Infantry slots out of TBS

I was reading One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick and it says infantry slots out of TBS are very competitive to get. Is this true?

Yeah, pretty true. I have a couple friends going through it right now. Here's my basic understanding of how it works down there:

The way you're ranked in TBS is different from the Academy. Here, they just start at the top and go down when it comes to service selection. At TBS, each class is split into thirds. So, for example, say you have 150 in your company (large, I know) and come MOS selection, there are 15 Infantry slots. Assuming EVERYONE puts it as their first choice, those who are ranked 1-5, 50-54, and 100-104 will get Infantry. So, even if you're SH and highly ranked, you may not get Infantry. Of course, there are probably some other intangibles in there besides rank that may play a role as well.

DMeix said:

Yeah, pretty true. I have a couple friends going through it right now. Here's my basic understanding of how it works down there:

The way you're ranked in TBS is different from the Academy. Here, they just start at the top and go down when it comes to service selection. At TBS, each class is split into thirds. So, for example, say you have 150 in your company (large, I know) and come MOS selection, there are 15 Infantry slots. Assuming EVERYONE puts it as their first choice, those who are ranked 1-5, 50-54, and 100-104 will get Infantry. So, even if you're SH and highly ranked, you may not get Infantry. Of course, there are probably some other intangibles in there besides rank that may play a role as well.

Click to expand...

It's harder than that.

The class is ranked into 3rds, and each of those 3rds are broken into 3rds. This is called the 3rds rule.

If you are not in the top 2/3's of the top 1/3, you likely won't get your first MOS choice.

It's very, very competitive. Get with your OSO and start working out and training before you even get to the OCC/OCS, or TBS. If PT is not something you have to worry about, then the rest of it will be easier to excel at. You should show up with a 300 PFT if you can.

JB

I imagine that, just like the Academies, those who received their 'first choice' might not really have got what they wanted. What I mean is, if someone wants to be a pilot, but is DQ'ed due to eyesight, they're forced to put NFO or something else. Sure they got their stated 'first choice' but it's not their actual first choice.

I hope that came out clear enough...

http://www.tbs.usmc.mil/All_MOS_Assignment_Process.asp

There are more slots for infantry than I thought. Thank you for the site.

Was there really only one pilot slot (7599) open at TBS? Or did most people want a different MOS than 7599? One slot out of 157 is very competitive...

Thank you for the feedback. I had no idea that TBS was split into thirds.

I believe the number of infantry slots can change day to day. For example I've read "One Bullet Away" and he joined during peacetime. Right now because the country is involved in the middle east there is a better chance of getting your infantry slot.

With that being said I know people who requested intelligence and got infantry and the other way around.

Pilot is different. Most enter TBS with an air contract, so they already know they're going pilot. I imagine the one slot you see is someone who decided to go pilot while at TBS without the prior contract.

I can tell you from a recent USNA grad... Avoid the Academy company (approx. 75% USNA) for TBS (used to be Echo Co. now its Fox Co.). If you go Echo or Golf now, those tend to be your best chances for getting your first MOS. Also, it helps to round you out (being with other people with different experiences. Additionally and historically, the GPAs of the non-Academy classes tend to be lower and there tend to be more Combat Arms MOS billets available with a decrease in interest (because of prior enlisted or whatever...). For instance, I was in a non-Academy company that was small (approx 250, almost half of which are prior enlisted) for the recent era. About 50% of the non-contracted males went to Combat Arms billets. Approx. 38 0302 spots. Just keep that in mind, maybe look for some TADs. Fox Company tends to have a heavy Air Contract make-up (from USNA) and a heavy interest in Combat Arms from USNA grad ground assignables... I hope this helps.

Whats TBS?

Chockstock said:

Whats TBS?

Click to expand...

The Basic School...school newly commissioned Marine officers first go to before go on to branch schooling.