Will Vocational School Ruin My Chamces?

gokings814 said:
I agree with Pima. It sounds more geared for enlisted recruits.

For USMA you also need AP classes. Voc ed typically will lack that AP level of academic rigor. USMA demands that candidates pursue the most challenging classes available. Will this Voc ed program truly provide this?

edit: As Tug corrected me, I should have stated you also need college preparatory classes
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I think one thing West Point got it right is using SAT/ACT and class rank with the quality of high school, instead of putting emphasis type of classes taken by students for academic evaluation.

I posted before that I don't like AP courses (biased toward affluent/large schools and/or parents with means and at least some colleges are not accepting AP credits at all or for only limited subjects, requiring 4 or 5 scores). There is no standard for what classes can be classified as college prep, other than the high school calling it such.

So with SAT/ACT to provide a benchmark for the candidate's academic foundation, West Point can use the class rank instead of type of classes to make the academic evaluation to limit, not get rid of, certain biases.
 
Oh to answer your question Pima I was involved in sports a lot in JH but not so far in HS.I am in Marching Band and I plan on joining Track this year.Along with basket ball next year.
 
STOP. If they don't have the title "AP" then no one will consider them to be "AP." Just because some class is taught by "college professors" does not make such class advanced - or even worthwhile.

If you want to take dual enrollment courses, that could be another story, especially if taken at a four-year college, not the local CC. (Not putting any onus on CCs, just that the level of instruction is likely to be more rigorous, allowing him to score better on SAT/ACT).

I do have an acquaintance who took criminal justice vo-tech course as part of her high school curriuclum in the Hampton Roads region of VA. While she did commission in the Army, her lack of truly challenging coursework in the sciences and especially math, did hurt her when she applied to USMA.
 
EMMAB said:
I was involved in sports a lot in JH but not so far in HS.I am in Marching Band and I plan on joining Track this year.Along with basket ball next year.
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RED FLAG.

Why did you drop sports? Why are you waiting? While not absolutely necessary, the lack of sports will trigger something akin to an IRS audit: why not? what replaced <sport>? Marching band does not, no matter how much it is debated here, replace daily two hour basketball practice and team building.
 
Yeah I know dropping sports was dumb.And I think the classes are dual credit!I forgot the name for them.
 
I would just like to thank everyone who commented in this to help me.Ive made my decision..Im not going to Vocational school.It wouldn't line up academically with the school Im going to now that provides AP classes.Thanks so much again this would have pretty much ruined my chances if going to USMA.
 
Pima said:
2. Most military members, carry the lowest security clearance of Secret.
~ If not 18, you can't get a clearance.
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I would like to add a caveat here. I live near the NSA at Ft Meade, MD. The NSA has a high school COOP program with local high schools. My DD applied during her junior year to coop during her senior year. As part of the process, she went through a full background investigation (SF-86), and had she been selected, she would have been granted a TS/SCI clearance. So, it is possible, though not common, to receive a clearance at younger than 18.
 
EMMAB, follow your dreams. If you want to aim high you have time to make the most of your academics now. In many instances, (not all) people opt for vocational schools to get away from the very strict structure of high school. Vo-tech often has kids taking classes in the morning and gaining hand on experience in the afternoon. Any academy will put high value on structure, so don't lose sight of that. If you want to get away from the structure, than maybe you will not be a fan of the Academy life. It is more structured than ANY arena. They will tell you when to do everything. You will get up at 5 or 6am, have morning formation, and then begin class at 7. Mandatory study hall and sports/phys Ed EVERY DAY. It sounds like you can handle this. Go for it. Maybe you just need someone to tell you to "Just do it". Vo-tech and ROTC and enlisting can all be plan B. My son has a classmate that enlisted, did 2 tours in Iraq, and then started over at the academy. Where there is a will there is a way.
 
Thanks a lot CC7,I just got through a pretty rough Semester to kick off my Sophomore year.It put a real dent in my transcript.And I was exploring options I guess.Thanks a lot.Im staying at my HS.Theres a lot of opportunities there and I would hate to leave it behind.
 
Stay in High school regardless of a rough semester. Perseverance is a sign of character. Just do it.
 
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