Two Hillsdale seniors, Luke Kjellsen and James “Jay” Golden, will be commissioned to the Marine Corps this Spring after completing twelve weeks of training in the Officer Candidate School. 

Interest among Hillsdale students in becoming Marine Officers has been increasing in recent years; only this year, around 17 students expressed interest.

“In huge state schools, you can have about 20 students commissioned,” Kjellsen said. “The percentage in Hillsdale, given the size of the graduate class, is very high.” 

For college students considering becoming Marine officers, there are two possible paths to follow: the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) or the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC). In the NROTC, the federal government pays the tuition, and students get their training in the college. Since Hillsdale College accepts no federal funding, it does not have an NROTC program, and PLC is the program that aspiring Marine officers in Hillsdale go through. 

During two summers, PLC students must attend the Officer Candidate School, a six-week program designed to test and train future Marine leaders officers. According to junior Jihye Kim, PLC student and treasurer of the Butler Brown Club, whose goal is to prepare aspiring military candidates for the role, students must show academic, physical, and leadership skills to be considered suitable for the responsibility. 

“We have to do classes, physical training, and leadership simulations,” Kim said. “They grade us differently, and leadership is graded the most highly.”

While OCS works the same in all colleges, Golden, vice president of the Butler Brown Club, says a higher standard should be expected for Hillsdale students. 

“If you want to be a Hillsdale candidate, you need to understand that Hillsdale candidates hold themselves to a much higher standard,” he said. “It sounds a little arrogant, but at the same time, in Hillsdale fashion, we don’t want state funding, and if we are going to do it, we are going to take the time to do it right and to do it better than everybody else.”

Golden also said Hillsdale College had two students win the Commandant Awards in four years. The award is given to the top company student who showed outstanding leadership, discipline, and performance throughout his or her training. 

Elaine Townley ’22 and Kjellsen won the awards in 2021 and 2024, respectively. Golden said these results highlight the high standards Hillsdale’s PLC program has established.

“We’ve gotten the top candidate trophy twice in four years; that says a lot about the standard that Hillsdale has for its own,” he said.

Kim said she believes Hillsdale has the reputation of having many students wanting to join the PLC program and seek a formation in the Marine Corps, which relates to Hillsdale’s tradition of service to the country. 

“I think that goes back to Hillsdale’s tradition of service and honor, like how our boys served during the Civil War, how they put down their books and took up rifles to serve their country and to fight for freedom and what was right,” she said.

Kjellsen advises students thinking about joining OCS to do it for the right reasons.

“I would recommend OCS to all who seek discipline and to serve the country,” he said. “If you want to be a marine officer for reasons that only benefit you, OCS is not for you.” 

Kim said individuals considering the program should have a greater motivation than self-interest. 

“A lot of people want to go to OCS because they think it’ll look good on their resume or because they want to prove something,” she said. “That’s not what OCS is about. OCS is about service and a greater purpose in yourself. It’s about our country, the Constitution, the Marine Corps, and your fellow Marines.”

Golden said if you have a calling to serve as an officer, you have a call to be a leader in the Marines. 

“If you are going to be serious about pursuing that, you need to be just as serious about your goal to actually lead,” he said. “It is not just going to join the Marines; it is to pursue a commission to lead Marines, and that is different.” 

Golden also said if one has the calling, one should be ready to embrace the challenges that come with it. 

“You need to be physically and mentally ready when you get there because if you should be offered a commission, you will be expected to be able to take care of yourself as second nature, and your primary job is to take care of your marines,” Golden said.