Advice - Options

[22DevilPup87]

I've asked for advice on how to go about earning the Title before, but that was when I thought my parents stood behind me 100%. They're not discouraging me but they're certainly not enabling me either. They won't let me contact a recruiter or check out books on the military and the Corps from the library. For now I'm limited to the information on the internet.

I'm looking for any advice and/or insight you may be able to provide.

This is a brief overview of my situation:
My parents aren't thrilled of the idea of me joining any branch of the military. Though they don't discourage me they certainly won't sign for me. I'm currently in 11th grade and am seeing that more than likely I'll be going to a small school without NROTC for college because it's what I can afford, it's a great school I think I would like, and it's what my parents want. I'll be turning 17 the May I graduate high school so my parents have more say in where I go than I do. Ultimately I want to be become an officer but going enlisted first is certainly an option.

So far I know my options are:
Transfer to a larger college for my sophomore year (when I'm 18) with NROTC on a scholarship.

Enlist in Reserves at 18.

Any other ideas?

I won't be 18 until the end of my freshman year of college. Would that be too late to get involved in a PLC program? How does OCS work?

[thedrifter]

Lots of questions....that are hard for us to answer....

First you need to listen to your parents....They are guiding you the way they feel fit.....They know you the best .......

You are still young and have time to work on your school work....
I don't know your grades....but if you have excellent ones...A/B's...try to see if you can get a scholarship to one of the schools that you would like to go to....SAT's need to be good(on the high side) (each school has their own range for giving them out, and not all are for full...some are for half and partial) Need to talk to your schools counselor...they will help you with more answers....

This is a start for you to think about for now....

No it isn't to late to start the PLC program.

Feel free to PM me.....



The Drifter

[22DevilPup87]

Drifter,
Thanks for replying. My parents really are great parents. I know they love and care about me. Sometimes I just think they have their own plan for me that's different than what it is I want.

I have excellent grades. Not to brag (even though I am proud), through all of high school I've only taken one course in which I've earned less than a 4.0 grade and that was algebra II but even then I earned a 3.7 in that course. However, I haven't taken my SATs yet. I plan to take them in April.

I attend an internet based high school so guidance counselors are nonexistant.

Unless I can get almost full tuition and room and board paid with a scholarship to a college with NROTC I'm kind of stuck in that regard. Knowing that after my freshman year of college isn't too late to start PLC is good to know, though. Thank you very much.

[thedrifter]

That is really upsetting to hear no counselors in your school....
I'm glad to hear you have excellent grades.....
Each college has their own guidelines for the scholarship program and all look at the SAT's scores differently......

All 4 of my children worked hard at their studies....and they did well on their SAT's.....Each of them were offered full tuitions and the last two had room and board included at different out of state ones....
Now my youngest....graduated at the age of 17....She is 19 now...
So there is Hope......
So work hard...on the SAT's....Which I believe you can....
Good Luck.

The Drifter

PS SAT's need to be around 1000 on up........

[22DevilPup87]

Thank you for the good luck wishes.

It sounds like you have some accomplished and successful children. You must be proud of them.

Getting 1000 on my SATs shouldn't be too much of a problem. I got a 950 on a practice SAT in 9th grade without studying. This time around I have every resource imaginable. In fact, I just ordered another book to help with the studying from Barnes & Noble today. It should be here in a couple days.

I'll continue to work hard and return to report on the status of all this stuff once more things have become concrete.

[thedrifter]

22DevilPup87

You sound like my children....They worked hard really never studied....Yes we wanted them to get the best...but they Earn what they got because They Wanted It...and We are Proud of them.....
My two youngest ones were always in competition with each other...Brother, Sister Love...:D ..My daughter who is the youngest...went in first time took her SAT's without studying ...and out scored her brother....That is all she wanted to do....
She never took anymore.....

So I know you can do it...because I can see you have the drive they had.........

The Drifter

[22DevilPup87]

Thanks, Drifter. Your encouragement means a lot to me.

