Mecep and Career Help

[igrunt]

Hey everyone im new to the forums and i am 25 years old, turning 26 this november. i have been in the marine corps just a little over 2 years and i am a Cpl(E-4). Next week i am turning in a mecep package with the hope of evantually becoming a fighter pilot in a fixed winged aircraft(jet). i have read crowbars posts and a lot of other articles, also i have contacted recruiters, my own career planner and a few others for questions i had. However i am still unsure on a lot of things. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out.

Is it to late for me to want to be a jet pilot? if so could i possibly get a waiver? i also hear that you have to be really smart, Common sense! i guess.. but how smart? any way to explain that? Basically im trying to figure out how realistic my goals are here. Or am i way to late in my life to start this career in aviations?

A little about my career and accomplishments; i run a 300 pft, i am qualified as a expert rifleman 3x. my pros/cons are 4.7/4.6, i have about 20 semester hours of prior college before joining the Marine Corps. I have a high school diploma(degree). my vision is 20/20. Good hearing too. Never had Page 11, or NJP. No major history of law breaking except a few speeding tickets. I was diagnosed with ADD when i was younger(elementary school - freshmen year of high school) and had to take medication such as Ritalin or adderall. not sure if that knocks me out of being a pilot or not but i havent been on that for about 9 years. i graduated highschool in 2002 which was almost 8 years ago.

any comments that would help me in building my career goals would really be appreciated. Thanks Guys. So far according to MCO 1560.15L i meet all requirements except the sat score, i havent taken an SAT yet and im not sure how well i will do. while in college i averaged low B's or C's.

 

[Crowbar]

Next week i am turning in a mecep package

To who?

1. THE PURPOSE OF THIS BULLETIN IS TO ANNOUNCE THE FISCAL YEAR 2010 (FY10) MECEP SELECTION BOARD. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE TO MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND (MCRC) BY 3 AUGUST 2009.

MCRC's MECEP page might be a good place to start looking for information. The status page reflects the same deadline, which has passed.

Anybody who is letting you submit an application now is in someway grossly misinformed, either entirely too late for this year or entirely too early for next year.

 

[igrunt]

hey thanks crowbar for the guidence there. i dont know why, but i thought it was by Jan 31st of the fiscal year? i guess the career planner had no idea what he was talking about. im gonna do some looking at this link youve provided for me.

however, am i going to be out of luck when next year comes around you think? i mean as far as my age? ill be 26 this november. or is there still hope for me? i had my hopes up for this too, if it takes determination..which it does, i have more then enough of it so if there is a will there is a way?

 

[Crowbar]

Take as many college classes as you can between now and then. It's no guarantee but it reduces the amount of time you'll be spending in college if selected. If you have a good service record, and it sounds like you do, more college credit will make you more attractive to the selection board.

The medical stuff I have no experience with so I won't embarass myself by trying to answer that.

i guess the career planner had no idea what he was talking about.

Don't forget, his job is to get Marines to reenlist and help get them the orders they want. My career planners were never once involved when I applied.

 

[igrunt]

thanks again for the honest support and advice, hard to come by nowadays.

are you a Marine officer? anymore links you have that can help explain everything to me? my G.I Bill will pay for my college correct?

 

[Clux4]

thanks again for the honest support and advice, hard to come by nowadays.

are you a Marine officer? anymore links you have that can help explain everything to me? my G.I Bill will pay for my college correct?

Yeap, Crowbar is a Marine Officer. Well, assuming you elected for, and paid the $1200 you were suppose to, you should be eligible for the GI Bill. Now there is a difference between Montgomery GI Bill and the post 9/11 GI Bill.
You will not need to use your GI Bill if you are accepted into the MECEP program. Save it for your kids or other loved ones.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

thanks again for the honest support and advice, hard to come by nowadays.

are you a Marine officer? anymore links you have that can help explain everything to me? my G.I Bill will pay for my college correct?

Even Marines should capitalize the first word of every sentence they type.

 

[igrunt]

well if i am not going to be accepted to mecep this year then i need to get into college before the next round. so what ill do is take an SAT to see how good my education is currently and ill take 4 classes a week untill august of next year. Come august of next year ill be 26 years old and should be able to complete 3 semesters of colleges + my 20 semester hours i have at my prior college, does that make me a freshmen still? i can talk to my command about my G.I bill correct? they are the ones that are suppose to help me get it rolling etc?

does OCS and flight school care about how well known the college or university is? obviously since im active duty enlisted im very busy 24/7 so its going to be tough actually getting to classes everyday and making time for my wife and kid at the same time. there is a college right next door however, but it isnt one of those famous university, Nor does it rank in the top 100 colleges in the U.S

MCO- Age. at least 20 but less then 26 years old by 1 july of the year applying. so if i am shooting for next year i am going to need a waiver? who issues the waiver or who do i talk to about it? will my Commanding Officer(of the company or battalion) be able to waive this?

Do i talk to my Company commander about this program or is it something above him? i know that its my career and i am in control of it but who do i request my technical advice and guidence from?

Obviously im still very unclear on a lot of things but with you guys helping me out i should be on track in no time. I have a copy of the MCO and have reviewed it, im just trying to fill in all the gaps. Thanks agian

 

[igrunt]

Ok, ive been doing some more research.. and i guess i have a really simple question to add to my above post.

