Balancing Engineering at Virginia Tech/Texas A&M (AROTC)

[MythyLW]

Good afternoon everybody,

I am currently awaiting my admissions decision for Tech, and have been accepted into Texas A&M Engineering and was recently awarded a year AROTC scholarship.

I'm in a current dilemma, I plan on majoring in computer science but I know through both of these schools I'll be required to take some extremely intensive math courses, which will be difficult for me, which if I was a regular student I would just spend a lot more time studying, in the Corps I won't have that refreshing luxury.

I am a little worried about balancing engineering, and the Corps, which is a big commitment, and I want to maintain at least a 3, preferably 3.5+ in college.

Could any cadets or parents chime in! I don't want to turn away from the Corps because of my major but I am a little afraid,

p.s - don't take this as me being a slacker, I just have heard the horror stories of engineering school with the Corps and I believe a little reassurance would be beneficial for me.

 

[VMI2017+3]

I go to VMI, not VT or TAMU, but I am an engineering major. Really the main piece that you’ll here over and over again is time management, but it’s true. To be more specific with what has helped me, it’s weekends. I’d imagine especially at VT and TAMU, even being a Cadet, there’s a ton to do on the weekend and it’d be really easy to get nothing done. Even at VMI, without fun stuff to do, it’s still tempting to relax when ya can and not study. But if you can force yourself to spend Saturday and Sunday getting everything done that you can, you’ll be in a great position to handle a busy week. Still take some breaks, go out for dinner on Saturday etc, but don’t waste hours on youtube on the weekends or something like that.

 

[MythyLW]

I go to VMI, not VT or TAMU, but I am an engineering major. Really the main piece that you’ll here over and over again is time management, but it’s true. To be more specific with what has helped me, it’s weekends. I’d imagine especially at VT and TAMU, even being a Cadet, there’s a ton to do on the weekend and it’d be really easy to get nothing done. Even at VMI, without fun stuff to do, it’s still tempting to relax when ya can and not study. But if you can force yourself to spend Saturday and Sunday getting everything done that you can, you’ll be in a great position to handle a busy week. Still take some breaks, go out for dinner on Saturday etc, but don’t waste hours on youtube on the weekends or something like that.

One of my biggest concerns is my GPA, I know it sounds like an excuse but I am confident I could easily get a 3.5+ at my backup universities but I am afraid to get like a 2.5 at a SMC! Thank you though, I guess I know I'll likely be fine in the back of my mind just the continual stress is there haha.

 

[FMHS-79]

I go to VMI, not VT or TAMU, but I am an engineering major. Really the main piece that you’ll here over and over again is time management, but it’s true. To be more specific with what has helped me, it’s weekends. I’d imagine especially at VT and TAMU, even being a Cadet, there’s a ton to do on the weekend and it’d be really easy to get nothing done. Even at VMI, without fun stuff to do, it’s still tempting to relax when ya can and not study. But if you can force yourself to spend Saturday and Sunday getting everything done that you can, you’ll be in a great position to handle a busy week. Still take some breaks, go out for dinner on Saturday etc, but don’t waste hours on youtube on the weekends or something like that.

One of my biggest concerns is my GPA, I know it sounds like an excuse but I am confident I could easily get a 3.5+ at my backup universities but I am afraid to get like a 2.5 at a SMC! Thank you though, I guess I know I'll likely be fine in the back of my mind just the continual stress is there haha.

I recently talked to a USAFA cadet that is in the top 1% academically, engineering major, full load of squadron responsibilities, etc. -- his comments were that you have to aim high out of the gate and, as @VMI2017+3 indicated, manage your time properly. He tries to stay head of the curve (doing his Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday homework on the weekends, etc.) to allow time for surprises and utilizes his professor's office hours early and often.

Which would you be more proud of, a 3.5 GPA at less-challenging backup university or a 3.2 GPA at a SMC? You can shy away from challenge or embrace it. I know what my recommendation would be but, at the end of the day, it is your decision and your success will be directly proportional to your personal desires and commitment.

