Here's a recent question: ... I have been considering what I might do, if I am not accepted. I don't know what could make my application much better, I am about to finish school among the top 10% of my class, and have interned and volunteered in a variety of public service areas. I expect to be offered a job in one of those fields....for someone whose true goal in life is to be a JAG Corps. Officer...would you suggest enlisting as a 27D, or going through OCS...rather than taking a job outside of the army?

Which do you think would best help my odds of someday becoming a Judge Advocate? Also, if I was to start in another branch, would I be able to transfer after a few years?

These are great questions, and I have a couple answers.  Please keep in mind, though, that these are simply my opinions.  While I think I've got a pretty good sense of the selection process and what the JAG Corps is looking for in new Judge Advocates, there are never any guarantees (especially in a 'total person' selection system like ours that uses the subjective judgment of a board of officers to choose new officers).  Disclaimer out of the way, here it goes....

First, for those of you in this boat, of having done everything you can to be competitive (grades, class rank, volunteer work, sincere commitment to service in the JAG Corps), look for that extra element of improvement.  For this applicant, that might be making the effort to become an athlete (or a better one).  Take up a new sport (running is a good, useful one) or take on a bigger physical challenge.  Always wanted to hike the Appalachia Trail?  Start preparing for it and do it!  Run a marathon, take up triathlon.  Give capoeira a try!  (These are some of my favorites, but the point is to just get out, try it, and work to get better.)

Once the application is out the door and you're planning for the possibility of not being selected (and in this VERY competitive market it's a real possibility for MOST applicants) you've got real choices to make.  And there are pros and cons to each of the three options presented in the question.

1.  Enlist in the Army as a paralegal (27D).  This is a good option for a) learning about the Army from the ground up; and b) possibly getting an enlistment bonus to help pay school loans.  On the flip side, you will not practice law.  After three years getting ready to do this, it might be a tough think to put off.  Both enlisted and officer members of the Army may apply to the JAG Corps - just like their civilian counterparts - as long as they otherwise meet our minimum requirements (like having passed the bar, etc.).

2.  Officer Candidate School (OCS) to become an officer in another branch.  Another good option for learning about the Army.  Probably less availability for signing bonuses and such (though this is not my area of expertise).  Again, you will not be practicing law, and you will not have much of a choice about what branch you end up in (it will depend on "the needs of the Army").

3.  Take a civilian legal job.  You get to practice what you've been preparing to do for the last three years.  You may (or may not) have a chance to make big $.  You will not be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan (even if you're anxious to go, this can be a real burden to your family (in addition to the possibility of significant personal risk); I don't want to dissuade anyone who is committed to serving in combat, I just want to make sure you've thought about all it means, both good and bad).

So what are the relative values of each course of action to the possibility of future selection to the JAG Corps?  It depends who is sitting on the board and what they're looking for.  Serving in uniform, either as an enlisted paralegal or as an officer in another branch, shows a real commitment to military service and, I think, will be a big plus when it comes to the selection process.  But don't discount the value of actually practicing law in a civilian capacity and then being able to say to the Field Screening Officer, "I like what I'm doing, but it isn't as satisfying as I expect being a Judge Advocate will be.  I took this job [as whatever you're doing] in order to become a better candidate for the JAG Corps."

At the end of the day, it really depends on where you think you will be most comfortable.  (My philosophy here is the same as my opinion about what classes you take in law school: do what you're interested in and what you enjoy -- you'll be more successful because you'll be more invested, and ultimately you'll be happier.)  You may get out to a civilian public service job and realize you found your calling; you may discover as paralegal or as a Transportation officer that the Army isn't at all what you expected; you may do more homework and talk to more people and find out that you're a better fit in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.  And you may go home at the end of another day at Legal Aid that there's something left that you need to do, and that thing is serve, if only for 4 years, in the JAG Corps. 

I wish I could give you the answer.  No matter what choice you make, your decision to apply again is what matters.  You will need to articulate why you still want to be a Judge Advocate; and, hopefully, you'll be able to talk about what you've done since the last application to make yourself a stronger candidate.  Get fit, volunteer, read, write, think; be committed.