Norwich

Hello all, I was looking to hear opinions of either current students are alumi of Norwich university. I would like to hear why you chose Norwich over other schools and what you liked about it. I am finishing my Norwich application at this time and I hope to be accepted.

Easy.
An opportunity for a young man or woman to do something different, and in the end, to be among a distinguished alumni.

Thank you for your opinion. The reason I am trying to be accepted for admissions there is for the NROTC scholarship. Which schools were your choices on the scholarship application NROTC Hopeful?

Received MBA from NU.
Undergraduate, not overly competitive. Up in northern VT and pretty much in the boonies. Montpelier is about a 20 minute drive and Burlington is an easy drive. Ben & Jerry's is in the neighborhood.
Dorms pretty good, some buildings renovated, some need work. Dining hall pretty good as far as college food goes.
Academics, you'll do fine if you are competitive for NROTC.
Back in the day, before females, fun was running in the buff on the parade field when it snowed.
Small school but close by to UVM and Middlebury College. Very beautiful area and your family will love visiting.
Really depends what you are looking for as far as academics and career. NROTC unit is pretty good.
Excellent alumni base (they'll never leave you alone) and their goal is to graduate people who love the school and encourage alumni to recruit...so if NU is your choice, GO!
There, I did my job.

USNA1982BGO, thank you for all of that I appreciate it very much. That was everything I was looking One other thing though, where you said that undergraduate is not very competitive does that mean it is pretty easy to get accepted into? NU is my first choice on my NROTC app so I'm really hoping so.

Norwich accepted avg.
2.9 gpa
1552.5/2400 SAT
65.83% accepted
595 enrolled

Hope that helps your worries

Where are you from Clive? A Northern climate?
Have you visited? In the winter? I highly suggest you take some time and go visit this winter - January is a great month.
Another great month is March, when it's spring in the rest of the world but the mornings are still below zero in Vermont.

This is not to scare you or reflect negativly on Norwich - folks just need to know that it snows alot and it gets very cold. Nothing like a week when the thermometer refuses to hit Zero! On the plus side - when it gets really cold the sun shines!

NROTC Hopeful, thanks again those stats help ease my worries a bit. And Just A Mom I'm from Pennsylvania so it gets cold here in the winter and I don't mind it at all, but I'm sure Vermont is quite a bit colder than here. But I have heard that it is beautiful with the snow in winter time so that is a plus.

Oh CL1VE! That is funny. Bring your skivvies. The cold in Pennsylvania does not even compare to the cold in Vermont. The length of the winter in Vermont does not even compare to the length of the winter in Vermont.
Have you ever peered out the window, looked at the thermometer and noticed that it was the same temperature Fahrenheit and Celsius?
Do you know what temperature the scales intersect?

Clive I received my undergraduate degree Business in 1981. Back then I think we had about 50% of our class go into the military. I did not go into the military and had no intention to do so when I applied to NU. If your goal is a military career I think you will do well at Norwich. You will get a good education with real professors. I did not have a single TA while I was there. The classes were small enough that you got to know the profs and they got to know you. You will also make connections with others that will be long lasting. If your choice is to go to a large state university or Norwich and your goal is the military there is no question that you should go to Norwich. I went to NU because they had the curriculum I wanted and back then they had the largest on campus ski slope. (unfortunately that is now gone)

Do not plan on doing much in Northfield outside of school. It is in the middle of the woods and there is not much there to do so you will need to get involved in school activities or you will go crazy. I was involve in the Mountain and Cold Weather group. This is part of the Army ROTC program.

When I went to NU I was living outside of Philly so the weather was not a huge shock. However, you will be standing in formation before dawn and the temperature will be well below 0. You will hate being in VT at that moment as the air in your nose freezes. By the way, if you live in eastern PA you may be able to take AMTRAK to school. I used AMTRAK often.

If you have any other questions let me know.

Just_A_Mom said:

Oh CL1VE! That is funny. Bring your skivvies. The cold in Pennsylvania does not even compare to the cold in Vermont. The length of the winter in Vermont does not even compare to the length of the winter in Vermont.
Have you ever peered out the window, looked at the thermometer and noticed that it was the same temperature Fahrenheit and Celsius?
Do you know what temperature the scales intersect?

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Haha I'm glad you found it humorous. But I googled it and found it was -40 degrees and I have never been out in temperatures quite that cold I thank you for that insight though Just a Mom. Also NU81 thank you as well. I live in central PA but it's a possibility. Thank you all very much

I lived in Vermont's right side up twin for many many years. Then moved to Pennsylvania. No comparison. It rarely gets below zero down here. In New England the days are much shorter and the temp dips below zero often in the winter and even in late winter (March).
In PA we have spring and trees that flower. In Vermont they move from mud season to black fly season.
However, the maple syrup is out of this world! Oh, embrace the cold and the snow and winter sports. Learning to get outside is essential to gettin' thru the wintah.

