Academics related questions

corescue59 said:
Just read that with the link you sent. My apologies...
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No need to apologize and thank you for being an Admissions Partner. We appreciate the great students that you recruit for us! The curriculum has changed with the class of 2021. We are also getting used to it. Just to fill the group in on the some of the changes that are hard to pick up, we no longer require a minimum of five 3 or 4-credit classes each semester. Now the classes must just add to at least 15 credits (not including HPE) and meet your program requirements. If you meet this requirement and have a free elective, it may be skipped. There are also many 2-credit classes.

There is also not a common 4/c year across all majors. The 5 majors run out of engineering are all common in their 4/c year (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, as well as the relatively new Cyber major). There is a also a pathway for any major to request a change to any other major in the spring of 4/c year, but note that this may require summer school and assumes that the student is on a normal schedule. As noted in other threads, the number in each major is set at levels above the Academy. Although there is great flexibility, say within the engineering department (provided majors due not greatly deviate from directives), I would not want to apply for a major that did not interest me in the hope of switching. Our Admissions officers/partners here would know the numbers better than me, but majors like Government and Marine and Environmental Science start off fairly full. If my kid was interested in one of them, I would recommend applying at application time. Similarly, if my kid wanted an engineering major, I would want them in at the beginning to ensure they are in the proper sequence. If my kid was not sure about, say, Civil or Mechanical, I would not worry.
 
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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Thank you! This info. is very encouraging.
 
ProudMom7 said:
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.
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Just a note, I'm a 4/c currently (EE major). I was not planning on testing out of chemistry or calculus 2 when I started last summer, but I really wish I had. I found both classes very easy, and though it is nice to have some classes that are easier, I believe it would've been more favorable for me to free up some electives later. Time is valuable. Given current events it may not make sense to take the AP tests anyways but I thought I'd give my perspective. Good luck!
 
CGAprof said:
No need to apologize and thank you for being an Admissions Partner. We appreciate the great students that you recruit for us! The curriculum has changed with the class of 2021. We are also getting used to it. Just to fill the group in on the some of the changes that are hard to pick up, we no longer require a minimum of five 3 or 4-credit classes each semester. Now the classes must just add to at least 15 credits (not including HPE) and meet your program requirements. If you meet this requirement and have a free elective, it may be skipped. There are also many 2-credit classes.

There is also not a common 4/c year across all majors. The 5 majors run out of engineering are all common in their 4/c year (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, as well as the relatively new Cyber major). There is a also a pathway for any major to request a change to any other major in the spring of 4/c year, but note that this may require summer school and assumes that the student is on a normal schedule. As noted in other threads, the number in each major is set at levels above the Academy. Although there is great flexibility, say within the engineering department (provided majors due not greatly deviate from directives), I would not want to apply for a major that did not interest me in the hope of switching. Our Admissions officers/partners here would know the numbers better than me, but majors like Government and Marine and Environmental Science start off fairly full. If my kid was interested in one of them, I would recommend applying at application time. Similarly, if my kid wanted an engineering major, I would want them in at the beginning to ensure they are in the proper sequence. If my kid was not sure about, say, Civil or Mechanical, I would not worry.
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This is very interesting to read! I was not aware that the credit requirements had changed. Am I correct in say that this then gives cadets a little more flexibility and control over their own academic course load? Meaning, you can choose to fill up your schedule with five courses or elect to only take 15 credits? I realize this is still a new process but have you seen increased academic performance as a result of the change?

A couple of other questions just to spark conversation:

1. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges cadets face with respect to academics? What are the pitfalls that you see cadets falling into?
2. Do tutoring sessions still occur (I believe we called them CAAP sessions), and what is the process in place that allows for cadets to seek assistance?
3. What is your perspective on the Academy as a professor?
4. What opportunities exist for cadets to experience academia outside of CGA? For example, as Government major, we went to Yale several times over the course of my time as a cadet to listen to a variety of well-known speakers.

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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It was still there in 2014! I interned with the State of Connecticut too and agree it was a great experience!
 
trackandfield08 said:
This is very interesting to read! I was not aware that the credit requirements had changed. Am I correct in say that this then gives cadets a little more flexibility and control over their own academic course load? Meaning, you can choose to fill up your schedule with five courses or elect to only take 15 credits? I realize this is still a new process but have you seen increased academic performance as a result of the change?

A couple of other questions just to spark conversation:

1. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges cadets face with respect to academics? What are the pitfalls that you see cadets falling into?
2. Do tutoring sessions still occur (I believe we called them CAAP sessions), and what is the process in place that allows for cadets to seek assistance
?
3. What is your perspective on the Academy as a professor?
4. What opportunities exist for cadets to experience academia outside of CGA? For example, as Government major, we went to Yale several times over the course of my time as a cadet to listen to a variety of well-known speakers.



It was still there in 2014! I interned with the State of Connecticut too and agree it was a great experience!
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I sent an email over to the Government faculty. I will let you know when I hear.
 
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