High School Deploma and GED

[foreverproud]

Everything I'm finding online leads me that without a high school diploma or a GED you cannot join the Marines. I'm reading also that with a GED you must score higher ASVAB scores.

The reason I'm asking is we have one very difficult freshman this year. He is in the Special Education program simply because he is stubborn and really has very little interest in the school program. He is by no means unintelligent .... just a hormonal teen.

I was aware of this kid .... have listened to another teacher try to help him and reason with him. He is polite ... never disrespectful ... but just won't do the work. He wants to be a Marine. His mom says that is all he talks about. I did not know he wanted to be a Marine until today, when after listening to another teacher talk to him, I asked her about him after he left the class.

I told her that I believed you wouldn't be excepted without a high school diploma or a GED. She was really happy at that because she is going to try and use it as a motivator ... if he is truly serious. Anyway, I told her I'd talk to him too, so I'm just doing a double check ..... any exceptions that he could question me on?

Thanks....

[Phantom Blooper]

High School diploma....Best way to go.

GED plus 15 college credits....and then only a handful from each recruiting district picked.

To get a better in depth look.

Go into the Poolee Forum or Ask A Marine and there should be a sticky.

:evilgrin:

[foreverproud]

Thanks Phantom Blooper... appreciate it!

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Yup. Ask a Marine has a sticky.

And it's true. With ONLY a GED the chances of enlistment, even with the college credits, are very, very, slim indeed. Even then, (it requires a waiver from HQMC), unless the person has VERY high ASVAB scores, the job choices will be limited at best.

There is a Quota system for GED holders even with the required college creds.

[usmc3521]

If he wants to be a Marine tell him to square his **** away and get a diploma!

Not trying to be a dick but as his parents you are responsible for his discipline and work ethic. Whoop his ass if he can't get his crap together and quit blaming it on hormones.

[foreverproud]

I'm not his parent.

He's a student who is currently in the Special Education program at the high school where I'm a ParaEducator in the SPED program. I don't work with him directly at this time, but others in the program do. His parents are quiet concerned and pretty much have a daily conversation with his case manager. No one was blaming it on hormones ... I just used the term to loosely describe a teen ... having some problems at the moment, but really just a typical teen.

I'm just trying to help his teacher with some concrete info as far as a high school diploma and GED and what is required by the Marines. If he's serious about wanting to join the Marines, then it might make a difference in his effort at school.

[foreverproud]

If he wants to be a Marine tell him to square his **** away and get a diploma!

Actually I'd love to tell him that .... but I'd probably be fired or written up. :)


Thanks Sgt. Leprechaun for the additional info.

And it's true. With ONLY a GED the chances of enlistment, even with the college credits, are very, very, slim indeed. Even then, (it requires a waiver from HQMC), unless the person has VERY high ASVAB scores, the job choices will be limited at best.

There is a Quota system for GED holders even with the required college creds.

[usmc3521]

as Sgt Lep said 15 college credits with a GED and this is straight from my recruiter last night.... since the USMC is overmanned they are only recruiting the MOST qualified individuals, that being said if you have a GED even with college credits DONT WASTE YOUR TIME, he needs a diploma or no USMC

[usmc3521]

kudos to you though for making the effort for this kid to find out info about the USMC for him being that he is not your kid.

a Ged seems like an easy way for so many turds, they can quit school and sign up for ged classes, which is a joke. Dont sugar coat it for him, tell him flat out, no dipoma no Marine Corps

[foreverproud]

Thanks Motox .... ! If he's serious, really serious that ought to do it.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Well said, Motox....and thanks for doing that 'little bit extra'.

Sir, by all means, direct that lad to this site, if nothing else to read the responses.

[luis2787]

I dropped out of school and it was the worst mistake i ever made but i got my ged and college credits and decided i wanted to be a Marine. honestly special ed is for people who need help not people who dont want it sounds like he needs some to be thrown in the real see how he likes it god that makes me mad honestly i wish he lived around me cause id chew his *** out because Marines dont anyone its the few and the proud and believe me i have made mistakes but i tell you what if i had the chance id stay back in school.

[luis2787]

yeah i have made my mistakes but i have fixed them.