I've told myself and made it known that I'm going to get a 1400 on my SATs even if I have to take that darn test every time it's offered between April and the time I send in college applications. I figure if I get a 1400, a score considered good enough coupled with good grades to make it into an ivy league college, I should be eligible for some good scholarships as long as I keep up my grades. In my school anything below an 80 is failing so maintaining at least decent grades isn't an option. I'm an extremist, all or none, and in a lot of ways that's not a good thing. I often times run myself into the ground because I don't know when to stop. But, hopefully being an extremist will help, at least a little, in other ways.

[thedrifter]

22DevilPup87

See if your school is in this program....if not you and your parents should......
It might be useful....

My children were this program during their time in High School....
One of their teachers or/ principle nominated them....
You need to be in the Top 10% of your State..

http://www.eci-whoswho.com/highschool/frame.html


The Drifter

[22DevilPup87]

Thank you for that link, Drifter. That's something I'll look into. I looked at the website and it looks beneficial but I'll find out more in the morning.

My school doesn't have much to offer except straight academics because I'm homeschooled in Maryland earning my diploma in Washington (state). The power of the internet!

[Super Dave]

I'll telll you the same think I told me daughter, she's at Paris Island right now. If you have a burning desire in your gut to be a Marine and you will not stop until you are one, you will not fail. Having the right mental attitude is the most imporntant thing to have when you arrive at boot camp. The physical aspect of boot camp is tough. To get ready, run every day, pullups, crunches, anything else to get you hard and ready to hit it.

[22DevilPup87]

Thank you. I'll take your advice to heart.

I wish your daughter the best of luck. Let me know when she returns to you as a Marine, will you?

[ktriplett]

For someone with grades like yours, the SAT's should be no problem. I never worked hard in high school, even though I had the potential, and my GPA stayed around 3.5. When I took the SAT's, I was surprised at how easy they really are. I had one book that I studied a little bit, and it helped immensley. If you study and then pace yourself when you're taking the test, your goal of 1400 should be no problem.
You've got a good head start, with your work ethic. It wasn't until I started college that one of my professors actually challenged me to work hard at school, and that professor changed my life.
Good luck. You'll do great.

[22DevilPup87]

Thank you for the good luck wishes. I need all the luck I can get.

I've never taken a standardized test before (with the exception of one I don't even remember taking in the first grade). It's the format that frightens me the most. I'm sure I know most of the material on the SATs but the questions are so strange. "Here, read a passage, and then I'm going to ask you a question that you should be able to answer with implied information." Or my favorite, "Here's a math problem that's practically impossible to solve mathematically. Even if you were one of the few bright students that could do it, it'd take you so long to calculate the answer it'd be counterproductive for you to answer."

. . . I'm studying. Starting tomorrow every Saturday is a mock SAT day. I feel like I'm wasting my life. I have better things to do than spend 3 hours every weekend taking a test. Oh, well. That's life. I want a good score; I have to work for it.

Thanks again. Knowing there are people out there that believe in me makes it easier.

[Joe Gore]

Hey devilpup sounds like your heading in the right direction. You need to stay in school. Even if you become an officer and decide for some strange reason you don't like it then you will need that degree to fall back on. When i left high school i did not have the resources nor the desire to go on to college so i followed my older brothers foot steps and joined the Marines. Only i joined the real Marines (infantry) he was an Air Winger. After i got out i did go back to school, because I realized that I needed it. You would not beleive how hard it was to get back in to school after you've been out for 5 or 6 years. You might want to go on line and see what types of grants and other scholarships that are available. There is a book that lists all scholarships that are available. You might have to do some reading and find some but you might find some scholarships that go un claimed because no one applys for them. It's worth a shot.


Still can't figure out why any one would want to be an officer. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DevilPup2004]

Jess- Don't worry about the test format. All ya gotta do is figure out the correct answer and color in the little bubble. No big deal.

Don't forget that your test booklet is yours. You paid for it when you paid the test registration fee. No one's gonna look at it and say, "What an idiot! She couldn't figure out what 2+2 was without writing it down!" It'll just be thrown away when you're done with it. It's yours, and there are wide margins in it for a reason. You won't be allowed to use any loose leaf paper or a notebook of your own. Your only scratch paper will be inside your test booklet. You can use the margins for the English segments, as well - take a word and physically write it into a sentence.

