OCS Applicant Considering Enlisting

[Ch92]

Hello.

I have searched on these forums about similar situations and I have learned a lot thus far on Officer vs. Enlistment. I am posting here to receive some advice on my specific situation.

Right now I am working with an OSO during my senior year in college, I will graduate in May 2014. I started my application in August 2013 and am pretty far along in the process. I have most of my paperwork complete. I am applying for an aviation contract and I passed my ASTB with a 5/5/6. I am scheduled to go down to Pensacola, FL at the end of this month (January 2014) for my flight physical. My PFT scores are around 270 right now, I am working on getting them higher.

Recently I have been considering going for an enlistment instead of a commission and her is my line of thinking:

Recently I was down at MCRD for my little brothers graduation from boot camp. While there I got to see a little bit of what he went through. Since then I have been thinking about what my real reasons are for going into the Marine Corps. Obviously, I desire to serve my country. I am a natural leader (I have a full ride leadership scholarship) and want to use my leadership to better the Marine Corps. I know as an Officer I would be able to use my leadership in a direct way, however, I have always been one to lead through inspiration and serving. This line of thinking has caused me to consider enlisting. Another factor is that I want to get my foot into the door directly after graduation and I have heard that there aren't anymore active duty OCS spots opened until next fall. Also, my lack of aviation experience (no Private Pilots License) concerns me with my chances of getting accepted.

I haven't yet talked to a recruiter or my OSO about this, but I am thinking if I did enlist I would want to go for an aviation contract. I would want to be a Huey Crew Chief, 6174 I think. By being a Crew Chief, I would be able to learn everything about the Huey which would be of great benefit for later when I go for a commission to become a Huey pilot.

Also, money isn't a big concern to me. I don't have a girlfriend, wife, children or anyone else to support but myself.

So in summary, I ultimately want to be a pilot and fly rotary wing. However, I am thinking of enlisting, being a Crew Chief and gaining aviation experience, and later go for a commission and become a pilot.

This is my question: is this a good/wise/smart line of thinking? Should I just keep pursuing a commission since I am already into the process? Should I look into enlisting?

Thanks in advanced.

Clayton

[Huklebuk]

As an enlisted recruiter, the majority of me wants to say you should enlist. However, I think in your current situation it would be best to at least stay in the pipeline. If you don't get selected then go ahead and enlist and get your foot in the door. The big question is are you willing to wait. I had a guy I put in last year that didn't want to wait the 6-8 months just to see if he could be considered. I shipped him in 30 days. That was a rare case but it happens. Its really up to you to make that decision though. Wait or get the ball rolling. Just let your OSO and if you talk to a recruiter let them know what your intentions are. Be up front and honest. We like that.

[Ch92]

Waiting is also a huge deciding factor for me. I want to get my foot into the door as soon as I graduate from college in May. I know that if I apply to OCS then I am nto guarenteed anything until I get accepted. Also, I do not want a reserve contract and as far as I know it is difficult right now to get an active contract and get accepted to OCS. If I can get in touch with a recruiter and get a ship date close to my graduation date then I am almost more inclined to enlist then. I plan to be up front with the OSO and a recruiter if I decide to indeed go enlisted. However, my intentions here is to gain information so I can make the best decision for myself. I will also be talking to other Marines I know to get their advice. I appreciate your thoughts.

[Huklebuk]

It really depends on your location. Guys I have enlisting right now are getting ship dates in September and now I'm creeping into October. Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.

[josephd]

Stay with your OSO and keep going for the commission. I have been through the PLC/commissioning process a few times now and as much as I now enjoy being enlisted and being a Sgt. not a day goes by that I don't reflect on how I could be a Captain or Major(select) right now.

Your ultimate goal is to be a pilot, I understand your reasoning but why stray aside from that for 4 years or more just to get some experience that may or may not help you?....Also there is no guarantee in the future that after serving your enlisted time that you'll get the opportunity to commission and become a pilot. Right now you have that already set to go.

[Ch92]

I read in another post on here that for OCC they are only accepting reserve applicants for 2014. I have a meeting with my OSO later this week in order to confirm this, however, this is going to be a big deciding factor for me. At this point I would love to fly, but if I can get an enlisted contract for EOD or Crew Chief then I would not be disappointed. I really want to get my foot in the door, and it seems I can do this quicker through enlisting. I am going to talk to a local recruiter sometime this week just to get information on my situation and get their advice also.

Getting a commission isn't my goal. My goal is to become a Marine. I just started looking into it this last summer and getting a commission seemed relevant since I am about to graduate from college. So I decided that I would like to do aviation vs. ground. But now that I have time to process and realize that enlisting is definitely a viable option it seems more appealing. But I also realize that I don't know a whole lot and I definitely value the opinions of members and Marines on here.

I am not making a decision until I gather more information. So keep the advice coming please.

[josephd]

I read in another post on here that for OCC they are only accepting reserve applicants for 2014. I have a meeting with my OSO later this week in order to confirm this, however, this is going to be a big deciding factor for me. At this point I would love to fly, but if I can get an enlisted contract for EOD or Crew Chief then I would not be disappointed. I really want to get my foot in the door, and it seems I can do this quicker through enlisting. I am going to talk to a local recruiter sometime this week just to get information on my situation and get their advice also.

Getting a commission isn't my goal. My goal is to become a Marine. I just started looking into it this last summer and getting a commission seemed relevant since I am about to graduate from college. So I decided that I would like to do aviation vs. ground. But now that I have time to process and realize that enlisting is definitely a viable option it seems more appealing. But I also realize that I don't know a whole lot and I definitely value the opinions of members and Marines on here.

