Citadel v. Norwich. Input please.

Hopefulmomma

Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
22
Good morning. I am looking for a little input,personal experience and advice on the Citadel versus Norwich.

My son was excepted almost immediately when he applied to the Citadel in September. This is the school he's wanted to go to for two years. On a whim we applied to Norwich on the free application they provided. They did not except him immediately, yet asked for us to send first semester transcripts when we got them. My son is a realitivly average student, but a very good athlete and very involved in his community. During the semester he received many emails and phonecalls from the Norwich coach for his particular sport, despite the academic conditions. We almost did not send his semester grades in to Norwich,as the grades remained the same, and he was already accepted at his school of choice. Just yesterday he received an acceptance from Norwich along with a recognition scholarship that will cover half his tuition the next four years. The Citadel did not offer any scholarships.

We are from the Southwestern US, and the Norwich location is isolated and transportation to and from our area is an all day affair. But my son is rather fascinated with the idea of being cold after a lifetime of blistering heat. We have an extensive family support network in the Carolinas, and this is where my son would like to live eventually. We don't know a soul in the NE.

He will be doing the Knob experience in March and the Citadel, and we are trying to figure if we can also afford to make it up to Vermont for their overnight in April.

The financial boost and interest Norwich has shown for my son is making this a difficult choice. School of choice/good location/family support nearby v. Good school/scholarship/not ideal location and no family support network nearby. It's a hard choice to make as a family. Has anyone else been in a similar position?




Thank you!
 
Last edited:
A visit to Norwich is essential for your DS to make an informed decision. His next four years will be spent at this place. My DS substantially changed his choices of SA, SMC and State colleges to apply to after conducting in-depth visits to the campuses and surrounding communities. (He loved Charleston!)

The fact that you have a support system the Carolinas is helpful but not essential. Many SMC's have "sponsor" families who provide a place to unwind and have a home cooked meal on occasion. I'm pretty sure Norwich has such a system. Hopefully some Norwich alums or parents can chime in here.
 
Definitely visit both schools as they have much in common: similar Cadet Corps and other student program options. Both have rich traditions/unique histories and proud alumni. Biggest differences are climate and location: Northern, more of a rural campus setting, colder. Southern, urban campus setting, hot. Gokings is right, both have great "sponsor family" options so there will be great support. Good luck.
 
My son is a Rook at Norwich. Regarding the support: to my knowledge, Norwich does not offer a local family sponsorship program. However, they have a "No Rook Left Behind" motto...so when there is a break or a long weekend, somebody claims a displaced Rook. We live in PA, but for mid-semester break (a 4-day weekend), my husband and I rented a "modern" cabin in VT. I told my son to invite anybody that didn't have a place to go. We ended up with 6 Rooks from his Platoon. None of them were from the area and they had no family support (they were from CA, OK, AK, KY, CT, PA). I was told that all of the other Rooks were invited home with other Rooks if they had no place to go. So your son won't be sitting alone in his barracks over a break. If your son likes to ski or is interested in Norwich's prestigious "Mountain Cold Weather Company", Norwich would be the place for him. My Rook joined the ski club and they get to ski at Sugarbush every Sunday. But your son needs to be serious about enjoying or at least tolerating the cold. It is an icebox there and they get a ton of snow, as they are situated in the Green Mountains. They also have the opportunity to hike and mountain bike. Norwich is in the middle of nowhere, but they take great advantage of the rugged surroundings.
 
Last edited:
I will also mention that it is a hassle to get to Norwich. Students fly in/out of Burlington, which offers limited flights that can be expensive. Burlington is about an hour's drive from Norwich. There is a shuttle that transports students from Norwich to the airport, but students do have to pay for this. They often coordinate their flights to share the cost of the shuttle, or just plan to sit in the airport a long time. So I have heard many stories of students spending a long time at the airport waiting to coordinate a shuttle to the school. Or flights get cancelled/delayed due to bad weather. Or flights have to get booked prior to knowing exactly when a Rook is excused for break, which may result in missing out on some of the break as they weren't aware that they could have left sooner or returned later. Goodness knows it isn't an option to head out early or return late in your Rook year! And hotels are very limited in the area, which results in ballooned hotel prices. (supply/demand). So those are some of the logistical drawbacks to Norwich.
 
Thank you. These are the responses I'm looking for. In trying to arrange getting to the NU experience,it seems to be a logistical nightmare from our location and will involve him missing 4 days of school!

