Virginia Military Institute Women's Questions

Hi, I'm a girl trying to see the best possible way to get into VMI. I also have several questions. First off, here's a general background:


home schooled, graduated '09 GPA low (3.15, haven't taken SAT yet, but practice tests are promising)
20 years old (Taking a year out of school to complete an EMT course)
Was a Certified Nurse's Aid for two years during high school
Will be an EMT with the finish of the course in less than a week.
Haven't done sports, but very athletic


Plan:
Work as for at least one year, (neither I or my family can pay for VMI)
Krav Maga training to begin next year, for as long as possible.


Questions:
1. As a girl, can I get into VMI using the physical fitness test for the guy's standards, or will they not let me? (I don't want to go to the college without being strong enough to deserve it)
2. Does the background posted look promising?
3. Will the guys respect me? (I want an honest opinion, from a guy who's gone through/or is going through VMI)
4. Also, I don't want a commission, because I plan to go into Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and I can only make arrests if I'm a civilian agent. I've heard that in ROTC, there is extra training for those who are commissioned. Will they make an exception, if I tell them that I would like extra training because I will be an agent in AFOSI? Or am I just nutsy?

Thanks for your time.
-Ana

AnaEMS said:

Hi, I'm a girl trying to see the best possible way to get into VMI. I also have several questions. First off, here's a general background:

home schooled, graduated '09 GPA low (3.15, haven't taken SAT yet, but practice tests are promising)
20 years old (Taking a year out of school to complete an EMT course)
Was a Certified Nurse's Aid for two years during high school
Will be an EMT with the finish of the course in less than a week.
Haven't done sports, but very athletic

Plan:
Work as for at least one year, (neither I or my family can pay for VMI)
Krav Maga training to begin next year, for as long as possible.


Questions:
1. As a girl, can I get into VMI using the physical fitness test for the guy's standards, or will they not let me? (I don't want to go to the college without being strong enough to deserve it)
2. Does the background posted look promising?
3. Will the guys respect me? (I want an honest opinion, from a guy who's gone through/or is going through VMI)
4. Also, I don't want a commission, because I plan to go into Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and I can only make arrests if I'm a civilian agent. I've heard that in ROTC, there is extra training for those who are commissioned. Will they make an exception, if I tell them that I would like extra training because I will be an agent in AFOSI? Or am I just nutsy?

Thanks for your time.
-Ana

Click to expand...

Ana- your background looks ok- GPa is a little lower than they would like but you don't appear to have been a bottom feeder . You will really want to do well on SATs though as you are slightly below the avg incoming Cadet (I believe that 3.43 is avg for this years entering class.) There are some good practice tests out there that should prepare you to do well on the SAT.

The "guys" and for that matter the women too- will respect or not respect you based on how you perform- not which latrine you will be using. The VFT is gender normed but your daily PT and the expectations of you are not. You'll be respected if you give it your all, don't repeatedly fall out of runs or sweat parties or show up on the "gim" (the sick list) everytime there is a physical activity. (That's true if a Cadet is male or female.) Women have been integrated pretty well into the Corps at this point- it's been 10 years since the first Women graduated and it wouldn't surprise me if the Regimental Cdr next year is a female.

You sound pretty well grounded, your EMT certainly is an indicator that you can think and function under pressure. You have to take ROTC- but you will not have to commission if you so choose. I'm not sure what extra training you are looking for - if you don't sign a contract you won't be eligible for summer training or any non-VMI military schools if that's what you are asking.

For a more relevant perspective on this- RahVirginiaMil is a female 2009 graduate- hopefully she will pop in and give her much more recent perspective.

Thank you for your detailed reply, and I look forward to seeing what RahVirginiaMil has to say.

Can't really say without an SAT score. you'd probably want at least a 1200 considering their mean SAT is 1140 and mean GPA is 3.4 (Probably weighted)

Questions.
1. You don't need to pass a physical fitness test to get in. Even when you're here you don't have to pass it. If you do as well as the guys, sweet!
2. You seem well rounded enough but take the SAT.
3. My honest opinion is there are lots of people here who try to eek by. some are girls, some are boys. Honestly, you put out, give a 100% and no one can say a thing to you- you're doing your best. Then there are always guys who don't respect girls just because they are girls at a military school (who do they think they are?!?!) and have it so0o0o0o much easier.. (sarcasm- it sucks for everyone)
4. Not too sure. They are some extra things you can do without commissioning like Civil air patrol. But for example you can't go to field training unless you plan on commissioning . .

