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Texas am
- Thread starter cileno
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2008
- Messages
- 189
Wow, this is a loaded question. I will try to answer from my perspective in as honest and non-pc a way as possible.
Let me preface this by saying, I am an Aggie, I am a woman, I served as an officer in the Navy for four years (though commissioned through OCS and not ROTC), and my son is a current cadet at A&M and I dearly love the school. So it is from this knowledge that I base my answer.
Being a cadet in the Corps at A&M is tough for anyone, male or female, their freshman year. My son said that the woman get yelled at and "smoked" just as much as the men. However, there is a difference in intensity of PT (physical training) between the all-male outfits and integrated outfits. The outfits that have woman just can't do as intense a level of training as the all-male outfits can. Sure there are some woman that are stronger and faster than some men, but, on average, the men are physically capable of more. Some guys resent that. And some guys feel that being in the military is a very masculine pursuit and don't feel that woman belong in that environment. They are okay with woman in support roles, but don't believe they belong in combat arms. I am not trying to start a debate on women's equality, just stating a fact of life.
Woman are treated fine in the Corps. No discrimination is tolerated by the leadership. But, just know that those feelings do exist. The Corps requires all females in its ranks to take a special course on being a female in the Corps of Cadets at A&M to deal with those ideas I stated above.
Work hard, don't ask for special treatment, and you will be granted respect by most everyone else in the organization. There will always be people in every group that have different opinions about whether you should be there no matter how you perform, so expect that, too. If you go in with your eyes wide open and a little thicker skin, you will do fine, make strong friendships and have the pride of knowing you succeeded in a venture many others, male or female, are not capable of doing.
Let me preface this by saying, I am an Aggie, I am a woman, I served as an officer in the Navy for four years (though commissioned through OCS and not ROTC), and my son is a current cadet at A&M and I dearly love the school. So it is from this knowledge that I base my answer.
Being a cadet in the Corps at A&M is tough for anyone, male or female, their freshman year. My son said that the woman get yelled at and "smoked" just as much as the men. However, there is a difference in intensity of PT (physical training) between the all-male outfits and integrated outfits. The outfits that have woman just can't do as intense a level of training as the all-male outfits can. Sure there are some woman that are stronger and faster than some men, but, on average, the men are physically capable of more. Some guys resent that. And some guys feel that being in the military is a very masculine pursuit and don't feel that woman belong in that environment. They are okay with woman in support roles, but don't believe they belong in combat arms. I am not trying to start a debate on women's equality, just stating a fact of life.
Woman are treated fine in the Corps. No discrimination is tolerated by the leadership. But, just know that those feelings do exist. The Corps requires all females in its ranks to take a special course on being a female in the Corps of Cadets at A&M to deal with those ideas I stated above.
Work hard, don't ask for special treatment, and you will be granted respect by most everyone else in the organization. There will always be people in every group that have different opinions about whether you should be there no matter how you perform, so expect that, too. If you go in with your eyes wide open and a little thicker skin, you will do fine, make strong friendships and have the pride of knowing you succeeded in a venture many others, male or female, are not capable of doing.
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