I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at US Marine Corps (New York, NY) in June 2011
Interview
Just sign the contract. pretty straight forward as long as you are clean. They will ship you out to bootcamp as fast as they can. You get treated just like your recruiter told you. Just go thinking the worst and it won't be as hard as you had in mind. Its just a game. Break you to build you back up as a Marine.
I applied in-person. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at US Marine Corps (Baton Rouge, LA)
Interview
Interview Proccess was simple and straight forward, go to any of the local recruiters in the area, and just have a nice talk with the recruiter. They will be genuinely honest about what the deal is, and that you'll have to sign a contract.