Herman_Snerd
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,445
Seeing lots of nice updates that people have been offered and some are accepting their NROTC scholarship offers. If families/ significant others/ guardians, grandparents are considering attending the graduation ceremony, here are a few details.
1. It will be livestreamed - some families opt to "watch" the ceremony online vs attending in-person.
2. It will be brief. Watch prior year ceremonies online. Typically less than 30 mins.
3. There will be traffic. If you opt to attend, seek to get on base early so you don't watch the livestream from your phone, in the long queue of the security checkpoint gate at Great Lakes.
4. It will be a brief window to interact with your mid - Keep in mind that after the ceremony your new Midshipman (gender agnostic term) will have a precious few minutes to talk with those they just went through this experience with, then will be whisked away to the airport for their return home. A couple of the grandparents were upset like hey, I flew all this way and largely got ignored. Yep, of course there are stories of a mid who ignores their peers and talks with family, but that doesn't always happen. It's their moment.
5. Some families connect with their mids/ treat others who have time before boarding at the airport to a nice meal - a nice gesture if you can work it out/ are also traveling back via the same airport.
6. You can pick up your mid if that is what you arrange/ coordinate for travel. If you live within a driving distance, or have the proverbial money out the wazoo so you don't mind traveling for such a brief event, then attending makes sense. I personally would opt for a college visit instead where you'll have more time.
Much like I tell my buddy who packs in and wears a fannypack when traveling throughout Europe, silliness be d*mned - hey, you do you y'all, just pointing out that I do not regret not attending NSI graduation in-person. Sure, wild horses could not have kept me away from commissioning/ graduation/ winging (eventually). We opted to have a bit of a welcome party at the airport/ a cake and mini party back at home which for us was a better investment and provided more facetime before the less than 24 hour heading out to college the next day (He was NSI 3, and had to go to college early for their NSO orientation).
Good luck/ hope that may help those considering options.
1. It will be livestreamed - some families opt to "watch" the ceremony online vs attending in-person.
2. It will be brief. Watch prior year ceremonies online. Typically less than 30 mins.
3. There will be traffic. If you opt to attend, seek to get on base early so you don't watch the livestream from your phone, in the long queue of the security checkpoint gate at Great Lakes.
4. It will be a brief window to interact with your mid - Keep in mind that after the ceremony your new Midshipman (gender agnostic term) will have a precious few minutes to talk with those they just went through this experience with, then will be whisked away to the airport for their return home. A couple of the grandparents were upset like hey, I flew all this way and largely got ignored. Yep, of course there are stories of a mid who ignores their peers and talks with family, but that doesn't always happen. It's their moment.
5. Some families connect with their mids/ treat others who have time before boarding at the airport to a nice meal - a nice gesture if you can work it out/ are also traveling back via the same airport.
6. You can pick up your mid if that is what you arrange/ coordinate for travel. If you live within a driving distance, or have the proverbial money out the wazoo so you don't mind traveling for such a brief event, then attending makes sense. I personally would opt for a college visit instead where you'll have more time.
Much like I tell my buddy who packs in and wears a fannypack when traveling throughout Europe, silliness be d*mned - hey, you do you y'all, just pointing out that I do not regret not attending NSI graduation in-person. Sure, wild horses could not have kept me away from commissioning/ graduation/ winging (eventually). We opted to have a bit of a welcome party at the airport/ a cake and mini party back at home which for us was a better investment and provided more facetime before the less than 24 hour heading out to college the next day (He was NSI 3, and had to go to college early for their NSO orientation).
Good luck/ hope that may help those considering options.
