NROTC

[PhatFarmer35]

Hello:

I had a question about applying for USMC pilot slots. If you were doing NROTC with the Marine Option, can you apply for ONLY pilot slots in the USMC, or would a NROTC cadet with the Marine Option be able to apply for a SNA slot in the Navy?

Also does it work the other way around? Meaning would a NROTC cadet going into the Navy be able to apply for a SNA slot and a USMC pilot slot?

Thank you for replying.

 

[Dickwest83]

1) There is no such thing as an "NROTC Cadet." You are an NROTC Midshipman.

2) No, you're either a Navy Option or Marine Option. It is possible to change options if you do it earlier enough. At service selection, only Navy options apply and know what service they select. In the USMC, your MOS depends on how you do at TBS, unless you have a guaranteed flight contract, which ONLY Marines can get in NROTC.

 

[PhatFarmer35]

Thank you for replying.

I had another question about the Marine Corps and I didn't want to start a new topic while I still had this one.

Say I just went to college for two years not doing NROTC or anything else. Could I apply for PLC Aviation Option during my junior year of college? And then go to OCS the summer after my junior year?

Also, say before I went to college I enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve for 4 years, and applied for PLC after two years of college and I was accepted. Would that end my commitment with the Marine Corps Reserve?

Thank you for replying.

 

[Taxman2A]

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35


Say I just went to college for two years not doing NROTC or anything else. Could I apply for PLC Aviation Option during my junior year of college? And then go to OCS the summer after my junior year?

Yes you can. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what I did.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35


Also, say before I went to college I enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve for 4 years, and applied for PLC after two years of college and I was accepted. Would that end my commitment with the Marine Corps Reserve?

Sort of... The way it works is that you would
1) Join the reserves, do boot camp, MOS school, and then start "drilling" once a month
2) Apply to OCS and get accepted

3) At this point you would go to PLC over the summer, and during that time period you would be released from your reserve contract temporarily for OCS.

4) You would graduate OCS, and then be once again inserted into your reserve unit.

5) You graduate from college, at which point you are commissioned a 2nd Lt, and you are released from your reserve contract.

Now, supposedly between steps 4 and 5, when you have completed OCS, but not yet college, you can be released from your reserve contract. I'm not sure what the process is to be released from your contract, and to be honest I don't think it is looked on favorably, but it supposedly can happen.

 

[NozeMan]

Hey,

I am a 3/c MIDSHIPMAN. Don't ever forget that term. An AFROTC "officer" referred to me as a "cadet" I and told him to go to hell...caught a little bit of heat for that too. But to answer your Q...

You CAN apply for an aviation slot for the Marines as a Marine option Midn in NROTC. All you have to do is take the ASTB, and I guess your results have to be approved by the marines or whatever (not sure on that part).

As for Navy option...you better beat out the rest in your class if you want aviation. For the Navy side, its based a lot on grades and aptitude ranking. The ASTB weighs in there too, but GPA is the most important.

Hold that helps!

Noze

 

[Crowbar]

Originally posted by NozeMan
Hey,

I am a 3/c MIDSHIPMAN. Don't ever forget that term. An AFROTC "officer" referred to me as a "cadet" I and told him to go to hell...caught a little bit of heat for that too.

As well you should have. Maybe even more than a little. Putting "officer" in quotes? Grow up. They might be Air Force but they're just as much an officer as anyone else. Even if they were a student billet holder-way to show them how Naval ROTC students conduct themselves.

 

[PhatFarmer35]

Thanks for all the replies.

Taxman2a:

For step two, would that be done during my sophmore year of college? Also when you say apply for OCS you are talking about PLC right? And after step 4 when I complete OCS, when I am sent back to my reserve unit I would be the same rank I was when I left right? Not a 2LT? Then sometime during my senior year in college before I graduate I'll be relased from my reserve contract right? Is it possible that for some reason my reserve unit would not release me from my contract? Or will they pretty much always release me if I went to OCS and was about to graduate college?

For the Marine Corps, is the ASTB the single most important thing in determing whether or not you get a pilot slot? And the Navy is it mostly your GPA that determines whether or not you are selected for a SNA slot? Typically is it easier to get a pilot slot in the USMC then in the USN?

