I know a girl here who has a 4.0 and has a 450 on the PFT, but even she is glad she came here. The reason you are here is because there is something for you to improve on. I guess I can't blame the people who see it as a waste because it is a lot of review from high school. Even so, it is nice to have this year to really strengthen some of our foundational skills so that we can be better prepared. I also think it will take a lot of stress off a person for their freshman year because it gives you a military knowledge foundation and helps prepare for the academics.
I think that the prep schools are an important part of the academies. The academies recruit a very specific person. However, the prep schools are where they take priors, athletes, and people who have not had as much of an academic advantage. I have met people from so many walks of life here. It's like it says in mission statement "...to preform successfully and enhance diversity...". We are the ones that bring that extra diversity. So, I think that it is not a waste of money.
Now, I personally am a recruited athlete and I hear this argument all the time. I have had several people tell me that I get a lot perks being an athlete and that I got in only because I was an athlete, which makes me very angry. When we have athletic time every day I am busting my butt for 2 1/2 hours of practice. Non-recruits get to go whenever they want for however long the want and then come back and get a head start on the homework. I also am traveling a lot and missing class which puts me at a disadvantage. However, I am still required to do all the same work at the same time with the same due dates. The argument that I got in because of my sport alone is the one that really gets me. I worked my butt off in High School and without the grades and and test scores I would have even been considered. It takes a special type of person to play athletics at such a high level and with the rigors of a service academy. It's annoying that some people think it's a walk in the park for us. Plus, I committed later in the year when it was too late to get a nomination. So, without the prep school I would have been able to take advantage of this opportunity.
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