I have another questions, by the way, thank you for answering as well, Turkish Runner.

My next question is this:

I'm not a resident of VA, but am planning on becoming one by living there for 3-4 months. When I apply, should I state that I'm a resident just because I will be one by matriculation, or can I not do that?

AnaEMS said:

I have another questions, by the way, thank you for answering as well, Turkish Runner.

My next question is this:

I'm not a resident of VA, but am planning on becoming one by living there for 3-4 months. When I apply, should I state that I'm a resident just because I will be one by matriculation, or can I not do that?

Click to expand...

Ana- I think this would be a question that you should direct to the Admissions office. I don't know what constitutes residency in Virginia- they will know the answer and this is definitely worth a lot of money so you want the most accurate answer. (There is a big cost difference between In and Out of State Tuition!)I don't think that 3-4 months of residency will be enough to be considered a Virginia Resident and pay in-state tuition. While I'm sure the definition is on the web site- I can't immediately find it- but I'm pretty sure that the admissions office will have this readily available.

AnaEMS said:

Will the guys respect me? (I want an honest opinion, from a guy who's gone through/or is going through VMI)

Thanks for your time.
-Ana

Click to expand...

I'm glad to see Turkish's response that gender is less of an issue than it was in years past. I would definitely advise you to listen to the more recent grads and current cadets here (RVM being very helpful). Coeducation at VMI is a much more recent event than at the SAs, so it's best to talk to those who have been able to experience it all four years. It makes me proud to see the Institute handling this as well as it has.


I graduated in '99, and we had the first women show up as part of the Class of 2001 during my Second Class (junior) year. I think my Class, and the Class of 2000, might have been some of the grumpiest with regards to the idea of coeducation. Not so much '98, as they had the responsibilty of running Barracks during the media circus surrounding the entrance of the first women cadets. The circus wasn't the fault of any of the women, mind you, it was the fault of those on the proverbial "outside" who were looking for VMI to screw-up. Luckily, the scew-ups have been few and far between, I think (no different than other colleges which have been coed for decades).

I'm very happy to see that some of the negative attitudes represent a minority opinion now. Merit alone should determine whether a VMI cadet is worthy of respect, with gender playing no role.

AnaEMS said:

3. Will the guys respect me? (I want an honest opinion, from a guy who's gone through/or is going through VMI)

Click to expand...

This will depend almost 100% on your attitude and how you carry yourself. It has a lot more to do with your attitude than it does the guys' attitudes.

Women are definitely a minority at VMI. The Corps was 93% male when I graduated a year and a half ago, but I think it's closer to 91% or 92% now. Don't be disappointed when you stick out, though... it's pretty much impossible for a female to be a ghost rat. It's hard not to stick out when there are 50 or 60 rats in your company, and you're one of 4-6 female rats. Anytime you're part of a minority group in any population, there are certain performance pressures. Do not confuse this for sexism; it's just a natural sociological phenomenon.

The most successful VMI women are the ones who choose VMI for the same reasons the men do: the Honor System, tradition, top notch academics, challenge, the Alumni network, and other non-tangibles. The least successful women are those who choose VMI in an effort to make a statement, or to prove that they can do anything a guy can do. If your reason for going to VMI is based fundamentally on the fact that you're a woman, then your cadetship (and your life as an Alumna) will revolve entirely around gender. You'll miss out on a lot of the VMI experience that way.

That said, don't be afraid to develop a support system of women to help you face the challenges of VMI. I take great pride in being a Brother Rat and an Uncle Dyke (the term "sister rat" makes me cringe), but I got my job because a female grad from the Class of 2002 emailed me about a job lead.

Your mentors don't have to look like you, but there are some aspects of a woman's VMI experience that the men will never really get. Case in point: Romance. It's hott to go to Mary Baldwin or Sweetbrier (local all-girls colleges) with a VMI ring on your hand, but it's incredibly difficult to find a man who's confident enough in his own masculinity to date a girl who went to a tougher school than he did.


Good luck.

Jackie M. Briski '09
First Class PVT (Ret).

Thank you for responding, Rahvamil2009, and thank you again, everyone else. I hope you all know that your advice has not fallen on halfhearted ears. I'm going to pursue Virginia Military Institute 100%. I have my whole family to back me up, and you guys to pester with questions, which I'm sure I'll have more of in days to come.

I'm so glad I found this site since I've been wanting to go to VMI for almost 2 years now.
-Ana.