Don't be afraid to retake the SAT, either. I'll be taking it again in the spring, and I've been taking tests in this format since I was very young. The SAT is unlike any other test. It doesn't measure how smart you are or how well you can work through a problem. It only measures how wel you do on the SAT. You can keep taking it and taking it until you get the score you want.

Oh, and if you take me up on my advice from the other day and get "Cracking the SAT" by The Princeton Review, you'll reread this in that book, 'cause that's where I got all of it. :yes:

Edit: The idea about looking for scholarships it's outstanding. www.fastweb.com

Keep up the hard work, Sis.

[KEYDET]

DevilPup if you are really physically fit you should look into the NROTC Scholarhsip it pays full tuition and expense for any NROTC College in the USA here is a link for more information https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/ you will want to click on marine option although it has not been working. There is a contact on there to help that is marine option. For the scholarhsip you have to complete a PFT which is a 3mile run, crunches, and a flexed arm hang. You have to complete the 3'mile run within 30 minutes, do at least 44 crunches, and hang for at least 26 seconds. But the scholarship takes you to be an officer so the minimums will not get you the scholarship. The maxes are as follows.. 70 second flexed arm hang, 20 minute 3'mile run, and 100 crunches in 2 minutes. I was able yo max the flexed arm hang and crunches, but i only ran a 25.32 3'mile. However it gave me a first class PFT. That is what you aim for the max.. the higher your score the better chance you have. I can can give you more information on that if you´re interested.
I was in the same situation. It took 7 months and a lot of talking to finally get my dad to sign. My recruiter probably helped the most because he was able to say things while my dad was listening. He doesn´t agree with me going but he realized his support meant a lot to me but I was willing to go without it once I was 18. You should really let your parents know that what you want to do is THE THING YOU WANT TO DO. If it´s something you´re just thinking about then they´ll never be behind. If you´re unsure so are they. I am also not ¨rich¨enough to be able to afford a military academt but thanks to the scholarship I will be attending the Virginia Military Institute in the fall of 2003. With you r good grades you will qualify for tons of more scholarships. THe only thing the NROTC SCholarship doesn´t pay is room and board which is about $5,000, but with my academic record I was able to qualify for a room and board scholarship, so I get to attend VMI for four year without paying a dime out of my pocket.. you have better grades than me my average GPA is a 3.567....It´s really a good deal. And it might staisfy your parents to know that with the scholarship you wouldn´t go through bootcamp right away you´ll go to school for 2 years and then attend OCS for 11weeks. I can help you out a lot .. this is my e'mail address ... greencl@swirve.com you can e'mail with any questions you have. I can give you all kinds of web addresses to help you see which road it is your heart is set on. I´ll see ya´ around! :marine:

[Super Dave]

She graduated boot camp March 7th. I can not wait to see her walk across the parade deck and earn the same title that i did all those years ago. The pride i felt inside me was great on Nov 19, 1982 when I was first called Marine. I know it will be 1,000,000 times greater when she is called Marine and I get to call her Marine. I already have my "My Daughter is a Marine" bumber sticker, but it isn't on my car as she has not earned that title yet. I will let her put in on my car helself.

Ohhh Rah...

[22DevilPup87]

I actually ordered Cracking the SAT from Barnes & Noble online yesterday. It should be here by Monday or Tuesday. (Thanks for telling me about the book, Jackie, and thank you for the link as well.)

I'm prepared to take it again ... and again ... and again if need be. Tomorrow I'm off to the library to take a mock SAT to get a baseline of where I am. I want to know how much I -really- need to improve to meet my goal.

As far as going officer goes ... I have goals for after my time as an active duty Marine that I know require a college education. I figure if I'm going to extend my education I might as well be comissioned.

[22DevilPup87]

KeyDet,
I'll be e-mailing you. Check your e-mail for me, please.

SD,
I wish your daughter the best of luck and all the strength it'll take her to complete her training and earn the Title. I can't wait to hear about how you welcome her as a Marine to your Corps when she graduates.

