How does UNG compare to others?

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CadetFriar

5-Year Member
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Posting this from Oregon and my DS seems very drawn to UNG as an AROTC candidate. He's also looking at Citadel, Norwich, VMI, TAMU as well. The staff at UNG have been very responsive and from a distance, the program looks impressive. I won't deny, the in-state tuition is also very appealing if he is unable to land a scholarship. I suspect he'll fare ok securing a 2-3 yr. scholarship but again, the non-scholarship financial aspect is attractive. I guess here's my question - we plan on having our DS go for an overnight visit or leadership weekend to experience it for himself (as well as other schools in time). My beloved spouse seems to have a slightly "less favorable" opinion of UNG as it is less known in our neck of the woods. Most if not all have heard of the Citadel, VMI, TAMU as you can understand. This is not a negative on UNG so please do not take it that way. What I am really looking for is any candid feedback on the cadet program at UNG and what the reality is when compared to the other SMC's. If this is addressed on a different thread, please point me in that direction. FYI - my DS is 3.5GPA (honors), 1200 SAT (math/ CR), 3yrs JROTC, 3 letter varsity sport, class officer, significant community service. Appreciate it and thanks all.
 
If can definitely tell you some positives of UNG:

Only Army cadets, don't have to compete with other services

Summer Language institute and Chinese flagship program

Civilian AND military students

UNG is great and I don't think there's much you could say bad about it, besides that it's less well known than the other SMC's. I've heard from posters on here that getting contracted into AROTC is very competitive there, so that could be a negative. Dahlonega is an awesome town from what I've heard. I personally chose VMI because I've visited Lexington and really felt at home there. I'm sure other posters can help you out a lot more but.... What's most important to you in the school?
 
I would recommend trying to get your DS into the upcoming National Leadership Challenge Weekend (NLC). I think it is in April. Our DS loved it. Echoing S&H's comments, Dahlonega is a great town, the Mountain Course for Ranger School is a couple of miles away (10th Mtn, I think), and UNG also has summer language courses (for those who are so inclined). I think there are a lot of opportunities available there as a SMC. The Corps of Cadets comprises about 800 students.
 
Couldn't agree more. We're going to have him attend the NLC and possibly the FLSA. In terms of quality of education and ROTC experience, is UNG "on par" with some of the other SMC's acknowledging that there are some apparent differences given the civilian component, and the single branch offering (at UNG)?
 
Also..he has pretty strong qualifications in terms of GPA, SAT's, physical fitness. All being equal, is UNG comparable in terms of commission rates too? Thanks!
 
Texas A&M and Virginia Tech are both SMCs with civilian students like UNG. I wouldn't think UNG academics are on par with TAMU and VT in terms of programs like engineering, but I would think they would have to be decent academically to keep their SMC status.

If I were you, I would try to visit every SMC and see what the best fit is. Considering he's applied for it, his stats look pretty competitive for an AROTC scholarship, so that will factor into your decision as well (what school he gets it to). If he doesn't get a scholarship, UNG is the cheapest option, and if he is okay with commissioning in the Guard, UNG and the Georgia NG have some good scholarship opportunities.
 
I am no expert, and I didn’t attend any of these schools. That said, as Bruno has pointed out, with respect to receiving an active duty Army commission, it depends on the recommendation of the professor of military science. */ FN 1. No one school is right for everyone. Once of the things that is great about this site is that for the most part everyone respects all of the schools, and the outstanding young men and women who are attending them. Best wishes to you and yours.

*/ FN 1:
(e) Assignment to active duty.--(1) The Secretary of the Army shall ensure that a graduate of a senior military college who desires to serve as a commissioned officer on active duty upon graduation from the college, who is medically and physically qualified for active duty, and who is recommended for such duty by the professor of military science at the college, shall be assigned to active duty.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Secretary of the Army from requiring a member of the program who graduates from a senior military college to serve on active duty.

(f) Senior military colleges.--The senior military colleges are the following:
(1) Texas A & M University.
(2) Norwich University.
(3) The Virginia Military Institute.
(4) The Citadel.
(5) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
(6) North Georgia College and State University

10 U.S.C. § 2111a
 
FYI, the FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included an administrative change to Title X of the US Code that replaces the name “North Georgia College & State University” with “The University of North Georgia” as one of six Senior Military Colleges in America.

It was signed into law Dec. 26. Here's the newly revised section:

SEC. 583. REVISION OF SPECIFIED SENIOR MILITARY COLLEGES TO REFLECT CONSOLIDATION OF NORTH GEORGIA COLLEGE AND STATE UNIVERSITY AND GAINESVILLE STATE COLLEGE.

Paragraph (6) of section 2111a(f) of title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(6) The University of North Georgia.’’

DS is a freshman there. But I will agree: a weekend spent at National Leadership Challenge, with your DS asking lots of questions of cadets, will probably tell him whether or not UNG is right for him.

My son is getting an intense SMC experience there, without a doubt.

I was in your shoes exactly one year ago, with those same "but those are brand name schools and I've never heard of this place" qualms (and the same great experience with Cadet Admissions) and I can say now that I'm 100% certain my son would tell you he made the right choice for him. Feel free to PM me.
 
a lot depends on what kind of experience he wants, some like the idea of being a cadet at a civilian university, others enjoy the all military aspect of VMI and The Citadel. Another big consideration is the commissioning opportunities, The Citadel and VMI have considerably more slots thus a better chance at landing a scholarship or contract.
 
bob80q said:
Another big consideration is the commissioning opportunities, The Citadel and VMI have considerably more slots thus a better chance at landing a scholarship or contract.
Click to expand...

