Becoming a Marine Corp Officer: USNA or VMI, etc?

M

Murf

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
42
In order to become a USMC officer - is USNA the "best" choice, or schools like VMI, the Citadel, etc.?

Thanks,
Murf
:smile:
 
It really doesn't matter so much which school you attend as how much of yourself you put into your training and development as a leader and officer. All of the schools you mentioned have produced some truly outstanding Marine officers as well as some real duds. Your personal effort and commitment makes the difference. Select the school that best fits your personal needs; the rest pretty much will fall into place. Best wishes.
 
Compared to the other branches, the USMC really doesn't care. The other branches often use college GPA to determine who gets first choice when it comes to MOS's, and SA grads normally have a little more privilege. That simply is not the case for the USMC. Your MOS depends solely how you perform at OCS and/or TBS.

So, if you get into USNA you should for sure take advantage of an Ivy League level of education, but if you don't, it wont affect your status as a Marine Officer.
 
I'm not sure if this is true, but Marines at The Naval Academy are not required to go to OCS. They have some sort of other training in place of OCS.

Then again OCS is a rite of passage for all marine corps officers. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Not being a Marine, I might be speaking out of turn; however, knowing several Marines @ VMI, it is my understanding that MOS assignment depends on how well you do at TBS. All new 2LTs have to attend it, regardless of source of commission. Thus, while USNA people might not have to attend OCS, they do attend TBS with people from ROTC/PLC etc. If there is someone out there with USMC credentials who would care to correct me, please go ahead.
 
As usual, I agree with '64. Great officers come from many different universities throughout the country. It is the character and effort of the individual, not the school he/she attended, that makes an officer great.
 
Not to hijack the thread but...

If one goes the marine route from USNA, are they assigned their MOS before they head off to TBS or while at TBS?
 
I believe you pick aviation vs. non-aviation. Your MOS and aircraft are assigned after TBS/flight school. A more recent grad may want to comment.
 
85 your correct, you enter TBS with an aviation contract regardless of commissioning source. There are ussually one or two that can be picked up at TBS. All non-air guys get their MOS's at the end of TBS.
 
Yeah like everyone said...
It doesn't matter where you earn your commission.

But some people want an Academy experience which in my opinion is like no other in the country.

If you want the experience of an academy I advise you try to go to the USNA. If a commission is you main concern then it doesn't matter what university or college you attend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top