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Kings Point, the easiest service academy to get into ... the hardest to stay at.
Quitting USMMA
- Thread starter Dadx4
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Kings Point, the easiest service academy to get into ... the hardest to stay at.
I don't know...maybe in your day it was but as someone who went to civilian college for 1.5 and at my 2/c year at KP I thought civilian college was harder. The sea projects are pretty annoying though...Capt Hasson '97 is in charge of deck projects.
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So which do you think is wrong? Do you think that KP is just as hard to get in to as USMA/USNA/USAFA/USCGA, or that USMA/USNA/USAFA/USCGA is just as easy to graduate from?
Curious what makes the deck projects annoying? There was plenty that has always been annoying about sea projects regardless of who graded them. The grader only made them potentially MORE annoying.
I think USMA/USNA/etc are of similar difficulty to graduate from. I just don't like sketching things or pacing myself with projects. First sailing I did the 4 months worth of projects in a little under a few weeks. Also, for deck projects the project only counts for about 30% of the final grade, with the oral or exam counting for the other 70%. So even if you did your entire project you could still easily fail the orals and it wouldn't matter. The entire project would need to be resubmitted.
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What at the other SAs can possibly be so hard that you think it overcomes completing the course work for a Bachelors degree in one less year at KP than the other SAs? Yes, I realize that the deck majors at KP barely qualify as college level, but the humanities and liberal arts based majors at the other SAs also bring down the level of difficulty for graduation at those institutions.
I will give you the difficulty of the oral exam aspect of the sea projects. I always said the engineering coursework is more difficult for engineers, but the sea projects and license exams are definitely harder for deck.
I will give you the difficulty of the oral exam aspect of the sea projects. I always said the engineering coursework is more difficult for engineers, but the sea projects and license exams are definitely harder for deck.
kp2001
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As a deckie I give this jokey seal of approval! Haha!!
As a 2nd class going to my first cadet ship (second sailing), would you recommend commercial or MSC? I think I would like to work for MSC later. And if commercial what are the pros and cons of tanker vs container?
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Commercial all they way, 100%.
If you're a deckie then definitely get some tanker time. They are building more Jones Act tankers than container ships (ergo more jobs) there are non-union tanker jobs after graduation (more options) and tanker experience (even as a cadet) is marketable.
I wouldn't touch MSC with a 1000' pole after graduation. Reliefs are always waaaaay overdue. The one advantage is sea time, you'll get at least 10 months a year and possibly more.
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As an engineer, I barely remember spending a lot of time on my Sea Project. I do recall having to redo my English assignment for Bardot. For my second Sea Year, there was a completed project in the Cadet's cabin on my last ship. How convenient. . . .
What he said. Now, I understand these days that berths are limited for Sea Year, what with the decline in US Flag shipping. Barely any choice compared to when I was in the program.
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I would also try and get some inland, OSV and/or tug/barge time. It will likely take some effort on your part to call the companies on your own but these segments of the maritime industry far far far exceed the number of deep sea US flagged vessels.
Your ATR may be resistive, my opinion is that there is a bias towards deep sea there, but you can use a limited amount of time (I think 30 days) towards your unlimited license.
Your ATR may be resistive, my opinion is that there is a bias towards deep sea there, but you can use a limited amount of time (I think 30 days) towards your unlimited license.
Absolutely. Most of my time at sea post graduation was on string boats and ATBs. . . back before ATBs were the trendy thing. . . .
Oh okay, people here say that commercial is a lot harder than being a cadet with MSC. Also, nobody can do sea year time on OSV/ATBs/inland because companies have to be cleared with MARAD before cadets can go and none of those companies are. I was going to do a few weeks over summer with a towing company in Galveston but I couldn't get sea time because the company wasn't cleared.
NAVYCAPT93
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Glad to hear that DD is staying. Walking up to my first ship (I am KP'93) was one of the scariest moments of my life! I understand her concern. But... It was one of the most incredibly rewarding experiences I have ever had. Sea year at KP is no joke - and the other Academies don't have anything comparable. I agree that it is hard to make it through KP - not because Plebe Year is as hard as the others - which I don't believe it is. It is exactly due to the Sea Year component. 10-11 months at sea - regardless of how you "split" it - is tough for anyone! Today's connectivity makes it much different than in the 80's or early 90's when my AT&T calling card bill reached into the 4-figures - so make sure she stays connected - but it will be hard. Continue to encourage her. And make sure her Sea Partner and her stay tight! That relationship will last a lifetime! Good luck and God Bless you all!
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When she has access to wifi, you all can use the app "WhatsApp" to text without using phone data.
B Splits go to sea first (at the end of their 4th class year)
I do, the course load is the largest, the academic pace is the fastest as you are squeezing four years into 3 on campus and sea year can often be no picnic.