Daughter Marine option

M

marinemom24

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I’m in uncharted territory here and need some advice. My daughter is 16 (as of December this year) and a junior in high school. She has enough credits to graduate now but only wants to go to a Service Academy, so due to her age and number of AP/BC credits, we have opted to keep her in high school one more year while taking a full course load of additional AP/BC credits (she currently has 43). She has high SAT scores and a weighted GPA of 4.68. She is finishing her pilot and instrument rating right now. She is currently debating between applying to the Citadel, Texas A&M and the USNA. The issue we are facing is that she ONLY wants to be in the USMC, as she has 4 big brothers who are active duty. She is concerned that if she goes USNA, she may not receive a Marine commission. Can anyone enlighten me or provide some advice on the best route to guide her?
 
It used to be that the only sure way to become a Marine Corps officer was to get a Bachelor's degree first, and then successfully get through Officer Candidates School. I'm only going to guess that's still the only way.
 
marinemom24 said:
I’m in uncharted territory here and need some advice. My daughter is 16 (as of December this year) and a junior in high school. She has enough credits to graduate now but only wants to go to a Service Academy, so due to her age and number of AP/BC credits, we have opted to keep her in high school one more year while taking a full course load of additional AP/BC credits (she currently has 43). She has high SAT scores and a weighted GPA of 4.68. She is finishing her pilot and instrument rating right now. She is currently debating between applying to the Citadel, Texas A&M and the USNA. The issue we are facing is that she ONLY wants to be in the USMC, as she has 4 big brothers who are active duty. She is concerned that if she goes USNA, she may not receive a Marine commission. Can anyone enlighten me or provide some advice on the best route to guide her?
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In my experience with USNA, the majority, probably the vast majority of people who want to commission into USMC are able to do so. While there are exceptions, I really have not seen it happen. Realizing that performance is a sign of motivation, I'll further state that midshipmen who do the proper USMC Prep (Bulldog) and show good physical test scores seem to have no problem getting into the USMC at service selection time.
 
When applying for an NROTC scholarship, one must select whether they are going Navy or Marine. So if she selects Marine and successfully completes the program she will commission as a 2nd Lt in the USMC. I also expect that if she wants USMC while going to USNA she can get it, but she will need to be in good shape, only because all Marines are. I see you didn't mention anything about her athletic ability so I wanted to bring this to you attention. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir.

BTW, 1/3 of DS's NROTC midshipmen who commissioned as Marines were women.

I would also add that by going to USNA she has time to decide between Navy and USMC and therefore has an alternate route. Switching from Navy Option to Marine Option requires an application and national board selection. Not so at USNA.
 
marinemom24 said:
She is concerned that if she goes USNA, she may not receive a Marine commission. Can anyone enlighten me or provide some advice on the best route to guide her?
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There have been alot of discussions here on the "sure" way to go Marine Corps. Yes, needs of the Navy controls everything, and there are people who go to USNA with the dream of becoming a Marine, and don't get it. But I have to wonder and ask the question "why not?".

I think the current Service Assignment process, where each community has some input into the process (as opposed to the "Service Selection" process of old, where Midshipmen selected their service based upon Class Rank, without regard to aptitude), is a great change. I have previously commented on a my Plebe year squad leader who went USMC to get flight school because his class rank was too low to get USN Air. I suspect he was an embarrassment to USMC , if he made it through TBS.

The point is, now you have to compete for whatever assignment you want. It sounds like OP's DD is a competitor, and I have no doubt that if she gets into USNA, continues to achieve at the levels she has been, and shows the Marine Corps cadre at USNA that she really wants to be a Marine, then she will get the assignment she wants. Don't be afraid of competing, go out and earn the position that you want. There are no "sure" things in life -- the route that THP identifies itself is full of risk, i.e. not getting selected for OCS, not gettting through, etc. Both USNA and USMC want those that are willing to take risks , set goals, and achieve them.
 
kinnem said:
When applying for an NROTC scholarship, one must select whether they are going Navy or Marine. So if she selects Marine and successfully completes the program she will commission as a 2nd Lt in the USMC. I also expect that if she wants USMC while going to USNA she can get it, but she will need to be in good shape, only because all Marines are. I see you didn't mention anything about her athletic ability so I wanted to bring this to you attention. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir.