He loves the cold. He is the heaviest sweater I have ever known,and I know it's been a social hassle for him his whole life. However, we all love Charleston and it's very easy to get to for us. He is very used to the heat, and really Charleston's heat is far better than where we live.

But that scholarship.....Out of State tuition is very steep for the a Citadel. This really is "a thinker."
 
Last edited:
Thank you. These are the responses I'm looking for. In trying to arrange getting to the NU experience,it seems to be a logistical nightmare from our location and will involve him missing 4 days of school!

He loves the cold. He is the heaviest sweater I have ever know, and I know it's been a social hassle for him his whole life. However, we all love Charleston and it's very easy to get to for us. He is very used to the heat, and really Charleston's heat is far better than where we live.

But that scholarship.....Out of State tuition is very steep for the a Citadel. This really is "a thinker."
Keep in mind that Norwich is very accommodating. So if the overnight date at NU in April doesn't work for you, don't hesitate to reach out to Norwich to propose a different date that may suit your schedule better or can be timed over an existing school break for your DS. My guess is that they would be very willing to work with you.
 
Thank you Navy. We may look into that. Going over our Spring Break would be easier if it does not conflict with Norwich's.
 
Last edited:
Check on Southwest, Also Check on Jet Blue, they are expanding their Routes and might have options for you even if they are in the future IE they are coming to Nashville TN beginning May 5.

Norwich used to offer free room and board with a full ride scholarship, but that was awhile ago. Worth asking about or Negotiating on.

Bit of Trivia I just learned a couple of weeks ago. Norwich was actually Founded in Norwich, CT. Founder had a falling out with the city fathers, and moved the whole college to Northfield VT.

Oh Yeah don't forget, Important recreational outlet.... Mattress Sledding!
 
Check on Southwest, Also Check on Jet Blue, they are expanding their Routes and might have options for you even if they are in the future IE they are coming to Nashville TN beginning May 5.

Norwich used to offer free room and board with a full ride scholarship, but that was awhile ago. Worth asking about or Negotiating on.

Bit of Trivia I just learned a couple of weeks ago. Norwich was actually Founded in Norwich, CT. Founder had a falling out with the city fathers, and moved the whole college to Northfield VT.

Oh Yeah don't forget, Important recreational outlet.... Mattress Sledding!
Lol, I haven't heard about mattress sledding yet. But those poor guys need to come up with some form of healthy entertainment as their options are pretty limited. As for free room and board: Norwich offers that to students who receive an ROTC/NROTC/AFROTC scholarship. Not many colleges provide that on top of the ROTC scholarship, so it is a huge perk!
 
Good morning. I am looking for a little input,personal experience and advice on the Citadel versus Norwich.

My son was excepted almost immediately when he applied to the Citadel in September. This is the school he's wanted to go to for two years. On a whim we applied to Norwich on the free application they provided. They did not except him immediately, yet asked for us to send first semester transcripts when we got them. My son is a realitivly average student, but a very good athlete and very involved in his community. During the semester he received many emails and phonecalls from the Norwich coach for his particular sport, despite the academic conditions. We almost did not send his semester grades in to Norwich,as the grades remained the same, and he was already accepted at his school of choice. Just yesterday he received an acceptance from Norwich along with a recognition scholarship that will cover half his tuition the next four years. The Citadel did not offer any scholarships.

We are from the Southwestern US, and the Norwich location is isolated and transportation to and from our area is an all day affair. But my son is rather fascinated with the idea of being cold after a lifetime of blistering heat. We have an extensive family support network in the Carolinas, and this is where my son would like to live eventually. We don't know a soul in the NE.

He will be doing the Knob experience in March and the Citadel, and we are trying to figure if we can also afford to make it up to Vermont for their overnight in April.

The financial boost and interest Norwich has shown for my son is making this a difficult choice. School of choice/good location/family support nearby v. Good school/scholarship/not ideal location and no family support network nearby. It's a hard choice to make as a family. Has anyone else been in a similar position?




Thank you!
Lol, I haven't heard about mattress sledding yet. But those poor guys need to come up with some form of healthy entertainment as their options are pretty limited. As for free room and board: Norwich offers that to students who receive an ROTC/NROTC/AFROTC scholarship. Not many colleges provide that on top of the ROTC scholarship, so it is a huge perk!

