Currently active Marine, EAS in Jan. Can I still make it?

As the title states, I’m currently an active duty Marine, coming up on my EAS in January. I’ve contacted the veterans@CSUM to see if there is any way possible to “fall in” and catch up with this falls beginning class, although I haven’t received anything back yet. Is there anyone here that has had a similar situation, or know anyone that has been in my shoes? I tried admissions, and they just gave me the typical “try again next year”. While I will wait (and do who knows what for an entire year), I don’t exactly want to when I could be doing something productive and going forward in life. If it matters much, I’m 25, no dependents, 6’ 205 pounds, run a 20:30 three mile, and have attended “advanced swim qual” or “Water Skills Assessment” for those who care. Thank you in advance for any answers that may come my way.

For this fall i would recommend going to a CC and getting as many classes as you can done talk to the registrars office and anything they tell you will transfer make them write it down and sign it. You will need math classes since you most likely haven’t had any formal math classes since high school. Other than that knock out all the GE classes you can you might be able to get out early but at the very least will carry less units.

[QUOTE=Loftis61;185609]As the title states, I’m currently an active duty Marine, coming up on my EAS in January. I’ve contacted the veterans@CSUM to see if there is any way possible to “fall in” and catch up with this falls beginning class, although I haven’t received anything back yet. Is there anyone here that has had a similar situation, or know anyone that has been in my shoes? I tried admissions, and they just gave me the typical “try again next year”. While I will wait (and do who knows what for an entire year), I don’t exactly want to when I could be doing something productive and going forward in life. If it matters much, I’m 25, no dependents, 6’ 205 pounds, run a 20:30 three mile, and have attended “advanced swim qual” or “Water Skills Assessment” for those who care. Thank you in advance for any answers that may come my way.[/QUOTE]

Are you set on Cal Maritime? There are other options.

I would highly recommend attending a CC for a year to get a feel for the workload. As stated above, you can knock out some of your GE courses before you enter an Academy. Talk with counselors from both schools to figure out what courses you will need. Don’t take any classes as “Pass” or “No Pass” as sometimes CC counselors will recommend it. I ran into some issues with that option while I was transferring into GLMA.

CMA also has some articulation agreements with local CC schools.

If you decide to attend a CC make sure to take your math courses asap.

Best of luck.

You could be 5’2, 250 and crawl 3 miles and you’d still be good. There are no physical requirements at CMA. As long as you can float, you’ll be fine.

First, decide on what major you would like to do. Marine Transportation will get you a degree and a license as a third mate (navigating the vessel). Mechanical Engineering will get you a degree and a license (or not…it is an option) as a third assistant engineer (fixing stuff in the engine room). Business is just that. Global Studies translates to a Political Science degree at any other school. If I had to rank the majors:

  1. Mechanical Engineering…yes you will have a courseload of like 25 units each semester, but you can work at sea or shore once you graduate/
  2. Marine Transportation…you will be sailing as a third mate after graduation. Shore side jobs right after graduation aren’t so plentiful.
  3. Business…translates anywhere. You can work in the maritime industry or not. Companies like that global supply chain emphasis supposedly.
  4. Global Studies…don’t. Its a Poli Sci degree. Unless you plan on applying to law school or continuing on to graduate school. Im not saying a job isn’t possible (Alumni look after their own), but its not as easy.

Second, take as many classes as you can at the CC before you start. Unfortunately, CMA runs their curriculum very differently that other colleges. Meaning courses must be taken in order in that semester. I don’t think you can even be admitted in the Spring. Get in to a physics course and a algebra/trig course. For a deck student, this puts you possibly graduating in 3 years (not advertised by admissions, they will tell you its near impossible…BS). For engineering, I think they only can do 4 years…sometimes 5. They just carry a heavier workload with heavier courses. Business/Global studies…why would you not be done in 3 years? It’s 120 units.

Good luck brother.

Well, and engineer does a lot more than fix stuff in the engine room. . . .there are a lot of things to fix on deck and in the accommodations, cargo areas. . . and sometimes they operate machinery, carry out planned maintenance and crap like that.

