impact
02-25-04, 03:10 AM
First, a great big THANK YOU to the owners/admins/and frequent posters on this forum. I have already learned a great deal from reading your posts and I hope that those with expertise in my area of inquiry can help answer my questions.
Second, I apologize to those of you reading this because I find it important for me to go over my past in order for you to fully understand the scope of my questions.
I am a 2nd semester Junior in college with intentions of graduating in the spring of 2005 with a B.S. in Administration of Justice (parallel to a Criminal Justice degree). I have always been interested in joining the military, especially the Marine Corps., but was unable to act upon my interest. As a student in high-school I was strong academically (graduated 12th in a class of 160 and was a member of the national honor society) and was active in playing soccer (varsity captain for 2 years, MVP 2 years). As I shipped off to college I became very homesick and fell into a state of depression. Suffice to say, I was medically diagnosed with depression and my school work suffered greatly. After 2 1/2 years I was dismissed from school for poor academics.
At that point I decided that my life was going to change, then and there. I attended a community college for a year and earned a 4.0 gpa and now I am at a 4-year school with a 3.7 gpa. The depression is currently in remission and I intend it to stay that way forever. I was faced with an adverse situation and overcame it with sheer determination and dedication. I have my stuff together now, both mentally and academically, and I now know that I can persue the chance to become a Marine.
My questions to you are:
1. Due to my diagnoses of depression does that disqualify me from being able to enlist?
2. I realize that I should attempt to earn a spot in OCC, but I have read that it is highly selective and I feel that having been diagnosed with depression (and my dismissal from my first college) will automatically red flag me so that I will not be chosen. Is this true?
3. Is it common to find college graduates enlisting instead of trying for OCC?
4. Do you have any advice for me?
I have every intention of contacting a recruiter very soon, but I want to approach the situation with as much viable information as possible, which is why I am asking all of you. Thanks in advance to your insight!
Second, I apologize to those of you reading this because I find it important for me to go over my past in order for you to fully understand the scope of my questions.
I am a 2nd semester Junior in college with intentions of graduating in the spring of 2005 with a B.S. in Administration of Justice (parallel to a Criminal Justice degree). I have always been interested in joining the military, especially the Marine Corps., but was unable to act upon my interest. As a student in high-school I was strong academically (graduated 12th in a class of 160 and was a member of the national honor society) and was active in playing soccer (varsity captain for 2 years, MVP 2 years). As I shipped off to college I became very homesick and fell into a state of depression. Suffice to say, I was medically diagnosed with depression and my school work suffered greatly. After 2 1/2 years I was dismissed from school for poor academics.
At that point I decided that my life was going to change, then and there. I attended a community college for a year and earned a 4.0 gpa and now I am at a 4-year school with a 3.7 gpa. The depression is currently in remission and I intend it to stay that way forever. I was faced with an adverse situation and overcame it with sheer determination and dedication. I have my stuff together now, both mentally and academically, and I now know that I can persue the chance to become a Marine.
My questions to you are:
1. Due to my diagnoses of depression does that disqualify me from being able to enlist?
2. I realize that I should attempt to earn a spot in OCC, but I have read that it is highly selective and I feel that having been diagnosed with depression (and my dismissal from my first college) will automatically red flag me so that I will not be chosen. Is this true?
3. Is it common to find college graduates enlisting instead of trying for OCC?
4. Do you have any advice for me?
I have every intention of contacting a recruiter very soon, but I want to approach the situation with as much viable information as possible, which is why I am asking all of you. Thanks in advance to your insight!