Military College Next Year?

[Bradley]

If I attend community college this year, will I be able to enter a military college as a freshman next year?

 

[SF49ers]

Yes, you can apply as a transfer student. I don't know about the maritime academies, but for SMC's everyone must complete a year in the fourth class system. If your credits transfer, then after the first year you may be considered an academic junior.

 

[LongGreyLine Hopeful]

This is exactly what I'm going through right now. I finished my first year of college from a CC last year and am currently in the process of matriculating into VMI come this Fall. Just keep your GPA anywhere between 3.0 - and above and you should be alright. I was told a 2.8 is the lowest in which they will take you seriously. If you're transferring just focus on your GPA and your EC's and should be solid. Good luck man.

 

[Fuji]

Bradley,

I get a lot of transfer applicants each year. In fact - our highest ranking cadet this year - and his executive officer - were both transfer applicants.

I highly recommend having direct contact with our office - and the admission offices of the other military/maritime academies you are considering - so we can guide you to be the strongest applicant possible.

I wish you well,

Fuji

Roy "Fuji" Fulgueras
Director of Admissions
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Fuji@maritime.edu
1-800-544-3411
FAX 508-830-5077
http://www.maritime.edu
http://twitter.com/MMAAdmissions

 

[RahVaMil2009]

I was told a 2.8 is the lowest in which they will take you seriously.

For VMI, admissions taking a 2.8 GPA seriously is pretty lenient. I trust that your source was reliable, though... if it was a member of the admissions staff, clearly they would know better than I would.

Treat community college like it's your job. It's basically a practice run for college-level work. If you can't excel at a community college in a relaxed setting (many of my classmates came to our 11:15 class at a commuter campus in their PJs when I went to community college before VMI), why on earth would they waste their time and resources by bringing you into a considerably more intense and strenuous academic setting?

I went from a 3.9 high school GPA and a 3.76 college GPA when I matriculated at VMI to graduating with a 3.299 cumulative GPA. Time management at a military school is unlike anything else you will ever experience. The folks in admissions aren't just looking for numbers; they're looking to see if you have the drive, dedication and basic time management skills to succeed. That's why there's so much emphasis on athletics and other extra curriculars on top of a strong academic record. Retention is more important than recruiting.

But then again, looks like for the 34 transfer students in the Class of 2012, the average transfer GPA was 3.13. I would recommend striving to be well above average. Many of them were working full-time, taking ROTC or participating actively in campus clubs, athletics and other organizations while at their other schools.

All that said, one of the benefits of choosing a SMC over one of the service academies is credit transferability. It's nice to have the option of getting some of the harder (or dumber ) classes out of the way before matriculating. It's also nice to have the option of graduating early, double majoring or picking up an extra minor.

For those who are wondering what possibilities there are as a transfer student to a SMC, this year's First Captain at VMI, Cadet Karsten Bloomstrom '10, transferred to VMI from Liberty University after his freshman year there.