NROTC - Marine Option

DadFutureMarine

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My son is a HS junior and wants to join the Marines. I am trying to encourage him to do the ROTC route and I see there are schools with a NROTC - Marine option, but I can't find any comprehensive lists for the schools with the Marine Option. Any ideas?
 
The Marine Option contingent at any one unit may not be very large. See photo below for example. But there is usually a Marine Option

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+1 to NJROTC-CC. I've never heard of a school with NROTC that didn't have a Marine Option program. Each unit has a Marine Officer Instructor and Asst. MOI assigned who are both active duty Marines. When he applies NROTC he must select either the Navy Option or Marine Option. He cannot choose both.

No reason to not start working on that Marine PFT, which you can find online, in any case.

DS wanted to enlist with some of his buddies but Mom insisted on college first and going in as an officer. He acquiesced, loved the program, and is loving his life as a Marine Officer today. Maybe show your son the enlisted vs officer pay scales. Also, tell him it doesn't hurt to pursue NROTC as an option while he's still in high school so he can make an informed decision either way. Meet with the MOI if at all possible while visiting colleges. If you start doing that this spring, if not earlier, maybe you can encourage more interest in the NROTC path.

BTW - my kid started without a scholarship but had earned one by the second semester of his sophomore year.

(cross-posted with the inimitable AROTC-dad)
 
The number of Marines in each unit will vary. I know an MOI who commissioned with my son who has a massive number of Marine Options at a Big State U. There are generally MECEPs in each unit.... these are enlisted Marines who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and are working on a degree and commissioning as an officer. They usually assist the MOI in a lot of training activities since they are experienced.
 
+1 to NJROTC-CC. I've never heard of a school with NROTC that didn't have a Marine Option program. Each unit has a Marine Officer Instructor and Asst. MOI assigned who are both active duty Marines. When he applies NROTC he must select either the Navy Option or Marine Option. He cannot choose both.

No reason to not start working on that Marine PFT, which you can find online, in any case.

DS wanted to enlist with some of his buddies but Mom insisted on college first and going in as an officer. He acquiesced, loved the program, and is loving his life as a Marine Officer today. Maybe show your son the enlisted vs officer pay scales. Also, tell him it doesn't hurt to pursue NROTC as an option while he's still in high school so he can make an informed decision either way. Meet with the MOI if at all possible while visiting colleges. If you start doing that this spring, if not earlier, maybe you can encourage more interest in the NROTC path.

BTW - my kid started without a scholarship but had earned one by the second semester of his sophomore year.

(cross-posted with the inimitable AROTC-dad)
How did he earn the scholarship? He is in JROTC now as a 2nd LT. My son is really butting heads as he doesnt want to do this, but I am hoping as a varsity baseball player (not good enough for scholarship) will help.
 
he doesnt want to do this,
My son was the same. About six years ago, in HS, this straight A student and high-comp athlete announced that he was going to skip college and enlist in the Marines.

My wife and I looked at each other and sighed.

It took a while, but after viewing some videos (he had never known about West Point until he saw National Geographic's "Surviving West Point") and talking to friends in the military , he elected to apply to the SA's. He ended up being a successful Army ROTC scholarship cadet and he is now a 2LT. Plus he is very glad he chose the officer route.

However, you cannot force your son to do this.

We were successful in pointing out the advantages to him of getting his degree and serving as an officer. If he did not buy into that concept, we would have been doing both our son and our country a disservice by forcing a young man to lead others into battle.

Good luck!
 
@DadFutureMarine - Looks like your first question was answered. In your last post, it seems that you son wants to enlist vs heading off to college. Is that correct?

Nothing wrong with enlisting but many teenagers have a fantasized view of what an enlisted Marine's life is like. Hollywood often paints an unrealistic picture of the role while disparaging officers. Neither is usually too accurate. I recommend he seek out Marine veterans and other veterans to get some perspective. Perhaps his JROTC unit leadership could also help compare and contrast the roles.

If he gravitates towards leadership positions, likes to call the plays, is identified as the "go to" guy when situations require a decision, he may find that being a junior enlisted Marine will be frustrating. While all Marines are capable of exercising initiative, the opportunities for a E1-E3 are pretty limited.

As a junior, he still has plenty of time to get his head around the military, college, and the future. Good luck!
 
From my perspective, there is nothing wrong with enlisting. But for my DS, I would be concerned that if he puts off college, it may become more difficult to go to college later. Life has a way of catching up with you. He may wantcto get married, who knows. The easiest time to go to college is right after high school.
 
As AROTC-dad pointed out, there are several opportunities to apply for a scholarship as an NROTC participant. The process varies depending on your class year but they are all an application process. Applications are reviewed by a national board, so it's a national competition like the high school scholarship, but at some point you're only competing against other NROTC participants, not the general population.
 
My son applied for the MO NROTC but is also working on Plan B. He is considering still being an NROTC member and applying for the college program with hopes of scholarship opportunities his second year but also knows of the PLC option. As a parent, I'm wondering if scholarships for 2nd year students are few or is there a good amount given to outstanding students? He has always been a great student (4.0 and see that continuing into college) and very focused on his end goal of Marine Corps Officer. From a financial standpoint, where he would go if he did the PLC option would be less financially, but I want him to go whatever route is best for him in regards to meeting his end goal, and being the best he can be at it. Does anyone have any advice regarding the two options? Pros/cons?
 
Does anyone have any advice regarding the two options? Pros/cons?

I cannot offer statistics for the scholarship results but I do have an opinion that NROTC-MO is a better route to becoming a Marine Officer than PLC.
  • In NROTC/MO, even if he does not earn a scholarship, he can still commission as a Marine Officer so long as he reaches Adv. Standing.
  • If his grades and good, he can still earn a side-load scholarship with NROTC/MO.
  • NROTC-MO is a higher priority source for Marine officers than PLC (PLC is used to "top off" the needs of the Corps).
  • NROTC has more structure and support than PLC.
I am not an expert on this as my DS is an Army Officer, but he did seriously consider PLC before pursuing his commission through AROTC.

Hopefully, @kinnem or others will chime in.
 
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@sallye - if you search Google deep enough, you can find statistics on how many USMC Officers come from each commissioning source every fiscal year. (I am on a lunch break at work and can't afford the time) I think @AROTC-dad has it correct.

I just wanted to address one issue for your DS. No matter which commissioning source used, every Marine Officer starts his career at The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, VA where he will be taught how to be a Marine Officer. Prior to commissioning, officer candidates will all be run through a critical pass/fail course at Quantico. So, all Marine Officers have passed the same stage gate prior to commissioning and share the same 6-month journey at TBS before they head off to their specialty school

USNA and NROTC might provide more exposure to military life, classes and some interesting experiences but in the end, everyone ends up at the same starting point. No commissioning source is any better than another.
 
My son is a HS junior and wants to join the Marines. I am trying to encourage him to do the ROTC route and I see there are schools with a NROTC - Marine option, but I can't find any comprehensive lists for the schools with the Marine Option. Any ideas?

Probably best to move this thread from USMA to ROTC forum. WP doesn’t have the options you seek, but may offer a better alternative!
 
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