Good luck. Thank you for your willingness to serve.

 

[VMI2017+3]

To expound a little on the GPA piece. In the big picture, your GPA isn’t incredibly important. I also don’t think it’s an incredibly wholistic/insightful measure of one’s intelligence. That’s coming from someone who has stayed on a grind and finally got my cumulative GPA above 3.5. One thing that I like about Army ROTC compared to Air Force (which is me) and Navy. Is that the Army, more so than the others, really looks at the whole picture when choosing cadets for scholarships and cool stuff like airborne school. If you have a 3.1 in front of your GPA as a Cadet engineering major and you’re performing well in the other areas, that means more than just being a book worm and getting a 3.8, but not being as involved in other things. Now I will say on the other hand, GPA is still stressed in certain instances, so you do want to try to graduate with a 3 in front. That way the door to grad school and branches like Cyber or MI is open.

 

[MythyLW]

To expound a little on the GPA piece. In the big picture, your GPA isn’t incredibly important. I also don’t think it’s an incredibly wholistic/insightful measure of one’s intelligence. That’s coming from someone who has stayed on a grind and finally got my cumulative GPA above 3.5. One thing that I like about Army ROTC compared to Air Force (which is me) and Navy. Is that the Army, more so than the others, really looks at the whole picture when choosing cadets for scholarships and cool stuff like airborne school. If you have a 3.1 in front of your GPA as a Cadet engineering major and you’re performing well in the other areas, that means more than just being a book worm and getting a 3.8, but not being as involved in other things. Now I will say on the other hand, GPA is still stressed in certain instances, so you do want to try to graduate with a 3 in front. That way the door to grad school and branches like Cyber or MI is open.

Cyber and MI are my exact goals, which just is a little stressful when I know the GPA is that important, do you feel as if I was able to pull a 3+ I would be okay if I succeeded in other areas?

 

[MythyLW]

I go to VMI, not VT or TAMU, but I am an engineering major. Really the main piece that you’ll here over and over again is time management, but it’s true. To be more specific with what has helped me, it’s weekends. I’d imagine especially at VT and TAMU, even being a Cadet, there’s a ton to do on the weekend and it’d be really easy to get nothing done. Even at VMI, without fun stuff to do, it’s still tempting to relax when ya can and not study. But if you can force yourself to spend Saturday and Sunday getting everything done that you can, you’ll be in a great position to handle a busy week. Still take some breaks, go out for dinner on Saturday etc, but don’t waste hours on youtube on the weekends or something like that.

One of my biggest concerns is my GPA, I know it sounds like an excuse but I am confident I could easily get a 3.5+ at my backup universities but I am afraid to get like a 2.5 at a SMC! Thank you though, I guess I know I'll likely be fine in the back of my mind just the continual stress is there haha.

I recently talked to a USAFA cadet that is in the top 1% academically, engineering major, full load of squadron responsibilities, etc. -- his comments were that you have to aim high out of the gate and, as @VMI2017+3 indicated, manage your time properly. He tries to stay head of the curve (doing his Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday homework on the weekends, etc.) to allow time for surprises and utilizes his professor's office hours early and often.

Which would you be more proud of, a 3.5 GPA at less-challenging backup university or a 3.2 GPA at a SMC? You can shy away from challenge or embrace it. I know what my recommendation would be but, at the end of the day, it is your decision and your success will be directly proportional to your personal desires and commitment.

Good luck. Thank you for your willingness to serve.

Thanks for the encouraging words, it's definitely a hard choice determining where I'll be for four years and the completely different life styles.

 

[VMI2017+3]

For MI, I’d hazard a guess yes. MI is very competitive but is still centered around the OML for selection I believe, a 3.x and really good for PT and leadership is good. Cyber is very new for the Army and they’re struggling to bring in enough technical talent. Therefore I imagine they’re going to break from the strict OML based selection. They need people that have performed well academically as EE, CompE, CS majors. That doesn’t mean they won’t care about the rest, but I just can’t see them not prioritizing that academic background/performance for that branch. Someone who’s Army ROTC can hopefully come along and give you more specifics.

