PLC v. NROTC-MO Non-Scholarship

NJROTC-CC

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For a student who seeks to commission in the USMC, and who is not awarded a four year NROTC-MO scholarship, it would seem that the main advantage of doing NROTC-MO as a college programmer is the opportunity to compete for a “side load” scholarship. Other than that, it would seem that PLC is a fine option that allows more time for academics because training (other than staying in shape) is 100% during the summer. Also, I believe there is some financial aid from the USMC for PLC.

My DS has prepaid in-state tuition, so I can’t see much advantage to him doing NROTC-MO as a college programmer. What am I missing?

P.S. - DS is still in the running for NROTC-MO scholarship. We are just looking at Plans B and C.
 
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PLC is a fine option, but NROTC is a surer path to commission. The Corps meets it's need for junior officers from these sources and in this order
1. USNA
2. NROTC MO
3. PLC
4. OCS
As the need for JO'S drop they start reducing program intake from the bottom up

Of course PLC requires a lot of self discipline.

NROTC MO provides a "support group" while training. It also gives one plenty of time to develop their leadership skills and leadership style. PLC and OCS, not so much.
 
I sure thought the PLC candidates had "voluntary" PT sessions with the Poolees in their area and some mandatory prep sessions as well. In other words, it isn't as if there are not time commitments. Perhaps it depends on the recruiting district? Anyway, I suggest you have your DS investigate this.

I found this document on PLC while poking around on Google earlier this morning: https://officer.marines.com/docs/oso/ocs/plc_information.pdf
 
I sure thought the PLC candidates had "voluntary" PT sessions with the Poolees in their area and some mandatory prep sessions as well. In other words, it isn't as if there are not time commitments. Perhaps it depends on the recruiting district? Anyway, I suggest you have your DS investigate this.

I found this document on PLC while poking around on Google earlier this morning: https://officer.marines.com/docs/oso/ocs/plc_information.pdf
I saw that document too. It contains this statement which I found to be misleading:

“The Marine Corps also obtains a limited number of its officers through the Naval Academy and the NROTC program. However, these programs do not supply the number of officers required each year by the Marine Corps. Recognizing this, the Officer Candidate Class (PLC) Program was adopted by the Corps and is the only program through which college seniors and graduates (both men and women) can apply to obtain a commission in the Marine Corps.”

Maybe it is my bad for misunderstanding, but to me, it made it sound like the USMC gets a large number of officers through PLC, rather than that PLC serves as a valve to top off the USMC officer corps. If they don’t have enough officers from USNA and NROTC, then they get the necessary officers from PLC. In theory, in any given year they might not admit or take anyone from PLC.
 
For a student who seeks to commission in the USMC, and who is not awarded a four year NROTC-MO scholarship, it would seem that the main advantage of doing NROTC-MO as a college programmer is the opportunity to compete for a “side load” scholarship. Other than that, it would seem that PLC is a fine option that allows more time for academics because training (other than staying in shape) is 100% during the summer. Also, I believe there is some financial aid from the USMC for PLC.

My DS has prepaid in-state tuition, so I can’t see much advantage to him doing NROTC-MO as a college programmer. What am I missing?

P.S. - DS is still in the running for NROTC-MO scholarship. We are just looking at Plans B and C.
Not really sure what your question is. If your DS is in NROTC-MO right now and competing for a scholarship, then he should continue doing so. If he does not get picked up for a scholarship, he should be eligible for the PLC Program. What others have mentioned on here is true, in PLC most of the fitness is really up to you and pushing yourself to the standards while in NROTC-MO, you are essentially forced to do the workouts and have mentors there for you.

When I did PLC, we had a GroupMe for candidates in our region and we would establish workout days and training sessions. Occasionally, the NROTC unit at our school would allow us to do PT with them as well. PLC does provide you some financial assistance, not full but partial. For me, I enjoyed having the free time during my academic year to focus on academics, work, or just enjoy college life so PLC worked for me. Having been in Army ROTC briefly, I realized that ROTC is more than just attending PT and ROTC classes a few times a week, it is a major commitment that required dedication and a work life balance.
 
Not really sure what your question is. If your DS is in NROTC-MO right now and competing for a scholarship, then he should continue doing so. If he does not get picked up for a scholarship, he should be eligible for the PLC Program. What others have mentioned on here is true, in PLC most of the fitness is really up to you and pushing yourself to the standards while in NROTC-MO, you are essentially forced to do the workouts and have mentors there for you.

When I did PLC, we had a GroupMe for candidates in our region and we would establish workout days and training sessions. Occasionally, the NROTC unit at our school would allow us to do PT with them as well. PLC does provide you some financial assistance, not full but partial. For me, I enjoyed having the free time during my academic year to focus on academics, work, or just enjoy college life so PLC worked for me. Having been in Army ROTC briefly, I realized that ROTC is more than just attending PT and ROTC classes a few times a week, it is a major commitment that required dedication and a work life balance.
Thanks. DS is a senior in high school waiting to hear whether he will be awarded a NROTC-MO scholarship. As I said in the original post we are just working on backup plans. I would recommend NROTC-MO to him rather than counting on PLC. The choice will be his. I just want to make sure he knows that there is a risk he may not be selected to participate in PLC due to the needs of the Corps, while he would have an excellent chance of commissioning via NROTC-MO if he works his butt off.
 
