School choice questions

[Jcleppe]

Hard to go wrong with the U of I if it is a fit for you. It is a relatively small school in a small town but a lot of opportunities due to its close proximity to WSU.

The school size, class size, and the fact that TA's do not teach any classes, the professors teach every class, TA's teach some of the Labs, was one of the deciding factors for both son's.

Funny thing was, even with WSU being so close, my older son never found that he needed to make the short trip over. He said everything he needed was right there at home. The one big advantage was that if either WSU or U of I needed to cut a class from their schedule, they would work it out with each other so that the class would be taught at each school every other year, that was a big help when it came to classes like Arabic, and other less attended classes.

Moscow is a much nicer town then Pullman, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Roughrider]

I realize this is a shameless plug, and it does not meet all the criteria the OP listed but for other applicants looking for similar schools they may want to consider;

The University of Idaho

OOS Tuition full cost w/o any scholarships is $18,000.00 +- a few dollars per year.
Public University
Well regarded Engineering and Business school
On Campus Law School, great resource for Poly Sci and International Studies majors.
Small Public School - 10,000 +- Undergrad population
Not a commuter school
Small College town.
8 miles from WSU, allows for may cross town class opportunities.
Only Div 1A Football stadium that is a covered dome, great when it's snowing.
Hosts all 4 ROTC Programs
Every cadet wanting AD received AD last year.
Great Greek system with an old traditional Greek Row.
Traditional old red brick campus.

So there you go, my biased plug for the U of I, I confess, that my older son graduated from there last year and my younger son is a sophomore this year. We do not live in Idaho. They both have loved the school, just as most kids love the school they attend.

Roughrider,

Just saw your last post.

Being a non scholarship cadet does not hurt your son at all in achieving his goals. The scholarship gives only one advantage, that is that a cadet can contract earlier with a scholarship. Being contracted would allow the cadet the opportunity to attend CULP or a summer training program. While these can add some points to a OMS there are other ways to earn those points as well.

Most cadets are non scholarship.

At my son's school, he was the only 4 year scholarship cadet when he started last year. By the beginning of this year they had given campus scholarships to 2 more cadets in his class. Of course my son's school is a smaller school with a smaller battalion which helps, these cadets were not competing with 50 other MS1's for the campus scholarships.

Once they are enrolled in ROTC they will all be treated the same, scholarship or not, what matters is how they perform in ROTC and school.

That is great to hear -- he'd love those summer programs, but if they aren't essential, that takes a lot of the pressure off.

And thanks for the information on U of Idaho. It does not, alas, have a swim team, but a quick search just yielded two public universities of similar size and attributes that do: the University of Maine and the University of Wyoming.

 

[Packer]

Moscow is a much nicer town then Pullman, but that's just my opinion.

+10

 

[gojack]

even if he does not get into West Point, attend a SMC, or earn a 4-year scholarship, he could still earn a commission in the branch he prefers? He seems to believe that the scholarship would add a degree of certainty -- is that true? Exactly how much more difficult is it (if it makes a difference at all) to get where he wants to go as a non-scholarship ROTC graduate?

On the OLM (Order of Merit List) they place a 'cut off score', cadets who fall below the cut off score can not go AD. Anyone who is above the cutoff lists their AD branch choices (1st, 2nd, 3rd) on their 'dream sheet'. The top 10% on the OLM automatically get their branch of choice. The cadet has the option of volunteering for a ADSO (Active Duty Service Obligation), If the cadet does not get their branch of choice, the ADSO is implemented (requiring an additional 3 yrs on AD) and the cadet gets their branch of choice. You can also do a ADSO for which Post you want to be stationed at, and another ADSO to guarantee paid Grad School later in service.

2011 OLM, of the 5,344 cadets on OLM, the bottom 669 were 'forced' out of AD, after looking over all the data I told my DS if he is in the top half of his battalion, maintains a B average, he should be able to pick where he goes.

Lots more HERE and HERE

 

[EDelahanty]

Many MS3s - scholarship or not - who want Active Duty but have not worked to get top grades in class during their first two years are now setting their sights on earning an "E" in LDAC. However, E's are awarded to less than 20% of the cadets.

Lack of a scholarship can make a difference in a cadet's performance if the cadet must work part-time during the school year to meet expenses.

How exciting. This is looking as though many roads -- eventually, if you work it right -- lead to Rome.

Maybe not all roads, though this one does:

www.esercito.difesa.it/Pagine/default.aspx

 

[Jcleppe]

Many MS3s - scholarship or not - who want Active Duty but have not worked to get top grades in class during their first two years are now setting their sights on earning an "E" in LDAC. However, E's are awarded to less than 20% of the cadets.

I certainly second that comment.

