NROTC Marine Option

[Prospective USMC]

Hello-
I have wanted to be a Marine all of my life. I believe I have the significant desire to be one, and will stop at nothing to become a Marine Officer. One of the best ways to do this is by getting an NROTC option scholarship. I understand it is very competitive, and I am fairly knowledgeable in the process. This being said, here are my statistics and extra-curriculars. I understand that these stats don't guarantee anything, I merely wish for advice.

I am a Junior at a very competitive high school in Washington, DC
I have a 3.900 weighted GPA with 3 AP's (European History, US, Language and Comp) and 7 Honors (Geometry, English I, Biology, English II, Precalculus, Pre-Law and Physics). Unweighted is unknown.

SAT 1st time: 2010 Comp, 730, 650, 630 (8)
ACT 1st time: 31 Comp, 30 English, 29 Math, 34 Reading, 31 Science, 30 Writing. I am planning on taking both again

I am a Cross Country Captain, with 5K times of around 18:20. I have received two varsity letters through XC. Also, I played two years of baseball at my school on the Freshman and Junior Varsity levels, but I am currently organizing twice a week workouts.

I am a Senior Patrol Leader at a Boy Scout Troop of over 100 kids, and will receive my Eagle Scout in early November.

I am the Vice-President of the Military History Club, the Secretary in the Support Our Troops Club, and founding member of the Indoor Soccer Club.

I was a member of the Freshman Retreat Leadership Team, where I led kids for 3 days. I am going to be a member of the Retreat Team for my Senior Year next year.

My best PFT up to date is with 14 pullups, 73 crunches, and 19:14 3 mile for a score of 241. I understand that to be competitive, I have to get my pullups up, using Armstrong to increase.

Any thoughts? Also, does anybody know whether or not a Scoutmaster is eligible to do the essay for NROTC?

Thanks,
Prospective USMC

 

[USMCGrunt]

Prospective: Thanks for your inquiry. Rather than comment on your chances, let me point out that it would be great if you could move up the Eagle Scout award (I know it isn't that easy, just suggesting to get it done before your application). If not, then perhaps you can find a way to include a comment in your essays.

You will definately want to improve your pull ups and crunches. Pull ups in particular are big point scores (5 points per). Recommend you shoot for max on both pull ups (20) and crunches (100)

You write the essay not others. Letters of recommendations come from teachers, guidance counsellor and another - typically a coach. Not sure if a Scoutmaster is allowed.

 

[kinnem]

Hello-
I have wanted to be a Marine all of my life. I believe I have the significant desire to be one, and will stop at nothing to become a Marine Officer. One of the best ways to do this is by getting an NROTC option scholarship. I understand it is very competitive, and I am fairly knowledgeable in the process. This being said, here are my statistics and extra-curriculars. I understand that these stats don't guarantee anything, I merely wish for advice.

I am a Junior at a very competitive high school in Washington, DC
I have a 3.900 weighted GPA with 3 AP's (European History, US, Language and Comp) and 7 Honors (Geometry, English I, Biology, English II, Precalculus, Pre-Law and Physics). Unweighted is unknown.

SAT 1st time: 2010 Comp, 730, 650, 630 (8)
ACT 1st time: 31 Comp, 30 English, 29 Math, 34 Reading, 31 Science, 30 Writing. I am planning on taking both again

I am a Cross Country Captain, with 5K times of around 18:20. I have received two varsity letters through XC. Also, I played two years of baseball at my school on the Freshman and Junior Varsity levels, but I am currently organizing twice a week workouts.

I am a Senior Patrol Leader at a Boy Scout Troop of over 100 kids, and will receive my Eagle Scout in early November.

I am the Vice-President of the Military History Club, the Secretary in the Support Our Troops Club, and founding member of the Indoor Soccer Club.

I was a member of the Freshman Retreat Leadership Team, where I led kids for 3 days. I am going to be a member of the Retreat Team for my Senior Year next year.

My best PFT up to date is with 14 pullups, 73 crunches, and 19:14 3 mile for a score of 241. I understand that to be competitive, I have to get my pullups up, using Armstrong to increase.

Any thoughts? Also, does anybody know whether or not a Scoutmaster is eligible to do the essay for NROTC?

