I tend to dress kind of formally anyway. I got to a Christian prep school with a uniform dress code. That's a good suggestion to call ahead to see if they'll do an interview. I doubt that I'll get back to visit VMI before application. What area of study is your son pursuing? Did he go ROTC route? How competitive was it?
Thanks for the heads up on the "rah-rah, our school is great" spiel. Both parents are going with me. Dad tends to be a cynic (he's a lawyer, it's the nature of the beast).
Like I said..I can't say I'm cynical...but I don't instantly believe everything I hear...I look for fruit..being from a Christian Prep school you will get the reference. And there is plenty of quality fruit in the lives of the Cadets you will talk to. They seemed really "squared away". Most that my DS talked to said it was the worst thing they ever went through their first Semester as a RAT...yet they would not want to be anywhere else.
DS major is Elec/Comp Engineering. All Cadets must choose an ROTC. You have to take ROTC but you are not obligated to commission unless you are on a ROTC scholarship and even then you do not have to commit until day 1 of your Sophomore year. But if you get ROTC money and you decide you don't want to commission then the next 3 years are at your expense. He is teetering a bit there. He put Navy on his application, but did not get a NROTC scholarship.. but if he gets an Army scholarship he may change his mind. He applied for ALL the ROTC scholarships. Truth is..he wants to have a military life..but he is going in somewhat blind so to speak because he hasn't a clue as to what he is getting into except for talking to recruiters, a few brief conversations at ROTC detachments(excluding the interviews) and some friends that have gone the enlisted route out of HS. He is 18 and knows he doesn't know enough to make an educated decision because of lack of exposure to the military. He has some reservations about if the Army will allow him to use his ECE education or if it gets put on a shelf for a few years. He still has questions this far into the process but he has time to sort it out. ROTC scholarships are very competitive..this year it seems moreso. As far as the competitiveness of VMI, the VMI website lists the stats on the previous matriculating class so you can look and see where you stand..DS gpa is higher than their average SATS middle..but he is NOT a jock/team captain or Eagle scout, but he is in shape.
While there for the weekend you will hear the teachers claim they are REALLY available to you if you need help...The Cadet's we talked to backed that statement up 100%. If you are having trouble in a class help is there. Classes are really small so you get a lot of individual attention. There placement rate for graduates is excellent.
They have many Christian Bible studies that are held throughout the week and Sundays you can attend services on Post or even be adopted by a family from one of the various denominations in town. So you can relax on someone else's couch for a little while.
As far as the weekend. They will send you an Itinerary. It is an easy schedule to follow and there are opportunities for your folks to hear about financial aid, student services, meet all the ROTC staff at a meet and greet where they feed them snacks etc. When we were there they had a parade,fired the cannons...a great presentation.Its very well organized and they cover pretty much all the basics so you can make an informed decision.
You will get to stay in the barracks and eat in the mess hall with your family on the first afternoon. Most of the Cadets said that they get used to the food...we will leave it at that
As far as competitiveness..DS was 560ish in all categories on his SAT's. AP Calc, History and English this year..AP physics last year and a double (2 credit)honors Chem class...He carried a very heavy Junior year schedule and is taking all the advanced computer classes this year. 3.86 unweighted GPA when he applied. Varsity Baseball 2 years. Honors chorus, Drama club, yearbook, Youth Group leadership, Sunday School teacher, Worship leader in church band(keyboard), National and Spanish Honor Society....I just know he is always staying after school for something. He was treated very well by EVERYONE there...and that Southern hospitality off Post is nice too. Make your hotel reservations early...it seems every time we've been there there is a horse show in town