[22DevilPup87]

KEYDET - an e-mail's been sent

[DevilPup2004]

Well, if I can find the money for it, you'll be a Third when I'm a Rat. Isn't that just GREAT - I already know a potential future torturer of mine. :eek: :yes:

Just remember that no matter what happens, they can't touch you.

[Barrio_rat]

They can't touch you.... That's a good line of thinkin on yer way in... Never mind all that other BS like esprit de corps or honor, duty and integrity... hell, why even have Semper Fi - we now got They can't touch you! Anyone know that in Latin?

[wrbones]

LMAO ROTF

We're all inna good mood today!


I noticed that, but I was tryin to overlook it.

They can't touch you, huh. Sometimes it's better to take a butt whippin and be done with it! Now, ya **** someone off, it goes against ya. Permanently. People don't forget.

You kids keep tryin'! You'll get there. I wouldn't let yer Drill Instructors hear ya say anything like that. No matter what, yer gonna have some NCO or SNCO workin ya over before ya get in the Marine Corps.

This is startin' to be funny today! LOL. ****ing kids anyway. LOL.

[leroy8541]

can't touch ya? no,but the pen is mightyer than the sword nowdays! never been screwed til you been screwed by the pen I'd rather have a butt whuppin.

[Barrio_rat]

Pen? Yeah, that's a mighty tool... But there ain't nothin' in life like the Big Green Weenie!

I'm still waitin' on my kisses.. LOL

[mrbsox]

Say WHAT !!!

< < Just remember that no matter what happens, they can't touch you. > >

You mean to tell me a Drill Instructor can no longer adjust your Uniform :D

make sure your BELT is straight :banana:
make sure your TOP blouse button fits well :banana:

my, my, my, what will they think of next, electric razors and "just f**king begin until YOU get tired"

[KEYDET]

She didn´t mean in those means she just meant that in public eye they can´t beat you ... But Devil they are right. It is known at VMI that the seconds and sometimes first have their private PT Sessions with some of their ¨favorite¨ rats. But hey as long as your a good rat the rest of the time you won´t have to worry too much. BEside their getting a new super up there General Bunting is retiring (so is the rumor). The upper class is only allowed to push rats from 12pm until 4pm and if you´re smart (like most of them are) you´ll stay out of barracks during those times. It´s changed a lot. The Rats break out next week ... one of the earliest times for breakout. The privilege of being able to work a rat out is given only to seconds and thirds now too. It´s changed a lot ... I think by the time I get there they´ll let rats take 20 minutes showers. ... but that is still a much ¨better¨experience than graduating from a NROTC Unit instead of a Military Institute. Just remember to obey the ranks and they´ll never hunt you down. Besides it would be cool to meet you at my ¨favorite¨place in the whole world!!

[USMC-FO]

Two lines of thought here I think, and I am also not certain when this line began....First 22 Devil Pup: Obviously not sure why your parents feel the way they do but regardless best you follow their wishes, but also think for yourself too--which you appear to be doing well. I am also not sure if you're M or F and I guess that might reflect my thinking too to some degree. That being said at 18 I was not sure about college funding either, and I needed a break anyway. So I went USMC first, college after. However while on active duty I applied and recieved an appointment to the Naval Academy--I susequently turned down the appointment and stayed in Division for several reasons--but the point is that may provide an option for you to consider that may also appeal to your parents.

Secondly, "Old Salts" here bemoaning a good ole whupping and attitude adjustments that we may have had occasion to enjoy; I too feel the loss in our own experience's for todays young Marines. However I still feel--or hope--PI and SD are still turning out the best warrior's in the world. I still enjoy, and howl through, the first 15 minutes of FMJ reliving my own wonderful experiences at PI in 62. Sittling here 40 years later I would not change a moment of those days and nights.

[22DevilPup87]

USMC-FO,
I'm female. My parents say that my being female has nothing to do with their decision but I beg to differ. My brother brought up the military once casually and my parents said if it's what he wanted they'd be more than willing to sign. Their only afterthought is they would rather see him officer than enlisted. My brother quickly said that he wouldn't want to be in the military. He says it's not a life he ever wants to consider. Granted, he's only 11 years old, but my parents said they'd sign for him in 6 years but not me in 2.

