Citadel question

First off, Full Metal Bulldog what company are you in?

DISCLAIMER: Anything posted hereafter is not intended to be rude or disrespectful towards the OP. However, it is intended to make the OP think and consider his point of view.

Jct95, first thing is first, we need to address your reason for wanting to attend El Cid. If it is simply so you can get a commission, then you may need to reconsider The Citadel as it is only one of many schools in which you can accomplish the goal.

If your reason for attending is to undertake a unique physical and mental challenge while creating a strong sense of unity with your classmates then your good to go.
You see, if your only looking at what the The Citadel can do for you from a career perspective, once you get here you will be in for a rude awakening. The early mornings, swore muscles, sleep deprivation and constant harassment will not be worth it when you would be able to achieve the same goal at another school. Does that make sense? It is okay to have goals like getting a commission or receiving a tough engineering degree or getting into a good masters program and using The Citadel as a means to do so. I mean, I did that and now I'm contracted with the Air Force. But if your taking The Citadel route just to achieve that specific goal, then in the end you could have spent your time and money and saved your mental stability at a different college.:thumb:

Secondly, I don't believe Full Metal Bulldog has addressed this at all so I will. Regarding the academies, yes, some do transfer to them however, not many. From my perspective, using El Cid as a stepping stone in order to get to an academy is not a good idea. First, like Full metal Bulldog said, it isn't worth it to go through knob year and then having to do another four years at the academy. Secondly, your purely using The Citadel as a vehicle to get to somewhere else. Thus, your not really investing yourself into the school and in a way stabbing it in the back. In my opinion, if the academy is your goal, then attend a normal school, and take classes that will transfer easily. This way you save yourself from the turmoil of knob year and you get to experience real college for a little bit. Then, apply for the academy. The academies are great and probably have better facilities than El Cid, but IMO there is nothing more physically, mental and emotionally challenging your knob year

Now, regarding The Citadel degree. Here is where I somewhat disagree with Full Metal Bulldog. A Citadel agree looks good from a civilian experience, especially in S.C. However, from a military perspective it really doesn't matter. It matters how much you bust your butt, whether or not you care for your men and how fast you get up once your knocked down. Your character is more important than the college you attended.

Let me know if you have more questions and good luck in whatever you choose.

Kewebbjr, congrats on your decision. You're in for a ride of your life. Start getting in shape now.
 
BTW, Full Metal Bulldog, reading back over the posts, You may not want to tell too much. I mean, it is important for these future knobbies to get to experience the food and the other amenities without any bias. You never know, they may end up liking it.:yllol:
 
Well, for the sake of security and possibly slight paranoia, I won't state my company just yet, but I will say I'm in 5th Battalion. Glorious Stevens Barracks, best Water and plumbing in the Corps!!!!

In order not to be repetitive, I agree 100% with eagleman, especially in regards to the transferring to an SMC question (honestly I was afraid my response would turn much too didactic....); future knobs: read his wise words.

Eagleman: I did make the "it really doesn't matter how you were commissioned, what matters is being a good O-1" speech earlier in the thread. My secondary remark really meant: "well, it doesn't look BAD"....

Perhaps, to the OP, this question should be asked: why does a prestigous diploma on your wall or ring on your finger matter to you so much if your desired career is to be the Virgil to lead your men through Inferno?
 
Perhaps, to the OP, this question should be asked: why does a prestigous diploma on your wall or ring on your finger matter to you so much if your desired career is to be the Virgil to lead your men through Inferno?

Someone has spent too much time reading the classics. :biggrin:
 
Hey guys, don't mean to bump an old thread but by chance do any recent grads or current cadets know how many people received SpecWar billets this past year? Thanks.
 
None I believe.

Most got SWO and there were a couple pilots/NFO's and submariners.

But I am AROTC, so not the best source in the world.
 
Not sure but I know of at least one who put SEALS as his first choice, he got submarines.

He told me it was because he was a dual tech major that the Navy selected him for that.
 
Not sure but I know of at least one who put SEALS as his first choice, he got submarines.

He told me it was because he was a dual tech major that the Navy selected him for that.

That sucks, I wish him the best. By chance do you know what the stats were for the year prior? Thanks again bulldog.
 
jct- I really think that you are missing the point of the Citadel if you are so focused on SEALS. If you want to summarize: if are really good and the Navy thinks so as well- you can get selected for NSW. But if that's all you care about then maybe you ought to just enlist because that is the only sure fire way of getting to BUDS- which of course doesn't guarantee that you will succeed in getting past hell week anyway once in Coronado.

Otherwise- you need to focus on the school itself. What you will get from going to the Citadel is far more than a launching pad for a career aspiration that you might have at 18 years old and might not at 21- you will get a first class education at a first rate small college, with small class sizes where you won't get lost in the shuffle. You will learn real camaraderie and make the closest friends of your life as you learn to deal with physical, mental and time challenges. You will learn the personal pride that comes from slogging thru hard situations and succeeding. Finally- you will learn the value of honor and absolute personal honesty and integrity- ALL of which are precious commodities not found very often any more where the world has embraced a situational definition of integrity.
So while it's good that you want to be a SEAL- THAT's NOT what you should be thinking about as the primary reason for going to an SMC. You aren't enlisting when you go to an SMC- you are going to a hard college in a hard environment- you should be asking about academics there, about life there, about the challenges there, because you have a long long way between matriculation and worrying about service selection and if you don't succeed academically- you won't be there to worry about that selection.
 
jct- I really think that you are missing the point of the Citadel if you are so focused on SEALS. If you want to summarize: if are really good and the Navy thinks so as well- you can get selected for NSW. But if that's all you care about then maybe you ought to just enlist because that is the only sure fire way of getting to BUDS- which of course doesn't guarantee that you will succeed in getting past hell week anyway once in Coronado.

