darn. all the sessions are either on mon-tues or thurs-fri. don't they know highschool kids have school mon-fri? lol!
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VMI vs. The Citadel (this thread is for school bashing!)
- Thread starter DSL1990
- Start date
darn. all the sessions are either on mon-tues or thurs-fri. don't they know highschool kids have school mon-fri? lol!
Thanks for the links AllAmerican. i read through all of them, and they have given me some insights into some of the things i will use in my decision process. And by the way, you have a very nice blog too! I found that from one of your threads. you are actually able to keep up on it- i'd have trouble doing that myself. big props to you!!!!
i'm really looking for a full-on military school experience, and that sounds more like what VMI, The Citadel and Norwich can offer me. I'm just a bit put off by the comments i am reading about how the corps at Texas A&M and VT are 9-5 experiences, because if i want a 9-5 experience, i'd probably go to Embry-Riddle then and just do normal nrotc and go flying a lot. nothing i had read before on Texas A&M and Virginia Tech had suggested that they were 9-5, so for that, i'm thankful for the information here on AW.
By the way, have you ever heard of New Mexico Military Institute? one of the contributors on one of those 3 threads mentioned they were going there. i thought there were only 6 state military colleges in the US- vmi, citadel, norwich, north georgia state college and university, texas a&m and virginia tech. what is new mexico military institute?
NMMI is a junior military college and is best described as a military high school and a prep-school for the academies. It was actually founded by a VMI alumnus.
You can actually recieve a commission out of there, in the Army or Army National Guard (Not the Navy). You are expected to get a four year degree before you make Captain, my current boss did this.
Harrier Dude
Living the dream
As has been said earlier, this is not true. You will have more liberty than if you had gone to an academy or VMI/Citidel, but not nearly as much as if you went to a regular ROTC school.
Your daily routine is basically (note: I'm old. This gouge may be quite dated, but should still be essentially accurate)0500ish to 0800ish PT, formation, chow, and general harassment package. From 0800 to about 1600 you'll be in class or studying, and as long as you are doing one of those activities, you will be left more or less alone. If you are on the quad "just goofing off", then stand by for the pain (if you want to goof off during this time period, go to your girlfriends place, or just stay off the quad). From 1600ish until about 1900 it's more PT/drill/formation/harassment package until Call to Quarters. From 1900 until 2200 is the best study time you will likely ever get in your life. Absolute silence in the dorm, study partners regardless of class year, test banks, and upperclassmen who want you to get good grades and take an active interest in your academics. 2200-2230 is inspection prep time. After that you either study more or go to bed. That's all Monday through Friday. You can get extra passes based on your GPA. Friday night is combination of harassment and party, and there's a parade followed by a football game on Saturdays during the Fall. Sunday is more or less yours. As always, if you are on the quad and not studying, you're fair game for harassment.
I have buds from all of these schools and we have swapped stories over the years. I've visited all of the campuses mentioned except VMI and VT. I'll add yet another endorsement for the city of Charleston. Great city.
At A&M, I was miserable a lot, studied a lot, learned a lot, and had a LOT of fun. I made lifelong friends and ended up exactly where I wanted; as a Marine Officer and Naval Aviator. I also took advantage of the opprotunity to meet a lot of girls from "the rest of the school". All of my buds that went to the above mentioned schools will likely say the same thing (except maybe for the girls part), and they'll all be telling the truth. For me personally, I needed the structure and academic discipline. I would have failed out of school if it weren't for the Corps. But that's just me. Your experience may vary.
You've got a lot of great opprotunities here. You really can't miss. Good luck, and PM me if you have any specific questions.
wow- that's pretty interesting. i had no idea that any of the services would allow you to initially commission with only a 2yr degree!
you guys are right! that doesn't sound 9-5 at all. in fact, the superficial difference that stands out most to me (having not seen or experienced Texas A&M yet) is just the uniform policy and the ability to move around freely on and off campus.
as i understood it at vmi, the uniform policy is very strict- uniforms have to be worn at all times on post and within rockbridge county. and cadets have to always get chits or permits to be able go off post. vmi cadets like allamerican can correct me if i have summarized these two rules wrong.
There are always ways to break the rules without getting caught.
But, you pretty much nailed it spot on. Uniforms all the time, just about. And you won't be leaving Post much as a Rat. Now, as an upperclassman, I can take general permit and do as I please just about.
I wouldn't necessarily restrict that to the academic day. Although sometimes the JCQs would have some heads follow us to make sure we were actually going to the "library".
