<p>Hello everyone. I am a senior in high school about to graduate. After spending weeks thinking it over I have decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps with hopes of becoming an officer through the naval academy in the future. I have been denied appointments to both USNA and NAPS, and I have not recieved an ROTC scholarship and I cannot pay for college (Citadel), so I decided the best thing for me would to be enlist. I want to become an officer, more so than a Marine Corps Aviator. I know it can go both ways in terms of quality officers, but in my personal opinion I have always admired prior enlisted mids and officers. When I enlist I plan to take as many college courses as possible and work on my SAT scores as well as my physical fitness. I was hoping if I could get any advice from those have been through this route or those who know current mids or officers that went through this route. Thank you.</p>
<p>talk to superdoc, he went the enlisted -----> academy route.</p>
<p>Have you talked to an OSO or an enlisted recruiter?</p>
<p>The enlisted recruiter will want you to enlist, telling you can pay for college, etc.And they will tell you can apply for MECEP after two years as a Corporal. However, most only get selected as SGTs after 3 years in the USMC. And infantry is hard to become SGT after only three years.</p>
<p>If you want to enlist, then great, enlist. If you just want to be an officer, you can go to a community college, do PLC Freshman and Sophomores, get tuition assistance and transfer to your local state college. (You can get a ground/aviation contract through PLC also.) Almost anybody can afford that. Or, if you give up and want to enlist after two years of CC, you can apply for MCP while enlisted.</p>
<p>Keep in mind if you get into MECEP and go through NROTC-Marine Option you will be a Marine, and the other candidates will respect you more. With USNA, everyone starts at the bottom and there is a chance that you will go Navy–even if you have full combat tours as prior-enlisted. (My advice would be to attend leatherneck and you would be ok.) Remember that regular college with NROTC and the CItadel/USNA get you to the same place–a 2nd LT in the USMC.</p>
<p>If you want to be an officer, even more so than a Marine Aviator, then I’m not sure that enlisting is your best option. Too much can be left to chance, which allows the possibility of not being able to get a commission from the enlisted ranks (which you have to consider as a possibility)…</p>
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<p>As long as you sincerely want to be a Marine, go through leatherneck, and are not a complete @#$%bag, you won’t have any problem getting a commission in the Marine Corps through the Academy. Furthermore, the general consensus for several years has been that if you are qualified for the Marines and have the minimum scores for pilot that you will get it.</p>
<p>My opinion would be not to commit to anything, (i.e. elist) and spend the next how ever many years it takes, to get your commission (plc, nrotc, academy etc etc)</p>