Officer UCAS points

[misterpurple]

Big question for me, as the answer decides whether I finish my A-levels or not...

Anyway, the number of UCAS points required to be an officer is 140 (I think). I can do that with my AS (first year, lower sixth - whatever you want to call it) results (if i get what I'm predicted). The thing is, does the RM want full-on A-levels, or will they settle for what I've got?

I'm going to ring the AFCO in the morning, just had to post this in case someone else was in the same situation.

Cheers

[alee9]

Hey,
I was in the same situation as you. I was told to finish off my A2's as it would make me a stronger contender for a place. For instance, say you passed POC and AIB and the selectors were looking who to pick, it would most likely be the person with the most UCAS points. If you are going to get 140 at AS then my advice is to do an extra year to double your UCAS points to make you a stronger contender.
I did my A2's and then ended up taking a gap year to gain more qualifications ontop of my A-levels, so you never know what might happen after that extra year!

[fubar84]

During my most recent AIB, I also found out that RM chooses only around 9 of the 50 candidates selected for training from potentials that don't have a degree.

So if your chance is 1 in 50 with a degree, 1 in 9 with A-levels, I'd hate to think what the odds are of somebody with just AS-levels getting a place.

Remember there's also the tiny hurdle of actually passing POC and (the much more difficult in my opinion) AIB...

[Rhyno13]

Sorry but isn't the answer obvious?

Finish your A-Levels, it would be farcical not to. What’s one year really? What would you have to fall back on if the RM didn’t work out? You may want to go to University further down the line. You would struggle to get a place with just AS-Levels.
This may sound abrupt and to the point, but you need to think about the bigger picture. I’m sure anyone at your local AFCO would agree.

[misterpurple]

Rang up the AFCO this morning, he said with the grades I'm predicted it should be "no problem". Didn't say anything about my chances though.

Looking at http://www.ucas.com/higher/tariff/calc/calculator.html, three grade-C A-levels will get you 240 points, but 3 grade-A + 2 grade-B AS-levels will get 280. 5 grade-As will get 300 points.

If I can get into the marines as an officer a year earlier, I will do. Points-wise I'm a stronger candidate than an A-level student with three grade-Cs. Or does it not work like that?

[_chris]

It doesn't really work like that, maybe the marines will let you through but as has been said further up thats not a certainty. What if you don't get through this time and need to go to university, they will not accept 5 AS levels in lieu of full A-levels, they will expect at least 2 full A-levels but most expect 3.

Also as has been said before elsewhere on the forum its not the proof you are very good at Maths etc. (whatever your A-levels are in) its the proof you can dedicate yourself to a higher level of study for 2 years that places are looking for. If you drop out now whenever you go somewhere and say, I have 5 AS levels it always shows you couldn't dedicate yourself to that study.

So someone who has finished their A-Levels is a stronger candidate than someone who didn't, no matter how many points they picked up.

[Scouser]

Trust me mate, you want to finish your A-levels at least. I can understand that you want to get there as quick as possible but the best thing you can do for yourself, and for your application, is to finish your A-levels and then think about doing something else for a year or so (Uni/travel etc.). When you've done something like that you will appreciate how much it makes you grow up, until you've experienced something different from living at home, going to school etc. you'll be miles behind those your 'up against' at POC, AIB and the final selection board. I would assume nearly all of those who don't have a degree who start YO training will have done something else to mature after school/college.
AS/A-levels don't work like that anyway, nearly all jobs and even Universities will want to know what A-levels you have, not what AS's you have. Otherwise everyone would do AS's for their first year and then do another load of AS's the next year to get points that way a lot easier (how nice would that have been!).
Good luck with what you choose,

[misterpurple]

You're all right - I need to do some serious thinking Unless things get really bad at home, I think I'll be finishing my A-levels or at least deferring them by a year so I can try for the RM with a back-up. Thanks for the advice lads

[davidemmerson]

There is only one intake per year for officers anyway. So you would spend the best part of a year waiting around doing nothing while you did POC and AIB.

Thanks

If there is only one per year what is the earlist age you could apply? Do you have to be 18 when you do the POC? how long is the gap between the selectio process (POC, AIB etc) before initial training?

Or have i got this wrong?

Thanks

[misterpurple]

That's the current plan. It looks like the odds are against you if you try that though:

http://www.mfat.co.uk/forums/viewtopic. ... commission

I'd still be chuffed as f_ck to be an RM either way

[_chris]

I was with a large group of marines a couple of weeks back and quite a few of them were saying that people who had the type of qualities that would have got them through POC could usually expect to go for commision after just 2 years Don't know how true it is, but they had no reason to lie, they just said that the same qualities would show so you could switch across easily. All of them had been in 5+ years some 20+

[druadan]

If you're spotted during nod training as having officer potential they can offer you Corps Commission straight out the box; it's not unknown for lads to pass out on the Friday and start YO training on the Monday (for the pedantic, rare obviously, as there's only one YO intake a year...)

[xcj]

i'll jump on the bandwagon aswell and tell you to stay for your a-levels - only because I have some experience in the potential risks you're essentially taking.

I was at school and wanted to join up, applied to uni (even though i didn't have the grades at the time) but had little intention of going. I did a sectt test (scottish trade test to allow you to do an electricians apprenticeship) aswell to cover myself. In the end, the vision in my right eye ended up in me being medically unfit.

So i was rejected basically. Not knowing what to do with myself, one morning the phone rang and it was the uni i'd applied to offering me a place. I took it because i had nothing else to do.

If i hadn't stuck that last year in school, the phone wouldn't have rang and I have no idea what i'd be doing with myself at the minute - at the time i hadn't found an apprenticeship (not that i'd looked ).


good luck, hope it works out

P.S (and not to hijack) Druadan... 9 weeks leave! alright for some, im sure you deserve it.