DSL- I'll echo again, you have to pick what you think is best for you. The reason why A&M doesn't have spend the night program on the weekends is because there's basically nothing to really show you, especially in the spring. Having it on a Th-F gives you a chance to see what happens during a normal afternoon/evening formation/Call to Quarters/Morning formation/class. If your school really gives you that much flak about taking a couple of extra days to figure out your future and help you make such a huge decision...
You can always be sick.
VT is not as strict as strict as A&M
PT is 2/3 times a week at 0500 with ROTC
Otherwise wake up before 0700 for 0730 Formation
Classes start at 0800 and run through early evening. Your schedule will not be full with this You can work out / eat / study in your room. You won't be harassed much during the day in your room.
1700 Evening formation twice a week with dinner afterwards. Once for freshmen, once for battalion.
1800 30min of harassment.
1900-2300 Evening Call to Quarters, study time
Weekend days mostly to yourself with the exception of football/parades. Friday and Saturday evenings you will be doing stuff /harassment with some going out on pass the later in the year it is. Sunday evening is study time.
Freshmen wear a uniform M-F. Upperclassmen M-F 8-5 and anything academic.
Getting away was pretty easy the walk to the bars was shorter than to many of my classes. Upperclassmen can stay out till 0200 on weekdays
Ask me any other questions that you have.
PT is 2/3 times a week at 0500 with ROTC
Otherwise wake up before 0700 for 0730 Formation
Classes start at 0800 and run through early evening. Your schedule will not be full with this You can work out / eat / study in your room. You won't be harassed much during the day in your room.
1700 Evening formation twice a week with dinner afterwards. Once for freshmen, once for battalion.
1800 30min of harassment.
1900-2300 Evening Call to Quarters, study time
Weekend days mostly to yourself with the exception of football/parades. Friday and Saturday evenings you will be doing stuff /harassment with some going out on pass the later in the year it is. Sunday evening is study time.
Freshmen wear a uniform M-F. Upperclassmen M-F 8-5 and anything academic.
Getting away was pretty easy the walk to the bars was shorter than to many of my classes. Upperclassmen can stay out till 0200 on weekdays
Ask me any other questions that you have.
VMI and the Citadel are in their own category. Don't let anyone try to convince you that VT, A&M, Norwich, or any other hardcore ROTC program is the same. For the same reason, VMI and the Citadel are not in a class with the service academies. When you go there you won't have to quantify your pain to justify your life in at civilian college like the poster above me. It's like trying to explain a night trap to an AF guy. Having crappy days at vmi or el cid is the standard, but the lessons you learn and the friends you make can't be found anywhere else. There several pros and cons to each school, and you just have to pick the one with the pros that appeal to you.
Quoted for truth.
VTCC is nowhere close to the type of experience you'd get at VMI or that other school down in Charleston. There is a huge difference in the environment. Personally, I couldn't deal with being a cadet and be surrounded by a large civilian school.
To be honest, I think this thread has provoked honest discussion. It was interesting for me to read about my counterparts at other schools. Other than A&M, I can't say I'm all that familiar with the other schools -- which actually raises a question I've asked in the past but never been answered -- to the VMI guys, I've seen in several other threads the mentioning of how special your Honor Court is, or whatever it's really called (apologies for being ignorant here)... Just wondering what makes it "special" or separates it from other schools' Honor Courts/Trials/ etc. Just strictly interested in the Honor system at other schools.
At The Citadel it's a big deal. There's been controversy over the past few years about certain individuals getting amnesty (but that's a very rare occurance.) I wasn't a company honor rep (there's two per company) but I received the mandatory training every year on how the honor system works, how a case is investigated, and tried &c. It's entirely cadet run (with an alumni advisor.) The Honor chair is a C/LTC and, therefore, is on regimental staff. His subordinates (the various vice-chairs) have C/MAJ ranks and are on the various battalion staffs and regimental staff. The President of the college must approve all recommendations of dismissal from the corps, but he very rarely goes against the findings of the board.
It's a very unforgiving system. You lie, cheat, steal or tolerate (and you get caught, which, surprisingly many do) you will be prosecuted and kicked out of school. I was fortunate in that I didn't lose any classmates within my company to an HV, but many were kicked out for things like plagarism, or lying to the guards at the battalion gates about stupid shit that would have, at most, gotten them put on the quad for awhile. The truth always has a way of coming out.
It can be a flawed system, but It's still a very powerful force there. I've heard you don't get kicked out at the acadamies for your first offence, is there any truth to that?