poolee questions!!

[skylinez]

Hello everyone, I'm a junior in college and my ship date is in may to become a marine (reserve). I need some advices... before i sign my contract i asked if i could apply to become an officer. My recruiter said my SAT score (Math = 500, Verbal 360 and english was not my first language)wasn't high enough and my asvab 67(before taking the asvab, recruiter did not tell me that i needed 75). But my gpa is 3.4. The recruiter said it would be a long wait and hassle if i want to do the officer program anyway... so just join the reserve and apply for officer program. HOwever when i went to MEPS a marine officer wanted me to be on his list, but my recruiter was like NO. So please let me know if what he told me are correct.... (yes i don't trust my recruiter).

Thanks in advance!

[Gregs7130]

Hey,
I too was in college this time last year. Actually, one of the top 40 colleges in the nation (overall) and top 2 in the nation for my major. I decided to go Enlisted (active). I talked to an Officer recruiter, and while I think that may be something I want to do in the future, I decided it was just not for me yet.

What I am trying to get at is...
It is your choice!! Do what you feel is right! DO NOT do what others think is best for you because it is YOUR LIFE.

I am going to go back to that school after I fulfill my Marine Corps obligations. (but who knows...I may love it and never want to leave!! Pending graduation of boot of course :D)

I hope you do your research well and make the right choice...For you! :thumbup:

[Gregs7130]

ALSOOOO
If you havent already, go to officer.marines.com, and look at PLC. That is most likely the program you would do if you decided to switch.

Funny thing is... because I was in such a good college and did well on my practice asvab, the Marine Officer Recruiter was itching to get me down to MEPS that week, but once I went to my current recruiter, he had a hard time getting me to MEPS due to my age lol

[Crusader0451]

I know a poolee who had a 3.5 gpa(or close) and tried to become an officer first and wasn't accepted... I have a reserves contract so I can continue to go to school (I am an 18yr old freshman). After my first enlistment is up I will consider either commissioning AD or reenlisting AD.

If I were in your shoes I would do PLC and just go active. But then again I do not know your goals in life and whatnot. Gregs has the best advice: Do what you believe you're being called to do and that will be best for you. You got one life to live, might as well make it badass! Good luck!

[Topman]

I am a former Officer Candidate. I can tell you from experience, it is a long wait, especially in this recruiting environment. I graduated about 2 years ago, and spent a year and a half trying to get in. My stats... 96 ASVAB, 300 PFT, and a 3.2 GPA, so not too bad... and yet it just wasn't working. I'd advise also that many classes are being cancelled now at OCS because of funding cuts, so I'd expect the wait times to take even longer in the near future.

I've obviously switched over to the enlisted side, with every intention of going for the ECP program in the future. In my opinion, I'm rather excited to be going enlisted, it seems to me there's more opportunity for extensive training, and who wouldn't want the experience prior to being put in a position of authority.

Should you still want to go Officer, like Gregs said, PLC would probably be the way to go, but I'd talk to an OSO and see what the status of PLC-C classes is. I've heard they're cancelled, in which case you'd need to get your paperwork done really soon so that you're in time to attend this summer and next...

If you do ship in May, depending on where you're going, we could end up in Boot Camp together, I ship on May 14.

Good luck to you