Recent content by DTrain1986

These are sufficient. Get with the Marine officer who is your POC and get feedback; that's what counts. Then go work on maxing your PFT. That will turn heads; essays won't. Semper Fi, DTrain

My recommendation: go with your "gut." And it seems like your "gut" is telling you that something isn't right and you need to take action. My daughter went through three ALOs when applying to USAFA...it was an issue with USAFA "filling the ALO billet." These things happen. But, there was...

No worries brovol. You missed my point. But that's OK. I was off base responding to you when it had nothing to do with the op's request. The op rightly counseled we "bloviators" that we were not being helpful and to get back on track. That was a good lesson for me. If you want to...

Well done wjk905! Take charge! Your "to do" list: -Decide on ACT or SAT and work to improve that score. -CFA. Train for it. Then train some more. -Alert teachers who will complete your evaluations and recommendations. Let them know what you are doing and why. Give them as much...

brovol - I've got news for you: there are tens of thousands of 17-18-19 year old "kids" who make the service and in many cases the job decision when they enlist. Why is it so hard for our best and brightest who aspire to attend a SA? I can see it now: young enlisted from you name the service to...

Remember that SA's are looking at the "whole" person, rather than any single piece of the mozaic. How are all the other elements of your package looking? What is your CFA score? GPA? Course load? Have you given your teachers a "heads-up" regarding evaluations and recommendations. Have you...

Agree with rocatlin that there might be possible benefits. You should know that the OSO has his own mission with OCC & PLC, separate and independent of the NROTC Marine Option scholarship selection process. Your primary focus should be engaging the Marine officer assigned to you when you...

Christcorp - spot on! I can't speak to the Health Services "grad school" rules or the JAGS either. But for all others who get sent to grad school while on active duty, they get all pay, allowances and benefits they rate per grade, time in service, location, etc including Tricare Prime. If...

Christcorp, you are not missing anything. All SA cadets/mids are covered by Tricare Prime. I'm retired military, Tricare Prime. I got the same ltr you did after my daughter arrived at USAFA. Makes sense. On the "civilian" policy side, if you want your kid "double covered" by your...

He is covered by Tricare Prime as is my C2C daughter. As long as his medical care is covered and authorized, it costs him nothing. The only reasons I can see to keep him on your policy is if there's a medical issue that he needs addressed is not covered by Tricare but is covered by your...

The request for recommendation will be sent directly from the Marine Corps to the teachers/coach you identify on your application. The request contains all info your teachers need to complete and submit. You will not see the recommendations. The best thing you can do is complete your...

Do some "Googling" on the subject. Each of the Service Academies has published a number indicating the value of a year's education...in the neighborhood of $45K/year. You can withdrawal that from the 529 and pay no penalty in a single year. You will still have to pay tax on the cap gains...

In addition to the feedback already provided.... My son went through this last year. As you complete your online application, the Marine officer who is your POC (and who will brief your package at the board) is watching you complete it as you go. There is language in your application that...

Well, you and USMCGrunt have drafted me into your "old-timers" group. I'll stick around. Can I drink beer in this forum?

Thanks. It may be my last... I have visited periodically over the last 3+ years while my daughter went through the USAFA appointment and nomination process, and my son through the NROTC (Marine Option) scholarship process. I found some very useful info here provided by a wide variety of...