HELP ME! marines/army question?

Question

i am about to enter the DEP for the USMC but now my dad/mom think it would be better for me to go to West Point because of my grades. But that is a 9 yr commitment (4 yr school then 5 active). i want to be a marine and then its shorter than that and if i like the life then ill stay in but i dont want to need to stay in for 9 yrs. After i graduate can i switch to marines and be an officer after going to the marines bootcamp at parris island? Do students at West Point get of weekends and stuff like a normal college cuz i live about 20 min away.

thanks everyone

Answer 1

The commitment for USMA is usually only 4 years.  One year for each year of school.  After your first year, it becomes more normal and you do start to get more weekend time and whatnot.

If you don't like it, you can always drop out of West Point and pay back your commitment at roughly the same cost as paying for a regular college would have been.

Answer 2

Hate to say this like this but you gotta remember this is your life not your parents. Their job is to raise you then when your 18 you need to do things for yourself. You say you want to go to the Marines go to the Marines don't second guess yourself.

Answer 3

man no disrespect,but  s***w being an officer,they dont do ANYTHING but push papers and boss people around. they're cocky stuck up a******s! be a REAL marine and GET SOME!!! HOORAH!!

Answer 4

From friends, you can go to any United States Military Academy like West Point, Annapolis or Colorado Spring and still get into anothers other than the one the academy is. I read about someone who went to West Point and graduate becoming a Naval F/A-18 pilots.  

Answer 5

For your first semester (at least) at West Point, you do not get weekends off.  West Point is a LOT more intense than "a normal college."  No alcohol, no partying, and lots of physical training as well as very difficult classes.  If you go to West Point, you cannot be an officer in the Marines.  Your options are thus:

Go to West Point, graduate, become an officer in the US Army;

Enlist in the US Marine Corps for 4 years Active Duty and try to get into Officer Candidate School;

Go to "a normal college" and be in the NROTC, get commissioned as an officer in the USMC (by the way, in this option, you can also get a full scholarship).

Edit: As long as ROTC officers don't try to mess around with mid-to-upper level enlisted and NCOs, they'll be respected.  I'm always happy to salute anyone who deserves it, and if they've learned about military ways for 4 years without really getting direct pay for it, and they respect me, I am more than happy to salute.

Answer 6

No, you can not switch. They are two totally different branches and you can not just jump between the two.

Why not go to Annapolis?

After you are in the Marines, you can apply to go to Annapolis.

Similar criteria to going to West Point. If you are good enough for West Point then you will probably be good enough for Annapolis.

There is a lot more to getting in than just your GPA though.

You need to be an all around outstanding citizen and have a letter of recommendation from a Congressman.