<p>Just a quick question.. After graduation from the Merchant Marine Academy, is it possible foe one to become a naval aviator or an active duty officer such as an ensign in the Navy and not Navy reserves.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>Quick answer: Absolutely.</p>
<p>Actually, you can choose to accept an active duty commission in any branch of the armed forces that you choose.</p>
<p>KPMarineopsdad.........don't forget NOAA too. :) most folks don't realize they have an active duty corp.</p>
<p>yeah because most people don't care. i'd be amazed if you can name one KP grad who has gone into NOAA over the last 10 years</p>
<p>True that not many go into NOAA, but it is still an option and should be mentioned.</p>
<p>kp2009 : i may be nearing the ten year mark but have not passed it yet. One of my classmates went NOAA upon graduation. I am not sure if she is still with them or not. I agree though that it is a rare but viable option.</p>
<p>What kind of armed services commissions do U.S. Service Academy grads get these days?
Regular or reserve?</p>
<p>Active 5 years, unless aviation, 7 years</p>
<p>They get regular commissions...most of the services have a five year commitment then a reserve commitment as well...not Coast Guard however.</p>
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<p>When I graduated from KP my commision was USNR and I went in the reserves. When I activated my commision I remained with a USNR commision until maybe 3 years ago when the Navy augmented all officers on active duty with USNR commisions to USN commisions.</p>
<p>I know in years past there was a distinction between a USNR commission and a USN one; however, those differences are now obsolete with the conversions.</p>
<p>kp2001, would you share any knowledge you have about options for careers in any medical field after graduation...specifically those options that can be pursued through the military...navy or air force</p>
<p>Congress disestablished the United States Naval Reserve a couple of years ago. We are now the United States Navy Reserve.</p>
<p>You may style yourself as: USN
You may also want to style yourself as an Active Component member or Reserve Component, such as USN(AC) or USN(RC)..</p>
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<p>I certainly can. Unfortunately medical careers out of Kings Point are quite difficult to pursue. There are many hurdles in the way including a lack of some prerequisite courses (biology, organic chemistry) and the maritime commitment. The key for someone who wants to pursue medicine is flexibility. The reason I say this is you have one of two ways of fulfilling your commitment to MARAD while pursuing a medical career:
1) Sail and on vacation time take classes such as organic chemistry, biology, and a few others to fulfill prerequisites and prepare yourself for the MCAT (I'm assuming medical school here). After completing the requisite classes you would then need to use some other vacation time to do the application process which includes cross country travel to interview at possible schools.</p>
<p>2)The other option is to fulfill your five year commitment to MARAD and then pursue a medical career. This may seem a ridiculous option to many; however, a good portion of my medical school class was considered to be non-traditional students. We had several former aviators and even a former vetinarian.</p>
<p>Now for the military part of your question. All branches of the military have various sources available to pay for your medical education. The two most common are the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS). USUHS is simply the military's medical school. You apply to the school just like any other medical school in the country and upon acceptance are commisioned (re-commisioned for KP grads) into the medical corps and are paid an active duty salary with all the usual benefits. The HPSP program is similar to a ROTC scholarship, except for medical school. You apply to the scholarship concurrent with your medical school application. The scholarship can be applied to any medical school you are accepted to. HPSP will cover tuition, books, fees, any mandatory expenses (eg equipment) and provide you with a monthly stipend. It currently also includes a $20,000 signing bonus.</p>
<p>Hopefully this helps answer some of your questions. If you have any others please feel free to post em. I'll do my best to answer.</p>