Where have you been? All we do is try and keep the fuel tanks topped off without spilling any. We start, stop, and change the oil on the engines. Our most critical function onboard is battery maintenance. That’s it, that’s all we do besides bitch about being overworked and underpaid.

[QUOTE=Fraqrat;186063]Where have you been? All we do is try and keep the fuel tanks topped off without spilling any. We start, stop, and change the oil on the engines. Our most critical function onboard is battery maintenance. That’s it, that’s all we do besides bitch about being overworked and underpaid.[/QUOTE]

Oh, yeah. . . forgot about the batteries. . . .that is VERY important. . . . .and you also forgot the tug duties of monitoring the galley television. . . .

[QUOTE=cmakin;186064]and you also forgot the tug duties of monitoring the galley television. . . .[/QUOTE]

I know you said this in Jest but that was the number 1 thing that would set me off, especially when that clown saying it had been sailing for a whole 2 years.

With all of the Electronic Controls and other pesky equipment that needs to be looked at before if decides to quit working out of Spite, the days of the Galley Chief are long gone!

Hell, we had a Cook (to use the term loosely) would stand there and hit Auto-Program on the Galley TV while we were at sea just hoping to get a surprise and get a station. He also spent hours staring at the Blue Screen.

Definitely take CC classes that will transfer. Former Marine reservist and I would have been through Mass Maritime in 3 years if not for deployment.

[QUOTE=Tugs;186076]I know you said this in Jest but that was the number 1 thing that would set me off, especially when that clown saying it had been sailing for a whole 2 years.

With all of the Electronic Controls and other pesky equipment that needs to be looked at before if decides to quit working out of Spite, the days of the Galley Chief are long gone!

Hell, we had a Cook (to use the term loosely) would stand there and hit Auto-Program on the Galley TV while we were at sea just hoping to get a surprise and get a station. He also spent hours staring at the Blue Screen.[/QUOTE]

Well, it was in jest, but also not. . . . I think that the Galley Chiefs may still be out there on the small bayou tugs (that have engineers) with the smaller plants. Or on the older supply boats where the engineer is really more of a pumpman. . . where trips are reasonably short and most of the repairs and maintenance are done shoreside. . . I never had the luxury. When I was CE on tugs, I was either the ONLY engineer (not much with sophisticated electronics on those Invader, Robin and similar tugs) or one of two or three engineers on an ATB, where at least a third of my time was spent on that damn barge. . .on both of my two (each) four hour watches were busy with routine stuff, knocking off work list items, paperwork, having that 10 o’clock cup of coffee with the Old Man. . … . bringing each other up to date with what was going on in our various worlds. . . let alone all of the off watch time that goes into being the Chief. . . . .and how many times CAN you watch the same porn tape, anyway. . . .No fancy dancy Satellite dishes in those days. . . just that home TV antenna on a rotator. . . .and three John Hughes movies. . . .

As far as odd behavior by cooks. . . . I always felt that on tugs, the cooks took the place of the radio operators on ships when it came to being odd. . . . but that would be the subject of another post.

this dude is gone hasnt repied here or a pm sent the same time as my comment. Cma does not admit people in the spring semester

Someone teach this cook how to read!!! He could get hours of actual entertainment, and maybe learn something just by picking up a book.

Whoa guys, lets set down the torches and pitchforks! I’m here, I just wasn’t expecting feedback this quick. I’m a mechanic by trade, with an Associates of Diesel technology, so the engineering side looks like a bit more natural for me. I’m looking at getting out of my comfort zone though, and I would PREFER to go into the deck side of things. My issue is still my EAS date and the start dates of the programs. The only program that I’ve found that (according to the academic calendar) starts a cadet class in Spring is Mass Maritime (which I’ve already started applying for also). At this point, I’m committed. I’m not ready to go back to “small town USA”, and I’ll go wherever I can, although I would prefer to go to CAL. Again, thanks for all the feedback, I really do appreciate all of it.

Sidenote (if it matters)- I spent two years stationed in Okinawa, and made two trips to South Korea via HSV, and one trip to Fuji. The rest was all just eating dirt either in the southern part of Oki, or up north at Jungle Warfare Training Center.