Expert: Matt - 5/31/2009

Question
Hi Matt, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I will try and provide all the relevant facts regarding my situation as briefly as possible.

I have just finished my first year of law school and have become interested in a JAG position with the Marines (though I would accept any of the services if it came down to it.) However, a couple of things may be standing in my way and I am wondering if they are prohibitive. Currently I am 26 (will turn 27 in July). About 5 years ago, my therapist recommended that I be prescribed zoloft for anxiety. After taking 3 tablets, I experienced some side effects, and I and my doctor decided to discontinue the medication. Since then, I have not been prescribed any kind of psychiatric medication and have not needed it. However, I have continued to see a therapist off and on for social anxiety disorder, which has greatly improved over time. My question is, will this condition disqualify me from OCS and consequently JAG, even if I can show that it has greatly improved and only has a minimal affect on me? (I could get my doctor to write a letter confirming this) If it does disqualify me, what are my chances of getting a medical waiver? Finally, how competitive is JAG? My U-grad grades were only decent (~2.9 GPA) and while I had a good LSAT (90th percentile) my law school grades are not very good. Despite these shortcomings, I would love to join the military as an officer (or even enlisted if I am forced to do so) since I believe it will be a great lifetime experience which will toughen me up as well as give me a great set of skills for the civilian sector which I could use once my contract is up.

That should be all, thanks for the help!

Answer
I have a few friends who are USMC JAGs and they really love it. It is a great profession and an excellent stepping stone to a successful civilian life as you mentioned. With all that said, your best bet is to contact your local marine corps officer selection officer...use the following website to get in touch with one

www.marineofficer.com

He should be able to answer all of your detailed questions regarding your medical history and academic scores. However, since you took the time to write me, Ill try to give you some 'unoffical insight'. Keep in mind these are just my educated opinions, not fact.

First of all, each acceptance into the marine corps (or other services for that matter) officer programs is based on a case by case basis. The recruiting process is not a rigid, monolithic structure; rather it can be flexible depending on the unique qualifications (or disqualifications) of each individual. The anxiety is a tough one to answer because everyone who suffers from it does so to a different level - if it does not affect you on a day to day basis then I would say that your recruiter will take that into consideration and it should not reflect poorly on you. The important factor is that you are not on medication at the moment...the less meds you take the better. Also, make sure your physical fitness level is high...if you can do between 15-20 pullups, 100 crunches and run 3 miles between 18 and 23 minutes then your chances increase exponentially. As for the grades in law school, it depends on how good or bad they are and how competitive the other people applying for a usmc jag spot in your region are. Hopw this helps somewhat, let me know how it goes.