When To Join In TNCA?

When should I go to MEPS / join the Delayed Entry Program?

• READ DESCRIPTION Ok here's the deal: I want to join the Army. I'm 17 years old, a junior in high school. The summer vacation starts in late May. I know that I can stay in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) for 365 days. And I obviously cannot join before graduation. Graduation is one year from May of this year, therefore it is obvious to me that the SOONEST I can join the DEP would be late May of this year. Here is my question... I want a specific job. It's called 25B: Information Systems Analyst-Operator. My question is, does joining at the soonest time possible decrease or increase my chances of getting the specific MOS I want? What I mean is, should I wait a few months, maybe until around August or September of this year to join the DEP, therefore giving me more time to wait for an opening AFTER graduation just in case. Or do they book me a job before graduation and reserve it for me? I'm not quite sure how that works. I just know I want the best chances of getting the MOS 25B in my contract, and my scores are definitely high enough for it: I qualify. I just need to know WHEN I should join the DEP...if I should wait or not. I'd ask a recruiter but their offices aren't open on weekends so if nobody on here can help me, I'll call an Army recruiter on Monday and ask.

• Answer:

  You can join prior to graduation as long as you're a high school student in good standing and expected to graduate on time. A stipulation of your enlistment contract would be that if you drop out of school without graduating your contract will be voided. High school students can enlist into the DEP up to 14 months prior to their ship date. The DEP is usually 12 months but the Army has authorization to extend the DEP to 14 months with approval from the commander of the recruiting battalion you're enlisting from. Since you can't ship to basic less than three weeks after graduation (this is a new requirement that came out less than two years ago) if you are graduating the end of May you would be eligible to ship around the middle of June. The Army allowed the 2012 seniors to start enlisting on May 1st of last year, so if they keep up the tradition you should be able to enlist on or shortly after May 1st of this year. You can do the ASVAB and physical now if you're at least 17 and then you can sign your contract when you are eligible to do so. In case you was thinking about waiting until after graduation to enlist you shouldn't wait if you already know you want to be in the Army. The jobs that ship in June of 2013 are going to be offered to the senior class of 2013 first, meaning you get first pick of those jobs. Wait until later and you're competing with all of the high school graduates who are trying to join, making your chances of getting what you want smaller.