Otherwise- you need to focus on the school itself. What you will get from going to the Citadel is far more than a launching pad for a career aspiration that you might have at 18 years old and might not at 21- you will get a first class education at a first rate small college, with small class sizes where you won't get lost in the shuffle. You will learn real camaraderie and make the closest friends of your life as you learn to deal with physical, mental and time challenges. You will learn the personal pride that comes from slogging thru hard situations and succeeding. Finally- you will learn the value of honor and absolute personal honesty and integrity- ALL of which are precious commodities not found very often any more where the world has embraced a situational definition of integrity.
So while it's good that you want to be a SEAL- THAT's NOT what you should be thinking about as the primary reason for going to an SMC. You aren't enlisting when you go to an SMC- you are going to a hard college in a hard environment- you should be asking about academics there, about life there, about the challenges there, because you have a long long way between matriculation and worrying about service selection and if you don't succeed academically- you won't be there to worry about that selection.

I understand, and I apologize if I'm offending you - needless to say, El Cid is a great school with a great reputation. Have a good one. - jct95
 
jct95, adding on to what Bruno said, if SEALs is the goal then enlisting may be the better option.

I am in no way acting as if I am an expert on SEAL stuff but from what I have heard, it is actually easier to make it through BUD/S as enlisted because not only do the officer SEAL candidates have to worry about the mental and physical aspects, but they are graded on their leadership abilities too. They are the ones who take the blame when they do not accomplish a certain task efficiently enough.

However, if leadership is your goal then the officer route is obviously the way to go.

On a side note, have you tried contacting the Navy Department at The Citadel? They can answer your questions about the stats on who got SEAL slots.
 
JCT95,

I admire that your goal is to become a Navy Special Warfare Operator (NSFW). That is outstanding and it is a hard road to follow and even harder road to break through.

Is the Citadel an outstanding school for preparing SEAL officers? No! Because there are no institutions that are geared towards preparing special warfare operators. That is the purpose of BUD/S, Ranger School, SFAS, PJ School etc.

Will the Citadel prepare you to become a Special Warfare officer? Sure. It will give you a dose of mental toughness, time management, a sizable amount of PT, and mentors who can prepare you to reach your goals; however, so will VMI and Norwich. If there is one piece of advice that I can depart to you, I hope you understand that 99% of your future success is solely dependent on you, not your institution or where you are from. If that is in your heart and you are willing to give up all-then push for it.

Lets talk about SEAL Prep at The Citadel:
The Citadel has a PRE-SEAL unit and swimming pool set to standards of NSW communities.
PT is everyday! (unlike other branches which are every other day)
Not all individuals in The PRE-SEAL unit become SEAL Officers. The road is arduous your academics, PT, leadership and Rec's need to be at the top! The last cadet candidate for BUD/S was in the class of 2010. He had 3.8+GPA in Engineering, Max PT Scores, and was a Battalion Commander. An individual several years ago who received a BUD/S slot and eventually became a SEAL officer was The Regimental Commander of The Corps. Nonetheless, the current commander of SEAL Team 8 is a grad.

If I remember, NROTC has only 14-20 slots nationwide. If you want to be SEAL Officer than you better be better than damn good. I know many cadets have this aspiration that they want to be SEAL Officers until they realize two years in that the amount of hard work it takes just to be qualified is too difficult. Grades are the biggest issue. These are the guys that apply for NSW and end up getting SWO.... The Citadel does not produce a BUD/S candidate every year- more like every couple of years and its usually only one because of the cutthroat competition.

If your heart is set on becoming a SEAL officer there are two paths: Navy OCS or The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Unlike NROTC, OCS gives you the opportunity to apply directly for the designator of your choice instead of being placed in a pool of designators and being forced into a community. So if you want to be a SEAL you apply directly to The SEAL communities and if you are accepted, you proceed through 12 weeks of OCS and then off to BUD/S. IF you don't get accepted-no one is going to force you to go SWO, Supply, or whatever-you can kick it back in civi life or reapply. You apply to Navy OCS your senior year of college.

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) offers Pre-BUD/S training programs and start early. USNA gets first choice of slots for The Navy because it is the Navy's first commissioning source. I think USNA has the same the amount of slots as NROTC; however, you are competing against other Midshipman instead of the nation. Midshipman who participate in Pre-BUD/S are screened prior to selection and their performance and interviews determine their ultimate selection into the community. I believe there are also more SEAL personnel on campus (not sure if its full time job).

Hope this helps. I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate so feel free to call me out on all of this. If you have any questions about Cit grads and MBA hit me a message.

My awareness of most cadets is that they usually go enlisted for BUD/S.
 
More of a bump than anything, but someone mentioned earlier that there are several former SOF operators on campus, is that true? If I remember correctly, Brad Taylor (ret. Delta Operator) had taught at El Cid for a while.
 
More of a bump than anything, but someone mentioned earlier that there are several former SOF operators on campus, is that true? If I remember correctly, Brad Taylor (ret. Delta Operator) had taught at El Cid for a while.

Who cares? I think you need to re-adjust your priorities. You better worry about getting through knob year before you worry about anything else.
 
FMB, I second Eagleman. Quit while you are already behind the eight ball. Went to school with Mercado, I will find you and FYU.
 
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