Does anyone have any info on USCG commissioning opportunites at the SMC's, specifically at VMI or The Citadel? I know that they commission through the Select School Direct Commissioning Program, but what does that entail? Do you graduate as a USCG Ensign or do you commission after you graduate? Do you start working towards a commission while you are at school? Please help!!!
Some good comments here - what is apparent is graduating from an SMC will help in selection, but more than likely unless you qualify for a Direct Commission, you still need to first be selected and then go to OCS once selected. To be clear about The Citadel's Auxillary detachment, while the college classifies it as a "club," it is officially a part of The Charleston Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-8 with its own designation as part of the Cost Guard's University Program -
The Citadel detachment was one of the first college programs to be established. Participating Cadets join the Coast Guard Auxilary. Participation in the University Program affords students unique opportunities to gain extensive experience with Coast Guard units. Being in Charleston which has a major Coast Guard base, is quite an advantage for Cadets who participate in the college detachment.
Here is The Citadel detachment's website:
http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=070-12-08&category=citadel-detachment
On the website it says this:
- We are a group of cadets interested in furthering our cadet career by being involved with the operational side of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
- Upon graduation, we are interested in attending Coast Guard officer candidate school, direct commission, active duty enlistment, reserve enlistment or continuing with the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
- We were officially established with the Coast Guard Auxiliary on campus in the spring of 2008.
About the US Coast Guard Auxiliary
When you join the Coast Guard Auxiliary, you could find yourself saving lives, protecting the environment from polluters, guarding our shores from terrorists, and much more. That is our job 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. That's life in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. We do much more than just train. We train and perform. Since 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has safeguarded our Nation’s maritime interests in the heartland, in the ports, at sea, and around the globe.
bottom line, attending an SMC or one of the Maritime colleges does give you a leg up in the Direct Commission program - assuming you fit within one of the Coast Guard's critical skill needs. These are posted on the Coast Guard Web site.