[montana]

how times have changed....i droped out of school....the Marines desided i would be a Marine and drafted me....still dont have diploma or ged....guess mostly because a teacher told me without it ill never amount to anything....well here i am...and im anything....I have reasonable health a home, land, animals, a wife that loves me, 6 kids that love me,10 grandkids that love me...and two that i dont know about yet as they are unable to tell me because of age...and three great grand kids that love me....dam what else is there???

[SlowWRX]

my recruiter told me I need a GED, I already have plenty of college credits, around 40, I made some mistakes in HS too, and didnt graduate by 10 credits, and now I really, really want to enlist, but can because of no GED, or diploma, Ill ask my recruiter again if I can still just enlist without the GED, since I have more credits in college then what I needed to graduate HS.

[luis2787]

my recruiter told me I need a GED, I already have plenty of college credits, around 40, I made some mistakes in HS too, and didnt graduate by 10 credits, and now I really, really want to enlist, but can because of no GED, or diploma, Ill ask my recruiter again if I can still just enlist without the GED, since I have more credits in college then what I needed to graduate HS.

nope u need a GED with 15 college credits no if ands or buts

[yanacek]

my recruiter told me I need a GED, I already have plenty of college credits, around 40, I made some mistakes in HS too, and didnt graduate by 10 credits, and now I really, really want to enlist, but can because of no GED, or diploma, Ill ask my recruiter again if I can still just enlist without the GED, since I have more credits in college then what I needed to graduate HS.

You are probably qualified, even if you don't have a GED. You might want to direct your recruiter's attention to MCO P1100.72B, paragraph 3241.1a(2):

1. Three-tiered System.
Educational status, organized according to the
Department of Defense three-tiered system, is outlined below. Additional
information is also provided in Annex C.

a. Tier I: High School Graduate.
(1) High School Graduate. An applicant who has attended and
completed a 12-year/grade, daytime, structured program of classroom
instruction and possesses a locally issued diploma. The diploma must be
issued from the school where the applicant completed the program
requirements. This includes both:
(a) Traditional high school graduates
(b) Alternative/continuation high school graduates. Not all
alternative/continuation high school graduates are classified as Tier I. To
qualify as a Tier I graduate, the applicant should have had the same day-time
course and graduation requirements; the same days, weeks and hours of
attendance; and have earned the same valid high school diploma as earned by graduates of the traditional local public school system. Applicants whose
education does not meet this description should be considered Tier II or
referred to the CG MCRC for determination. (Refer also to Appendix C).

(2) College/Post-secondary Student. An applicant who has attended
and successfully completed 15 semester hours/22 quarter hours of college,
regardless of high school/grammar school education. "Successfully completed"
means that the individual earned college-level credits (level 100 or higher) toward a degree in higher education from an institution listed in the degree granting section of the current version of the Accredited Institutions of Post-secondary Education (AIPE), published by the American Council on Education for the Council of Post Secondary Accreditation. NOT all institutions listed in the current AIPE are considered as offering college-level credits. The credits must have been earned through actual classroom participation at the institution awarding the credits. The individual must have attended the institution for the purpose of earning college-level credits, not for the pursuit of a high school equivalence preparation/diploma or to obtain a
vo/tech certificate. Credit earned through testing for pursuit of high
school equivalency preparation is not acceptable.

NOTE: The 15 semester hours/22 quarter hours do not have to be completed in a single semester.

[luis2787]

You are probably qualified, even if you don't have a GED. You might want to direct your recruiter's attention to MCO P1100.72B, paragraph 3241.1a(2):

1. Three-tiered System.
Educational status, organized according to the
Department of Defense three-tiered system, is outlined below. Additional
information is also provided in Annex C.

a. Tier I: High School Graduate.
(1) High School Graduate. An applicant who has attended and
completed a 12-year/grade, daytime, structured program of classroom
instruction and possesses a locally issued diploma. The diploma must be
issued from the school where the applicant completed the program
requirements. This includes both:
(a) Traditional high school graduates
(b) Alternative/continuation high school graduates. Not all
alternative/continuation high school graduates are classified as Tier I. To
qualify as a Tier I graduate, the applicant should have had the same day-time
course and graduation requirements; the same days, weeks and hours of
attendance; and have earned the same valid high school diploma as earned by graduates of the traditional local public school system. Applicants whose
education does not meet this description should be considered Tier II or
referred to the CG MCRC for determination. (Refer also to Appendix C).