What does this mean? More slots than what? If you are accepted into the Corps of Cadets at UNG, and are a squared away cadet in good standing who wants to commission, chances are good that you will commission. Scholarships are highly competitive though.
 
UNG Parent

CadetFriar said:
Posting this from Oregon and my DS seems very drawn to UNG as an AROTC candidate. He's also looking at Citadel, Norwich, VMI, TAMU as well. The staff at UNG have been very responsive and from a distance, the program looks impressive. I won't deny, the in-state tuition is also very appealing if he is unable to land a scholarship. I suspect he'll fare ok securing a 2-3 yr. scholarship but again, the non-scholarship financial aspect is attractive. I guess here's my question - we plan on having our DS go for an overnight visit or leadership weekend to experience it for himself (as well as other schools in time). My beloved spouse seems to have a slightly "less favorable" opinion of UNG as it is less known in our neck of the woods. Most if not all have heard of the Citadel, VMI, TAMU as you can understand. This is not a negative on UNG so please do not take it that way. What I am really looking for is any candid feedback on the cadet program at UNG and what the reality is when compared to the other SMC's. If this is addressed on a different thread, please point me in that direction. FYI - my DS is 3.5GPA (honors), 1200 SAT (math/ CR), 3yrs JROTC, 3 letter varsity sport, class officer, significant community service. Appreciate it and thanks all.
Click to expand...

My son is a soph at UNG. He was accepted to all of the SMC's. He visited most all of them. He was actually recruited to wrestle at VMI and the Citadel. However, after he visited UNG he made them his #1 choice and said it has surpassed all of his expectations. Good luck.
 
bob80q said:
a lot depends on what kind of experience he wants, some like the idea of being a cadet at a civilian university, others enjoy the all military aspect of VMI and The Citadel. Another big consideration is the commissioning opportunities, The Citadel and VMI have considerably more slots thus a better chance at landing a scholarship or contract.
Click to expand...

One slight correction here: The only school with an "all-military aspect" is VMI. Very much like Norwich, Va tech, Texas a&m, UNG, the citadel also has civilians (along with graduate/certificate night/day and online programs) and as a cadet you will be able to interact within a military/civilian atmosphere there as well. You can also stay on and get a masters degree or do an on-line degree from citadel, norwich, etc. That said, I agree--the choices are many and it boils down to what fits best for you. Also, I believe Texas A&M and VA Tech have a large number of commissioning/scholarship opportunities as well...
 
as is his usual dishonest practice NAS conveniently does not mention that the civilians take classes at night and do not interact with cadets, other than a small number of veterans who are mostly former cadets called to active duty cadets do not take classes with civilians and do not live with them in the barracks; not even close to being TAMU, Norwich or VaTech.
 
regarding the question by pay it forward, commissioning slots are based on the size of the detachment so The Citadel commissions more Army Officers than any college because they have the largest AROTC program in the country
(1300+). This past year The Citadel commissioned 103 Army vs 74 for Norwich; The Citadel typically been the top producer of Army, Navy and Marine Corps officers, numbers vary for the Air Force.
 
I'm a smack (sophomore) at The Citadel and I've only ever shared a class with 2 civilian students, and haven't seen many more than that. All civilian students I met were reservists who once attended as cadets but were deployed as a part of OIF/OEF, etc.
 
bob80q said:
regarding the question by pay it forward, commissioning slots are based on the size of the detachment so The Citadel commissions more Army Officers than any college because they have the largest AROTC program in the country
(1300+). This past year The Citadel commissioned 103 Army vs 74 for Norwich; The Citadel typically been the top producer of Army, Navy and Marine Corps officers, numbers vary for the Air Force.
Click to expand...

Having a larger Corps does not increase your chances of "getting" a commission.

If you enter UNG with the intent to earn a commission, and you do what you're supposed to do to earn it, you will earn one. It's not as if there is a certain number of commissions the PMS has available to give out. Excellent PT scores+ excellent grades+excellent leadership=PMS recommendation=commission. Doesn't matter which SMC you go to.
 
afraid you are misinformed, all college ROTC detachments do indeed have a set number of slots for commissioning each year. Otherwise it would not be possible to manage the number of accessions each year, suggest you check with the PMS to verify this fact.
 
bob80q said:
afraid you are misinformed, all college ROTC detachments do indeed have a set number of slots for commissioning each year. Otherwise it would not be possible to manage the number of accessions each year, suggest you check with the PMS to verify this fact.
Click to expand...

Army ROTC cadets at Senior Military Colleges are guaranteed active duty commissions:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/2111a

(e) Assignment to Active Duty.—
(1) The Secretary of the Army shall ensure that a graduate of a senior military college who desires to serve as a commissioned officer on active duty upon graduation from the college, who is medically and physically qualified for active duty, and who is recommended for such duty by the professor of military science at the college, shall be assigned to active duty.
Click to expand...

No particular school has a set number of "slots" to give out. If the PMS at your school recommends you for active duty, and your place on the OML is above the cut-off line for the number of NATIONALLY AVAILABLE active duty slots, you will earn a commission. It is not dependent on a number of slots assigned to each SMC.
 
payitforward said:
Army ROTC cadets at Senior Military Colleges are guaranteed active duty commissions:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/2111a



No particular school has a set number of "slots" to give out. If the PMS at your school recommends you for active duty, and your place on the OML is above the cut-off line for the number of NATIONALLY AVAILABLE active duty slots, you will earn a commission. It is not dependent on a number of slots assigned to each SMC.
Click to expand...

At an SMC, you don't even need to be above the AD cutoff for Active Duty as long as you have the PMS's approval.
 
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