Toughest Decision of My Life

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GunslingingPanda

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Hi,

I am currently attending a top university in the nation(prestige and education are similar to Notre Dame) on an ROTC scholarship. I was rejected from USMA for the Class of 2025, however, I received an appointment this time around. I live in a beautiful part of the country and I'm loving life. I wanted to go to the academy for the longest time but now that I received the BFE I am unsure if I truly desire to go there. I know this type of topic has been discussed to death but I am wondering what everyone's input is on this. While nothing is set in stone, my long-term plan is to do my time in the service, get an MBA, and try to transition into the business world. While West Point would be ideal for this pathway, so is the school I'm currently at. Is a degree from USMA really that much more rewarding than a high GPA stem degree from a school such as Georgetown or Berkley? (Please don't question my desire to serve. I just want input on how the post-military life would differ in each respective pathway)
 
GunslingingPanda said:
Hi,

I am currently attending a top university in the nation(prestige and education are similar to Notre Dame) on an ROTC scholarship. I was rejected from USMA for the Class of 2025, however, I received an appointment this time around. I live in a beautiful part of the country and I'm loving life. I wanted to go to the academy for the longest time but now that I received the BFE I am unsure if I truly desire to go there. I know this type of topic has been discussed to death but I am wondering what everyone's input is on this. While nothing is set in stone, my long-term plan is to do my time in the service, get an MBA, and try to transition into the business world. While West Point would be ideal for this pathway, so is the school I'm currently at. Is a degree from USMA really that much more rewarding than a high GPA stem degree from a school such as Georgetown or Berkley? (Please don't question my desire to serve. I just want input on how the post-military life would differ in each respective pathway)
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For STEM jobs such as Engineering or similar within Aerospace, the Service Academy pedigree is stronger than the Georgetowns/Berkleys.
 
+1 to above. Either path can get you to a commission but which is better for the next step? Once you're commissioned no one in the military will care where you went to school. They will only care about results. Also there's an excellent chance that post service you'll be selling your leadership skills as much as your degree, maybe even more.
 
If you are second guessing, then I think you have your answer. The SA alumni network is extremely strong (and one of the few that has a very national foot print) and what it can provide for grad schools is pretty huge. But if you are thriving where you are and can financially remain where you are, then you will do well and that pays off for MBA programs.
 
Especially if you want a straight line to service. You ready to redo a year?
 
You cannot go wrong. There is risk with both...risk that you won't get what you want through your current ROTC program or risk that you will start over at USMA and not be happy or like it as much as you like your life now. You dreamed of USMA enough that you applied again. That is something. The 'extra year of school'--don't worry about that at all. Our lives are long...graduating at 22, 23, 24...no one cares. You will be better prepared for academics and the military aspects of West Point because of what you have done. Have you talked about this with your ROTC PMS or adviser and with your family? In the end it is your choice, but somewhere inside of you, there was something perhaps intangible that you wanted about West Point that made you apply again.
 
THmom said:
Dude, you’re “loving life.” That’s huge. Given what you’ve said, I’d stay put.
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Agree with this statement, if you are happy then you should stay put. At the end of the day, if you commission from ROTC or West Point, you are both the same rank. I know many people don't want to let go of their dream or desires to do what they want to do but people change and so do our desires. That is a part of life. As you grow, you will also realize that where you graduated from actually isn't that important to prospective employers. Your performance, acumen, ability to present yourself, and the ability to do the job is what matters the most then. Of course, if you want the complete Military experience, then USMA might be the place to go but it can't guarantee you the happiness that you have right now.
 
If you intend on doing grad school then that degree will outshine the undergrad you attended. You can still draw on the alumni network, but your last degree is the one you derive your professional prestige from.
 
StPaulDad said:
If you intend on doing grad school then that degree will outshine the undergrad you attended. You can still draw on the alumni network, but your last degree is the one you derive your professional prestige from.
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I actually have a few post grad degrees and no one cares about them in interviews. It’s always about USNA. Most of my friends have said the same thing. It might help get me an interview or even in the door, but performance will win out over everything else.

Pick where you will thrive and will/are the happiest. Life is too short not to be.
 
A distilled, less weighty question here …. Would you rather be happy on a bike or miserable (for a while) in a Mercedes?

With respect to Cal grads, it’s “Berkeley” vice Berkley ;). Good luck on your decision!
 
NavyHoops said:
I actually have a few post grad degrees and no one cares about them in interviews. It’s always about USNA. Most of my friends have said the same thing. It might help get me an interview or even in the door, but performance will win out over everything else.

Pick where you will thrive and will/are the happiest. Life is too short not to be.
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Not sure I would agree with this. Wharton MBA a much better calling card for Wall Street than any undergraduate degree from anywhere.
 
Wharton could for sure. Depends on the school, what you study, what your career field is. Had several of my buddies go to Wharton.
 
NavyHoops said:
I actually have a few post grad degrees and no one cares about them in interviews. It’s always about USNA. Most of my friends have said the same thing. It might help get me an interview or even in the door, but performance will win out over everything else.
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Even teaching at a university, my colleagues are much more interested in and seem to be impressed with my USNA pedigree then by my grad school.
 
- Berkeley is the #3 engineering school in the country behind MIT and Stanford. Best of the best. (USNews)
- SA’s are incredible. And they offer an experience you can’t find in universities.
- You’re asking a bunch of SAF people to be unbiased :)
- I hire engineers not their universities
 
I went to grad school with, hired, managed and worked alongside quite a few former JMOs from three branches (for some reason, no Marines). Some were SA grads, some ROTC, some OCS. They were all impressive in one way or another. What impressed me most was not HOW they became officers, but that they WERE officers. Their leadership ability and experience trumped their particular accession path.
 
The answer seems to depend on your appetitte for risk. If you are happy in your current situation, then consider if it make sense to uproot yourself, move across the country, lose a year and risk being unhappy at WP. The withdrawal rate is between 15%-20% at WP so you have to be 100% committed.
 
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