Neither merchants nor Marines p1 - Military - Career Choices - Military Times EDGE

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point may be a short drive from that other academy, on that other point, in New York, but don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it. Sometimes called the “forgotten stepchild” among the other four federal service academies, the Merchant Marine Academy doesn’t train you to be a merchant, much less a Marine. And if USMMA does ring a bell, it may be because the Princeton Review tagged it with the top slot in its 2009 list of colleges with the “least happy students” in America.

“But it’s because these hardworking students have decided that buckling down now means enjoying the spoils a little later in life,” note the review’s authors. Maybe that’s why Princeton also ranked the academy in its list of “368 Best Schools” in the country and among the top 50 for best value. And while its mission is to train logisticians, not war fighters, it’s the only federal service academy that regularly sends students — not just graduates, but students — into combat zones. That’s why it’s the only academy authorized to fly a regimental battle standard, admissions director U.S. Merchant Services Capt. Robert Johnson said.

Full ride

About 20 miles east of Manhattan, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has been training professional mariners since 1943. Like at the other academies, it’s the best of full rides: Tuition, room and board are all free. But unlike its armed forces counterparts, graduates from Kings Point are not required to pay all that back with five years of active duty. Sure, they have the option of receiving an active-duty commission in any of the armed services, and about 25 percent usually do (ten grads went into the Army last year), but the rest go straight to work on the massive fleet of U.S.-flagged ships that haul everything from cars and containers to people and petroleum. Those who go into the maritime industry are commissioned in the Navy Reserve with an 8-year commitment to drill at least two weeks a year, but are otherwise free to work where and how they please.

Shipping out

Many USMMA grads work for shipping companies, Johnson said, or as freelancers, signing on with crews as the jobs blow them from port to port. Jobs can range from standard 9-to-5 workdays, perhaps working as port staff or on a ferryboat crew, to deep-water tours that typically run two months at sea, then two months free “doing whatever you want,” Johnson said. Either way, graduates can expect to start earning $66,000 to $88,000 right out of school. Even on the low end, that’s more than double the base pay of a second lieutenant or an ensign. Something else you won’t get from the other academies: a U.S. Coast Guard license either as a deck officer or engine room expert for ships of unlimited tonnage. (Not even Coast Guard Academy grads get a Coast Guard license.) The same license takes most people years to earn, Johnson said, and even then is usually limited to specific classes of ships.

“We have a 100 percent employment rate,” Johnson said. “You can begin sailing on your license the day you graduate. You have a guaranteed job.”

Getting in

Like the other academies, competition to get in is stiff. “We have about 1,800 applications a year. Roughly 700 will qualify, and of those we have a class size of about 300 students,” Johnson said. To even be considered, applicants must be 17 to 24 years old, a U.S. citizen, an above-average student, and pass a medical exam and PT test. Applicants must also get a nomination from either of their two U.S. senators or their district representative in the U.S. House. Each member of Congress only gets 10 slots a year, so even getting nominated can be can be a challenging gantlet to run. Application is open to active-duty and reserve enlisted service members. While the individual services sometimes deny the requests, they’re usually approved, Johnson said. A commander’s recommendation usually helps, he said, especially for those trying to get their nomination while deployed.

Sea duty

If you do make the cut, don’t expect easy sailing just because USMMA isn’t a trigger-puller academy.

“It’s not as regimented here as the other academies,” said Johnson, a retired colonel who got his start in the Army at West Point and spent 10 years there on staff. “But if you perceive this as gentleman’s academy, you will be rudely disappointed.”

Midshipmen must live on post in two- to three-person rooms, wear uniforms, have very little time to themselves, especially their first year, and only get 30 days off for summer break. Split between their sophomore and junior years, midshipmen will spend a full year at sea working aboard real cargo ships spanning the globe, visiting an average of 18 countries.

“It is a rigorous and demanding, but also highly rewarding,” Johnson said. “Our mission is the only one designed to make America the most powerful nation in the world — supporting both the economy and military.”

The reward

Graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy earn:

• Bachelor of Science degree in one or two of seven marine specialties.

• Coast Guard Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer license qualifying them to stand watch, either on deck or in the engine room. Dual majors earn both.

• Commission in the Navy Reserve or any of the active armed services.

How to apply

The deadline to apply to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is March 1 of the year you wish to enter. A complete application includes:

• Your official nomination.

• A biographical essay.

• Your official high school transcripts.

• Any college transcripts.

• Your ACT and/or SAT scores.

• Three letters of recommendation.

• A completed medical exam.

• Satisfactory completion of the Candidate Fitness Assessment.