My Brother-in-Law was one of those full Ride ROTC scholars, my husband helped him apply(while my Husband was in Flight school in Dothan AL). We went for His parents Weekend visit instead of his Parents, And yes we did get to Mattress sled many moons ago. Probably "to Dangerous" now, like those WP Pillow fights.

We are also blessed to have the former Vice-Commandant and his wife as Mentors to our family thought my Husbands military career. So we have been there just to visit them.

Northfield is Very beautiful in all seasons, so that is special. Will say it is the most unusual mix as Vermont also draws a lot of the"Hippie/artisan" types so you have both at the college.
 
Good luck! Norwich's Spring Break is the week of March 14-18.
Darn, that's our Spring Break too.

Ok. Still researching it. I think it's very important he goes so he gets an understanding of the area. He's a big city boy, but spends his summers in the quiet mountains of NC.

We pulled up the winter temperatures and he's all excited. He's thinking about not sweating, not about how really cold that is. Lol.
 
Darn, that's our Spring Break too.

Ok. Still researching it. I think it's very important he goes so he gets an understanding of the area. He's a big city boy, but spends his summers in the quiet mountains of NC.

We pulled up the winter temperatures and he's all excited. He's thinking about not sweating, not about how really cold that is. Lol.
Well good luck, it would be wonderful if he saw it first hand. In the meantime, you can check out the live web cams on campus: http://about.norwich.edu/campus/webcams/jackman/ It even looks cold on camera, lol. Also, point out to him that Rooks aren't allowed to cut across the UP (upper parade ground), so there is no such thing as a quick dash to class in 0 degrees...they have to go the long way around. All of their gear is issued, so the warm and cozy hand-knit cap and mittens from Mom would not be permitted, lol. And if you haven't looked up the "Dog River Run" on YouTube yet, be sure to do that. It's a pretty big rite of passage for the Rooks at the end of Rook week. But also point out to him that the campus is extremely remote. While skiing, mountain biking, hiking, sports and clubs are a lot of fun, there is not much at all to do for fun in a short period of time. There is not a rec center or a pool table or a common lounge area for the students to hang out in. Hence, from what I understand, it can be pretty boring on a day to day basis. Yes, their schedules are full and they have military demands, but they still long for some hang out time and a fun way to unwind. (cue mattress sledding)
 
Last edited:
I would also approach the coach at Norwich to help set something up at a time that is good for you. Perhaps either right before or after the spring break so he does not have to miss so much school. I bet they will even come get him at the airport - I think they do that. My son is currently a sophomore and when he was a Sr in high school, the coach had a special time he had his recruits come visit. We then worked with an admissions counselor to set up meetings with Rotc and the other offices that we felt we needed to speak with. Everyone was very helpful.
 
Check on Southwest, Also Check on Jet Blue, they are expanding their Routes and might have options for you even if they are in the future IE they are coming to Nashville TN beginning May 5.

Norwich used to offer free room and board with a full ride scholarship, but that was awhile ago. Worth asking about or Negotiating on.

Bit of Trivia I just learned a couple of weeks ago. Norwich was actually Founded in Norwich, CT. Founder had a falling out with the city fathers, and moved the whole college to Northfield VT.

Oh Yeah don't forget, Important recreational outlet.... Mattress Sledding!

Just a little correction on the history of Norwich: It was founded by Captain Alden Partridge. This is from the NU website:
"For more than four decades the remarkably energetic Partridge labored relentlessly to promote what he called the “American System of Education.” He first attempted to introduce his ideas at the United States Military Academy, but the frustration he met with there prompted him to establish the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont, in 1819. The Vermont institution served as a model for several private military academies and colleges founded by Partridge, or his students, at locations throughout the United States prior to Partridge’s death in 1854." Here's the link, it's interesting reading. http://about.norwich.edu/legacy/history/
 
Just a little correction on the history of Norwich: It was founded by Captain Alden Partridge. This is from the NU website:
"For more than four decades the remarkably energetic Partridge labored relentlessly to promote what he called the “American System of Education.” He first attempted to introduce his ideas at the United States Military Academy, but the frustration he met with there prompted him to establish the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont, in 1819. The Vermont institution served as a model for several private military academies and colleges founded by Partridge, or his students, at locations throughout the United States prior to Partridge’s death in 1854." Here's the link, it's interesting reading. http://about.norwich.edu/legacy/history/

Thank you for the correction. Will study up on it and be ready for the test :)
 
What athletic conference is Norwich in and what sports do they play? Imagine hockey is big-time there...
 
Back
Top