Winter Break Question

falcondan

5-Year Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
Messages
4
Hi,
We live oversees and I need to start booking my C4C's winter break ticket but I don't understand how the LMD works. I received this info on the break:

"Start date: 13 Dec 13 (LMD, w/AOC Coord) or after last Final is the release date for winter break. What this means is if your cadet is doing really well and the class is validated (meaning no finals are required) then they can leave after the last LMD on the 13 Dec 13. If they have finals then they can leave after their last final (with AOC approval)."

- Is the last day of finals December 13th, or is that just the last day of classes? Is there a finals week Dec 16-20?

My son doesn't know anything yet. Right now, the cheapest round trip ticket is already at $2200 and seems to be going up daily. I want to know if I should book it for Dec 14 or Dec 21...

Thank you for any advice/clarification you can offer.
 
Unofficially, they will have finals. I don't know of anyone that got out that early last year. My cadet was done with finals 2 days early. You're going to need some more info from your cadet about his finals' schedule before booking.
 
From what I see, finals start Monday, December 16th. As a first semester C4C, your son is likely taking five classes. Depending on what those classes are, you son may have a final in all five classes. You can only take two finals per day, and depending on scheduling, five finals will go at least through morning on Wednesday. So right now, knowing nothing, I would recommend you purchase a ticket for NET Thursday.

However, I would also recommend you encourage your son to know something. Put the responsibility on him. He knows his classes, whether he has a final, and he can give a better picture than the one I did.
 
Finals start on Monday, 16 December. The 13th is the last day of class, followed by a weekend meant for studying ("Dean's Weekend").

Finals schedules are out, meaning that your cadet can go on CAMIS and tell you exactly what day and time he'll be finished with his finals. He can even move his finals to different times (if they are offered multiple periods) in order to leave earlier, or to space out his difficult finals. Most 4 degrees will have 4-5 finals. Cadets can take up to 2 finals per day, meaning he'd be able to leave on the 17-18th at the earliest.
 
Falcongirl, a Final's question.

DS's Finals are weighted to a 12% of overall Final Grade. Can you share what the AFA's weighting of Finals are for Classes?

Also, DS was out this past weekend for his Official Visit. Second Visit and more awesome than the one in May which he said was 'ridiculous'. I guess that's a good thing in teen phrasing. He said everyone was so friendly and helpful, and as he was recruited by all the SA's, his pick of the AFA is making him happier each visit. Thanks to all the Cadets and how they handle themselves, it does matter to us all! Best of luck to you after graduation!
 
The weighting of finals is dependent on the department, however when I was there I never took a final worth less than 25% of my grade. Most were right around there, with the notable exception of the philosophy department requiring 40% for one of my core classes in my sophomore year (brutal).
 
The weighting of finals is dependent on the department, however when I was there I never took a final worth less than 25% of my grade. Most were right around there, with the notable exception of the philosophy department requiring 40% for one of my core classes in my sophomore year (brutal).

Agreed, 25 percent is pretty standard but it can be higher. It's not uncommon to be heading into the last week or two of the semester with perhaps 40 percent of the grade yet to be determined (final project/paper/GR + final exam).
 
USAFA10s and buffalo are correct: finals and final projects usually range from 25-40% of your total grade. However, it is possible to "validate" a final in a few departments if your pre-final grade is in the top 5% of the course.
 
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