BTW, 1/3 of DS's NROTC midshipmen who commissioned as Marines were women.

I would also add that by going to USNA she has time to decide between Navy and USMC and therefore has an alternate route. Switching from Navy Option to Marine Option requires an application and national board selection. Not so at USNA.
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Thank you! She is in excellent shape and volunteers 3 days a week at the recruiting station helping our friend who is a Gunny run PT for the DEP program. She just ran the PFT the other day and scored a 98. Her goal is to be an aviator and with a family full of Marines she is dead set on that(although I would prefer the Navy)
 
Old Navy BGO said:
...I have previously commented on a my Plebe year squad leader who went USMC to get flight school because his class rank was too low to get USN Air. I suspect he was an embarrassment to USMC , if he made it through TBS...
...There are no "sure" things in life -- the route that THP identifies itself is full of risk, i.e. not getting selected for OCS, not gettting through, etc. Both USNA and USMC want those that are willing to take risks , set goals, and achieve them.
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@Old Navy BGO is spot on as usual. There are a lot of "Ifs", to be sure. There are candidates who don't make it through OCS, and I'm sure there still are folks who make it through four years of NROTC or USNA who don't make it through TBS, as well.

Then there's this yearly sub-draft I keep hearing about. ;)
 
marinemom24 said:
I’m in uncharted territory here and need some advice. My daughter is 16 (as of December this year) and a junior in high school. She has enough credits to graduate now but only wants to go to a Service Academy, so due to her age and number of AP/BC credits, we have opted to keep her in high school one more year while taking a full course load of additional AP/BC credits (she currently has 43). She has high SAT scores and a weighted GPA of 4.68. She is finishing her pilot and instrument rating right now. She is currently debating between applying to the Citadel, Texas A&M and the USNA. The issue we are facing is that she ONLY wants to be in the USMC, as she has 4 big brothers who are active duty. She is concerned that if she goes USNA, she may not receive a Marine commission. Can anyone enlighten me or provide some advice on the best route to guide her?
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I have a pretty good friend whose son is a Marine pilot — USNA class of 2014.
 
@marinemom24 - sounds like your DD is a strong candidate and comes from a family who understands service and the military. All things being equal, the way to ensure a path to the Marines is via a NROTC Marine scholarship. From what USNA grads report, it is unlikely that if you desire Marines you should get it out of USNA (but not guaranteed). Either way, you need to complete the program, get recommendations from the school's professional Marine staff, and complete the initial training evolution: Officer Candidate School or Bulldog (I think that is what the USNA folks call it).

Lately, there have posts here that speak to the Marines looking for pilot candidates. That pendulum can swing year-by-year so she should go in eyes wide open - she should want to be a Marine Officer first. The MOS comes second.

Best wishes to your DD. Won't future family gatherings be interesting when her 4 brothers are at home?!? ;)
 
Yes. My DS (USMMMA class of 2013) is a Navy pilot. During his first class year, he was offered both Marine pilot and Navy pilot positions, and ultimatelydecided on Navy. One of his best friends at USMMA dreamed his whole life of being a Marine pilot and he got a Marine pilot spot out of USMMA. Both are excelling in their chosen path. Feel free to pm me if you would like more information on this route to your dream.
 
USMCGrunt said:
@marinemom24 - sounds like your DD is a strong candidate and comes from a family who understands service and the military. All things being equal, the way to ensure a path to the Marines is via a NROTC Marine scholarship. From what USNA grads report, it is unlikely that if you desire Marines you should get it out of USNA (but not guaranteed). Either way, you need to complete the program, get recommendations from the school's professional Marine staff, and complete the initial training evolution: Officer Candidate School or Bulldog (I think that is what the USNA folks call it).

Lately, there have posts here that speak to the Marines looking for pilot candidates. That pendulum can swing year-by-year so she should go in eyes wide open - she should want to be a Marine Officer first. The MOS comes second.

