Is anyone else going? My husband and son will fly in Wednesday and stay through Saturday. Any advice or recommendations on things they should do or places they should visit while there? Due to our location this will probably be the only visit before school next fall. Thanks in advance!
Citadel Pre-Knob Visit 7-8 Nov.
- Thread starter meh126
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There is so much to see and do in Charleston its hard to know where to start. Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, The Hunley and Patriots Point come to mind for military history. The entire downtown area is a historic district and includes the Market. Great food everywhere including downtown and Shem Creek on the other side of the Cooper River. I would check out the Charleston Visitor's center at 375 Meeting Street when they get there. They have a ton of information and you can sign up for tours there. (Their web site is www.charlestoncvb.com)
Oh my word, they loved it! Both of my "boys" (hubby and son!) are not very emotional, they are super even-keeled and not excitable in the least...well, they were wowed. My husband confided last night that he can't picture our DS anywhere else. The upperclassmen he met were so impressive and squared away, he believes this is the environment our son belongs in. Our DS is trying to keep his enthusiasm in check, however, as finances will unfortunately dictate where he will end up. He has been accepted to Norwich and UNG as well and will be visiting them too, so we shall see. (Somehow my hubby got to visit SC in November and I'm getting VT in January??? So not fair 
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Thanks for asking!
)Thanks for asking!
payitforward
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Oh my word, they loved it! Both of my "boys" (hubby and son!) are not very emotional, they are super even-keeled and not excitable in the least...well, they were wowed. My husband confided last night that he can't picture our DS anywhere else. The upperclassmen he met were so impressive and squared away, he believes this is the environment our son belongs in. Our DS is trying to keep his enthusiasm in check, however, as finances will unfortunately dictate where he will end up. He has been accepted to Norwich and UNG as well and will be visiting them too, so we shall see. (Somehow my hubby got to visit SC in November and I'm getting VT in January??? So not fair
Thanks for asking!
Glad they had a good visit! My mom lived in Charleston for many, many years and I have many relatives who live there. What a lovely city! My son-in-law is a Citadel grad, and DS is a cadet at UNG, so if you have any questions, especially about UNG, feel free to ask. Has your son decided what he wants to study? My son decided on UNG because Citadel didn't offer his major. Is your son planning to commission? What branch?
I'm excited for DS to visit UNG, just waiting for them to post their spring overnight schedule. Their leadership weekend sounds great too and clearly gives a good representation of the physical demands required, but I'm wondering if the overnight would be better for deciding if the school atmosphere is what he's looking for...if that makes sense?! DS wants to major in Criminal Justice and plans on commissioning into the Army.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure she was referring to Vermont not Virginia Tech! But, I'm visiting VMI in a few weeks and I'm pumped!
payitforward
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If you can only make one trip to UNG, and your son is planning to commission into the Army with a CJ major, here's what I suggest: go to NLC weekend to get more of a life-of-a-cadet experience. But plan your trip so that you get to campus EARLY Friday morning, by 9 am.
Arrange ahead of time with cadet admissions for your son to meet with an academic advisor, a dean, a professor and/or an advanced-level student (junior or senior) in the CJ department. They can set up meetings for him throughout the day -- for example, you and he can do the regular admissions stuff at 9, then meet with a department head at 10, then meet one-on-one with a student at 11, going to a class with him as a guest, and then maybe the cadet, your son, and you can have lunch together and talk some real talk, then in the early afternoon, you would go on the campus tour with your son, then you'd drop him off at NLC weekend.
Since he'll be in the first round of students there, he'll get to go do some cool stuff that the later-arrivals don't get to do, like rappel off the Colombo wall or go on a hike, or go hang out in the dorms, or maybe a game of ultimate frisbee. And since he would already know some of the NLC leaders because of this, the entire weekend will be that much more personal for your son.
I can't guarantee that you'll be able to make all these special arrangements -- it will take some work on your part -- but I fully recommend NLC weekend over the overnight on-campus event since your son plans to commission. Of course, it would be best if you could do both, but if you have to choose one, choose NLC, with some extra stuff added.
Bonus of NLC weekend is that usually the military speciality groups do a demonstration on Friday night. It's intense, and parents are invited to attend. DON'T MISS THIS, if your son ends up going to NLC!
I know several CJ majors and could probably hook your son up with one to talk to over FB if you're interested.
Payitforward- great information, I'm so appreciative! I will make sure to start working on the details for April. We are in the PNW so definitely only one trip possible before school. I really am so thankful for parents like you who are willing to pass on such valuable info. It's such a crazy, exciting, and bittersweet time all rolled into one. On one hand I want it settled, all the financial details ironed out, school chosen, etc. and on the other I want to savor every moment that he has left of senior year...it's a weird dichotomy