USNA Application Status Change: "Conditional (LOA)"

VelveteenR said:
After four years at boarding school, until our son was fully into his major, he found West Point a bit underwhelming.
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My son found the academics at USNA to be comparable to high school. Just more work.

What is key is time management. It’s requirements outside of class that makes it harder.
 
VelveteenR said:
Amen. And don't for a minute think that faculty, administration, coaches, or anyone else at these schools is doing any student's work. Schools like @SeePower references are known as "independent" schools for a reason. There is no coddling. They prepare their students well to hit the ground running at any of the colleges they attend, thus the term "prep." Most students at these schools think that (any) college is a breeze after their high school years. And, if they board, they also have the homesickness, travel, dorm living, roommate thing licked. After four years at boarding school, until our son was fully into his major, he found West Point a bit underwhelming.
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... may I add to this---> "no coddling."
How about extreme "no Coddling + just plain nuts." College Counselor 1 told my son he is not smart enough for Naval Academy. College Counselor 2 called USNA and informed them that she could not confirmed my son's academic awards/achievements. I went in Combat Mode... going to the school president. That crazy counselor 2 retired abruptly unannounced. Her husband confronted me during graduation. He was lucky that the school was in U.S.A not in Mukdadiya Province.
 
NavyHoops said:
And for perspective… there are young USNA grads who graduated this past May on those ships that are arriving off the coast. They are leading Sailors, working on quals on standing the watch. Less than 6 months ago they were living in Mother B.
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... Roger.

Since DS reported for I day, I've been following USNA Ship Selection, past and present. The 2023 one, I recognized several Mids from my son's company as well as from his old high school.
 
For perspective, I attended public schools all over rhe country. Three times in So. Cal., two cycles in Annapolis (Jr. High and the end of high school), one each in Rhode Island and South Carolina. I've personally experienced the gamut, with SC being f--king atrocious. As a freshman I got mugged walking from my high school to a shopping center to have my mom pick me up after doing my color guard duty at a football game!! I was in my JROTC uniform. And I was light years ahead in classes there, taking AP Physics and Trig/Analyt. in 10th grade with a bunch of GT and Honors level Seniors.

I also went to an HBC school (Morgan State) for my graduate degree ........ in Baltimore .......(GASP) ....... as a middle-class white guy.

My point? I know what s--t schools are like (for clarity, Morgan was absolutely not in that category, but there may be a BS racist thought it was). Guess what? I did well in them. In fact, I crushed them. Why? Because I was a little bit smart, and had drive. And, because the school systems sucked in some, it was easy to be the top of the crop. If I had stayed in SC, I probably would have graduated top of my class with little effort and been given an AF JROTC nom to USAFA or an AFROTC scholarship because excelling in a crap system when you're a little bit smart is a joke.

The "excuse" that the public schools in an area are inferior, so there is a need to send them to private school?? That is privileged as f--k. Sorry to be blunt. If one actually knew how to work the system, one would easily be able able to take advantage of a broken model and reap the benefits.

At NAPS, our x-country team ran against the Andover Academy teams. Then later, as an architect, I did work at the Hill Schhol in PA. Based on everything I experienced and witnessed during those times, I understand that there is zero reason to send a kid to those types of establishments except to get a leg up in a broken, elitist, system. If your kid is strong emotionally and intelligent, they will excel anywhere. And if they face adversity? They will be more well rounded, empathetic, and know how to adapt. I.e. - a much more compassionate and accepting human.

/end wine enduced rant/

(Waiting for the Ban Hammer).
 
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IronmanDaremo said:
For perspective, I attended public schools all over rhe country. Three times in So. Cal., two cycles in Annapolis (Jr. High and the end of high school), one each in Rhode Island and South Carolina. I've personally experienced the gamut, with SC being f--king atrocious. As a freshman I got mugged walking from my high school to a shopping center to have my mom pick me up after doing my color guard duty at a football gane!! I was in my JROTC uniform. And I was light years ahead in classes there, taking AP Physics and Trig/Analyt. in 10th grade with a bunch of GT and Honors level Seniors.