I am not making a decision until I gather more information. So keep the advice coming please.

no such thing as an EOD contract in the Corps, have to be an NCO with a combat deployment/experience in order to be eligible

[Ch92]

What MOS would one choose then in order to be considered for EOD? My first choice through the enlistment route would be Aviation Mech (and through this you could become crew chief from what I understand). I am sure the recruiter I go see will be able to shed some more light on the situation as well.

[Huklebuk]

Any MOS is eligible to make a lateral move into the EOD MOS. Aviation mech will not be your best bet for getting crew chief. The program for crew chief is AG. When you see the recruiter ask him about the AG program.

[josephd]

What MOS would one choose then in order to be considered for EOD? My first choice through the enlistment route would be Aviation Mech (and through this you could become crew chief from what I understand). I am sure the recruiter I go see will be able to shed some more light on the situation as well.

Alot of 1371s(combat engineers) and 03 types(infantry) go to EOD, they have the most experience with what is involved in EOD already.

[Ch92]

Thanks for all of your help. I just had a meeting with my OSO and I feel much more confident about continuing down the path of an Officer. There is no such thing as a reserve contract for aviation, so I do not have to worry about that. Also, the timeline he gave me is I will apply to the boards in June, selection happens in July and if I get in I will leave end of September. The OSO seems pretty confident that I can get selected.

I am going to hold off on enlistment unless I do not get selected. If that happens then I will re evaluate where I am at and figure out what my next step will be.

Anyways, I got my orders to go down to Pensacola for my flight physical. I am pretty excited.

[Rocky C]

Outstanding and keep us posted please.

Best of luck to you.

[Huklebuk]

I thinks that's a good choice. Keep us up to speed.

[Ch92]

On 10FEB14 I went down to Pensacola, FL for my flight physical. All went well, I did have to get a few additional test, although I am not too worried about it. I passed my vision test which seems to be the big thing that gets you a DQ. I met a ton of cool guys down there, some of them went to juniors and another had commissioned as a law contract but is now transferring to aviation. My package is pretty much complete now. I am applying for the 217 class in the fall, so I will get my BA in May and then apply to the boards in June and hopefully leave for OCS in the Fall. Also I got my PFT score to a 279, I missed one pull-up, so the next time I run one I am fairly certain that I can get into the high 280's. Also I am now a Poole leader for my OSO, which is a great experience thus far!

[Rocky C]

Outstanding !!!

Thank you for the updates :thumbup:

[djj34]

Excellent. Keeping aiming for that 300 PFT and don't settle. Have fun at OCS and TBS... haha. Pensacola is a good time.

[Rocky C]

I loved Pensacola, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach :thumbup: Good stuff.

[Ch92]

Hey all,

I thought I would post an update. The review board for the fall OCS class met on MON 14JUL2014 and I found out yesterday that I was not selected to go. This is unfortunate, and I am sincerely disappointed. My PFT was 282 and the average for the board was 292. That is the only thing I can think of that would have caused me not to get selected. My OSO said I should find a few more references of Marine officers if I can as well. I am planning on re applying in November for the winter class.

I am also considering enlistment again, because even if I do get selected in November I would not leave until January. It is quite a while to wait. However, I have put so much time into the officer application that I do not want to give up on it. Also, I really want to go to flight school.

This is all very new information to me so I am still processing what my next step should be. Any advice would be great.

[USMC 2571]

Apply again and don't lose patience, although that would be perfectly natural.
Please keep us updated, as you just did...ask the OSO if he has any other specific advice/tips

[MunkyVsRobot]

If you were still in school I would have mentioned PLC cause I saw no mention of it in your original post. Just remember if you still have dreams of becoming a sir from enlisted there is still a lot that you have to qualify for.

https://www.marines.com/becoming-a-marine/commissioning-programs/four-year-colleges/platoon-leaders-class

With that lonk you can see what PLC has/had to offer for you as well as what the pre-reqs are for enlisted to officer.

[Baker1971]

Stay motivated. Shvit happens.
Best of luck to you.

[Ch92]

I just graduated in May, and am working a temp summer job. I was banking on getting selected and leaving around when my job ended, but unfortunately thats not the case. So now Im seriously considering enlisting. Here is my rationale:
My dream has been to become a Marine, when I decided to to embark on the journey I was in my last year of college and so it made sense to apply for OCS. However, since I did not get selected I am still looking to get my foot in the door. In a month I wont have a job, and I am living withy parents which is definitely not favorable. I am 21 now, so after a four year contract as enlisted I could go for a commission again and only be 25. I would have a lot more experience in and out of the Marines as well. My main reason for wanting to enlist is to leave as soon as possible. I do not want to hang around for another 4 months for an uncertain results especially if I can enlist and leave in a month or so.
Thats my thinking so if you have any thoughts or any more advice just let me know! Thanks!

[Ch92]

Alright, update time. I held out and stuck with the OCC program and applied for the 218 Board (November). I just found out this past weekend that I was selected to attend OCS for the winter class. I will be leaving 12 January 2015. I am very excited and motivated. I scored a 289 PFT and I had 3 letters of recommendation from Marine officers including a MajGen, Col, and Capt. I am very glad I did not enlist and instead stuck it out. The results are satisfying.

[USMC 2571]

Thanks for the update---congratulations!!!!!! That persistence pays off.
You'll do very well.