Should I enlist in the reserves before commissioning?

[mwell008]

I'm a current college student with a year left of school. I'm already in touch with an OSO and am looking to go to OCS in a year or so (after I graduate).

In the past I've considered enlisting for four or so years first and then commissioning later (either through MECEP or EAS and go to the OSO the next day since it's hard to get through MECEP). I've since decided that I don't think that's the right path for me. But I also know that I could enlist in the reserves. Do a year or two in the reserves while working somewhere after I graduate, and then apply to OCS from there.

I have a few reasons for considering enlisting in the reserves before commissioning. One is that I'm very young. I'll only be 20 when I graduate from college, and would commission around when I turn 21 if I do so right after college. And while I know it's not uncommon to work with enlisted Marines that are older than you as an officer, I will be much younger than most officers. I also think the experience of enlisted training and a year or so of being an enlisted Marine, even if only one weekend per month (I believe that's what it is), would be useful for me. It would give me time to see the Marine Corps from the enlisted side a bit. See how things work first hand. And give me some good training and understanding that I would lack without it. It would also give me the opportunity to work a civilian job within my degree field, and while that's not super important, it would give me some more "real world" experience since I've mostly been a student my whole life (had a few jobs, but nothing serious).

I really just want to be able to put my best foot forward as an officer, whenever I end up getting there (assuming I make it through OCS, etc.). I know that all new officers are going to make mistakes and that it'll take time to figure things out in that position, no matter what I do, but I feel like enlisted reserve would be a good opportunity to gain experience that could help me be a better officer.

I know I haven't asked a question yet really, but I just wanted to hear from actual Marines what they think about everything I've said - any advice, personal experiences, or any input would be helpful to guide me on if enlisted in the reserves would be worth it and helpful for me or not.

Thank you all in advanced for your input. Semper Fi.

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[crazymjb]

You're not necessarily wrong. You certainly could and likely would gain some things from your time as an enlisted reservist/civilian that you could apply to being a good officer. That said, it's not a free lunch.

I don't think, generally, that what you will learn as an enlisted Marine will make it worth your time career-wise if your end goal is to be an officer. If, for example, you were having trouble getting selected due to a poor GPA and needed a boost, then it might be worth it. Also, if you were just getting out of high school and wanted to serve in the interim, again it might be worth it. Most prior-enlisted Marines I know who went to OCS joined the reserves right after high school and went straight to college after their training.

Great and awful officers come from both the mustang and fresh out of college side. Granted, I've only been in the USMC on the enlisted side, but to someone who's goal it is to lead Marines who is almost done with college and ready for OCS, I don't think you're doing yourself any favors by enlisting first. Furthermore, you may find yourself stuck for more than a few years as an enlisted man before being able to get to OCS. If the USMC doesn't want to lose you as an enlisted man, there you will stay.

TLDR: Enlisting MIGHT give you some tools for your officer tool box, but you can be just as good an officer without enlisting first. I think in your case, you should go straight to OCS if that is your goal.

Mike

[Tennessee Top]

My advice has always been. If one wants to be a commissioned officer, then go the traditional route of college first, PLC/OCS, and TBS.

Don't see much value in being an enlisted reservist for a couple years while working a civilian job - all that does is slow your professional development. Think you would be better served to go ahead and have a couple years experience as an officer under your belt instead.

Good luck.

[USMC 2571]

This comes up a lot on this forum. There are many threads started concerning whether to enlist or go the officer route, but quite a few hint that perhaps they would not do as well if they went directly to OCS and The Basic School without any enlisted time first.

I agree with Top in that there is no big advantage to going enlisted first. If you want to become an officer, go the officer route. Why go enlisted, just to gain some experience in the Corps, as if you won't get all the training you will need at OCS and TBS?

[USMC 2571]

PM one of the administrators, madsox. He was a reservist.

[crazymjb]

I was an enlisted Marine reservist now going army warrant, and while I think my enlisted experience was great and will only help me, I'm under no illusions that in its place 6+ years of experience as an officer would have been more helpful than my time in the reserves.

Mike

[USMC 2571]

Maybe we're wrong, maybe a lot of enlisted experience is the way to go.

[Kurt Loadeater]

I want to be an officer but am slightly insecure about _____
I know! I'll enlist instead!


-- a year or so goes by --

Finally! After 4 years of studying I have my bachelor's degree. Boy I sure do want to be an officer, but I want to learn more about the Corps by starting at the bottom! Brilliant!

