Research on the motivations of Russian college students in military training centers and military departments, and cadets enrolled in military service academies shows that the first two occupy a marginal position. This is reflected in the ambiguity of their status and the fact that they are at the interface between two cultures, manifested in their perception of the values of military service, the prerequisites of their choice of this form of training, and the degree of their involvement in their future professional activity. (Contains 4 tables and 4 notes.)