 

[kinnem]

It definitely will not be easy, nevertheless hundreds of kids do it at each school every year.

 

[KuzNROTC]

I'll be real with you. You will be challenged, especially your first year. I'm not in engineering (I am a STEM major though), but I have been fortunate to get a 3.6+ each semester so far. I'll give you advice on what I've done to have these types of grades at an SMC.

1. Make a 4 year degree plan.
I don't know about AROTC, but in NROTC, we are required to make a 4 year degree plan, listing all the classes we would be taking each semester until we graduate. (This way, NROTC is for certain it will take us 4 years to graduate). The asterisk to this is that the degree plan is not for certain, but it does give you a general outline of what each semester will look like leading up until you graduate. I don't know about A&M, but it is common where I go for students to load up on 20+ credit hours. I even know someone that is taking 26 hours this semester. Remember, you are also taking ROTC classes, which tacks on another 3+ hours a semester, and I know for sure as an engineering major you will be taking quite a bit of classes to get an engineering degree.

What this does for me is basically give me a map of how well I need to do each semester. You will know from word of mouth, which classes will be harder than others, especially as you start getting into your major down the road. For myself, if I saw I was 20 or more credits for a semester, I automatically looked for summer classes to take at my local community college to lighten that semesters load (the Army does not pay for summer classes however, so keep that in mind). Although I want to work hard in all my classes, I also don't want to be completely engulfed in academics to the point I'm so deep in water that I can't go back up for air.

Also, while it is important to talk to your academic adviser, make sure you look stuff up on your own. (Look at your course catalog. See if classes alternate every so year. See if you tested out of some classes). While my adviser is very smart, I've disputed over things with him in my degree plan, and it turned out I was right because of the research I did.

2. Make a schedule of each semester.
Whenever I have registered for classes, and know my class schedule, I make a spreadsheet. It dictates my life in that I know when I to go to classes, when I work out, when I go to this extracurricular activity, when to go to work, and so on.

3. Start off college awesome.
Your first academic year is probably the most crucial year. If you do bad your first year, it will be harder on yourself to bring yourself back up. I made it my prerogative to start off my first year of college right while classes are semi-easy (before delving really into my major), and it got me to a 3.7 cumulative GPA.

4. Conquer through adversity.
You can't be afraid to fail sometimes. Things will happen, and you just have to push through them. I think of college as my first step of training as a military officer. You will fail, but it is learning from those failures to succeed in the future. Your first year in the corps at A&M will be hard. Trust me, I've been there. Time will be taken away from you, but you will have to learn to push through it. Embrace the environment, but don't let it conquer your life. Remember why you are there, and that is to first and foremost get a college education. Anyone telling you otherwise is wrong.

5. Seek help.
Whether that be with physical fitness, emotional or mental health, in academics, there are resources at your disposal that you can take advantage of that many students never do. I make sure I go to tutoring sessions, or Professor Office Hours daily.

6. Relax... Then pedal to the metal... Relax... Then pedal to the metal...
How I approach my weeks at school is to absolutely work my butt off at everything I do, whether that be focusing in classes, working, studying, more classes, and more studying.

But when the week is up on Friday, I relax... I'm not one to party, but I make sure to relax, and not even think about school or anything else. I'll watch a movie in my room. Watch football. Sleep..

Then on Saturday, I slowly work my way into working hard again.


From what I heard at A&M, they stress academics probably more than any of the other SMCs (not for certain, but their corps did average a 3.0 GPA whenever I spent the night with the Corps). You will also have the weekends to yourselves during your "fish" year, which is HUGE- don't let those weekends go to waste though.

Take the advice for what it is. I was in your shoes worrying about making good grades amongst everything else my first year at an SMC, and I still worry about making good grades and everything else today. You'll find how you best work. Just remember as long as you as hard as you can (not just work hard but as best as you can), that is all you can ask of yourself.

