Strength and Honor
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Messages
- 614
I attend VMI so I may be a little biased, but the last month I've spent down at Fort Knox and many of my good friends were guys from other SMCs. We compared freshman year stories pretty often as well as just describing life in general. Here's what I took from it:
VMI and El Cid are pretty darn similar. Bracing and straining, rec day and breakout, etc. The Citadel is larger than VMI so take it for what you will, company pride is stressed there much more than class pride (huge at VMI) because due to the size you won't know everyone in your class. At VMI we have company pride but it's all about your class (18, 18, 18!). Knob year lasts longer than the Ratline but Knobs can go out into Charleston and have their phones eventually and what not, things a Rat wouldn't dream of at VMI. El Cid has real beds, VMI does not. VMI is better at basketball, El Cid is better at football.
Now Norwich is a bit different. The Norwich guys I met were great but seemed to think NU has gone a little soft and has a bit of a disconnect from VMI & the Citadel. For one, Norwich has civilians. Second, it's in Vermont, not the South. Norwich also doesn't have set companies that you stay in during your cadetship, so there's no real company pride like you'll find at VMI and the Citadel. Also, there's a much larger cadre presence during your first year at VMI and the Citadel whereas at NU you'll have like 3 cadre for your Rook platoon (versus a 2:1 Rat-cadre ratio during Hell Week at VMI)and upperclassmen can't mess with you or even talk to you (FAR from the case at the other two).
Not trying to be on one side or the other, I genuinely liked the people I met from all 3 schools and I think all prepare you well for the military and beyond.
VMI and El Cid are pretty darn similar. Bracing and straining, rec day and breakout, etc. The Citadel is larger than VMI so take it for what you will, company pride is stressed there much more than class pride (huge at VMI) because due to the size you won't know everyone in your class. At VMI we have company pride but it's all about your class (18, 18, 18!). Knob year lasts longer than the Ratline but Knobs can go out into Charleston and have their phones eventually and what not, things a Rat wouldn't dream of at VMI. El Cid has real beds, VMI does not. VMI is better at basketball, El Cid is better at football.
Now Norwich is a bit different. The Norwich guys I met were great but seemed to think NU has gone a little soft and has a bit of a disconnect from VMI & the Citadel. For one, Norwich has civilians. Second, it's in Vermont, not the South. Norwich also doesn't have set companies that you stay in during your cadetship, so there's no real company pride like you'll find at VMI and the Citadel. Also, there's a much larger cadre presence during your first year at VMI and the Citadel whereas at NU you'll have like 3 cadre for your Rook platoon (versus a 2:1 Rat-cadre ratio during Hell Week at VMI)and upperclassmen can't mess with you or even talk to you (FAR from the case at the other two).
Not trying to be on one side or the other, I genuinely liked the people I met from all 3 schools and I think all prepare you well for the military and beyond.