Thanks,
Prospective USMC

You sound much like my son in terms of your desire.

1. Scoutmaster is not eligible. They dictate (as I recall) Math, English, and Coach (or maybe its one other teacher besides a coach).

2. Your stats all look good. At least I can say they are better than my son's who did not get a 4 year high school scholarship.

Keep working at getting the SAT and ACT scores up. Not that your leadership is bad, but more, if you can reasonable accomplish it at something you're doing anyway, is better. Also work on the PFT. As you said, pullups can be better and are where you'll get the biggest payback. But there is plenty of room for improvement in the other areas as well. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to max the crunches, and as a cross country runner you should be able to get down close to 18:00 on the run. Try sprint intervals to improve your run time (believe it or not). Other forms of cross training can help as well. Work those back muscles which can help with pullups. Maybe hit a climbing wall on a regular basis if there is one in your area.

I'm not sure where you'll need to be on the PFT to get a high school scholarship, but you'll need to be close to 300 on the PFT to get a sideload should you go in as a college programmer. As I said DS did not get a high school scholarship, but he did manage to get a sideload fall semester of his sophomore year with a 296 (most recent) PFT and had at least one 300 previously. He also had a 3.69 GPA in college. Lots of folks say it's easier to get a Marine Option scholarship than a Navy Option, but aside from the Marines not caring about the major, I don't think that is actually the case. The Marines are very demanding and certainly are far more demanding than any other service on the PFT which is why form counts and why a Marine Sergeant will administer the PFT (as opposed to a high school Phys Ed teacher who usually administers AROTC PFA).

Good luck. You're embarking on a difficult but rewarding path. You should be visiting colleges and NROTC units now or over the summer and very early autumn, if you're not already doing it. I expect it will be difficult to visit the units over the summer as much of the cadre will be off on summer assignments - but make every effort. Be sure to pick colleges where you have a fair shot at getting accepted. I might recommend University of South Carolina, but then I'm biased.

 

[USMCGrunt]

1. Scoutmaster is not eligible. They dictate (as I recall) Math, English, and Coach (or maybe its one other teacher besides a coach).

kinnem: Here is the scoop from the NROTC application site regarding references:

"Provide the names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for three required references: 1) a guidance counselor/school administrator; 2) a math, science, or English teacher (depending on program option), and 3) another teacher, counselor, coach, or employer. For teachers, please provide the mailing address for the school instead of a home address. These individuals will be provided instructions on how to complete the necessary forms. We will ask these individuals to evaluate you in several areas and to compare you to your peers; they will also have space to provide written remarks. You should select these individuals carefully as weight will be given to their comments."

 

[kinnem]

kinnem: Here is the scoop from the NROTC application site regarding references:

"Provide the names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for three required references: 1) a guidance counselor/school administrator; 2) a math, science, or English teacher (depending on program option), and 3) another teacher, counselor, coach, or employer. For teachers, please provide the mailing address for the school instead of a home address. These individuals will be provided instructions on how to complete the necessary forms. We will ask these individuals to evaluate you in several areas and to compare you to your peers; they will also have space to provide written remarks. You should select these individuals carefully as weight will be given to their comments."

Thanks Grunt. Still not clear to me if a Scoutmaster would be allowed in category 3 but that's perhaps because I'm a dunderhead.

I still think my son didn't choose wisely on his recommendations and didn't use one that might really have helped him from his woodworking teacher, a former Marine Aviator whom he somehow really and truly impressed. Instead he went with his wrestling coach, a guy who was never really in his camp. But then perhaps the guidance on who you could use was different 3 years ago.

In any case I think the recommendations can be key, but then so is everything else!

 

[AMS2017]

"kinnem;310948]You sound much like my son in terms of your desire.

1. Scoutmaster is not eligible. They dictate (as I recall) Math, English, and Coach (or maybe its one other teacher besides a coach)."


I just checked my son's application and he used his Scoutmaster as one of his references (e.g., Counselor). My son also was Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). As SPL, he was required to maintain a constant interface with both the Troop and the Scoutmaster. This places the Scoutmaster in the position of counselor to the SPL -- a relationship that may not exist with other scouts that are not active in the leadership of the Troop.