United States Marine Corps

Officer Selection Station West Lafayette

 

 

 

 

Serving Colleges and Universities in Central and Northern Indiana

As a college student or graduate, you may be thinking about what you’ll do after earning your degree. There are many options. If you are interested in learning how to lead, shouldering enormous amounts of responsibility and developing analytical and interpersonal skills that are crucial to executive management, consider becoming an officer in the United States Marine Corps. You’ll find rewards, challenges, and excitement that few other careers can match.
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WHAT IS A COMMISSIONED OFFICER?

As a Commissioned Officer, the President of the United States, with the consent of the U.S. Senate, places “special trust and confidence” in you to protect our Constitution. You distinguish yourself as one who possesses the character, leadership, and intellectual capacity to lead America’s sons and daughters in the daily defense of our way of life – and into harm’s way if called upon. On the basis of your commission, you, as an officer, are afforded uncommon authority, incredible responsibility, and total accountability. On the basis of this commission, you are also granted special status and privileges in our society.
Unlike the other American armed services, the Marine Corps does not have its own service academy. We prefer to find potential leaders among America’s college and university undergraduates and graduates.
The Marine Corps officer programs are designed to bring out the best in you by putting you through the toughest training and evaluation you have ever faced. We make no apologies for the fact that our Officer Candidate School is extraordinarily challenging. It has to be. Marine Officers take on responsibilities well beyond their years. The training will force you to search your own desire and commitment to succeed in the face of extreme adversity. To excel, it takes someone who is a self-starter, reliable—someone who doesn’t settle for second best or for a job half done. “What sets the Marine Corps apart from other training institutions—and in particular, from an MBA program…is that it unabashedly favors breeding generic, high-speed chaos-proof leadership. Experts and specialists are a dime a dozen. What the world needs is someone who can grasp the workings of an entire organization, understand people, and motivate them.” -Inc. Magazine, April 1998
Marine Officer Programs afford college students and graduates an opportunity to earn a Presidential Commission through a challenging leadership internship at Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia. Undergraduate men and  women (freshmen, sophomores and juniors)  enroll in the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) while seniors and graduates enroll in the Officer Candidates Course (OCC).  The PLC and OCC Programs  are  designed to screen and evaluate candidates for the leadership, physical, mental and moral attributes necessary for service as Marine Officers. This is a competitive program and applicants must first complete the application process and then be selected by a board of Marine Officers. Those who pass the selection process will be given the opportunity to prove themselves at OCS and earn the title Second Lieutenant of Marines. Make no mistake, the process is tough, but for those who pass the test, there is no greater feeling of pride.
Marine Officers develop intangible qualities such as confidence, leadership, honor, courage, commitment, integrity, esprit-de-corps, physical fitness, selflessness, discipline and many more. These traits produce strong Marine Corps Officers and later lead many of them to successful second careers following their service. Numerous senators, ambassadors, judges, astronauts, doctors, pilots, university presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies began their careers in the Marine Corps. Many of them credit the Corps with providing them with the tools that made them successful. Inc Magazine even characterized Marine Corps Officer Programs as "The best management  training program in America." (Inc, Apr 98). Many MBA Programs even sponsor mock two-day versions of OCS to teach their students how to effectively make quick, decisive actions amidst chaos and uncertainty.
Request more information or contact us or Check to see when we will be on your campus
    
  • Open to males and females
  • Summer Internship type training (for PLC)
  • No training on campus.
  • Guaranteed assignment to flightschool or as a Staff Judge Advocate (if qualified).
  • Choice of ground, aviation, Naval Flight Officer, law option.
  • Annual Salary starting at $43,000
  • Full medical coverage and other benefits.
  • Exciting career.
  • Chance to serve your country.
  • Awesome leadership training.
  • Stay in shape.
  • No obligation after training, you choose to continue with program.
  • Guaranteed full-time position after college.
  • Rewarding job with regular promotions and career broadening opportunities.
    
  • Upstanding, competitive & physically fit men or women between 18 and 28 years of age
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.   
  • Currently enrolled full time (12 credits or more), or have graduated from an  accredited, four-year college or university. Students in two-year colleges can sign a letter of intent to later transfer to a four-year university.
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
  • Must meet Marine Corps Height/Weight Standards
  • Must be physically qualified (attain a 225 or better on the USMC Physical Fitness Test)
  • Must be mentally qualified  (e.g. meet at least one of the following)   
  •   - SAT Score of 1000 or higher (Math & English)
  •   - Composite ACT Score of 22   
  •   - AFQT Score of 74 or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
    
When you apply to the Platoon Leaders Class or Officer Candidate Course, you choose the area that you want to go into. You can apply for one or more options to increase your chance of getting selected. The basic requirements for each program vary so contact us to go over the details. Also, visit our downloads page to get some more detailed information on the various programs we offer.
  • Ground  - As a ground officer, you will have over 20 military occupational specialties to choose from. Infantry, logistics, air defense, artillery, intelligence are just a few examples of the fields you can specialize in. See the MOS Guide for more details on each military occupational specialty.
  • Pilot - This is the only program of any service that will guarantee you a pilot slot as early as your freshman year in college if you qualify.   If you make it through the summer training and take your commission as an Officer of Marines you are guaranteed to go to flight school in Pensacola, FL to become a Marine pilot. The Marine Corps has the world's fifth largest air force consisting of most technologically advanced fighter and attack jets, helicopters and cargo aircraft. Check out the Marine Corps' equipment page to learn more about our aircraft. See the MOS Guide for more details on each military occupational specialty. Make sure to visit our Officer Programs Downloads page for more information about being a Marine Aviator.
  • Naval Flight Officer - As a Naval Flight Officer you are guaranteed to fly in a high performance jet provided you pass flight school. As a Naval Flight Officer in an F-18 or EA-6B you will be responsible for the deployment of all on board weapons, sensing and navigation systems and assisting the pilot with his duties. See the MOS Guide for more details on being a Naval Flight Officer. Make sure to visit our Officer Programs Downloads page for more information about being a Marine Aviator.
  • Law/Judge Advocate - If you have scored at least a 150 on the Law School Admissions Test and are a full-time law school student or have been accepted to law school you may qualify to become a judge advocate for the Marine Corps. If you get accepted to this very competitive program you will go to Officer Candidate School and get your commission  as a Marine Officer either before, during, or after law school depending on when you get into the Law Program. If you do PLC Law, you will go to OCS during the summer and graduate as a Second Lieutenant and return to law school as a member of the inactive ready reserve. When you graduate law school and pass the Bar exam you will begin active duty as a Marine Judge Advocate. See the MOS Guide  and our downloads page for more details on being a Judge Advocate.