Reserve Marine to PLC

[SR-25]

My recruiter is saying it would be very easy to get a spot at PLC after becomming a Marine in the Reserves while im going to college. He is also saying that orders to PLC superceed any orders your reserve unit might get. Is this true? Also, upon completion of PLC will I become an Officer in the field I came from, or will it be up to chance? Thanks for any info.

[AvalonLanding]

It's not at all easy. If you're looking to become an officer the best thing to do is finish college first and then apply for OCS. The only Marines I've seen get into the PLC is ones that are NCO's and that have finished college. You also have to be some serious hot **** to be eligible, you are basically competing for slots with the entire Marine Reserve.


Remember, a recruiters goal is not to make you into an officer or get you through college. All he wants is for you to hit those yellow footprints.

Good luck though, stay motivated.

[Taz97]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR-25 My recruiter is saying it would be very easy to get a spot at PLC after becomming a Marine in the Reserves while im going to college. He is also saying that orders to PLC superceed any orders your reserve unit might get. Is this true? Also, upon completion of PLC will I become an Officer in the field I came from, or will it be up to chance? Thanks for any info.

Yes, it would be easier. Ive seen it multiple times.

But no, you get the field that is given to you at TBS, it would have nothing to do with your reserve unit, unless it was merely by luck you got the same.

[dscusmc]

If you have some college, a good Marine Corps record, a reasonable GPA, and at least a 275 PFT, then I think your recruiter is right. I would say if you meet those requirements then you have a good chance of getting selected. I think all of the prior enlisted Marines we had at OCS had between a 280 - 300 PFT score. I know alot of Officer Selection Officers want their candidates to run at least a 275 before shipping to OCS.

We had three or four lance corporals in my platoon at OCS. There was one corporal, three sergeants, and myself. I'm sure the same was true for the other 4 platoons in the Combined course.

I'm not sure if a reservist can go to the Juniors and Seniors Course. I would call an OSO and find out; otherwise, you would have to accrue some college hours before you could go to the combined course.

And yes, the orders will basically supercede other unit orders. We had a LCpl that was in that situation...he wound up going to Iraq after OCS and before he received his commission.

Finally, the only officer MOSs that are guaranteed are pilots and lawyers. That being said, you will probably have a good chance of getting your enlisted MOS field as an officer, but nobody is making you any promises on that. You get your MOS at TBS and the TBS staff does their best to put officers in the MOS that they want, if possible and based on class rankings.

[LivinSoFree]

Quote:

It's not at all easy. If you're looking to become an officer the best thing to do is finish college first and then apply for OCS. The only Marines I've seen get into the PLC is ones that are NCO's and that have finished college. You also have to be some serious hot **** to be eligible, you are basically competing for slots with the entire Marine Reserve.

You're talking about what I'm doing exactly right now. I enlisted in the summer of 2004. I've been a 92-day reservist with Communications Company Greensboro, NC (CommCo(-), H&S BN, 4th MLG) ever since. I've also been attending school at UNC-Chapel Hill where I'm finishing up my Junior year. To answer your questions:

- It's not quite as hard as you'd think. The average PFT for PLC candidates going to OCS is around a 255. Get close to that range, and you're within striking distance, though higher is always better. Good pro/con marks, a good looking SRB, no major medical issues, these are all helpful. PLUS, it's a big deal if you're already a Marine. This means that you've gotten a lot of the initial stuff out of the way and been vetted to a degree. And no, you're not competing necessarily for slots within the Reserve- you're going into the selection pool with everyone else. Your OSO will screen you and decide whether or not you're worth a shot. My OSO here in Raleigh has yet to send a single package up to the board that hasn't gotten selected, and currently, prior service reservists have a 97% selection rate for PLC.

- See, here's the thing, PLC is completely separate from your reserve obligation as far as contracts are concerned. You will need to clear it with your unit and make sure they can let you go before you start working OCS, but after that, it's two independent things. Officer programs orders DO supersede an enlisted contract. The rationale here is that viable officer candidates are harder to find than enlisted Marines, so they should take precedence. Bottom line, you're competing for PLC slot as a college student, who also happens to be a prior service Marine.

