Marine potential?

[HMM265GS]

I've been wanting to be a Marine for the past couple years now (I'm not one of the "Marines are tough, me want be Marine" kinda guys by the way) I just wanted some people to evaluate and pass along some feedback or advice. I've wanted to fly helos like my grandad since a couple years back (and for the record the GS in my username stands for grandson, that just wouldn't fit. I dont want to appear as a wannabe saying that I am) and have actually started to work on that now (physically). So, I started training for the PFT about 3 weeks ago because basically the biggest thing standing between me and a pilot slot is OCS. I just completed my sophomore year in high school. My original (or control) test was:

4.5 pullups
70 crunches
6:34 mile (I know it should be a 3 mile but I'm working on that)

3 weeks later (now):
9 pullups
74 crunches
6:13 (again, I know)

I'm 6' 0" and 146lbs. I've still got time to work (3-5 yrs). I'm not worried about the intellectual part, just the physical part (obviously since my score really sucks). I am willing to work myself extremely hard to become a Marine so i just wanted some input/suggestions. And I just wanna see who would think "Kid, you are screwed." or "You have a lot of work to do, but it is possible."

 

[CWJones411]

You've got a while until OCS and college graduation- but still- good on you for setting some goals and planning ahead. As a sophomore in HS- you should keep good grades, do well on the SAT/ACT (You need to get into college first), do some sports and keep physically fit, maybe join a club or something and get into a leadership position, and avoid drugs completely. Also look into your future options. There are a number of ways to attain a commission in the Marine Corps: USNA, ROTC, PLC, or OCC come to mind. Each has upsides and downsides so do a search on this site and learn more about them. Welcome to AirWarriors.

 

[Will_T]

There are other ways to obtain a commission as a 2nd LT in the Marine Corp if that's what you want. Look into the Naval Academy and NROTC. As for the PT stuff, you have a long time to get ready, just keep training (although IMHO you seem to be doing pretty good already). If grades are a problem, get them up, do some sports and extracurriculars with leadership spots.
All the best,
Will.

EDIT: Almost a repeat of info, good job CW.

 

[altuc]

Dont forget the Merchant Marine Academy! Good luck to you.

 

[GreenLantern330]

Like CW and Will said, check out USNA and NROTC. You're at a perfect age to get ready for a commission. You still have 2 years of high school left to improve your PFT, get your grades up if they aren't up to par, and get extremely involved in your community (community service, local/school sports teams, clubs etc.) If you want it bad enough, you can definitely achieve it. Good luck!

http://www.usna.edu///homepage.php

https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/

 

[JTB7]

I am no where near to being a Marine or earning the title, I got a NROTC-Marine Option scholarship and want to shed some light on how to get it.

For your PFT, I recommend getting a pull up bar that affixiates to your door if you dont have a pull up bar nearby. Look up the Armstrong pull up program do it/follow it every day, max out your crunches(not hard with practice) and if your still in high school I recommend doing cross country/track(1 mile, 2 mile) to kick the PFT's ass.

If you try hard now and keep working on your PFT, as the Captian said with a 300 PFT you can get the scholarship with a lower GPA/SAT scores, etc.

Get a job, enroll in JROTC, become a team captain, do something that makes you have responsibily and leadership. In my interview, being an Eagle scout and re-telling my leadership experiences in scouting helped a lot.

basically the biggest thing standing between me and a pilot slot is OCS.

Look into other routes of commisioning such as USNA, NROTC, and PLC instead of just OCS. With NROTC and PLC, you can get a flight contract years earlier than you can through OCC/OCS.

6:34 mile (I know it should be a 3 mile but I'm working on that)

I had a 5:18 mile time and still got a 18:43 three mile time. The last mile is fucking killer, definitely train for running the whole three miles.

 

[Swanee]

I am no where near to being a Marine or earning the title, I got a NROTC-Marine Option scholarship and want to shed some light on how to get it.

For your PFT, I recommend getting a pull up bar that affixiates to your door if you dont have a pull up bar nearby. Look up the Armstrong pull up program do it/follow it every day, max out your crunches(not hard with practice) and if your still in high school I recommend doing cross country/track(1 mile, 2 mile) to kick the PFT's ass.

If you try hard now and keep working on your PFT, as the Captian said with a 300 PFT you can get the scholarship with a lower GPA/SAT scores, etc.

Get a job, enroll in JROTC, become a team captain, do something that makes you have responsibily and leadership. In my interview, being an Eagle scout and re-telling my leadership experiences in scouting helped a lot.



Look into other routes of commisioning such as USNA, NROTC, and PLC instead of just OCS. With NROTC and PLC, you can get a flight contract years earlier than you can through OCC/OCS.

I had a 5:18 mile time and still got a 18:43 three mile time. The last mile is fucking killer, definitely train for running the whole three miles.

I don't know anyone who actually does the Armstrong method anymore. You can be just as effective (in most cases more so) with a much better balanced workout plan.

 

[phrogdriver]

I don't know anyone who actually does the Armstrong method anymore. You can be just as effective (in most cases more so) with a much better balanced workout plan.

Anymore?!?

Maybe 6 months ago every candidate on here was pushing it!

It's not the best strength-building workout overall, but for quickly achieving 20, it's pretty good. It's just specialized for one purpose.

I even used it to get back to form after injuring my arm and being out for awhile.

 

[Pariel]

I can speak to the fact that a lot of candidates use the Armstrong method. Personally I use a pretty modified version, but I've met lots of guys who swear by it. To each their own.

 

[Clux4]

Pull ups, dips, push ups - repeat(x4) Max effort. Keep the heart rate up the whole time.

 

[HAWK22]

do weighed pull-ups to overload the back/arm muscle groups. even if you just hang 5lbs off you to start and work your way up, it will really help. once you take the weight belt off and shed that "weight", your body will be like "pfffffffff 20? no problem"