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Iblameej, you have stumbled into one of the best questions I have seen for USMMA. My DS departed USMMA for these reasons - TWICE... I may be only 1 voice, but I can say the situation was very surprising to me. When you hear that 1/3 of the class rolls back to the next year - this is actually normal for USMMA. Every grade level at the school has this challenge because of their model. This is not an 8 semester program like the other schools and it can take 7 years to complete. It is common to have people from every grade to complete the program. The numbers (in particular the freshman class) are so shocking, it is hard to believe this is even possible or allowed without corrective action.
@Academician - I highly encourage you to gain current intel on the availability of extra instruction at USMMA. It is a FAR DIFFERENT situation than USAFA. Quality of instruction, pace of consumption (because of trimester model), and age of instructional staff (see ratemyprofessor for very accurate descriptions). I am a USAFA grad and former USAFA faculty member and can safely say there is no comparison between the academic support services between schools.
USMMA really doesn't do academic probation like that of the other service academies. For us, round 1 saw a failure in chemistry. The roll-back program sends the student home at the end of the impacted trimester. You do not pass go and move forward, you roll backwards. Students are instructed to take the course at a local community college and once they pass, the score is sent back to USMMA and completes the terms and conditions of their re-entry into the program. The student then returns in AUGUST of the next academic year to try again. For Plebes, you do not return with the incoming class. Instead, you show up for the start of the school year. This is probably the worst part because you miss the bonding that occurs during the challenges of indoc. You are branded the kid who failed out last year. Your "classmates" are now upperclassmen. You have no community other than the ~6 that choose to come back. In a perfect world, your roommate is also a turnback. Psychologically, its pretty bad. Then, around the end of the first tri, those new plebes who thought you were scum of the earth come around asking questions because they see impending doom with grades and now understand the reality of their situation.
In our case, DS survived first trimester and we thought all was good. Then, he encountered a problem in a class with only two graded events. He failed the first one and it became mathematically impossible to achieve a passing grade in the course. Side note - are we setting students up for success with situations like this? He was yet again faced with the offer directly from the Superintendent to roll back and join the next plebe class. MIND BLOWING!!! He opted to depart and not return because of how far behind in terms of time/semesters he was from his high school peer group.
The trimester system is required because of the sea time required to graduate. It accelerates academic delivery, and that makes quality of instruction critical. There are a few known poor instructors with tenure who cannot be fired. If you are borderline to begin with, and land in those classes, it is certainly an uphill battle. Some find a way to be successful, but others will roll back. The challenge for students who roll back becomes timing for applications to other schools. You are out of cycle and it truly sets you back in unforeseen ways.
I'm certainly not seeking to bash the program, but I can say that our experience changed my view of the school in a negative manner. The expression "USMMA is the easiest Service Academy to get into, but the hardest to graduate from" is a very accurate statement. The school is challenged on all fronts and I believe much of that to be the result of poor funding from DOT. I don't need to air a ton of negativity here, but if you have questions, please feel free to privately message me.