guess I'm gonna have to pick one up for him. Thanks though
Does the Army consider 9 hours full time if all you have left is 9 hours to graduate? If not then I'm going to be in trouble come this fall. :?
Posts: 367 | Location: College Station, TX | Registered: 30 October 2003
(not sure if I'm allowed to say it but theres only one statement about MEPS) To easy!
