DD is completing her NROTC application and is torn up-front between the Navy and Marine options. She has heard that it is much more difficult to get a scholarship via the Marine option, but a commission in the Marines is her first choice for service.
If there is a thread already addressing this question, please point me to it?
Otherwise, can anyone shed light on the "more difficult" rumor?
Thanks!
I couldn't tell you what the numbers are but there are far fewer Marine Option scholarships awarded than Navy Option. This is due to the relative sizes of the forces. There just aren't that many Marines compared to Navy personnel. To give you some idea, the Navy Scholarship Boards meet at least every month Sept - April. Marine Scholarship Boards meet twice, once in Nov and once in March (I think its March).
In other respects its easier to get a Marine scholarship. Marine's don't care what your major is. Navy is going to award 85% of its scholarships to Tier I and Tier II majors. Also, Navy requires 2 semesters each of calculus and calculus based physics while in college. Marines do not have this requirement.
Navy will have more focus on academic achievement in the selection process (not that they ignore leadership or athletics).
Marines will put more stress on physical fitness than Navy does. You don't have as far to run on a ship and you don't carry a full pack while doing it. Marines will administer a PFT that will actually be done by an AD Marine (Army let's HS gym teachers do it). Navy requires no physical fitness test. Marines will have more focus on athletics and leadership in the selection process but they far from ignore academics.
So I wouldn't necessarily say one is easier than the other, but that they are different and one has more scholarships to award because they need more officers. It's also my suspicion that far fewer apply for Marine scholarships but I have no evidence.
She should really base her decision on which branch she wants to serve in for 4 - 5 years on active duty... and not on the difficulty of getting the scholarship. If she's athletic then by all means consider Marines. If she's not too athletic she might want to lean Navy. But how she wants to live and what she wants to do while on Active Duty should be the real driver here.
Good luck to your DD. She really needs to get rolling on that application and get it in as soon as possible. Absolute deadline is Jan 31, but scholarship boards have been meeting since Sept for Navy and she has already missed the first Marine board.
Oh yeah, if she doesn't get the scholarship she should consider entering NROTC as a college programmer. College programmers are full NROTC participants (except for summer cruises) and have the same training and leadership opportunities that scholarship MIDN have. She could then apply for a side-load (in school) scholarship each semester starting spring semester of freshman year. This is the route my DS took. We're still waiting to hear on this fall's scholarship application.