Academics related questions

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CGAprof

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Dec 31, 2019
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I know it can be difficult selecting a college, especially when a physical visit is not possible. Please post any questions relating to academics in this thread.
 
Hi! How important is it to have physics before my daughter would come to USCGA? It is well known among the parents that the physics teacher at her high school is terrible(there is only one very young teacher). We are looking into the local community college options, but I think they would have to approve her high school math classes as pre-reqs, so I’m not sure it will happen.
 
Buffstone126 said:
Hi! How important is it to have physics before my daughter would come to USCGA? It is well known among the parents that the physics teacher at her high school is terrible(there is only one very young teacher). We are looking into the local community college options, but I think they would have to approve her high school math classes as pre-reqs, so I’m not sure it will happen.
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I would definitely explore the community college option. Our students take Physics at CGA and a positive HS experience is desirable. I would add that a negative Physics experience can discourage a student from pursuing a STEM career path.
 
Hi! What are the opportunities for cadets once they are commissioned to work in a DoD/CG research lab? Thank you so much!
 
nerfnugget said:
Hi! What are the opportunities for cadets once they are commissioned to work in a DoD/CG research lab? Thank you so much!
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We have a summer internship option with some great laboratory options. Sandia National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are both very popular options as well. This takes place between the Junior (2/c) and Senior (1/c) years and is referred to as the 1/c summer. The opportunities vary by major.
 
Is there an advantage to take the calculus BC AP test? My DD received a 5 on the AB calc test? She will be an electrical engineering major. Thank you.
 
retiredradar said:
Are all internships spent with the Coast Guard or are any in the private sector?
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This is a little dated now...but I interned with the General Assembly for the State of Connecticut. Once a week I, and two or three other classmates, would drive to Hartford and work with the offices or individuals we were assigned to. It was a great experience my senior year.
 
24gobears said:
Is there an advantage to take the calculus BC AP test? My DD received a 5 on the AB calc test? She will be an electrical engineering major. Thank you.
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Based on what we heard during last year's addmissions process, I would encourage your DD to take any and all AP tests unless they anticipate getting less than a "3." Shows follow-through and looks good on the resume. I would also encourage all applicants to take (and do well) in Physics.
 
LineInTheSand said:
This is a little dated now...but I interned with the General Assembly for the State of Connecticut. Once a week I, and two or three other classmates, would drive to Hartford and work with the offices or individuals we were assigned to. It was a great experience my senior year.
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I know at least one cadet who had a similar internship a couple of years ago.
 
DualAcademyDad said:
Based on what we heard during last year's addmissions process, I would encourage your DD to take any and all AP tests unless they anticipate getting less than a "3." Shows follow-through and looks good on the resume. I would also encourage all applicants to take (and do well) in Physics.
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Excellent advice
 
DualAcademyDad said:
Based on what we heard during last year's addmissions process, I would encourage your DD to take any and all AP tests unless they anticipate getting less than a "3." Shows follow-through and looks good on the resume. I would also encourage all applicants to take (and do well) in Physics.
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My daughter (senior) took all of her AP tests during sophomore and junior years (and did very well). However, although she is taking 5 AP classes this year, including Calc BC, she probably won't take any of the AP tests this year. This is partly due to the change in format this year due to COVID-19, but also due to the fact that she knows she can't really use them at the Academy. She does not plan to validate out of Chemistry (one of her AP courses) and does not plan to validate out of 2 levels of Calc. From my understanding, nobody can validate out of English either. So all in all, we'd rather have the refund on the tests.
 
Thank you for the advice - agreeing with ProudMom that the AP tests are being administered differently and will be done online so we will have to weigh the benefits. I do believe follow-through is important as well and for that alone we would encourage her to consider completing what she started.
 
How are you handling SAT/ACT for the ones that haven't had a chance to take them?
 
How many Spanish courses are offered at the academy and how would they fit into a ME major? DS would like to continue learning and practicing the language.
 
CMS said:
How many Spanish courses are offered at the academy and how would they fit into a ME major? DS would like to continue learning and practicing the language.
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I highly recommend Spanish to all of our cadets, so I am happy to hear that your DS would like to continue with it. https://www.uscga.edu/registrar/ is a link to our courses. The opportunities to take Spanish depend on the number of free electives. The ME program has one free elective, but many cadets validate 1 or more courses creating additional free electives. By the way, many cadets do not validate anything and that is fine too. Some cadets who go to summer school end up with an additional free elective.
 
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BRYMOM1 said:
How are you handling SAT/ACT for the ones that haven't had a chance to take them?
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I am assuming you are talking about the class of 2025. There will be opportunities in the fall to take the SAT or ACT.
 
CGAprof said:
I highly recommend Spanish to all of our cadets, so I am happy to hear that your DS would like to continue with it. https://www.uscga.edu/registrar/ is a link to our courses. The opportunities to take Spanish depend on the number of free electives. The ME program has one free elective, but many cadets validate 1 or more courses creating additional free electives. By the way, many cadets do not validate anything and that is fine too. Some cadets who go to summer school end up with an additional free elective.
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Remember that no language classes are taught at USCGA. They are taken across the street at Conn College.
 
corescue59 said:
Remember that no language classes are taught at USCGA. They are taken across the street at Conn College.
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We have outstanding faculty who teach Spanish I, II and I/II at the Academy. You are correct for other languages. I have had a few students study German at Conn College.
 
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