View Full Version : Any advise would be greatly appreciated
Hello Marines. Its been a while now since I last posted on here. Some of you might remember my story. I have been trying now for close to a year to get in and still have not been successful. The only thing holding me back now is the fact that I do not have a high school diploma. I do have a GED. Normally I would go ask my recruiter this question but I haven't been able to get in touch with him in months. From what I am told, the Marines are not allowing GED's in at this time and are only open to it a few times a year. I was told I am considered to be a "Tier 2" rather than a "Tier 1". My question is this. Is there any way I would be able to right a letter to someone or speek with someone about making an exeption for me to get in. One of the recruiters I talked to in my area recently told me he had a few people the Marines made exeptions for and they were able to get in. Does anyone know how I would go about attempting to get this done? I have been waiting patiently for a year now and beginning to think I am just a name on the bottom of a rejection pile in my recruiters office. If anyone could help me in this matter or even point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Thank You.
Dan:thumbup:
bgsuwoody
11-16-07, 03:22 PM
I would recommend actually being a pest. A very professional and polite pest. There is spots open, and eventually your recruiter will need to make his numbers. I would start working on going in there every few days and asking if there was a spot open. Continue to do it until its easier for him to get you in instead of ignore you. Otherwise start talking to other recruiters in the vicinity. This week on RA we put in somebody from Ft. Wayne who had been getting screwed over by his recruiters and we just had to do extra paperwork and get a doctors ok. Ft. Wayne is almost 3 hours away, but my recruiter will do anything for someone wanting to earn the title. Try it, you'll be suprised, you'll probably get in.
You probably haven't been talked to because you haven't made enough effort to be the guy at the TOP of the list. You have to show that you want it, just waiting around isn't going to do you anything...
thewookie
11-16-07, 04:23 PM
I agree 110%. If you become a pain, a professional pest if you will ( I like that one) then you're much more likely to get the attention that you want. Don't be shy with Marines. You need to show then how bad you want it. If you really want it. Persistence is a quality all Marines, all good Marines have. You'll never get anything in the Corps the "easy" way.
If that recruiter just doesn't want to bother, find another.
Good Luck
rvillac2
11-16-07, 04:34 PM
You probably could have gotten those 15 college credits by now. I think that would have made the GED irrelevant.
yellowwing
11-16-07, 04:50 PM
College Credits! In 6-9 months you can be qualified. Just do it. Even if you have to shovel concrete in the meanwhile.
Thanks for the advise. I am actually looking into attending college for the 15 credits. Its just not easy for me with my bills. I am 21 years old so I no longer live at home with parents. Also have a car payment to make every month. Trying to figure out a way to work school around my job and make everything work at once so I don't ruin my credit early in life. The reason I didn't go to get the credits in the 1st place, was because around June my recruiter told me it was unnecessary. I was told that in October the new Fiscal year began and they would open up a bunch of slots for GED's. I guess that didn't happen. I thought by now I would have lost my desire to join, but it is stronger than ever. I call recruiters everyday. Show up at the office. Leave messages. Problem is none of the other recruiters seem to want to step on mines toes and pull me from under his feet. Which I can respect, but I feel like everyday I spend not in boot camp is another day I could have been moving forward with where I want to go in life. In the long run it is my fault for acting like an idiot in high school and putting myself in this situation. But that is one of the reasons I want this so bad. I'm not proud of anything I've done in life so far. This will be something I'll be proud of and love, like my father and brother did.
Marine84
11-16-07, 08:21 PM
then go get the 15 credits - there are such things as loans and such.
Phantom Blooper
11-17-07, 07:17 AM
Get the 15 credits.....ask your recruiter again.....if he blows you off...respectfully ask to speak with the NCOIC of the sub station and try to get a close to concrete answer to know where you stand.
Recruiters in other sub stations will not take a contract from a fellow Marine...not like used car salesman.
As I advised another poolee, If there is something that I really want or business that I personally need to take care of I make the phone lines ring like the switchboard at a house of ill repute on a payday Friday for a 96 hour pass!
Or take your bedroll and can of spam and camp out at the substations hatch.
Persistence....ask and if there is still no answer...ask again tomorrow morning! :evilgrin:
Just spoke with another recruiter. He told me that you have to have the 15 college credits to get into the Marines with a GED. My recruiter never mentioned the college credits thing to me. He just said that certain times of the year congress allows some GED recruits in. Just recently found out about it. I'd like to get around having to do this but I guess there isn't any way to. Would a letter of recomendation from a congressman or something like that help me in any way?
LeonardLawrence
11-17-07, 06:15 PM
When there is no wind, row!
:tank:
Go for the college, make the changes necessary and make it so. Any other action just shows you don't want it as bad as you think. If you waste anymore time trying to find the loophole, you will be wasting more of your time.
So, go!, do!
Yeah, it's looking like the college thing is where I'm gonna have to go. Its not that I don't want it that bad. I just wanted to be able to get in sooner than 6-9 months from now. I'll be 22 by time I become qualified(finish the college credits). Far from too late, I know. I just wish I knew about it sooner, and I would have already had these credits by now, instead of sitting around for six months waiting for a phone call. I have a GED and scored a 84 on my ASVAB. But, rules are rules, and I need to have a diploma to be considered. Thanks for all the advice.