USNA vs NROTC - MO

Cadad2022

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DD has earned NROTC - MO scholarship to her first choice university and an appointment to USNA class of 2022. Her ultimate goal is to commission in the USMC.

USNA has been her singular focus since 7th grade. She has attended CVW and SS and absolutely loves all USNA has to offer.

My opinion is if her ultimate goal is to commission as a 2nd Lt in the USMC, then the NROTC-MO route is the most direct route.
Bottom line if she fulfills the educational and physical requirements and completes OCS she commissions.

The USNA route would have the additional barrier of service selection/assignment. Its my understanding she could potentially be assigned USN upon graduation. The proverbial needs of the Navy could prevail.

Does anyone have any insight into the percentage of USNA grads who wanted USMC and were not selected ? I understated there is a lot that goes into selection from academic / military merit to branch needs.

I am just trying to work through all the scenarios with her to allow her to make the most informed decision.

Thanks
 
DD has earned NROTC - MO scholarship to her first choice university and an appointment to USNA class of 2022. Her ultimate goal is to commission in the USMC.

USNA has been her singular focus since 7th grade. She has attended CVW and SS and absolutely loves all USNA has to offer.

My opinion is if her ultimate goal is to commission as a 2nd Lt in the USMC, then the NROTC-MO route is the most direct route.
Bottom line if she fulfills the educational and physical requirements and completes OCS she commissions.

The USNA route would have the additional barrier of service selection/assignment. Its my understanding she could potentially be assigned USN upon graduation. The proverbial needs of the Navy could prevail.

Does anyone have any insight into the percentage of USNA grads who wanted USMC and were not selected ? I understated there is a lot that goes into selection from academic / military merit to branch needs.

I am just trying to work through all the scenarios with her to allow her to make the most informed decision.

Thanks
don't underestimate those squibbs in NROTC putting on the pressure and the recruitment....
 
She wants USMC now. In four years, her views could change. Probably won't, but could.

From what I understand, the real "selector" is Leatherneck. Do well there and not be in the bottom of your class and you shouldn't have any issues going USMC. If you don't do well there, you will likely be told that USMC isn't in the cards and then you can select another option.

Needs of the Navy is always a possibility, but not likely in your DD's case. It has happened to men who want to go USMC and who also qualify to be nukes and are assigned to subs. It's rare and only when subs don't make their quota. There are usually far more women who want to be submariners than available slots, so not likely to happen to your DD.
 
Bottom line if she fulfills the educational and physical requirements and completes OCS she commissions.

I think you are looking at this from the wrong perspective. The goal in any of the programs is not to merely "fulfill" the requirements, but rather excel in all aspects of the program. If DD excels at USNA, she will have the opportunity to commission in USMC.

Times have changed since my day, when service selection was based solely on Order of Merit. As I understand it, there is now a process where Midshipmen are qualified or accepted before they can select a particular warfare community. If DD does not qualify at USNA, I would suspect that she would have a hard time earning a USNA commission through NROTC as well. The objective is perform to a level, and show the property mindset and motivation that the USNA cadre at USNA "wants" DD, not simply "accepts" her.

Like anything in life, there are no guarantees.. Sure, DD could get diverted to the Navy (but there a certainly worse things in life), but the best way to get what you want in the military is to excel in everything you do. If DD exceeds the requirements, the chance of not getting USMC are probably pretty slim.
 
I agree with Old Navy and USNA1985, in that if your DD does well, her choice to become a Marine officer should not be an issue.

However, I would say that your DD should really focus on the lifestyle and college experience that she is seeking. If your DD wants the military immersion experience, then she would likely prefer USNA. However, if she would like the "regular" college experience, then NROTC/MO may be a better option.

NROTC/MO also has the benefit of not requiring a STEM heavy curriculum unlike USNA.

Congratulations and good luck! She has two amazing opportunities before her.
 
Congratulations are in order. Your DD has two great options ahead of her. Agree with all the previous posts but I believe the odds would favor NROTC.

Becoming a USMC Officer is difficult no matter what ascension path you take. There are many points where a candidate can be washed out. However, when comparing USNA vs NROTC one difference is the "needs of the Navy" as discussed above. At USNA you have to go through an assignment process. NROTC does not have this process - once you enter as a NROTC-MO you are destined to that path unless you get washed out.

As AROTC-dad points out, the decision may come down to the choice of collegiate lifestyle, desired major, and other criteria. But if you are playing the odds, NROTC would seem the better choice if being a Marine Officer is the ultimate goal over all the other aspects.
 
My understanding of USNA's service assignment is the following:

In early fall of 1/C year, the 1/C list their top 6 communities (e.g., Navy air, conventional surface, USMC ground, USMC air, submarines, nuke surface, EOD, SEAL, etc.). Certain communities have various types of "screeners." This can include participation in a summer program (e.g., Leatherneck), interviews (e.g., nuke), physical tests (e.g., SEALs), or other requirements (medical corps). You also must be medically qualified for whatever you select. I believe medical corps and nukes know in advance if they have been selected for their programs. Others have a pretty good idea of the communities that are realistic options for them based on the above.

Obviously, you have to be smart about listing your preferences -- if you did terribly at Leatherneck, for example, you might not want to put USMC ground or air as #1 or, alternatively if you do, you should be prepared not to get your first choice.

The 1/C learn just before Thanksgiving the community to which they have been "assigned." It's a big ceremony now, with 1/C opening their "letters." This year 92% got their first choice and 99% got first or second. So it's not as if hordes of mids are being forced into communities they don't want.:)

Also, for the OP, in the past when it was "service selection," it wasn't that much better. You didn't automatically get what you wanted. Yes, you "selected" based on Order of Merit (with some exceptions, such as subs, where there were screeners). However, there were only so many billets for each community. Thus, if your OOM put you toward the bottom of your class, you ended up with whatever was left. Today, if you have great aptitude, you might still end up where you want to be even if your OOM isn't super high. It's more of a "matching" program that probably (hopefully) leads to greater long-term satisfaction in your job.

Finally, I agree that your DD should choose the "college" lifestyle that most appeals to her. It IS four years of her life -- she should be happy with it.
 
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