PLC is a fine option, but NROTC is a surer path to commission. The Corps meets it's need for junior officers from these sources and in this order
1. USNA
2. NROTC MO
3. PLC
4. OCS
As the need for JO'S drop they start reducing program intake from the bottom up.
Knowing that the number of slots for PLC is limited and can vary based on the needs of the Corps leads me to this question:

Hypothetically, if you apply to PLC as a freshman and are accepted does that mean your slot is secure as long as you successfully complete the program? Or, can they take it away later if the need for officers drop.

P.S. - If you are a NROTC-MO college programmer and the need for officers drops, can’t they just give fewer mids advanced standing? In that case, two years of time in the program could be down the drain if you are not given advanced standing. So, is NROTC-MO as a non-scholarship college programmer really a surer path to commissioning than PLC?
 
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Yes they can give fewer advanced standing. In PLC there is no guarantee you will get an "offer". If one performs poorly they certainly will not commission. I'm sure the needs of the service can influence this, only because the needs of the service influence everything. There are never guarantees in life.
 
Yes they can give fewer advanced standing. In PLC there is no guarantee you will get an "offer". If one performs poorly they certainly will not commission. I'm sure the needs of the service can influence this, only because the needs of the service influence everything. There are never guarantees in life.
Thanks. What I am trying to determine - - and there may very well be no way to do this - - assuming DS is a model candidate with a 300 PFT, leadership, etc., etc. will he have a better chance of commissioning via NROTC or PLC? Or in other words, once you start both programs, how likely is it that there won’t be an offer of commissioning if you perform perfectly? Is one more risky than the other in terms of availabie commissioning slots (taking performance out of the equation.)
 
Thanks. What I am trying to determine - - and there may very well be no way to do this - - assuming DS is a model candidate with a 300 PFT, leadership, etc., etc. will he have a better chance of commissioning via NROTC or PLC? Or in other words, once you start both programs, how likely is it that there won’t be an offer of commissioning if you perform perfectly? Is one more risky than the other in terms of availabie commissioning slots (taking performance out of the equation.)
I don't think anyone can give this projection. For instance, look at AFROTC last year. No one knew 2 years ago that the numbers would be so tough last year to get select for FT. Its why everyone has recommended the ROTC path first, then PLC, then OCC. Its go down a path until a door is closed. Over the years I have watched waves of great years to nearly nothing as the economy, defense budgets, low or high attrition in the Service.
 
The Defense Budget will always fluctuate, Force Reductions can happen. Yes, if you had a PLC slot and had already finished one session, you could very well lose your slot because of reduction issues. The same applies to those who are already contracted in ROTC. This is unlikely however and not worth sweating or losing sleep over. We have no control over the Defense Budget (Unless your a Politician or a High Ranking Officer).

If your DS is able to score above a 300 on the PFT, then it should not be a big problem for him to get a scholarship assuming his academics and moral standing are good as well. If he does not receive a scholarship, PLC or OCC is an option as well.
 
Yes, and don't forget the occasional RIF (reduction in force) events. Some administrations use this to achieve budget goals.
Yes. A RIF could have a big effect. However, with China flexing its muscles in the Pacific and Asia, it would be my vote to double the size of the Marine Corps, not reduce it. But my vote doesn’t count for much. Let’s hope Congress recognizes the threat.
 
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I would point out that even the 6 week NROTC MO OCS (Bulldog course) can weed out a number of candidates who drop for various reasons. This is the same as the 6 week PLC 2nd session course. In fact they do it together.

Of course anyone who performs "perfectly" will get through, even though no one ever performs perfectly. They make sure you fail at some stuff to see how you handle failure. Some level of failure is expected.
 
Yes. A RIF could have a big effect. However, with China flexing its muscles in the Pacific and Asia, it would be my vote to double the size of the Marine Corps, not reduce it. But my vote doesn’t count for much. Let’s hope Congress recognizes the threat.
Honestly, if Congress really does recognize the threat (which seems like they are starting too), this does not mean there will be an increase in personnel. If we get into a war with China, Hypersonic missiles, AI, Space, and Cyber will make a large force seem more irrelevant. Why would we build bigger ships that hold more Sailors and Marines when in reality, a Chinese Missile could turn that ship into a piece of junk within seconds and we could lose over a thousand personnel already? Why not have them dispersed over a wide range of the Pacific and arm them with advanced weaponry?
 
Why not have them dispersed over a wide range of the Pacific and arm them with advanced weaponry?
Yes. I think that’s in the planning. However it will take a lot of Marines spread out over a lot of islands and countries manning the missiles.
 
Honestly, if Congress really does recognize the threat (which seems like they are starting too), this does not mean there will be an increase in personnel. If we get into a war with China, Hypersonic missiles, AI, Space, and Cyber will make a large force seem more irrelevant. Why would we build bigger ships that hold more Sailors and Marines when in reality, a Chinese Missile could turn that ship into a piece of junk within seconds and we could lose over a thousand personnel already? Why not have them dispersed over a wide range of the Pacific and arm them with advanced weaponry?
FYI: We were under long range missile threats that we had no effective countermeasures against for decades with Soviet missiles like the SSN-2, 3, 12, etc
 
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