Any cadet that thinks they will just get an E at LDAC to make up for their GPA is taking a big risk.

EDelahanty is correct when he says that less then 20% get an E. The thing to remember is that this is not just like some test the cadet can study for and get the high score. There are countless variables at LDAC, all cadets don't have the same TAC's (Graders). It seems terrible to say but there is a lot of luck that goes into getting that E. The best you can do is be as prepared as you can.

So for all those new cadets, keep that GPA up and do everything you can before LDAC to put yourself in a position to get AD even with a S at LDAC, it will relieve a lot of stress, which in itself can help you at LDAC.

 

[goaliedad]

Do you feel like you are drinking from a fire hose yet?

The one thing you have on your side is time. It is good that you are starting to investigate while he is a sophomore. Of course, over the next year or so many things can happen. He is still a young man who is growing physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

At this point, there is still a lot to be determined about where he will land in 3 years. He has a lot of physical development that will say what level of swimming will be a match for him. In the next year or so, when he gets into more advanced math and science classes, you will have a better idea of his academic match level. And judging by the "girls" requirement, he will be maturing socially in the next couple of years as well. The "not in big city" and "small school" requirement may or may not stick as he gets his social legs under him.

I know with my daughter (and they typically mature younger than boys), she went from the large impersonal middle school environment in the south (where she was bored) to a small NE boarding school (hockey takes you lots of places) where her largest class was 14. She was much more engaged in her studies there. So we too had the concern that the "big school" would be a problem for her. What we discovered is that her high school years prepared her well for taking charge of her own business in the larger impersonal college world. She is doing well at a 10K student non-flagship state U in a small city (~60K).

We had a good feel about this because we spent a lot of our breaks and to-from drives during her sophomore and junior years stopping at and exploring a wide variety of schools in a wide variety of settings (about 3 dozen in total). I highly recommend these road trips for you this year, even though he may not be at the point of making up his mind.

When we started doing all of these campus visits, ROTC wasn't even in the picture, so the school visit list changed radically when she decided on that path during her junior year. However, the places we visited before then helped her when discussing the relative merits of the schools that had ROTC. My point here is that with a long list of requirements, he will need to evaluate trade-offs between them. The campus visit is one tool for doing this.

Best of luck.

 

[Aglahad]

That's very helpful information. Dare I ask, is infantry (his primary interest) one of those most popular branches?

Yes infantry (as well as Ranger, Delta, SF, CIA, 007 operative I have heard it all) is always at the top of the list for many incoming freshman as well as OML choice but many many cadets change their minds regarding branch choice when senior year rolls around.

A freshman saying they want infantry makes me roll my eyes as much as a freshman pre-med saying they WILL be a pediatric neuro-surgeon.

 

[Aglahad]

Moscow is a much nicer town then Pullman, but that's just my opinion.

I agree I would much rather go to U of I and just party in Pullman

 

[Roughrider]

Do you feel like you are drinking from a fire hose yet?

Yes, this is really a whole new world for us and, I suspect, for his guidance counselor as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what he hones in on, but knowing all the various factors that have to be considered and balanced makes me feel a little more prepared.

Really appreciate all the support and information.

 

[texas2westpoint]

Yes, this is really a whole new world for us and, I suspect, for his guidance counselor as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what he hones in on, but knowing all the various factors that have to be considered and balanced makes me feel a little more prepared.

Really appreciate all the support and information.

I don't know much about this school personally, but it is DII in swimming and a friend of mine is looking into it - Missouri University of Science and Technology. They are smaller, public (OOS tuition isn't excessive), has both engineering and business and on-campus ROTC.

Just one more to add to your list.

 

[Jcleppe]

Yes infantry (as well as Ranger, Delta, SF, CIA, 007 operative I have heard it all) is always at the top of the list for many incoming freshman as well as OML choice but many many cadets change their minds regarding branch choice when senior year rolls around.

Boy if that isn't the truth.

Son started out freshman year wanting Infantry, just like most MS1's, Changed to MI sophomore year, changed to MI with Infantry Detail Junior year. Senior year rolled around and he ended up branching Aviation, Go figure.

Aglahad is right, most cadets go through a real process before they finally select want they want.

 

[Roughrider]

I don't know much about this school personally, but it is DII in swimming and a friend of mine is looking into it - Missouri University of Science and Technology. They are smaller, public (OOS tuition isn't excessive), has both engineering and business and on-campus ROTC.

Just one more to add to your list.

Thank you. I just looked it up -- without forming a judgment on the school itself, I have to say these summer camps sure look appealing: http://futurestudents.mst.edu/precollege/index.html


Explosives camp! What red-blooded American boy wouldn't want to attend a week-long "blowing things up" seminar?