My Baby brother (who is 48 so he's out of diapers by now) graduated from Norwich. While there he was in the Mountain Cold Weather program- they have a lot of both Mountains and Cold Weather there I can assure you! Having lived :north of the notch" in New Hampshire for several years in the White Mountains- I can promise you that it is much colder in northern New England than it is in central PA. Like anything else though - it's just another thing to deal with and they do give you pretty good gear to make it thru. Weather is just one of those things- The Citadel in August will leave you gasping for breath it's so hot and steamy as I'm sure Texas A&M is as well in August so - you pay the piper any where you go- other than in Lexington VA which is virtually heaven on earth in virtually all aspects (Not!)

Oh don't get me wrong I actually like the cold weather and snow quite a bit, and I love to snowboard which is an obvious possibility up there since as you all have stated it is very cold lol. Bruno and Just a Mom, thank you for the insight. Does anyone have any info or know anything about the Studies in War and Peace major? Because that is what I plan on majoring in if accepted. It sounds very interesting.

CL1VE said:

Oh don't get me wrong I actually like the cold weather and snow quite a bit, and I love to snowboard which is an obvious possibility up there since as you all have stated it is very cold lol. Bruno and Just a Mom, thank you for the insight. Does anyone have any info or know anything about the Studies in War and Peace major? Because that is what I plan on majoring in if accepted. It sounds very interesting.

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I'm gonna take this opportunity to express an opinion which is mine alone and not gospel by any means. However, speaking as both a Dad who has had to guide a son thru this choice; as a career Army officer who discovered that retiring from the Army after 20 years doesn't mean you are finished working; and currently as an employer of new college graduates; have you asked yourself what you will do with that major? It may be interesting but will it help you gain employment? In what field? I'm not trying to judge the major but I believe that one of the primary lenses you should use in evaluating potential majors is what they will prepare you for. If you are going to be a career military officer- you will wind up at a Command & Staff or War college program which offer you a Masters program where you will study War & Peace professionally- but if you discover that you are not going to be a military officer for 20 years- where do you go with that major?
Again- just my opinion but one that I believe I have developed honestly thru both observation and experience. Something to consider at any rate.

I appreciate the opinion, really I do, because it is a good point. I know that I have not even become an officer but I feel that I will most likely try and become a career officer in the marines. But if that is not the case, I am not actually sure what I would do after my military service. The page on Norwich's site says to prepare for government service, do you think that means maybe working for the DoD or Pentagon possibly?

If you want to work in the government after you get out of the military do us all a big favor and get a degree in business or engineering. The last thing this country needs is someone else in government that has little or no training in management or the practical aspects of engineering. The good news is that whatever degree you go for you will will have a great background if you spend some time in the military.

You are correct, I guess I'll just have to look further into majors offered there or look at another college.

CL1VE said:

You are correct, I guess I'll just have to look further into majors offered there or look at another college.

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Clive- Norwich has lots of great majors & I'm not suggesting that they don't- just that you really evaluate what you want to accomplish with the major you choose AT ANY COLLEGE you go to. To be honest- at least for the Army and I believe the USMC- you could be a basket weaving major - they will not be telling you what majors to take and it won't generally dictate what branch you will be put in when it comes to commissioning. What I'm suggesting is that you will have a post military life and then - your major may matter a lot more. My concern with college majors is that academicians aren't always the greatest at giving students a realistic picture of relative employability- sure the major is interesting to students but is it relatively useful when you leave college? . There are jobs for every specialty and major- but the question should ask is: "how many careers and jobs will there be using the skills I learned in this field" and "will this prepare me for a future that will be predictable only in its unpredictability. Will I be able to move into multiple different fields with these skills?" Whatever college you choose- you should be asking those question as decide your major.
Good luck and bundle up if you are going to Norwich. It's a great school with about 190 years of producing citizen soldiers , in a beautiful place and I'm positive that if you choose to go there you will be happy with that choice.

JMHO -
As a Mom who has sent 4 kids to college and been there myself - not that that makes me an expert but major in what you want.

You don't have to pick a major right away. Norwich has some great majors and most colleges have a greater variety of majors than were available back in the day.... Think about what you are good at and what interests you. The beauty of an AROTC scholarship is that you can major in anything, and then you will work for a few years.
Looking into the future - you can go to grad school during or after the Army. You can get an MBA regardless of your undergrad major. If you pick a liberal arts major - poli sci or peace and war studies; you can go to grad school in many disciplines. You can get an MBA, law school etc. If you have undergrad in a Math/Science discipline you can get a Master's in engineering easily. You might have to take a few pre-requisites.
If you eventually decide to be an accountant you can take a few classes and then get your Master's and your CPA.
Many professional careers that were once open to folks with a Bachelors degree now require an advanced degree.

Having a Liberal Arts Major is very compatible with being an Army officer and leading people. That education and experience will serve you will in the civilian world if you should choose that route after a few years in the Army. If you decide you need a specific skill then you can always go back and get that later.
If you are undecided, then examine a wide variety of majors keeping in mind what your academic strengths and weaknesses are. Remember the more well rounded your education, regardless of major the more that will increase your options. What I am saying here is if you decide on a Liberal Arts degree - take some Math and Science. If you decide on a tech degree take some psychology and even business or accounting courses.