-Reserve Marines CAN do the Juniors/Seniors OR the combined courses, just depending on when they get selected. If it's before the start of their junior year, then they do the 2 6-weekers. If it's after the start of Junior year, then they do the 1 10-week combined course. I would suggest, if this is your ultimate goal, going in on a 92-day reservist contract that will allow you to stay in school, then attacking the PLC program aggressively AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME FROM BOOT CAMP! THe earlier you start working the issue, the better.

Hope this helps- my selection board convenes tomorrow- I guess we'll find out in a couple weeks whether I know what I'm talking about or not.

[jinelson]

WOW Great News Meyer, this old Marine has his fingers crossed for you and a gut feeling that says you will be selected. Good Luck Brother!

[SR-25]

Thanks for all of the advice! This is the route I've decided to take: Go to Bootcamp in between my Freshman-Soph. year with a 5811 ( Military Police ) split contract. In between my Soph-Junior year I'll be going to PLC. Then TBS Junior-Senior year. I would receive my commission when I graduated from SDSU. This is all what my recruiter told me. Does this sound right? He also said with the Split Program its guaranteed I will get Military Police and not Corrections. Can anyone validate this?

[LivinSoFree]

OK- some of that is right, and some of it isn't

Assuming you sign a contract with a 5811 MOS and your reserve unit guaranteed- that is in fact what you'll get. Reserve quotas are planned out years in advance due to the extended training timeline that a 92-day program entails. HOWEVER- your training progression is wrong. It will look like this:

Summer 1 (Following Freshman year)- Recruit Training @ MCRD
- Upon graduation, you will check into your reserve unit and begin monthly drill.
- At this time, you should begin working with the OSO in your area to get selected for a PLC contract. The rest of this timeline assumes that you get selected.

Summer 2 (Following Sophomore Year)- PLC Juniors (6 Weeks) @ OCS Quantico, VA
- This is the first of two increments at OCS that you'll do as a PLC candidate.
- Dependent upon dates, you may attend MCT or MOS school this summer as time permits.

Summer 3 (Following Junior Year)- PLC Seniors (6 Weeks) @ OCS Quanitco
- The second of two increments at OCS. Upon graduation from PLC seniors, you will return to school/your unit and finish your degree.

Summer 4 (Following Graduation)- Assuming that you have completed both PLC increments and successfully earned your degree, on graduation day, you will be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. From here, you will await a seat at The Basic School (TBS)

TBS- 6 months back up at Quantico. Think of it as officer finishing school. You'll learn how to function as a rifle platoon commander, as well as everything a boot LT needs to know to not be completely useless in a general sense. On or about week 14 at TBS, your MOS will be assigned, based on your preferences and your lineal standing within your third of the class (top/mid/bottom 33%). Generally speaking, your enlisted MOS doesn't have much bearing on what you do as an officer if you go through the PLC program, but it could be considered. Bottom line- the needs of the Marine Corps will dictate.

Keep in mind that you may or may not ever attend MOS school/MCT- so a lot of your training will be on the job. This is not necessarily a bad thing- if you get a good unit, they'll spin you up on everything you need to know to contribute. However, unless you complete MOS school and MCT following recruit training, you will not be deployable.

Any questions?

[wasonce]

Read post number 2 five hundred times, if You still have questions read it some more

[jaredeker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SR-25 My recruiter is saying it would be very easy to get a spot at PLC after becomming a Marine in the Reserves while im going to college. He is also saying that orders to PLC superceed any orders your reserve unit might get. Is this true? Also, upon completion of PLC will I become an Officer in the field I came from, or will it be up to chance? Thanks for any info.

LivinSoFree hit the nail on the head. That is the exact route I took, with the exception that I was not a 92-day reservist. Joined the Reserves, worked on college, applied to PLC (went to PLC Combined vice juniors/seniors), back to Reserves until I finished college, received commission, TBS, and so forth.