(2) College/Post-secondary Student. An applicant who has attended
and successfully completed 15 semester hours/22 quarter hours of college,
regardless of high school/grammar school education. "Successfully completed"
means that the individual earned college-level credits (level 100 or higher) toward a degree in higher education from an institution listed in the degree granting section of the current version of the Accredited Institutions of Post-secondary Education (AIPE), published by the American Council on Education for the Council of Post Secondary Accreditation. NOT all institutions listed in the current AIPE are considered as offering college-level credits. The credits must have been earned through actual classroom participation at the institution awarding the credits. The individual must have attended the institution for the purpose of earning college-level credits, not for the pursuit of a high school equivalence preparation/diploma or to obtain a
vo/tech certificate. Credit earned through testing for pursuit of high
school equivalency preparation is not acceptable.

NOTE: The 15 semester hours/22 quarter hours do not have to be completed in a single semester.

doubt its gonna happen because i knew someone in my recruiting station with 43 credits and no ged and he couldn't join cause he didn't have a ged or a high school diploma because the Marines are over manned then can pick and choose what they want.

[yanacek]

doubt its gonna happen because i knew someone in my recruiting station with 43 credits and no ged and he couldn't join cause he didn't have a ged or a high school diploma because the Marines are over manned then can pick and choose what they want.

Wow! That would be surprising. It surprises me because I'm one of the guys who wrote that particular order. That order is the "Bible" for enlisted recruiting. What would happen if you obtained an Associate's or a Bachelor's degree. Would you still be ineligible because you don't have a GED?

[luis2787]

Wow! That would be surprising. It surprises me because I'm one of the guys who wrote that particular order. That order is the "Bible" for enlisted recruiting. What would happen if you obtained an Associate's or a Bachelor's degree. Would you still be ineligible because you don't have a GED?

reason what my recruiter told me is that so many people are joining they have to make there standards harder so thats the case really.

[luis2787]

I can see their point, BUT to have a lot of college credits but no GED, and to be turned down for that, doesn't make sense. What does the GED prove, if the guy has a lot of college credits? What do the college credits prove WITHOUT the GED, that he doesn't have what it takes to be in the Corps?? Unbelievable......bad reasoning

well hell if the person has the time to get all theses credits he should of stayed in school and got his diploma really u can obviously see the person whats a degree in something and the ged test is not hard takes two days really but hey idk im just saying.

[luis2787]

Suppose you have 65 college credits but no GED, why is the GED needed? To show what? To prove what? That you are intelligent? Don't the 65 college credits show that and more?
It's like saying to be a truck driver you need to show us you can drive a hundred miles. The first test is one mile, then you come back a year later and do 99 more.
So you skip the first test for whatever reason and now you come back, do test 2 and drive the 99 miles, and they say oh no, you never proved you could do the ONE mile, we don't care if you drove ten thousand miles. Tell me how it is not BS...

lol but im saying if ur putting in that hard work why didnt u just finish high school is what im saying lol

[SlowWRX]

yeh I decided I'll just get my GED on monday, I called my recruiter up, and he still says I need that GED, on the sticky it says I can join with only college credits...

anyone know how long it takes to get that GED?

[foreverproud]

http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=GED_TS

SlowWRX
Start with the link above :)

[luis2787]

http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=GED_TS

SlowWRX
Start with the link above :)

i used that site and studied and got my ged within a week

[SlowWRX]

i used that site and studied and got my ged within a week

wow really?, I thought it will take couple months to get it, that's why I was kind of resisting it, thanks for the help everyone...my recruiter did not have any information about obtaining a GED, so I had nowhere else to turn to.

[luis2787]

wow really?, I thought it will take couple months to get it, that's why I was kind of resisting it, thanks for the help everyone...my recruiter did not have any information about obtaining a GED, so I had nowhere else to turn to.

msg me and i will help you just stay motivated

[luis2787]

Good attitude, luis, I love it

hard work pays off in the long run