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Navy
ROTC Home  Marines Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) Students
Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) Students
Contents
About the MECEP Program
Applying for MECEP
Selection
Why choose NCSU?
How to Apply to NCSU
PCS Orders,
registering for classes, and reporting
Housing, family
concerns and the local Raleigh area
A day in the life
of a MECEP student at NCSU
Additional information
About the MECEP Program
MCO P1560.15L outlines the purpose, eligibility requirements
and application process for the MECEP Program. Simply put, the MECEP
Program is one of the Marine Corps' best kept secrets. It is a program
that allows enlisted Marines, both regular and active reserve (AR)
in the ranks of Corporal and above who are between the ages of 20
and 26 (waivable with prior college credit) to seek a bachelors degree
and then be commissioned 2nd Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. The
Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) publishes a
Marine Admin Message (MARADMIN) annually in the April
time frame soliciting applications for the program. MCO P1560.15L
outlines the format for submission of MECEP packages. Then, in December,
the MCRC (ON) holds a board to select qualified applicants. Word to
the wise, put in an application. The bottom line is that the Marine
Corps is full of individuals with outstanding talent and potential
who, for some reason or another had less than admirable high school
grades. Take a couple college classes, makes good grades, study and
take the SAT, and put in a package. We have numerous MECEP Marines
here at N.C. State who had less than stellar high school grades,
but were good performers as NCO's, took a few college classes and
made good grades, and the ne xt thing they new, they were at college
pulling A's and B's. (top)
Applying for MECEP
Again, the guidelines for preparing a MECEP package
are found in MCO P1560.15L and the current MARADMIN. Do keep in mind
that there are often disparities between the MCO and the MARADMIN.
Where there may be differences, follow the MARADMIN. The responsibility
for putting the package together is yours. Your administrative section
should provide support, but do not expect anyone to have the same
zeal as you. Do not let minor setbacks prevent you from applying.
The final say on waivers comes from Regular Officer Programs, MCRC
(ON). They can be reached at (703) 784-9446. A great source of additional
information as well as assistance with your MECEP package is the Officer
Selection Officers at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton. You can contact
the Officer Selection Officer,
Camp Lejeune at (910) 451-0126 or the Officer Selection Officer, Camp
Pendleton at (760) 763-0268. (top)
Selection
The MCRC (ON) will announce annually (usually during
mid December) the results of the MECEP board by MARADMIN. They will indicate which selectees are required
to attend MECEP preparatory school in San Diego, California, as well.
Although you should have been accepted to a university prior to applying
for MECEP, this is sometimes not feasible . If not already accepted
to a university, you will have until approximately 1 April to forward
your college acceptance letter to MCRC (ON). Since applications for
incoming freshman and transfer students are due to N.C. State Undergraduate
Admissions not later than 1 February and 1 April, respectively,
it is important to start the application process immediately upon
notification that you have been selected. (top)
Why choose NCSU?
There are currently 27 MECEP students enrolled at N.C.
State, and their combined credentials are extremely impressive. Their
average cumulative GPA is 3.5, well above the university average.
They excel in all areas of academic, military, athletic and non- curricular
activiti es. Their PFT average, due largely to high personal standards
coupled with a challenging fitness program, is 287. They take the
lead in nearly all facets of the NROTC Unit, coach and participate on numerous award
winning athletic, drill, and military excellence teams, and are members
of numerous student organizations and National Honor Societies. The
MECEP students are organized into a company, Delta Company, that comprises
one of the four companies within the NROTC Battalion, and have been the Honor Compan y for
many consecutive semesters. The MECEP students are not, however, incorporated
into the midshipman chain of command and report instead to the Assistant
Marine Officer Instructor and Marine Officer Instructor. N.C. State
offers in-state tuition to all MECEP students, so your GI Bill will
cover the cost of tuition and fees. One important item to
note is that the amount of GI Bill reimbursement for
active duty personnel will not exceed the total semester cost of tuition
and fees, regardless of the school that you attend. N.C. State is
located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and is 2 hours north west of Camp
Lejeune and two hours north east of Charlotte, North Carolina. The
campus is clean and uncluttered and classes are generally rather small
with less than 30 students. Tutoring is available at no cost and many
of the required books are kept in stock in the NROTC Unit supply.
The cost of living is quite reasonable and the BAH rate will certainly compensate for living on the
economy. The local Inspector-Instructor Staff is just across the street
from N.C. State and the campus contains a wonderful athletic facility,
free to students, with four weight rooms, two Olympic pools, an indoor
track, and numerous other amenities. N.C. State's engineering programs
are ranked highly among other public and private schools and the university
offers undergraduate degrees in almost every conceivable discipline.
The bottom line is simply that that the N.C. State MECEP program is
a lot of bang for the buck. (top)
How to Apply to NCSU
Again, applications are due not later than 1 February
for freshmen, and 1 April for transfer students. Freshmen can apply on-line.
Transfer students may download a transfer student application from the WWW
or request a hardcopy admissions application and mail the applicat
ion to Undergraduate Admissions.