When you apply for mecep, your applying for OCS or your applying to go to college instead of your normal job? Or both? I mean im reading some articles and im lost. Is there a different program that lets you go to college instead of reporting to your normal place of work? Or what? Mecep is how one goes from enlisted to officer side, I understand that but in all this where do you fit in full time college?

 

[Clux4]

If you get accepted, you will attend school like everyone else in the real world. You will be paid as a Marine and will affiliate with the NROTC detachment in your school. At some point during your time in college, you will go to OCS for the summer and spend 6 weeks running around in Quantico. You come back and should be ready to commission once you finish school.
If you apply for air, the waiver process is automatic. No, your Plt Cmdr or Company Cmdr will not be involved in the waiver process. MCRC does all that.

Nope, no one will care about your degree or the school. As long as it is from an accredited school. If you are not accepted, you can take classes through the education center on base. You will be eligible for MCTAP ( Marine Corps Tuition Assistance Program). As a Marine with a degree, you would be eligible for the ECP program.

I really think you should bring this up with your Chain of Command. Your Plt Cmdr should render assistance provided he thinks you are qualified. He might even be a prior MECEP'r. If you are with 5th Marines, I know you have at least 2 MECEP'rs as Company Commanders.

There is the Meritorious Commissioning Program. You might want to look into that as well. If you have stellar recommendations, it is a good option. However, I am not sure you can go air through that program. Atleast not at the onset. You might be able to compete at TBS.

Hope that helps

Clux

 

[igrunt]

Thanks Clux! And yes my commander is a mustang. tommarow i will try to get in and talk with him and see if he thinks i would be a good candidate.

i have around $80,000 in college loans already out and im still paying on that loan from about 3 years ago, will that affect me getting into another school you think? i will use my G.I bill if need be and most likely that will be my only option of paying for school, hopefully my previous college loan currently out wont mess anything up!

If i have a bankruptcy on my credit will that be a problem in my future of getting accepted in certain school? such as aviation or OCS, TBS?

lol sorry for asking so many questions but as i continue my own research it makes it easier to check in here for additional help so i really appreciate all of everyones help! this is just something i really want to do and i want to make sure i do it right, and most of you guys seem to know where to point me so my future will have a good influence based on all of your past experiences.

MARADMIN; MCRC WILL CONVENE THE FY10 MECEP SELECTION BOARD AT HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS, ON OR ABOUT 27 OCTOBER 2009, FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS TO SELECT QUALIFIED MARINES FOR THE MECEP. i just noticed this, I still have time this year to get a package in?

 

[Clux4]

The schools really do not care. As long as their bill is paid, they could give.......

Go to the education center with all the transcripts of previously attended schools and sit down with an education adviser. By the time your previous work is accessed, you might not have to take just few classes to meet graduation requirements. In that case, you could use your MCTAP to pay for it and maybe your GI Bill. You should really avoid using your GI Bill if you don't have too. Pendleton has a great base education resource center. You might even be able to enroll yourself for this fall semester. I am not sure about 29 Palms.

I am not a bankruptcy expert so I cannot help you with that question.

 

[igrunt]

Im at Camp Pendleton. Ill try to get all that done before this week is over. Man! im excited! the past 2 years of my career have been field ops, Mojave Viper, Still night, on/off shore operations, but still i feel i am not pursuing a Fruitful career. The reason i am so willing to sacrifice so much time to meet my goals. I just wish there was a way i could figure out the possibility of really accomplishing what i want. "I want to be a Fighter Pilot" not a technician or ground option.. I am already a ground option, i want to surpass that this time. I am an Amphibious Assualt Crewman(AAV-1833).

My goal is to get my bachelor in less then 4 years(if possible). Graduate top 5 in my class at OCS, Graduate top 10 or so at TBS and maybe, just maybe ill be given my chance at Being a pilot.

A. MARINES MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 1 YEAR OF ACTIVE SERVICE ON THE CONVENING DATE OF THE BOARD.
B. THERE IS NO MINIMUM PAY GRADE REQUIREMENT.
C. APPLICANTS MUST POSSESS A MINIMUM COMBINED SCORE OF 74 OR HIGHER ON THEIR AFQT OR A MINIMUM COMBINED MATH AND CRITICAL READING SCORE OF 1000 OR HIGHER ON THE SAT OR A MINIMUM COMPOSITE SCORE OF 22 ON THE ACT TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. (NO WAIVERS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR TEST SCORE REQUIREMENTS.)

why am i getting different requirements via MARADMIN and MCO 1560.15L? The reason i asked about my bankrupcy is I know they do a background check for your secret clearance and such but do they do a financial history check? lol

 

[igrunt]

Good News! I just found this.

E. APPLICANTS MUST BE LESS THAN 26 YEARS OF AGE BY THE YEAR ENTERING COLLEGE. THE INTENT OF THE UPPER AGE REQUIREMENT IS TO RECEIVE A COMMISSION BY AGE 30. APPLICANTS MAY REQUEST AN AGE WAIVER UP TO AGE 35 FOR COMMISSIONING.

That basically says that if i meet all other requirements as long as i am under 35 i can get a waiver?

 

[Brett327]

MARADMIN; MCRC WILL CONVENE THE FY10 MECEP SELECTION BOARD AT HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS, ON OR ABOUT 27 OCTOBER 2009, FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS TO SELECT QUALIFIED MARINES FOR THE MECEP. i just noticed this, I still have time this year to get a package in?

This is the date the board convenes, not when your package was due (that was 03AUG09 - read the entire MARADMIN).

Brett