Plebe Attrition

KPSQRD

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Any idea what the attrition rate is for 2013 is at this point? How many setbacks or disenrollments; voluntary or un; since the class returned from Spring break?
 
I heard from a friend who is a plebe that around 80 kids have been setback. I don't know if this is true or not but that seems like a very high number.

USMMA Appointee 2014
 
on 7/27/09 there were 305 members of the class of 2013
on 3/22/10 there were 265 members of the class of 2013
 
We've been shocked that many of the kids we met at Parents Weekend for 2013 and whom we kept contact with their parents are setbacks. Further still our plebe must have had 10 or so roomates by now. A couple of them have been setback. BUT WHAT IS ATTRITION? I don't think at KP you can look at attrition on a freshman class or annual basis.

The post above says 305 started - 265 are in the class of 2013 now. It does not say 265 of the ORIGINAL 305 remain. Does the 265 number reflect (i think the plebes call them super plebes) that were in the class of 2012 originally and are now back in the class of 2013? Many of them should have returned to campus and taken their place in the class of 2013 by now I would think. Our plebe says many of his setback friends will be back next year in the class of 2014.

So I don't think we should look at overall attrition on a calendar basis. We too were concerned about this when our plebe chose USMMA over USCGA. We have no doubt (as does our plebe) that the correct choice was made.

But when you look at attrition and compare it to the other academies. It is not exactly comparing apples to apples. I don't think other academies do setbacks, or if they do, they are rare indeed. When this class began the talk was that ADM Worley was going to reduce setbacks, but I don't see how you could do this or if it would be right. Our kids are all already the brightest of the brightest. They are taking a course load (arguably 40% or more tougher) than most college students in America (including the other academies on the semester system with 4 years on campus). I think the recognition of this alone is enough to grant an immediate setback for the plebe who has trouble with one or two classes, but is otherwise a fine plebe.

So WHAT IS ATTRITION. We all look at the numbers, but the math for attrition at USMMA is a bit fuzzy, since KP's graduating classes generally consist of original members of that class and some setbacks from the year previous to that class. And then when you look at attrition from the perspective of how many kids start and finish KP, it seems on par with other academies, and it does seem a genuine effort is under way to improve it still.

I had all the hesitations of the parent who started this post a year ago. Our plebe has had to dig deep at times, especially in the academic arena. He is a much different person now than he was in HS. And when I hear about the difficulties faced by these plebes, I quite honestly would have expected our plebe to be flirting with disaster. But a friend of his just yesterday said it best, failure or quiting is not a viable course of action for him. So he has found the mettle he needs to make it. The mettle not readily apparent in him when he left for INDOC in July.
 
The post above says 305 started - 265 are in the class of 2013 now. It does not say 265 of the ORIGINAL 305 remain. Does the 265 number reflect (i think the plebes call them super plebes) that were in the class of 2012 originally and are now back in the class of 2013?

There were 33 setbacks who started with the class of 2013.
 
I think my son’s class of 2005 was probably fairly typical in attrition numbers..

They started with 283 and graduated 185 of the original class (65%). Of the 283 around 24 were setbacks (that later graduated) and 33 setbacks joined his class from previous classes. So of the 283, 209 (74%) eventually ended up graduating.
 
I had all the hesitations of the parent who started this post a year ago. Our plebe has had to dig deep at times, especially in the academic arena. He is a much different person now than he was in HS. And when I hear about the difficulties faced by these plebes, I quite honestly would have expected our plebe to be flirting with disaster. But a friend of his just yesterday said it best, failure or quiting is not a viable course of action for him. So he has found the mettle he needs to make it. The mettle not readily apparent in him when he left for INDOC in July.

VRSCDX: I really can't help but answer from what I've seen I would agree with deepdraft1's post as to what's been typical over the past 10 years. That said relative to the portions of your post I've quoted here, fears and parent's agida aside, aren't you as a parent both proud of your plebe and much more comfortable that upon graduation they will be ready for to be a true leader in whatever they choice, exactly because they are gaining that "mettle"? If so then please also realize this whole process even the part of it that is so challenging and at times frightful is what is compelling them to develop in such a manner.
 
VRSCDX: I really can't help but answer from what I've seen I would agree with deepdraft1's post as to what's been typical over the past 10 years. That said relative to the portions of your post I've quoted here, fears and parent's agida aside, aren't you as a parent both proud of your plebe and much more comfortable that upon graduation they will be ready for to be a true leader in whatever they choice, exactly because they are gaining that "mettle"? If so then please also realize this whole process even the part of it that is so challenging and at times frightful is what is compelling them to develop in such a manner.

Very happy he is getting challenged. Very happy with the program. Would not change a thing. My whole point was simply math and how you can't calculate attrition the same way at KP. Our plebe has risen to new heights given the challenge and we could not be more proud of him that he has done it or any happier with the program that caused it. I can't help but to feel bad about his friends and plebes we've met that are set back. I hope they come back next year and pick up where they left off. I'd be just as proud of them too.
 
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