USMMA (Kings Point, NY)

[altuc]

Treetop - I plan to go Navy. From what I understand, its more like the USNA, as they are both Federal Service Academies.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

USNA guys who go Marines don't go to OCS. I'm wondering if a MMA guy can say whether they are the same in that respect.

 

[altuc]

I do know the Marine side of it, just by stumbling upon it. If your not on your 'Sea Tour' during a certain time in your Junior/Senior year, then you go to Platoon Leadership Course. After you graduate, you would then go to TBS. But like I said, Im going Navy, so I'd go straight to Flight School.

 

[SemperFi Fly]

I graduated Kings Point in 2007, and took a flight billet in the USMC. If you want to go the USMC flight route, you do still have to go to OCS. If you don't know about how the school year is at USMMA, you do your 4 years of school compacted into 3 years, and spend the additional year at sea. As a result, instead of semesters you have trimesters with a summer break that is 5 weeks long. I went the OCC route (10 weeks), and left school 3 weeks early at the end of my Junior year and came back 2 weeks after my Senior year started, for a total of 10 weeks at OCS. I believe they changed that though, so you only go to the second increment of PLC.

 

[careerO-3]

Warface - It's all good, I bookmarked it.
career03 - That really gets my hopes up, thank you. I have two questions; 1) What rank are you? 2) What do you fly currently?

altuc, I am a LT O-3 and I am currently an instructor in the T-6 at vance afb. I would be getting promoted to LCDR O-4 next year but I am getting out and joining the reserves down in Pensacola to fly the t-6B.

as far as the marine stuff, I'll leave that to the experts like Semper Fi Fly.

Sorry for the late response on this, I was down in Oklahoma City running the marathon today. I finished, but it was ugly. Raised some money for Team Fisher House which is a great charity if anyone is ever looking for a good cause to run for.

 

[Schnugg]

It can be done....as a pilot or an NFO.

r/
Schnugg, KP 85

 

[altuc]

Career0-3, and Schnugg, thank you both for your service. I didnt know if I made myself clear, but Im going to fly Navy, rather than Marine Corps. Career sir, do you like your time in the Navy?

SemperFi Fly - Thank you as well, for your service. Did you find it hard at Flight school? Like not taking any Aerospace engineering classes?

 

[careerO-3]

The navy has been great to me for the most part and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm leaving active duty for family reasons. I think just about everybody on this site is proud of what they have done in their respective branch/corps of the military. That being said, you must remember that if you take an active duty commission, you have to be ready for the "needs of the navy" reality after you join. There are so many things that can take you down a different path than you were hoping/planning for when you signed up. The desire to serve is something you need to be sure of before you take that oath. If it all works out the way you want it to, that is a plus. If you want to be a pilot and nothing else you have to come to terms with the chance that may not happen.

 

[bubblehead]

The USMMA is the best kept, hidden secret in the U.S. Military.

 

[SynixMan]

The USMMA is the best kept, hidden secret in the U.S. Military.

So true. My boss during my internship was a former Marine LCpl and did the interviews for Sen. Herb Kohl's service academy appointments. He said people fought tooth and nail for Navy, Army, and AF Academy appointments, but barely anyone does the USMMA. Quality education and it's still $0 is you want to do the military route. And you get to proudly wear the Thunder Chicken!

 

[altuc]

career0-3 - i want to be a Sailor, before I want to fly. Yes, flying would be awesome, but Id rather the Navy, so yeah, i'd expect to have to 'go with the flow'.

Synix & Bubblhead - I hope to use that to my advantage.

 

[hawkeyeHandler]

Evening Everyone,

My name is Alex, Im 14, and a cadet in the US Navy Sea Cadet Corps. Ive always wanted to join the Navy, but as like any other teenager, my hopeful careers have changed according to the day of the week. But anyway, I was looking into Aviation. It seemed really appealing. Some intriguing aspects being the close bond that Aviators share. I mean, it doesnt take a genius to see that. Im not to good in Math, and ive read on here that you dont need to major in Aeronautical Engineering to become an Aviator, which takes a load off my back. But I was looking into Helicopters, they seem like a better fit for me.

Basically what I would like to know is, can I get a direct commission to flight school upon graduation of the Merchant Marine Academy? I know they dont have an ROTC program, but as it is considered a Federal Service academy, and the Physical Fitness Reqs is the same as the USNA, I figured it acted in the same way.

Can anyone shed some light on this path to a commission?

V/r
Cadet Alex T.

Alex,
Kudos to you for being proactive and wanting to serve. I'm a KP 2000 grad.. always wanted to fly Navy myself and didn't find out about KP until one of the Academy selection staffers for my congressman told me I didn't make the cut for USNA.. lol. I might be out of the loop on how requirements have evolved over the years, so my advice will stay pretty broad.
Your next "administrative" hurdle towards getting into KP is getting a congressional appointment around junior year or so. Spend your high school carreer building a good "resume" for your congressional appointment request. Being "well-rounded" is what they're looking for.
- Do well in the classroom, epsecially math and physics. For me claculus at KP was a struggle because I did't take pre-clac in high school.
- Participate in team sports to keep you in good physical shape - I did track & field mostly, so you don't have to be a football star to make the cut. Provided that you meet other entry requirements, however, the Athletics depratment at KP will lobby a little bit for you if you're a star at a particular sport.
- JROTC.. good intro to military life in general and building leadership skills. I never did it, but it can't hurt.
- Community service keeps you humble when you shovel crap for zero money
- Get a part time job. Builds work ethic and makes you money. Even better if you have a crappy boss. Working for jerks builds character.
- Find a mentor - and be one too. My step-dad kicked my butt into keeping my goals in mind when I got distracted from it. At the same time, find opportunities to help those younger than you with your experience.
- ASK questions - and for help when you need it. You don't know what you don't know and a good guide to bounce ideas and questions off of is an important asset.

Those are the big points that come to mind after taking a trip down memory lane and reading the posts.. all good, by the way, guys. Big thing for now is to just keep your nose clean, but still have fun. We don't stay young for long, young man
Keep us updated and best of luck!

 

[altuc]

Hawkeye - Im sorry I didnt see the post until 20 days later.. x) Thank you for writing that, i will keep those pointers first and foremost as I progress through my Hgihschool ages. I'm terrible in the Math area, so I may need to get a tutor. Im taking Algebra I next year, then Geometry, then Algebra II, then senior year id take Trig. I may 'double-up', which means take two classes of the same subject. Meaning Junior year I could take Alg. II and Trig, and then take Pre-Calc as a Senior.

How was your GPA coming out of KP?

 

[MerchantMiddie]

Lets not write off the State Maritime Academy's. Compete against even fewer people for flight slots, and if you get cold feet, no commitment until after commissioning.

R/
Joe
Cal Maritime 2009

 

[altuc]

I doubt I'd get cold feet, but the no huge competition for a flight spot is attractive. That will allow me to focus on my schoolwork.