Make absolutely sure that you have your high school transcripts and
SAT scores sent to Undergraduate Admissions as well as all
college transcripts for transfer students. This will ensure the most
expeditious processing of your application. Once you have applied
for admission, call the Assistant Marine Officer Instructor at (919)
515-2354 or email
him so that he can begin to track your application. Once you are accepted,
immediately call the BOOST/MECEP Coordinator
at MCRC (ON) at (703) 784-9446 and fax or mail a copy of your acceptance
letter. You may then make coordination with the BOOST/MECEP Coordinator
to prepare your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. (top)
PCS Orders, registering for classes,
and reporting
If you are not scheduled to attend
MECEP Preparatory School, you may report to N.C. State for the 1st
summer session, the week of 15 May, the 2nd summer session , the week
of 25 June, or the fall semester, the week of 9 August. If you are
entering the College
of Engineering, it is recommended that you make every effort to
attend the summer sessions during your first year to ease some of
the pressure of the demanding curriculum. If you are scheduled to
attend MECEP Preparatory School, you will be issued PCS orders with
Temporary Additional Duty (TA D) enroute. All Marines will be authorized
a household goods shipment, travel pay, dislocation allowance equal
to two months Basic Allowance for Quarters (married Marines), and
advance pay if requested. If you are a single Marine who has never
been on independent duty or lived on the local economy, utilizing
advance pay may be a good idea. You can usually take one month of
advance pay to be paid back in 12 months by simply taking your orders
to disbursing. You are also authorized 10 days of Temporary Lodging
Expense (TLE) which reimburses you for the cost of a hotel either
at your last command, your new command, or split between the two.
You must initially pay the expense out of pocket, but you will be
reimbursed once you complete your travel claim.
Once you have been accepted to the university, contact
the college or school that you will be attending, i.e., College of Engineering, College of Humanities
and Social Sciences, etc...and make arrangements to speak to your
advisor. He or she will provide you information on transfer credits
that have been accepted, courses that you should register for, and
provide you with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and password
so that you can access the TRACS registration system. You may either access TRACS
by Internet , the preferred method, or by telephone. In TRACS, you
will be able to check class availability, register for classes, view
or modify your schedule, view transcripts, or print your schedule.
Remember that you are required to attend in a full-time status, which
means at least 12 hours per semester. 15 hours, however, is usually
the minimum for MECEP students. Once you have registered, you will
automatically be sent a bill. When the bill arrives, first, ensure
that you are being charged in-state tuition, then turn it over and
in block 4 write: Montgomery GI Bill. Then mail the bill
back to the cashier's office. Your tuition will then be deferred until
you begin to receive GI Bill payments.
You will check-in to the Marine Officer Instructor,
room 156 in Reynolds Coliseum aboard the N.C. State campus.
The uniform of the day for checking in is Charlies. You will take
care of several administrative matters and then be directed to the
Inspector Instructor Staff. Important Note: make absolutely
sure that you reenlist for six years prior to transferring from your
previous command. The administrators and the I-I Staff are
extremely professional and will assist you in starting your local
allowances and completing a travel claim. In addition to your basic
pay, you will rece ive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), which is slightly more than commuted rations
(ComRats). Though you are administratively attached to the I-I staff,
you will fall under the operational control of the Commanding Officer,
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Unit, North Carolina Piedmont
Region. (top)
Housing, family concerns and the
local Raleigh area
Housing in the Raleigh area is
reasonably priced, but slightly more expensive than other areas of
North Carolina. Compared to Camp Lejeune, it may actually seem expensive.
But take a look at your BAH rate (zip code 27695). You will notice that it
is substantially higher than Camp Lejeune or Cherry Point and should
adequately defray the cost of housing on the local economy. As indicated
by the map below, most of the areas and small towns surrounding Raleigh
are within a short drive, so your options are plentiful. The map shows
the Raleigh area in relation to N.C. State.
There are several good apartment search web sites, one of which is linked,
and others that can be accessed by searching Raleigh Apartments.
Again, Cary, Apex, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale and North Raleigh
are well within daily commuting distance to N.C. State.
Buying a home in the Raleigh area is also an option
that some of the MECEP students have taken advantage of. It is a booming
market and new communities are springing up all around the area. A
couple of hot spots now are Apex, Garner and Knightdale. The web sites
to locate real estate in the area are far too many to mention, but
simply search on Raleigh NC Real Estate and you will find
well over a hundred sites that will allow you to search by location,
price, square foot, number of bedrooms and options. If you plan to
be in Raleigh for four years, this is an option worth exploring.
There are quite a few Doctors and specialist in the
area who will accept TriCare Standard, but the search is sometimes
a little cumbersome, as it usually is on independent duty. We have
recently built a Health Care Provider contact list in Outlook
that will assist in locating health care professionals for your family.
To date, there is only one TriCare Prime Primary Care Provider in
Raleigh, but our experience thus far has been positive. Making appointments
and getting referrals has been a rather quick process, but if you
plan to utilize TriCare Prime, you must ensure that both you and your
dependents are enrolled.
Numerous Dentist in Raleigh accept the military family
dental plan and there is a Dentist in Cary who provides care to our
Marines at no cost to you.
Raleigh is a major cultural and economic center and
North Carolina's state capitol. It is a beautiful city with a relatively
low crime rate and numerous, well maintained state and local parks.
Raleigh is home to NHL's Carolina Hurricanes
and is currently building a multi-million dollar sports arena that
will host both the Hurricanes and the N.C. State Wolfpack. For additional information about
Raleigh and the surrounding Triangle area, go to CitySearch.com. (top)
A day in the life of a MECEP student
at NCSU
Under Construction (top)
Additional information
Under Construction (top)
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