VMI Overnight

Just back from VMI overnight visit with junior DS. WOW! Impressively thorough program, professional staff, sincere students, incredible parade with governor of VA in attendance. Refreshing change from our college visits to date. Emphasis appeared to be more on educating prospects on exactly what to expect - no glossing over the tough stuff. Worth the effort it took to get there and now on the top of the heap

KarenH said:

Just back from VMI overnight visit with junior DS. WOW! Impressively thorough program, professional staff, sincere students, incredible parade with governor of VA in attendance. Refreshing change from our college visits to date. Emphasis appeared to be more on educating prospects on exactly what to expect - no glossing over the tough stuff. Worth the effort it took to get there and now on the top of the heap

Click to expand...

KarenH said:

Just back from VMI overnight visit with junior DS. WOW! Impressively thorough program, professional staff, sincere students, incredible parade with governor of VA in attendance. Refreshing change from our college visits to date. Emphasis appeared to be more on educating prospects on exactly what to expect - no glossing over the tough stuff. Worth the effort it took to get there and now on the top of the heap

Click to expand...

It's great to hear that you and your son got so much out of the weekend. What you listed really is the intent of the visit. VMI (and all of the other SMC's) is really the kind of place where success directly correlates to how much you know up front and how much you really want to be there. So it's in everybody's best interest to give as accurate a picture to prospective cadets as possible. I'm glad tha tthe visit was able to accomplish that for you

I was down there for the weekend- It looked like a really big turnout for the prospective Cadet visitation weekend and it was a really good parade- Gotta ask though- how high did you jump when the first Gun went off ? As a cadet I used to like marching in those parades just to see how many folks on the sidelines were caught totally unawares when the first Cannon went off as the band started to play "Ruffles and Flourishes". Not as amusing when you are on the sidelines caught unawares, especially if you were - as I was- standing down at the end of the Parade Deck not far from the battery. Glad I wasn't holding a Coke

Good luck and best wishes!

We were warned about the cannon fire, though I still twitched DS has a first year friend who made the effort to hook him up with particular rats and then joined in their late night b... session. Definitely got the full picture. Might have a hard time getting DS to Norwich (same distance) and Citadel (further), but we all know about the wisdom of multiple plans. Right now he is thinking VMI is a better fit than a certain SA...and he may be right. We are supportive of the best fit, though the money issue....

KarenH said:

Just back from VMI overnight visit with junior DS. WOW! Impressively thorough program, professional staff, sincere students, incredible parade with governor of VA in attendance. Refreshing change from our college visits to date. Emphasis appeared to be more on educating prospects on exactly what to expect - no glossing over the tough stuff. Worth the effort it took to get there and now on the top of the heap

Click to expand...

My DS was pretty sure he wanted to go to VMI, and after the overnight visit 1 1/2 years ago, he was absolutely sure! My husband and I were extremely impressed with the same things you mentioned - I'm not sure who was more excited, us or our DS! We also visited the Citadel, VT and North Georgia, and he did the FLC at Norwich. He liked those as well, but was 100% sold on VMI. He has been accepted there and can't wait for STP this summer!

KarenH said:

we all know about the wisdom of multiple plans. Right now he is thinking VMI is a better fit than a certain SA...and he may be right. We are supportive of the best fit, though the money issue....

Click to expand...

DS was stuck between 2 SA's as well and the price tag for both was steep no doubt.. Once you do the FA applications and get the FASFA done it may look a little better for you. I was in sticker shock for a while at first. I had never gone through the FA process for college before until DS went last year so I had no idea how it worked and I was intimidated greatly because I knew we couldn't afford full out of state tuition. In the end we just waited out the process and compared offers to our bank account and earning capacity. The offers between schools were similar..VMI was slightly less scholarship money, but the right fit. It is not easy by any stretch for anyone out of state, but the FA offers from the schools he applied to made it possible.. Just no vacations and new cars sitting around for a while. DS always reminds me that he will pay us back if we live long enough I am glad that you got a lot out of the visit. I am always surprised how they are so organized in dealing with the masses on post.