I've also read that the Marine Corps is really in need of pilots. How long is this treand suppose to continue? Will the Marine Corps sitll be in a great need for pilots in 4 or 8 years? Also, would enlisting in the military for 4 years before going to college hurt or help my chances of getting a pilot slot in the USMC or USN?

Thank you again for replying.

 

[Taxman2A]

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35
Thanks for all the replies.

Taxman2a:

For step two, would that be done during my sophmore year of college?

Well, this is a judgement call here. Ideally, if you wanted to do the 10 week PLC combined program, you wouldn't need to apply until your junior year. However, with the application process as difficult as it currently is, you may not just get in to the PLC program in a matter of weeks as was the case years ago. With my case, I had medical waivers to apply for that took a while. My recommendation would be to go to your OSO during May of your sophomore year, and express to him/ her that you want to go to OCS the next summer. Also, since you are going enlisted, it might not be a bad idea to talk to an OSO after you earn the title and discuss your options.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

Also when you say apply for OCS you are talking about PLC right?

Yes

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

And after step 4 when I complete OCS, when I am sent back to my reserve unit I would be the same rank I was when I left right? Not a 2LT?

Correct, you won't be commissioned a 2nd Lt until you both complete OCS AND College. So you will still be a LCpl or Cpl.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

Then sometime during my senior year in college before I graduate I'll be relased from my reserve contract right? Is it possible that for some reason my reserve unit would not release me from my contract?

Keep in mind that you will always be released from your reserve contract upon commissioning. However, that gray area between completing OCS and college is up in the air. I know that you CAN be released, but whether you will be or not depends more on factors that your OSO can inform you of better than I can. Personally I have only seen it happen once.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

For the Marine Corps, is the ASTB the single most important thing in determing whether or not you get a pilot slot?

I would say the PFT is the most important for the Marines. I Can't say anything about the Navy.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

Typically is it easier to get a pilot slot in the USMC then in the USN?

I can't say for whether selection is easier in the navy or the marines. I can say that Marines have alot more training with TBS before Flight School.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

I've also read that the Marine Corps is really in need of pilots. How long is this treand suppose to continue?

I don't think anyone knows this one for sure. Your guess is as good as mine.

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35

Also, would enlisting in the military for 4 years before going to college hurt or help my chances of getting a pilot slot in the USMC or USN?

It could certainly help, and it could also make you so sick of the military that you no longer have the energy to go to OCS, TBS, and Flight School. It also motivate the hell out of you and turn you into an outstanding Marine. Different people react to enlisting in different ways. The best advice I can give you is to do what you think is best for your individual situation. There is no blanket answer.

 

[PhatFarmer35]

Thank you for replying.

Just to tell you a little bit about myself, right now I'm a 17 year old high school junior. I will most likley enlist in the Army for 4 years with the Ranger Contract and MOS 13F (Fire Support Specalist). Then I want to go to college and become a military pilot.

Say I enlist in the Army for 4 years, then I go to college at ERAU (just as an example). Would you suggest I go into the Army or Marine Corps Reserve when I start college? Would being in the USMCR look better than being in the USAR if I were applying for PLC? Or would it not make a difference as long as I had a good service record?

When I come out of the Army, is this a good senario:

1. After my enlistment in the Army offically ends, enlist in the Marine Corps Reserce and complete all my training before college.

2. Go to ERAU, major in Aeronautical Science and not do any ROTC programs my first two years.

3. Toward the end of my sophmore year apply for PLC and Navy BDCP and go with whatever one I am accepted to, or which ever I prefer.

4A. If NOT accepted, do ROTC starting my junior year and apply for a pilot slot that way.
4B. If I AM accepted for PLC then complete OCS the summer before my senior year.

5. Sometime during my senior year I will be released from my USMCR unit.

6. Graduate and go to TBS, flight school, ect.

During my first two years of college when I am in the USMCR should I take NROTC classes but not be on a scholarship contract? And if I was accepted for PLC should I take NROTC classes my junior and senior year?

I know this is kind of a "what if" question, but if I did really good on the PFT, decent on the ASTB and had a 3.0 GPA in a non-technical degree, would I have a pretty good chance of being selected for PLC?

Thank you a lot for replying.

