My daughter is a HS junior and is investigating USCGA. I am thrilled but have questions a concerned mother should ask (I don't even know if this is the correct thread to ask). Could someone please put my mind at rest by answering them? We live in the midwest, how often does the typical student come home and by what means? The academy is tuitiion free, but what kind of money does she really need? I understand this is not the typical college life, do the cadets go out to movies or do anything outside the academy when (if) they get free time? If they get a long weekeend, do they spend it on campus, or spend it with the host family (not the correct term, sorry)? Dd has never been exposed to military (regimented) life. How hard of an adjustment is it for a young lady? We have done quite a lot of research on the academy, watched u-tube videos and are starting to plan a spring trip to New London, what else should we do? How often should we really visit the academy? Thanks for everyone's help, I'm sure I'll have more questions and hope not to become a nuisance. If you have any suggestions on where else to look, please pass it on.
Great questions! You are wise to think so carefully about your daughter's possible path at USCGA.
I have a son, not a daughter, at the academy, so I can't really speak to the "girl" issues, but I will say this....it seems that the girls we know of have made the transition as easily (or as with as much difficulty) as the boys. The type of girl who does well there is pretty much a go-getter who enjoys challenge and more challenge. It's not an easy road for girls or boys, but the corps does tend to bond together very quickly during swab summer and beyond, and your daughter will have 250 new brothers and sisters by the end of R-day.
Our son had zero military experience. None in the immediate family, no friends that had military family, so his choice to pursue CGA was a little bit surprising. He did do a very rigorous sport which required a lot of him, participated in scouts...but that's about it for regimentation. They figure things out pretty quickly, and as long as they are willing to put in the effort, the whole military thing seems to fall into place.
We are on the west coast...and the distance is killer. We see him over Christmas, but not Spring break as his sport takes a week long training trip at that same time. We try to get out for Parent's Weekend (and have made it the last three years!) and then he comes home for three weeks of leave in the summer. That's about it. It's so hard, but so worth it. He has gotten to do and see so many amazing things during his time at CGA. I've learned that when my kid is happy, even if he is 3000 miles away, I am happy. The leave periods at home are truly priceless! We are on the countdown to the holidays right now. For the first time since he has been at CGA, we will spend Thanksgiving together. Only because we are bringing Thanksgiving to him....too short a leave period for the 6000 mile roundtrip journey, so we are packing up the whole family and visiting him in a nearby city.
As for cost of attendance....as you know the students do not pay room/board/tuition, and they are given a set amount of pay each month. The amount begins with a modest 150.00 ish a month, and it increases a bit each year. There have been recent changes in how cadet pay is handled, so I am not sure of the specifics, but at the end of their tenure at CGA, the cadet is receiving much of his 900.00+ a month. The balance not available for personal use is used for books, haircuts, dry cleaning, school expenses. The amount they receive in a month can vary (due to the new pay structure), based on varying school type expenses. Our cadet has never asked for money. We have, however, surprised him on occasion with a little something in his acct. They really do have enough to support their basic needs, plus a little movie/dinner money. It's not lavish, but doable for most cadets.
Visit the academy. Visit again if need be and you can afford it. Try to get in on the Cadet for a Day overnight visit. The cadets are pretty honest about their experiences, and your daughter will get a good idea if the academy is for her.
Good luck. Keep asking questions. We've all (most of us) been in your shoes, and remember how hard it was to fathom sending our child to such an a-typical college. It's been an amazing ride so far....and we can honestly say there have been no regrets on our side, or our cadets.