the truth about college

[zamirs]

marines @ suny maritime

hey guys,

i want to know, from marines, what it's like to attend suny maritime. i don't want the drivel that's generally spewed by admissions (@ any schoool). i'm tired of hearing from any admissions office how their school is great, implying i'll love it. :irked_125 i've never visited a school where i thought it would be a great place for me. i've hated every single place. maybe, it's just that i hate college in general :icon_mi_5 . i imagine i'll have to settle for tolerable, at best. school starts on monday. i still have to pay the bill. so, before i sell my soul and assume thousands of dollars in additional college loans , i need some feedback. i know you'll give me the truth. thanks.

by the way, i'd be non-reg. wouldn't mind hearing thoughts on the reg.

 

[xmid]

I don't have any experience with SUNY Maritime, but if you don't feel ready to go to college maybe you should look in to some other options. Take sometime to find out what it is you want. It would be better to take a little longer to finishing your degree (or not getting one at all if thats what you determine is right for you) than to f@ck it up and have to repair the damages later. (Take that from someone whos been there in a sense...) A couple semesters of bad grades or bad decisions can take years to repair. Maybe I misread the sentiment behind your post and if I did just disregard what I said. It just bugs me that everykid today feels that they HAVE to go straight to college after high school, when that might not be best for everyone.

 

[cisforsmasher]

My most vibrant memory of stopping by there on my college tour was the female student who was supposed to be selling us on it. "I totally didnt know this was a military school. I showed up with all my civilian clothes and was looking forward to playing with boats. Then I get off the bus and they started yelling at me and took away my clothes. I was pretty upset and I didnt know what was going on. Eventually some one told me what was going on. I didnt have enough money to go anywhere else so here I am! This place is fun!"

at the time, the place was a shithole. Vice Adm Ryan (ret supe from USNA) did a great job fixing it up supposedly when he became the president there. Such a great job that they kept promoting him to eventually chancellor of the entire SUNY system. I think there is now a civilian side to it if you want.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

...i've never visited a school where i thought it would be a great place for me.

Then you haven't visited enough schools. Suffice it to say, there is a plethora of higher learning institutions here in the United States. There are two things that you need to remember about college. First, it won't last forever. This can be good or bad depending on the college and the person. If I had the opportunity, I'd be a freshman all over again and go back to college tomorrow. I loved college and have some very fond memories of that experience. Second, pick a place that you feel you think you'll be comfortable there for 4 years. This is about attitude more than anything else. You are going to feel at least a little bit apprehensive about going to any college, so going into it with a positive attitude from the beginning would be good.

If you are having reservations about SUNY Maritime, I would delay going there until you have more information about making an intelligent decision. However, don't just sit around waiting for the magic light bulb to go off over your head. Research other opportunities at other colleges while you're attending the local community college.

 

[DevilDog9782]

It doesnt really sound like you are going to enjoy college with an attitude like that. To piggyback on the previous advice, which was excellent, it might not be the right school for you and/or the right time for you to go to school. I've never gone to SUNY Maritime...but I can tell you college was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life and I met friends for life there. From my own experiences, I went to SUNY Albany for a year, and was absolutely miserable until I transferred to a school that I really enjoyed. There are so many different colleges that fit just about every personality but it could just be that you don't want to go to college right now? Good luck....

O yea, and for Gods sake, please capitalize Marines in the future....

 

[eddie]

I'd like to help, and although I think I have a pretty good idea of where you are coming from, details always help.

Are you in an enlisted commissioning program (will that affect your ability to transfer / it limited your choices initially?)?

Why did you choose (settle for?) SUNY Maritime in the first place? When you looked at schools, what were you looking for (what was the ideal school?)? What are you trying to accomplish by going to school?

To be straight with you, I think the problem is largely with you (as it was with me, PM for details). And given the circumstances, I think some rectal-cranial dis-inversion on your part is in order here.

Quit worrying so much about how much it will / might suck ('cause you don;t know that yet). Instead, think about what you are trying to accomplish, what you need to do to make school worthwhile (fun, interesting, "enriching," strictly educationl, whatever floats your boat).* BE PREPARED TO RE-EXAMINE AND REORGANIZE THOSE INITIAL PRIORITIES.


*If the only thing you can think of is, "to get a degree," I suggest you start looking into additional ways to spend your time at school.

 

[skim]

marines @ suny maritime

hey guys,

i want to know, from marines, what it's like to attend suny maritime. i don't want the drivel that's generally spewed by admissions (@ any schoool). i'm tired of hearing from any admissions office how their school is great, implying i'll love it. :irked_125 i've never visited a school where i thought it would be a great place for me. i've hated every single place. maybe, it's just that i hate college in general :icon_mi_5 . i imagine i'll have to settle for tolerable, at best. school starts on monday. i still have to pay the bill. so, before i sell my soul and assume thousands of dollars in additional college loans , i need some feedback. i know you'll give me the truth. thanks.