One thing. I would highly recommend you not show up at OCS with a 225 PFT. I am a far slower runner than the average Marine, but I ran a 280 on my inventory PFT (the first one). If you run a 225, you will be on probation from the very beginning, which is not an auspicious way to start. It's like walking on top of the ridgeline. Any score in anything that is below 80% is failing at OCS. 80% will put you on probation. Do the math, 225 is 75% of 300.

Juniors/seniors may not have the same effect, but if you for some reason go to the combined course (10 weeks), your body will be ready for a rest when you get done. 10 weeks of hard PT 6 days/week really takes a toll, even for the studs. My company began with 248 and we graduated with 150. Most were probably leadership failures, but there was a significant number that just broke. Lots of stress fractures. You need to be in peak physical condition when you get there to reduce the risk of injury over the long term.

[Devilus Dogus]

talking about what I'm doing exactly right now. I enlisted in the summer of 2004. I've been a 92-day reservist with Communications Company Greensboro, NC (CommCo(-), H&S BN, 4th MLG) ever since. I've also been attending school at UNC-Chapel Hill where I'm finishing up my Junior year. To answer your questions:

- It's not quite as hard as you'd think. The average PFT for PLC candidates going to OCS is around a 255. Get close to that range, and you're within striking distance, though higher is always better. Good pro/con marks, a good looking SRB, no major medical issues, these are all helpful. PLUS, it's a big deal if you're already a Marine. This means that you've gotten a lot of the initial stuff out of the way and been vetted to a degree. And no, you're not competing necessarily for slots within the Reserve- you're going into the selection pool with everyone else. Your OSO will screen you and decide whether or not you're worth a shot. My OSO here in Raleigh has yet to send a single package up to the board that hasn't gotten selected, and currently, prior service reservists have a 97% selection rate for PLC.

- See, here's the thing, PLC is completely separate from your reserve obligation as far as contracts are concerned. You will need to clear it with your unit and make sure they can let you go before you start working OCS, but after that, it's two independent things. Officer programs orders DO supersede an enlisted contract. The rationale here is that viable officer candidates are harder to find than enlisted Marines, so they should take precedence. Bottom line, you're competing for PLC slot as a college student, who also happens to be a prior service Marine.

-Reserve Marines CAN do the Juniors/Seniors OR the combined courses, just depending on when they get selected. If it's before the start of their junior year, then they do the 2 6-weekers. If it's after the start of Junior year, then they do the 1 10-week combined course. I would suggest, if this is your ultimate goal, going in on a 92-day reservist contract that will allow you to stay in school, then attacking the PLC program aggressively AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME FROM BOOT CAMP! THe earlier you start working the issue, the better.

Hope this helps- my selection board convenes tomorrow- I guess we'll find out in a couple weeks whether I know what I'm talking about or not. [/quote]

This pretty much hits the nail on the head, though I have heard some other things since I have been in the PLC program.

1. It is much easier to get into and was designed that way for those in college or just finishing college or reservist as opposed to highly competitive programs such as the MECEP program and other enlisted to officer programs. PLC is supposedly also easier to get into then the 10 weeks.

2. I hear though that they are not letting Freshman go to PLC now for some reason. I am not sure if this is true or not, but my OSO told me it, so I pretty much believe him.(No reason to lie to someone already enlisted)

3. Yes, having high pft scores etc. really do help, but I have heard of some of the guys in the program being "out of shape", so I assume it depends.

And yea, as the Lance Corporal said, if it is your ultimate goal to become an Officer, go in as a 92 day reservist or even regular reservist, so that at least you will have the experience, knowledge, and physical fitness of bootcamp coupled with what you learn from your reserve center.

I was also told that if you are a reservist, whatever enlisted rank you are when you complete OCS/PLC goes towards your pay as an Officer. So an E-4 who just got commissioned would make more straight out then a boot Officer.