Best wishes to your DD. Won't future family gatherings be interesting when her 4 brothers are at home?!? ;)
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@USMCGrunt... thank you for the great advice! Her brothers are super proud of her, just not looking forward to saluting their baby sister [emoji23]
 
marinemom24 said:
I’m in uncharted territory here and need some advice. My daughter is 16 (as of December this year) and a junior in high school. She has enough credits to graduate now but only wants to go to a Service Academy, so due to her age and number of AP/BC credits, we have opted to keep her in high school one more year while taking a full course load of additional AP/BC credits (she currently has 43). She has high SAT scores and a weighted GPA of 4.68. She is finishing her pilot and instrument rating right now. She is currently debating between applying to the Citadel, Texas A&M and the USNA. The issue we are facing is that she ONLY wants to be in the USMC, as she has 4 big brothers who are active duty. She is concerned that if she goes USNA, she may not receive a Marine commission. Can anyone enlighten me or provide some advice on the best route to guide her?
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Sounds a lot like my daughter! She received the 4 yr NROTC Matine option scholarship but also applied to USNA and received appointment in January for class of 2023 She immediately accepted and will be going for a Marine commission but knows she has to continue to work hard on the physical training. However, she accepted knowing that there is a chance she may end up as a Navy officer and will be thrilled to serve either way. She definitely wants the USNA experience and your daughter will need to decide how flexible she can be to be part of the USNA family. A CVW could be good to help with her decision. Good luck!
 
As a BGO I worked with a young woman in your DD’s shoes. She will be a 2nd LT In a few months. If your DD does well at PT, is highly motivated, and excels at Leatherneck, it won’t be a problem. If she doesn’t do the above, she wouldn’t be any good as a Marine anyway. Seriously.

The above said, many USMC officers commission out of ROTC or OCS. So she should pick the route that is most appealing to her.

As an aside, the extra year in school will only help in terms of maturity, etc. Mymother started college at 16 and said it was a huge mistake. There is a world of difference between a 16-yr-old and an 18-yr-old. Then and now.
 
Your DD sounds like a great candidate. If she wants Marines, can PT, and lead, she will get Marines out of USNA. The competitiveness for Marines at USNA can vary from year to year, but for the most part it's not that hard to get. USNA has some training and options for those who want to go the Marine path. They have an ECA called Semper Fi club. They do Marine training throughout the year. Great ECA for a future Marine. During the summer for rising 1/C Mids they have what they call Leatherneck. Its a 4 week program at TBS in Quantico that is a TBS-Light. It really exposes Mids to Marine training and they are evaluated for a future in the USMC. I have never met anyone who completed Leatherneck with an Average or above eval, scored a first class PFT, did half way decent in leadership that did not get USMC. For some, having the option to go Navy or Marines, is a great thing. I liked tha flexibility about USNA. Nothing is ever a given, but the chances are pretty high. There is NROTC-MO which guarantees a Marine commission. I would probably say the attrition rates of NROTC-MO and also OCS passing rates make that path just a risky to not having a guarantee at USNA. Bottom line, apply for both. Hurricane12 is a current Marine pilot and I am a former Marine USNA grad type. Feel free to ask questions.
 
@marinemom24 You have received great advice form NavyHops and Hurrican12. Last summer DD met a Capt. Navy Pilot on when she was traveling to SD. The Captain asked her what her Service Selection was she answered Navy Pilot. He asked where are your friend going? She said Marines. He asked the why are you going wanting to go Navy? She said she was not sure. He made a couple of calls and got her into leatherneck and she excelled. Walked out of Leatherneck Marine Pilot as her #1 Service Selection. (Last year at USNA they were looking and recruiting extremely hard for women marine pilots. They all but guaranteed DD she would pass ASTB and be a marine pilot.) Service selection came and she was selected Navy Pilot her original first choice. We were led to believe she had changed her mind to Marine Pilot, I share this just to say USNA exposes the MIDS to every opportunity so they can make the best service selection. If and when you DD attends USNA she will make the choice that is the best choice for her and it may not be the choice she is saying it will be today or it may. Best of luck to her!
 
@Devil Doc No doubt that was awesome for both of you. A lot of hash marks on that sleeve. Is that the museum or elsewhere?
 
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