I also went to an HBC school (Morgan State) for my graduate degree ........ in Baltimore .......(GASP) ....... as a middle-class white guy.

My point? I know what s--t schools are like (for clarity, Morgan was absolutely not in that category, but there may be a BS racist thought it was). Guess what? I did well in them. In fact, I crushed them. Why? Because I was a little bit smart, and had drive. And, because the school systems sucked in some, it was easy to be the top of the crop. If I had stayed in SC, I probably would have graduated top of my class with little effort and been given an AF JROTC nom to USAFA or an AFROTC scholarship because excelling in a crap system when you're a little bit smart is a joke.

The "excuse" that the public schools in an area are inferior, so there is a need to send them to private school?? That is privileged as f--k. Sorry to be blunt. If one actually knew how to work the system, one would easily be able able to take advantage of a broken model and reap the benefits.

At NAPS, our x-country team ran against the Andover Academy teams. Then later, as an architect, I did work at the Hill Schhol in PA. Based on everything I experienced and witnessed during those times, I inderstand that there is zero reason to send a kid to those types of estanlishments except to get a leg up in a broken, elitist, system. If your kid is strong emotionally and intelligent, they will excel anywhere. And if they face adversity? They will be more well rounded, empathetic, and know how to adapt. I.e. - a much more compassionate and accepting human.

/end wine enduced rant/

(Waiting for the Ban Hammer).
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I actually think you make more sense when you have been drinking. ;)
 
That's because my mom has her doctorate in English, so her penchant for proofreading comes out more in my subconciousness with a little bit of social lubricant!! :p
 
... so let the "rant" floodgates open, Aight?

Many many moons ago, I enrolled for a Teacher Certification Course in a Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCU. I was still on Active Duty at the time. At the same time, a couple from Ireland was in the same program. The Irish accent was so thick that the professors and students could not understand them. I translated for the most part and became friends with them. Crazy but we saw a sign about applying for free scholarship grants in campus for minorities. Since we were "minority" we applied and got it. My brothers visited me on campus once and they were scared. I was laughing at them. My DS has an assembly of friends from all walks of life. In the yard, his friends were mostly second generation Americans. On one occasion, an Athlete overheard him talking to his mom in European language. It turned out that the athlete's parents and my DW's came from the same hometown. Another friend is currently attending a HBCU college. They hang out a little bit during summer leave. And during Protramid, (I posted this before), he was spending like a Sailor in NY during the YP cruise. I asked him about the crazy expenses. He told me that some of the crew stayed in hotels, others in the ship. He however stayed in his friend's apartment in Manhattan. He's an investment banker.
 
My post is under moderater review since I edited it again. May not be there tomorrow...... :bleh2:
 
It happens a lot. I think if you edit a post more than one or two times, it triggers something in the algorithms to cause a review. Since I'm generally a stickler for grammar, I tend to trigger it often. :D
 
Anyone who paints an entire group of people - in this case all students who are enrolled in Prep School, and their parents who send them - as entitled, undeserving and well, basically stupid should seriously look within. And quite possibly put down the bottle, @IronmanDaremo.
 
Said nothing about undeserving or stupid. Think I hit a nerve ...... My post was not directed at any one person.

Mods, feel free to delete my posts at your leisure. Won't offend me. I've got much thicker skin than that.
 
SeePower said:
Anyone who paints an entire group of people - in this case all students who are enrolled in Prep School, and their parents who send them - as entitled, undeserving and well, basically stupid should seriously look within. And quite possibly put down the bottle, @IronmanDaremo.
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For what it’s worth, @IronmanDaremo, I took it as more of a critique of a system
 
"The "excuse" that the public schools in an area are inferior, so there is a need to send them to private school?? That is privileged as f--k."
You think this more of a critique of a system??? C'mon
 
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