i was just wondering how many people can recieve the marine Corps NROTC option? Also do you need better grades for it rather than the regular NROTC? Or if you recieved in NROTC scholarship could you join the marines after college? Any information would be appreciated.
It's true that the NROTC-MC option scholarship is difficult to receive but the grade requirements are about the same as the standard NROTC scholarship. It's the number available that's the problem. I was quoted the number 600 (that might be 600 per board, not sure) awarded yearly by my son's Captain and they only seat two boards a year, November and February. The training is uniquely Marine and the PFT is slightly harder than most other branches.
If you receive the NROTC-MC option scholarship number one, you'll know because you would have just finished your lengthy application process and made about a hundred phone calls to your Captain (Usually the XO of the local USMC Recruiting Office) about your PFT, grades, interview, scores and finally your status.
Next you'd be notified of your top choice school and how to change the priority of those schools if it suits the Marine Corps needs. That school will call you and tell you what to do at that point.
Then at graduation of High School, the Marine Corps will usually do a presentation at your schools Awards evening/day, and hand you a giant laminated check made out to you in the amount of up to $150,000.00. They'll do this even if you decline the scholarship, as my son did, (he took another one) and take pictures. Then you do 4 years of your college with your NROTC-MC Option requirements (class, PT each week and of course Summer Cruises) and then hopefully you'll graduate college in four years to receive your commission as a 2nd LT in the United States Marine Corps. Remember, you'll have an 8 year commitment, 4 years active duty and then 4 years of reserves. You'll then have about a month off of school after Graduation, and then be sent of to Quantico to TBS (The Basic School) and have your USMC Officer training fine tuned. After that it's off to the FMF (Fleet Marine Force) for the rest of your active duty requirements.