I am not a Marine, nor an Officer, yet I still feel I should respond. Why College? That is a question I have asked many kids while working as a Outreach Recruiter for my College. To spare you the typical answers I have given those students, it is up to you to find out what your motivation is. Maybe you are not ready for this step in your life and should look to working, or maybe instead learning a trade. There is this HUGE push (society?) to have all kids go to college right out of high school and get degrees, and while I am a firm believer that all students should have an equal chance at acceptance, not all students are cut out for college. At least not at that specific time in their life. It only takes a semester at a junior college to see what I mean. I have always been a more 'nuts and bolts' type and it took me a while to finally earn my degree. I started late, and on top of that took a couple years off. I certainly was not ready for college when I was 18 or even 20 (when I took time off). Now im 27 with a packet sitting at CNRC hoping to hear a pro-rec. I am older then alot of people sending in packets, but don't regret not jumping straight into school (because for one, I sucked in high school gradewise, and two, was not mature enough.) With the way you sound, it might be better to step back and look at other options, or at least look at college with a more positive view instead of "hating college in general". No sense in starting your college career with a self-fulling prophecy...

 

[jus2mch]

marines @ suny maritime

hey guys,

i want to know, from marines, what it's like to attend suny maritime. i don't want the drivel that's generally spewed by admissions (@ any schoool). i'm tired of hearing from any admissions office how their school is great, implying i'll love it. :irked_125 i've never visited a school where i thought it would be a great place for me. i've hated every single place. maybe, it's just that i hate college in general :icon_mi_5 . i imagine i'll have to settle for tolerable, at best. school starts on monday. i still have to pay the bill. so, before i sell my soul and assume thousands of dollars in additional college loans , i need some feedback. i know you'll give me the truth. thanks.

If you really feel you hate college, you could always enlist in the Corps, or any other service for that matter. The military will give you plenty of opportunities for education, and offer you chances to be commissioned if you put in the effort.

 

[SemperGumbi]

Dude, I'm with Steve.

If you don't go visit a college and think, "I will never want to leave." You are probably at the wrong place.

I wish I could be younger and go to a bunch of the colleges I visited for 4 years each (who am I kidding....5 years). There is no better environment.

If you are going to a college just for the degree you are probably missing most of the real "learning" college has to offer. Just something to think about.

I think most folks would agree with everything I just said (who went to normal, non-military type schools). It is suppose to be a place you love and don't want to leave.

As for you crazies who volunteered to go to military schools, I don't know about you guys. If you are a prior don't feel like you have to go to a military school. Hell, you probably shouldn't. You know the military lifestyle; expand your horizons and see what civilians (you know, the people we work for) your age are doing.

I've met military school folks who are actually totally oblivious to what the rest of us experienced in college. Sad, really.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I agree with Steve - and I went to the Boat School! When I first visited the campus (somewhere around age 6), I knew where I wanted to go... When you visit the right one, you'll know.

 

[AllAmerican75]

As for you crazies who volunteered to go to military schools, I don't know about you guys. If you are a prior don't feel like you have to go to a military school. Hell, you probably shouldn't. You know the military lifestyle; expand your horizons and see what civilians (you know, the people we work for) your age are doing.

I've met military school folks who are actually totally oblivious to what the rest of us experienced in college. Sad, really.

Don't count military school out either. I know plenty of guys who are prior enlisted, or are even currently enlisted and working on commissioning, here at VMI. They wanted the military experience, some wanted to just see if they could hack it here, others needed the regimentation in order to function and thrive.

We get out and get a little bit of the "normal" college experience. Not as much as say the kids at JMU or VA Tech, but we do our fair share. But on the flip side, how many college graduates can say they had life-changing experiences in college and lived the military life.

But Steve is right, find the college you love and is right for you. I knew the minute I visited VMI in the winter of my senior year of high school and walked across the parade deck that I wanted to come here. The history and tradition spoke to me, and I honestly can say I have made some of the best friends of my life here. Do what is right for you.

Just my $0.02.

 

[BlackBearHockey]

Don't count military school out either.

I heard a SEAL OC went through VMI, went through something like half the first year until people found out. That's got to be tough to go from the teams to being yelled at by a 19/20 year old who is essentially a civilian about your haircut.

/threadjack

 

[SemperGumbi]

We get out and get a little bit of the "normal" college experience. Not as much as say the kids at JMU or VA Tech, but we do our fair share.

Sorry, but I have to say you didn't get your "fair share." Face it, if it was normal college you wanted at all, you were jipped.

 

[FMRAM]

Don't count military school out either. I know plenty of guys who are prior enlisted, or are even currently enlisted and working on commissioning, here at VMI. They wanted the military experience, some wanted to just see if they could hack it here, others needed the regimentation in order to function and thrive.

Why would a prior enlisted need regimentation in order to fucntion and thrive? Why not test your character and have a normal college experience. I can tell you firsthand that it is possible to get the grades, PT, all while still slaying chicks and taking beers to the dome...

 

[AllAmerican75]

I heard a SEAL OC went through VMI, went through something like half the first year until people found out. That's got to be tough to go from the teams to being yelled at by a 19/20 year old who is essentially a civilian about your haircut.

/threadjack

Actually, if it's the same guy I'm thinking of, he made it through. One night he got sent up to the Rat Disciplinary Committee for a sweat party. They all crowded around him, berating him for his being a SEAL, taunting him. Until one RDC representative decided to ask, "If you're such a big bad SEAL, how long would it take you to kill every one in this room?" He stood up straight, twirled slowly around in place staring out at the RDC members standing around him, and then stared back at the guy who asked the question, and replied coldly, "You're all dead." He never got any shit after that.

@FMRAM, just what I've been told. Gumbi, I was looking for the military school experience. I'm more than happy to trade that for drinking every night and getting nothing accomplished.