Today was my first of two days at MEPS (Military Enlistment Processing Station), and it was an interesting experience. I am writing this recap at around 7PM, 3 hours after getting back home from MEPS. I got a small taste of what it was like to be in the military while doing some testing there today, and I have a feeling I will get more of a taste tomorrow as I will be there for around 12 hours. The process of testing today took me about 2 hours but it was a bit nerve wrecking and hectic. I know I will be getting some great sleep tonight, which is nice because I will need to be up early tomorrow. The following is a run down of how the process went and how I will prepare for my bigger day tomorrow.
I was told by my recruiter to arrive no earlier than noon for the first day of MEPS. I was told that I would be doing a verification of my PiCAT test which I took 4 days before, as well as doing some other tests before being finished. Once finished I was told that I would be going to a hotel to stay the night where there would be a curfew at 10PM and I would have a wake up call somewhere between 3-4am.
Once I completed my verifications and other tests I was told I was free to leave. I informed the woman working there that I had driven my own vehicle there and she asked if I had information on the hotel where I would be staying. I told them I did not, they looked confused by this. I guess I was supposed to be given this information by my recruiter and was not. They told me I was free to go home and come back in the morning or go to the hotel, it was my choice. I decided to come home, so I could get a good nights sleep before the long second day of medical checks and possible job selection.
After I left I texted my recruiter that I was all finished and they called me back fairly quickly to let me know that I got a great score of 99, and that they got chewed out a bit by their Chief because I was not given the correct information. They told me that I would probably be offered a bunch of submarine relationship because they need people to fill those, but I should hold out for the job that I want because of my high test scores. I am interest in Intelligence Warfare ratings, a few Seabee ratings, as well as some Aviation ratings. I am anxious for tomorrow because I could be making a decision that will set my life on a new course.
I need to get all of my things ready for tomorrow morning. That way I can wake up at 3:50am and be ready to leave by 4:50am. It will take me about an hour to shower, get dressed, eat, and double check I have all of my necessary items and then another 25 minutes to drive to MEPS. If everything goes smoothly I should be in the parking lot of MEPS at 5:15AM, waiting for the doors to open at 5:30AM.