-- Graduates from bootcamp --

Hell yeah! I''m so motivated to be a Marine. I think I know what kind of officer I want to be ..eventually.

-- infantry or MOS school --

Hmm was I this stupid when I was 18? Jesus these kids just stay up all night snap chatting some 15 year old girl back in their hometown. Yeah that'll last.

Man I thought I'd be jumping out of helicopters or something, seems like I spend a lot of time just picking up garbage.

-- 8 months goes by, life in the fleet / weekends in reserves --

...if I ...have to pick up ...one more ****ing cigarette butt...

...I thought...I wanted...to be an offic*passes out on floor of barracks room...empty beer cans all over the place.. forgot to shut door...gets peed on by wandering raccoon at some point*

[USMC 2571]

Excellent. ^^^^^^^^^

[Tennessee Top]

Never got peed on by a wandering raccoon but we were out at San Onofre (Camp Pendleton) one summer during the tarantula molting/mating season. Those suckers came down from the mountains and were EVERYWHERE, on the rifle range, inside our quonset huts, etc. Of course, in the spirit of saving the natural habitat, we were not allowed to kill them so basically just walked around them, shook out our boots before putting them on, etc. Those big a$$ed spiders were wandering all over the area!

[crazymjb]

Actually, that reminds me a friend of mine is an NCO who joined the reserves after college because he wasn't competitive for OCS. He's completely disillusioned now and I don't think he'll be seeking out OCS after his obligation is up.

Mike

[madsox]

I went enlisted reserve during college, like Dave said, with the idea it would help me be more competitive to get a commission - but mainly because I wanted to enlist.

Turned out I was way too blind to get a vision waiver for PLC/OCS (and it's even worse now that I'm old), so after three applications I gave up on the commissioning idea. Got out, back in after some broken time, ended up with no great sea stories, no deployments, nothing exciting, but y'know what?

It was all worth it.

Do I think the enlisted experience would have been good for making me a better officer? Probably. Most of my best officers (platoon COs, OICs, others in my chain of command over the years) were Mustangs, I think it does help. But I had plenty of good officers who weren't prior enlisted, even a couple of ring knockers who weren't total prima donnas!

What's my point? I dunno, I guess that it's more your drive to be an officer and to be a good one that makes a good candidate/officer. Other experience (as enlisted, maybe from another branch, whatever) can help that but not necessarily.

That's what OCS and TBS do, they develop whatever's in the candidate.

Quoting Dave:

I agree with Top in that there is no big advantage to going enlisted first. If you want to become an officer, go the officer route. Why go enlisted, just to gain some experience in the Corps, as if you won't get all the training you will need at OCS and TBS?

s/f!

[USMC 2571]

Yes, Andy, a lot of folks who ask these questions must think, hey, I gotta get used to the Marine Corps FIRST, but OCS and TBS takes care of all that training. No Experience Needed, in other words.

And yes, prior enlisted experience helps. How could it hurt? But that's not the question. The question is, as always, what does the OP want to do? Not us, we've already been there and done that. The OP has to decide.

But there seems to be, over the years here, a prevailing mindset that says to people, I don't want to go into the Corps as an officer without experience in the Corps. I think that is a fallacy of reasoning, but that's just my opinion, only one opinion among hundreds and even thousands.

[mwell008]

Thank you all for your input.

One of my biggest concerns is that while I have a decent GPA and extra curricular experience to help my application, I'm not competitive at all in terms of physical fitness.

Now I know I can get in more shape and still try to go straight to OCS, but I honestly don't know if I'll be able to keep myself focused enough on working out as much as I need to while finishing school and to get in shape in time. It's really intimidating to me that I need a minimum 235 PFT to apply, and closer to a 280 to be competitive.

I haven't been super physically active before deciding I wanted to join. Now by all means I'm willing and capable of getting to where I need to be, but I feel like going reserves would put me through bootcamp and everything else and help me get in shape (especially since if I signed an enlistment contract I'd have a legitimate deadline by which I need to get to where I want to be physically and I think that would motivate me more).

I think what I've decided for now is to keep focusing on getting more in shape and then see where I am by the end of the year and go from there. If I'm closer to where I'd want to be for an application to OCS then I'll go for it.

[crazymjb]

Dude I saw guys graduate boot camp barely able to do 3 pullups. If you want to get in better shape your time is better spent at a gym or with a trainer. There's no way you can't get to a high 200s PFT with 45 mins or so of work a day, if you are just training to the PFT. If you lack the discipline to get in good shape now... you won't get in good shape because you are enlisted.

Mike