Joining up before or after college

[Spordos]

Hi
i'm currently in High school, but it has always been my 'dream' to join the marines, and I currently have two options, and I'd like to know if they are Viable or not:
Option 1: join the Marines for 6 months on my gap year
yes, yes, at this point you are probably asking how crazy/cowardly I am, but if I'm gonna join up, I wanna do it in one go if you will. Also what would my chances of deploying be,if I were to take this option.
Option 2: Join up after under graduate, and do the four (or more) years. If this is the case does anyone know whether I could use my G.I. Bill to get into a masters program?
thanks in advance
-Spordos

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[Tennessee Top]

We always advise making education your #1 priority because it's an investment in your future. The Marine Corps will always be there for you, and the more education you have under your belt, the more valuable you'll be to the Corps (and the more options you'll have). So, I recommend option 2.

Appears you have not sat down with a recruiter yet. That is your first step. There are no recruiters here on this site. A recruiter is trained, and can answer your questions, including about the GI Bill. You should contact your local recruiting station and arrange a meeting to discuss your options.

Good luck.

[crazymjb]

The reserves is a very viable option for college students, though college benefits will be minimal unless and until you return from a deployment. Depending what MOS you select, your training including boot camp will vary from about 6 months to potentially beyond a year. From this point, you will be in college and have to attend a monthly drill weekend at your reserve unit, as well as spend 2 weeks of each summer doing training with your unit. A forewarning, your drill weekends CAN be in actuality as early as Thursday-Sunday some drill periods depending on MOS and the unit.

Another thing to consider if college is your number 1 priority and you are having financial issues, or don't want to take on the burden of student loans, is the National Guard. I know you want to be a Marine, and you still can after Army service. The benefit to the National Guard is that in most states, simply going to boot camp and your advanced MOS training and showing up on drill weekends earns you a free ride to your state school. There training can also be shorter. For example, in National Guard infantry, you will attend OSUT, which stands for one station unit training. They combine boot camp and infantry training into one 14 week session. Compare this to the USMC which will be about 23 weeks for boot and SOI, 24 if you factor in your week of leave in the middle.

There is a chance of a deployment during your time in the reserves. It has gone from a guarantee 2004-2012 to a possibility at present time. This really depends on the MOS and the unit, though. Don't expect to be able to get out of a deployment because you are in college... so is half the platoon. The good thing about the reserves in my experience is you are with an interesting cross section of members of the community, from students to cops, firefighters, and the occasional basement dwelling bum.

Joining after you graduate is also an option. You can enlist, or go to OCS and become an officer. As an officer there are opportunities to get a masters degree as part of your service, but it will likely be pretty focused. There are also other professional programs like FLEP where your duty station for 3 years would be a civilian law school, paid for by the USMC, to include your salary and housing allowance.

If you serve active, either officer or enlisted, you will essentially have enough by way of GI benefits to pay for 4 years of school at about 20K a year in tuition, plus housing. You can either choose housing wisely and apply some of that money towards additional tuition costs, or hopefully get a scholarships that cover the difference. The GI bill will be sufficient to cover a state school in its entirety. There are also other VA based tuition assistance programs that for certain veterans will go above and beyond GI bill coverage.

Hope this helps

Mike