Anything that involves parental consent that requires military obligations aren't options. They've made it very clear that they won't assist me in any way, shape or form to pursue a military career, regardless of branch. If I want to do it, I'm free to do it on my own at 18. It's kind of depressing ... I want my family to support me but I can't make them do anything they don't want to do. If I said I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer my parents would never question me. But I say I want to become a Marine and have a military career for a good 20 years and I get the third degree. I guess that's just life. They're either be there when I earn the Title or they won't. Either way I'll be a Marine.

[Barrio_rat]

Good on you, 22DevilPup87... Stay focused!

[22DevilPup87]

Thanks, Barrio_rat.

[wrbones]

22DevilPup87, you got the makings kid.

"Don't let the bastards get ya down."

[thedrifter]

22DevilPup87, just like my Sgt(Bones) said: You have the makings. One day I hope to welcome you into the Brotherhood/Sisterhood.

The Drifter

[22DevilPup87]

Thanks, Bones and Drifter. Means a lot to me.

[DevilPup2004]

I was only repeating advice that I have been given several times. That advice has been given to me by VMI graduates, and most recently a VMI cadet who is currently a Rat.

As I reread my earlier post, I saw how much of a pansy I came across as, especially to you Old Salts who remember the Old Corps. I've definitely heard quite a few sea stories from Old Corps boot camp, like when a Drill Instructor called a Private to the front of the formation and told the rest of the platoon to execute an about face, saying, "I don't want the rest of you to see what I'm about to do to this guy!"

Anyway, now that I've been labeled the resident pansy... :lick:

[wrbones]

A pansy is a flower. Ya don't smell like a sissy do ya! LMAO. Will keepin yer feet wet kill ya? LOL.

Oh, that was bad, but I didn't want to help myself!LOL

[firstsgtmike]

devilpup2004

I guess it all depends on whose advice you listen to.

If the advice you listened to made you the "resident pansy", what do you call the ones who gave you the advice?

Pansy at-large? Pansy in-waiting? Pansy wannabee?

Oh my gawd, he touched me! They promised me he couldn't do that. Maybe my tears will soften his heart, the big brute.

I thought he was just flirting when he told me to kiss his ass.

[KEYDET]

"I thought he was just flirting when he told me to kiss his ass."

that was funny firstgtmike .. probably the best I have read in a long time!! :lick:

[Barrio_rat]

I've been told... Girls like flowers.

[Sixguns]

Join the Marine Corps Reserves when you turn 18. With a year of college under your belt, you will qualify for a promotion (PFC) when you join. You can also choose the "Split K" option which will send you to Boot Camp the summer between your SOphmore and Junior years. This option guarantees you will be back at the start of the fall semester of your Junior year. You can still apply for NROTC while in the DEP. There is also a program where you can start drilling with your reserve unit BEFORE you go to recruit training. This can put some extra cash in your pocket to offset college costs. The idea is to show your parents that you are an adult and have done your homework and research. This will also give them time to digest your decision or plan.

[22DevilPup87]

Thank you for your advice, Sixguns. It's very much appreciated.

[wrbones]

SixGuns is the man!

He's our resident expert concerning any recruiting questions ya got!

[22DevilPup87]

He sure is!

[22DevilPup87]

I had to share this great news. I talked with my mom for what feels like the gazillionth time about me and the military. I finally got her to permission to contact a recruiter at 16 1/2 and she said she'd consider signing for me to enter the DEP and ship after being in college for a year. It's not what I'm looking for but I'm getting there, and it's all been while respecting my parents, their wishes, and maintaining the peace in the house.

I'm thrilled.

[ktriplett]

Hey, good job! That's great to hear! A little bit of perseverence mixed with a lot of respect, and you've gained some ground. Congrats!

[thedrifter]

Way to go.....

Now take it step by step.........You are heading in the right direction..........

The Drifter

[22DevilPup87]

Thanks for the congrats. Just knowing that I can see a recruiter before I leave the house is uplifting. With his/her help the rest of it may change.