 

[MythyLW]

I'll be real with you. You will be challenged, especially your first year. I'm not in engineering (I am a STEM major though), but I have been fortunate to get a 3.6+ each semester so far. I'll give you advice on what I've done to have these types of grades at an SMC.

1. Make a 4 year degree plan.
I don't know about AROTC, but in NROTC, we are required to make a 4 year degree plan, listing all the classes we would be taking each semester until we graduate. (This way, NROTC is for certain it will take us 4 years to graduate). The asterisk to this is that the degree plan is not for certain, but it does give you a general outline of what each semester will look like leading up until you graduate. I don't know about A&M, but it is common where I go for students to load up on 20+ credit hours. I even know someone that is taking 26 hours this semester. Remember, you are also taking ROTC classes, which tacks on another 3+ hours a semester, and I know for sure as an engineering major you will be taking quite a bit of classes to get an engineering degree.

What this does for me is basically give me a map of how well I need to do each semester. You will know from word of mouth, which classes will be harder than others, especially as you start getting into your major down the road. For myself, if I saw I was 20 or more credits for a semester, I automatically looked for summer classes to take at my local community college to lighten that semesters load (the Army does not pay for summer classes however, so keep that in mind). Although I want to work hard in all my classes, I also don't want to be completely engulfed in academics to the point I'm so deep in water that I can't go back up for air.

Also, while it is important to talk to your academic adviser, make sure you look stuff up on your own. (Look at your course catalog. See if classes alternate every so year. See if you tested out of some classes). While my adviser is very smart, I've disputed over things with him in my degree plan, and it turned out I was right because of the research I did.

2. Make a schedule of each semester.
Whenever I have registered for classes, and know my class schedule, I make a spreadsheet. It dictates my life in that I know when I to go to classes, when I work out, when I go to this extracurricular activity, when to go to work, and so on.

3. Start off college awesome.
Your first academic year is probably the most crucial year. If you do bad your first year, it will be harder on yourself to bring yourself back up. I made it my prerogative to start off my first year of college right while classes are semi-easy (before delving really into my major), and it got me to a 3.7 cumulative GPA.

4. Conquer through adversity.
You can't be afraid to fail sometimes. Things will happen, and you just have to push through them. I think of college as my first step of training as a military officer. You will fail, but it is learning from those failures to succeed in the future. Your first year in the corps at A&M will be hard. Trust me, I've been there. Time will be taken away from you, but you will have to learn to push through it. Embrace the environment, but don't let it conquer your life. Remember why you are there, and that is to first and foremost get a college education. Anyone telling you otherwise is wrong.

5. Seek help.
Whether that be with physical fitness, emotional or mental health, in academics, there are resources at your disposal that you can take advantage of that many students never do. I make sure I go to tutoring sessions, or Professor Office Hours daily.

6. Relax... Then pedal to the metal... Relax... Then pedal to the metal...
How I approach my weeks at school is to absolutely work my butt off at everything I do, whether that be focusing in classes, working, studying, more classes, and more studying.

But when the week is up on Friday, I relax... I'm not one to party, but I make sure to relax, and not even think about school or anything else. I'll watch a movie in my room. Watch football. Sleep..

Then on Saturday, I slowly work my way into working hard again.


From what I heard at A&M, they stress academics probably more than any of the other SMCs (not for certain, but their corps did average a 3.0 GPA whenever I spent the night with the Corps). You will also have the weekends to yourselves during your "fish" year, which is HUGE- don't let those weekends go to waste though.

Take the advice for what it is. I was in your shoes worrying about making good grades amongst everything else my first year at an SMC, and I still worry about making good grades and everything else today. You'll find how you best work. Just remember as long as you as hard as you can (not just work hard but as best as you can), that is all you can ask of yourself.

I really appreciate you taking the time to write this up for me, and this decision just has me overly stressed. I know if I want to attend the Corps of Cadets I can make my Comp Sci degree work, I just need to be prepared to work extra hard.