 

[4thgen]

PhatFarmer,

Taking the Reserve/PLC route has a great disadvantage and that is being called up to active duty. I have a friend that was doing the reserve, go to college and get a comission thing and he was called up to go to Iraq. He is in the army, so I am sure its a little different in the Marine Corps, but it is still essentially the same idea. He is still there and has only completed one semester of college in a year and a half.

If I were you I would try for a NROTC Scholarship because NROTC is a lot of fun and relatively easy and relaxed as opposed to going through the other pipelines. Whether or not to be a Marine or Navy Option Midshipman, that part is up to you. But if you are a Marine Option and want to fly, when you graduate you will become a Marine Officer and fly only Marine Aviation. Same thing for Navy Option, only Navy Aviation.

I am a 3/C Midshipman(Marine Option) and I am tryin to obtain a flight contract having just passes the ASTB with good enough grades to be eligible for a flight contract. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

V/R
MIDN 3/C Cleland

 

[Taxman2A]

Originally posted by PhatFarmer35
Thank you for replying.

When I come out of the Army, is this a good senario:

I think here you are really trying to plan everything so incredibly precisely that it can't possibly work out the way it is planned. If you have officially decided to enlist in the Army, my recommendation is to spend the next few years working hard and having fun. Then, see how you feel about the military and aviation in general. At this point you can start tackling some of those other questions. Also, to give enough time for this to all play out you will have to deal with the issue of age as you will most likely be at least 27 years old.

I do believe that it would be to your benefit to enlist in the Marines to get a good foundation in our discipline, work ethic, and esprit de corps, but this is obviously a decision you have to make on your own.

 

[Dickwest83]

NROTC is a lot of fun and relatively easy and relaxed???

Hey 4thgen, what school do you go to???

 

[Pat1USMC]

Taxman is exactly right. Theres no way you will be able to plan out the next 10 years of your life. Back when I was your age, I thought the world was going to end because I didn't get into the AF Academy. I was all ready to sign up to enlist in the Navy nuke engineering program. I then proceeded to go to college, do AF ROTC for two years, get a scholarship, drop out (of AFROTC), and sign up for Marine PLC. And changed majors 4 times. Just an example of why you should just let things happen. A little planning is good, but not THAT much.
Also, why do you want to enlist in the Army if you want to be a Marine?

 

[Crowbar]

Originally posted by Dickwest83
NROTC is a lot of fun and relatively easy and relaxed???

Not saying college is easy, but the NROTC functions (classes, drill, PT) are the easiest things we do here.

The hardest part of NROTC is dealing with all the drama created by people who think they are doing the hardest thing they've ever done!

 

[PhatFarmer35]

Thank you for all the replies.

About the Reserves, I've been told the same thing about the possibility of being activated during college. If I was actived for a year right after completing my first semester of college, then when I am done serving that year and return back to college can I just pick up where I left off starting off with the second semester or would I have to start the year over? Also, is there a possibility I could be kicked out of college for being gone for a year?

I relize that what I may plan to do now I may or may not want to do, or will not be able to do, several years from now. However, I just want to get as much infomation as I can now and try to plan ahead now when I have a lot of time instead of trying to figure this all out in a few years when I'm in the military and may not have enough time.

To answer Pat1USMC's last question, I have thought a lot about enlisting in either the Army or Marine Corps. I am leaning more toward the Army now because of the Ranger Contract. I am confident I can pass RIP (Ranger Indotronation Program) but even if I don't, I'll be happy with airborne infantry. It has more to do with the fact that I am more interested in the role of paratroopers than I am with Marines. After the Army I want to go to college and fly military aircraft. For this I am looking at flight programs in all services of the military including the Marine Corps.

Crowbar, it's funny you are talking about drama in NROTC. I'm in Navy JUNIOR ROTC and it is one of the stupidest things I've ever done. However there is a lot of stupid drama created which makes it interesting, especially among the staff. It's especially funny when people on staff (especially overweight and/or complete idiots) act like hardcore SEALs telling everyone what to do, even when they themselfves have no idea what they are doing. Most of them don't even want to go into the military, but for those who do, a lot want to do NROTC, so I can see where that drama comes from.

Thank you for all the replies.