USNA vs BDCP

[KMitchell22]

Thanks for all the responses and advice. It certainly is a tough decision and I can see the pro's and con's of each path.

One question about the BDCP program, I would be in the 24 month long program due to the fact my major is non-technical, so would these 2 years count towards my retirement alone, and not towards advancement as an officer once commissioning from OCS? I don't fully understand the ranking system, would I graduate OCS then be 0-1 and wait 2 years for 0-2 advancement, or would I have 2 years in the books on service and be commisioned as an 0-2?

Also, do the 4 years at the Academy count towards your retirement time?

And I'll be sure to shoot Wink a pm, thanks for the heads up.

 

[cfam]

No clue about the BDCP stuff, but the four years at USNA don't count towards retirement, unfortunately.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Also, do the 4 years at the Academy count towards your retirement time?

No.

 

[Clux4]

I did not go through the Acadmey because I was young, excited and drank the recruiter's kool aid. I wish I did. The tradition is great and the experience is awesome from what I hear.
But in your case, starting all over again is like wasting life. Your country needs you in the fight! Go BDCP!

 

[Tom]

I thought when you reached 20 and if you retired, you would have 24 years of service.

 

[cfam]

I wish that was the case. I heard rumors about it my entire time at the Academy, but we were told by the personnel office here that it hadn't ever worked that way.

 

[Kycntryboy]

questions and concerns

As the residential Kentucky grad I'll field this one.
Do BDCP its a money deal, don't go to the academy....stay at UK. You should promptly go to Pazzo's get a pitcher of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale... drink said pitcher... than go to Keeneland. That should clear up any confusion of you wanting to go to the Academy. Stick with BDCP you'll know what you designator is 2 years in advance. (2 years of pay too).

 

[phrogpilot73]

I thought when you reached 20 and if you retired, you would have 24 years of service.

There is a very, very small window of opportunity to have the time credited towards retirement. And it's not 4 full years. If you are a prior enlisted Marine (not Navy) and go to the Naval Academy, then transition to the Reserves, you get points towards retirement for the time you were at the Academy. Since you are in the IRR in the Marine Corps, you get 15 membership points each year you're there. So, you end up with an additional 60 points towards your retirement pay (the 4 years aren't sat years for retirement, so you still have to retire at 20). So, you get 2 more months towards your retirement pay. Big Whoop. I'd say 90-95% of the people that go to the Academy, this doesn't apply to.

 

[ASHWND]

Just a question... but could someone from USNA apply for BDCP? I haven't seen anything out there that says it has to be a civilian college, and there is nothing that says you can not get accepted if you are in USNA. I know it is a probably a definite NO, but I wonder if anyone has ever tried to get them on a technicality.

So why do you think that they make it so great for us BDCP guys? I would have figured that they would make us go on cruises over the summers, or at least some condensed training course over the summer.

 

[Clux4]

There is a very, very small window of opportunity to have the time credited towards retirement. And it's not 4 full years. If you are a prior enlisted Marine (not Navy) and go to the Naval Academy, then transition to the Reserves, you get points towards retirement for the time you were at the Academy. Since you are in the IRR in the Marine Corps, you get 15 membership points each year you're there. So, you end up with an additional 60 points towards your retirement pay (the 4 years aren't sat years for retirement, so you still have to retire at 20). So, you get 2 more months towards your retirement pay. Big Whoop. I'd say 90-95% of the people that go to the Academy, this doesn't apply to.

Pretty neat. The reason you know this is probably because you are in the same position.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Just a question... but could someone from USNA apply for BDCP? I haven't seen anything out there that says it has to be a civilian college, and there is nothing that says you can not get accepted if you are in USNA. I know it is a probably a definite NO, but I wonder if anyone has ever tried to get them on a technicality.

So why do you think that they make it so great for us BDCP guys? I would have figured that they would make us go on cruises over the summers, or at least some condensed training course over the summer.

No. Your "pay" at USNA is a $250,000 education that you don't pay for at all. Plus, you get monthly pay the 4 years you are there.

Pretty neat. The reason you know this is probably because you are in the same position.

Yup. Just certified my career retirement credit report (after they fixed it - 5 full years of AD missing).

 

[Picaroon]

So why do you think that they make it so great for us BDCP guys? I would have figured that they would make us go on cruises over the summers, or at least some condensed training course over the summer.

I'm guessing during indoc week we won't be thinking they made anything great for us.

I wish we had training over the summer.

 

[Lobster]

I wish we had training over the summer.

Meh I'm loving my summers as they are, and I'm really diggin the idea of not having to get a stupid summer job now

 

[ASHWND]

Meh I'm loving my summers as they are, and I'm really diggin the idea of not having to get a stupid summer job now

you wouldn't want to do a midship cruise over the summer? I think that that would be better than any thing I would be doing. I hear you on not working, I am looking forward to not working full time and doing full time school at the same time. That is going to be such a weird change though, all of a sudden I will have 40 free hours a week... Gym and movi time!

Kurtzie, any word from your OR on Final Select stuff?

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

you wouldn't want to do a midship cruise over the summer? I think that that would be better than any thing I would be doing. I hear you on not working, I am looking forward to not working full time and doing full time school at the same time. That is going to be such a weird change though, all of a sudden I will have 40 free hours a week... Gym and movi time!

Kurtzie, any word from your OR on Final Select stuff?

I for one would not want to spend my summer doing a midshipman cruise. I would prefer to travel to some exotic place on earth while I still have 3 month long summers off. Maybe take my gal on a great trip after saving for a few months. Do something that I may never get a chance to do again for at least 10-20 years. Yea that sounds about right. I mean I still have a long checklist of things to do before I get old.

Like cage-diving with Great Whites off the coast of South Africa. Or hiking part of the John Muir Trail. This is why BDCP is so great. If you have the time and you have the money go do something exciting. I'll get to the job when I get to the job. For now I'm going to sit back and try to relax.

My .02 on all this "Let's add work to our BDCP summers."