I first want to apologize if this is long-winded, but I'm trying to give as much detail and information as possible. Thanks to anyone that can provide any help or insight.
I'm interested in becoming an officer and going to OCS as soon as possible following graduation. I'm set to graduate from a decent state school in December of this year. I will graduate with a BS in economics and a BA in political science. My Overall GPA will be around 3.85 (maybe slightly more) and both of my major GPAs are 4.0 currently. I have worked throughout, I'm in good health (run/lift daily, no health issues or surgeries, etc.), and I also speak Spanish fluently if that matters. I can also get some great recommendations from a federal judge and a few professors.
Now here comes the complex part: I have the opportunity for an internship for fall semester (late August to early December) without affecting my graduation date. I have a few offers; one for a congressman, one for a congressional committee, and another for a lobbying firm, all in DC. I really want to do one of them but I would also like to leave (if accepted) for BCT and OCS as soon as possible following graduation. I would leave at any time with the understanding that the Army isn't going to cater to me, but would still aim for leaving around Jan-Mar 2017 if possible.
So now a few questions:
1) How competitive will I be for OCS assuming no complications?
2) Is it better to talk to a recruiter in the next few months where I live (western U.S.) or wait until August or September when I'm in DC? I want to leave ASAP so I would even consider not doing the internship to accomplish that goal as money is pretty tight and I'm going to have to work my butt off in order to even pay for the (all unpaid) internships. I guess I'm really wondering the length of the process? Is it something that can be done prior to me leaving for DC? Is it something that would take all summer and fall? Is waiting until I get to DC allowing enough time for the recruiter and the application/decision process? I don't want to cause problems/complications with a recruiter here and make him/her do a bunch of work that a DC recruiter is then going to get all the credit for. Any advice?
I'm going to talk to a recruiter and get their perspective in the next week or so, but I'm just interested in any perspectives. Thanks.