The Citadel Lags Behind Military Schools in Commissioning

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Landy91

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Friend in downtown Charleston forwarded this interesting article from local newspaper:
www.postandcourier.com

The Citadel lags behind rival military schools in commissioning officers

Founded in Charleston in 1842, the Citadel is just of one six senior military colleges in the united states. Despite its historic and overwhelming military presence, it commissions the fewest percentage of armed service officers compared to its rival schools.
www.postandcourier.com www.postandcourier.com
 
Heard Norwich was at or near 60% commissioning for 2020 and others were over 60%. Perhaps recent grads from these schools could shed some light on their rates for 2020 since COVID caused all to be virtual... Anybody know if Citadel rates went up for 2020?
 
Landy91 said:
Heard Norwich was at or near 60% commissioning for 2020 and others were over 60%. Perhaps recent grads from these schools could shed some light on their rates for 2020 since COVID caused all to be virtual... Anybody know if Citadel rates went up for 2020?
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60% sounds high for Norwich (just speculation) I think The Citadel was around 35%. This debate has been going on since I was at Norwich in the early 90s. The percentages/ratios have stayed consistent. One thing I am certain of: whether it is 30% or 70% - its a blessing to have these schools that prepare men and women to serve in our armed forces OR become leaders in the civilian arena. Kudos to El Cid, VMI, Norwich, UNG, A&M and VA Tech for being different.
 
I can't claim to be an expert on the topic, but the commissioning rate doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the college. Not everyone who attends an SMC is looking to commission. This is not to say it isn't something to consider, but be sure to look at the underlying reasons.
 
This thread makes me think of an IBOLC classmate of my son. My son and his group did everything they could to get this young man through IBOLC. They did it because they really liked him. He barely passed. It was a struggle with him everyday. They lost him at Ranger School, he was out in a couple of days. Within a year, he was in Afghanistan and the gunner in his truck fell when they were attacked by about 50 Taliban. He manned the gun and held them off even after being wounded severely. He earned a Silver Star that day and later on a very nice company(who build free homes for wounded warriors) in Georgia built him and his wife a free home. Everyone acts differently when it really matters. I think what is the important thing is what is in your heart and your desire to lead and care for others in all ways. You build yourself and more importantly others. The SA, SMC and ROTC you choose is the tool to get to officer. What others have done at these places is of little consequence to you. Although the history can be motivating. What really matters is what you can do once there.
 
This is interesting. I'm surprised how relatively low A&M is also, particularly compared to Virginia Tech, with which it seems most comparable.
 
Percentage of those who did NOT intend to commission but DID commission after entering a SMC might also be useful. But at the end of the day, military commissioning rates of senior MILITARY colleges is relevant, useful, and may speak to the culture or environment. As such, this info (along with many other factors) may be useful for future potential students to consider.
 
this article is misleading because it speaks only to percentages; The Citadel commissioned about 215 Officers this year which as best I know is the highest of any college. Also keep in mind that the numbers are for just the cadet corps, if Virginia Tech commissions 70% of its senior cadets that's still only about 3% of the entire senior class. 70% of a senior class of 300 still doesn't equate to as many commissions as 35% of a class of 590.
 
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Plus in the end there are no bad choices of the SMC, unless you want to go something other than Army and pick UGA

Of course we all agree Citadel is the best choice, I kid! I kid! Dude from VMI saved my life once ... it involves alcohol and a USNA grad who played linebacker talking trash cool story
 
@conrack I totally agree. Having had my share of statistics, the one thing I did learn is you cannot take numbers like that at face value without deep examination of study and population. Statistics (especially those reported by the media) can be interpreted any way to sell copies or clicks.
 
conrack said:
this article is misleading because it speaks only to percentages; The Citadel commissioned about 215 Officers this year which as best I know is the highest of any college. Also keep in mind that the numbers are for just the cadet corps, if Virginia Tech commissions 70% of its senior cadets that's still only about 3% of the entire senior class. 70% of a senior class of 300 still doesn't equate to as many commissions as 35% of a class of 590.
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today.citadel.edu

Celebrating The Citadel Class of 2020: Virtual Commencement Plus - The Citadel Today

On May 9, The Citadel Class of 2020 -- more than 1,000 graduates total -- will be celebrated during two virtual commencement ceremonies.
today.citadel.edu today.citadel.edu
100% agree with “there are no bad choices in SMCs.” And percentages and statistics don’t tell the whole story, but let’s keep numbers accurate here for potential students.
The Citadel commissioned 184 of 590 cadet graduates (not 215). The “most” award would go to Texas A&M with 216.
corps.tamu.edu

The 2019-2020 State of the Corps

Greetings from Aggieland! The 2019-2020 school year proved to be a successful year for the Corps of Cadets, filled with many highlights and accomplishments, despite the impact of COVID-19 in the spring semester. We are very proud of our cadets and the way they represented our Corps and our...
corps.tamu.edu corps.tamu.edu
And since Virginia Tech’s non-cadet graduates were included above, let’s include the 400 non-cadet Citadel graduates. That’s 18% of the Citadel Class of 2020. It is commendable that they chose to serve. It is also commendable and noteworthy for Virginia Tech’s corps to commission 70% and for Texas A&M to commission 216. God Bless everyone who chooses to serve.
Numbers are numbers. Commissioning percentages and statistics are not the most important nor only factors to consider, but they may resonate with a potential student looking at SMCs as an option to serve in the future.
 
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except that the civilian students don't take ROTC and therefore aren't eligible for commissioning. The 184 was a preliminary number and has since been updated. Yep, its NAS alright; never changes his tone and attack mode.
 
OK folks. You make a big assumption on someone's identity based primarily on your gut. These are just numbers, neither good nor bad. Let's cease and desist on the accusations. In any case no lines have been crossed.
 
Citadel is number 4 overall (average officers commissioned annually via ROTC) in Five Year DoD average according to recent slides posted by @glen (DOD data attached from the 2019 Senior Military College Association conference). What I haven't seen is the total number of officers a school produces through all commissioning programs (not just ROTC -- including OCS and PLC, for example).
 
Is that #4 of the 6 SMCs? Or nationally? Also, I agree, the the OCS and PLC numbers would be great to include, but may be a bit tough to capture.
 
Landy91 said:
Is that #4 of the 6 SMCs? Or nationally? Also, I agree, the the OCS and PLC numbers would be great to include, but may be a bit tough to capture.
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Nationally / all programs. Source: OSD briefing slides originally posted by @glen.

Posting Data on SMC Commissions & ROTC Scholarships - Let's Keep this Forum Honest

I believe the purpose of this forum should be to help high school students and their parents make good decisions on their college choice. Posting misleading information from news articles, or trolling members with disinformation is not helpful. Attached are the latest data available on ROTC...
www.serviceacademyforums.com

Look at first attachment. The title says SMC but the slides have numbers for top programs nationally (SMC and non-SMC). See attached (slide 5)
 
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