Something else to consider is the Army is not as interested in your major as the Air Force. If you want to change your major down the line it will be easier as an Army ROTC scholarship winner than it would be for an Air Force Scholarship winner. Both are still great choices. Be sure to apply to the Honors Program at VMI if it isn't too late. There are other merit scholarships available that can reduce your cost even further. Remember your AROTC covers only room and board or tuition (and of course books, stipend, etc). Tuition is usually the best way to go.
VMI Ratline Questions
- Thread starter lsuraeru
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My son will be in the same class as you. He is also attending on a NROTC scholarship. We attended one of the few open houses they had in October. After the open house, he said, " dad, this is the place I want to be." He loved the town of Lexington. Like you, he will have to take an engineering path. ( M.E.) As a parent, I am not worried about the physical or mental aspects of what he will face. He has been a competitive swimmer throughout HS and enjoys his time in the gym. Academics- He's an above average student, but inherited the procrastination gene from me. I like the fact that VMI has small classes and really makes every attempt for the student to succeed. He has decided to attend STP this summer to possibly get him ready for the rigors of the classroom. We are out of state ( Texas ) so the tuition is steep. I hope it's an investment that pays off in the long run. He applied and was accepted to the Citadel and Norwich as well. We couldn't visit either of those campuses. He was also offered a spot on the swim team at VMI-that sealed the deal for him.
Good luck to you!
Good luck to you!
I wasn't aware of that, that's reassuring that I can maybe change paths if I decide ECE isn't right for me. I will definitely look into applying to the Honors Program, I've heard great things about it so far. I wish I could try and get some of the merit scholarships, but unfortunately, my GPA is not high enough to even meet the basic requirements. I'm sure if I work hard enough, I'll be able to get one while at VMI though. Thank you!
Oh sweet!! I wish I was able to go to an open house at VMI. My only experience on campus was interviewing with the AFROTC Commander for the AF scholarship. That was quite nerve-wracking though, so I don't think it gave a picture of the true VMI experience. Lexington and the surrounding Shenandoah Valley are beautiful areas. Maybe I'll see him at STP this summer! I'm still waiting for VMI to make the STP info available so I can go ahead and sign up. Thanks for the good luck wish and I wish good luck for your son too!
vmi1991fromva
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Somewhat dated advice, but my son will enter as a rat next year... The open houses are good but a little propagandized. You never know if you will make it or not until you are there. Stay humble and take it one day at a time. There were plenty of high school studs that packed their bags pretty quickly into the experience. Likewise, there were plenty of guys that "looked" like they had no chance and really took off and excelled. Show up physically in shape but know there will be days where mentally, you'll be defeated. VMI is certainly not for everyone, nor should it be. It's only four years but it is transformative and stays with you a lifetime - the good and the bad. Listen to the Honor Court and maintain your honor first and foremost. You can always take a class again. Now the advice: Study, study, study. You are at a college. Everyone comes out the same rank. Do not get caught up in the ratline stuff to the point where you sacrifice studying. You have a real opportunity to take advantage of the entry level classes your rat year and build a solid GPA. Academically, third class year is a lot tougher. For me, I wasn't big on studying too much in between classes. I used those times to relax and/or get my rat stuff done. But, I always studied outside of barracks past taps until 11:30 pm, regardless of how much work I had. I also very seldom went past 12, so I was "relatively" well rested. This schedule allowed me to escape the nightly flame sessions on the stoop and I was very seldom overwhelmed with a back log of work. Look forward to the rare freedoms that you get during your rat year, but most importantly enjoy just the downtime with your BRs in your rooms getting know one another and laughing about the predicament that you all got yourselves into. Remember - look to your left, look to your right, one of these guys or you won't be here - haha!
Thank you for the time it took to write this! The tips you gave about honor and academics were amazing, I'll definitely remember those for when I am at VMI. What are the nightly flame sessions you referenced? Or are those just something I'll have to experience for myself to understand? Thanks again for the advice!
vmi1991fromva
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There are certain times and areas that the upperclassmen can mess you and times and areas that they cannot. Know the areas and the times. When I was there, 15 minutes before taps was chaos in barracks as study time was over and the rats were returning to their rooms. The better plan is to take authorized late study in an academic building until at least 30 minutes after taps. Then return to your room and go to bed. Whether you are a rat or upper classman, studying in barracks is not recommended. Too many distractions...
Oh that makes perfect sense! I guess learning the areas and times is just a part of the game played at VMI. Thank you again for the meaningful advice!
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Excellent advice. Although I went to VMI because I wanted to be a Soldier, and while at VMI was a ranker as well as a member of the RDC (and became a career Soldier -so I bought into the whole Rat line and Military stuff 110%!) , my advice to prospective cadets now is to remember that first and foremost- you are going to college- not enlisting in the Army. You need to make sure you understand that distinction- to succeed you have to keep all of the Ratline and Mil Duty stuff in perspective. If you are the shiniest rat in the mass- but you have a .5 GPA - you are just a failure. Part of the point of the system is to teach you how to prioritize and make the tough call to focus on your academics even when it might cost you some unwanted attention from the Cadre. You will be amazed at how close you get to your Brother Rats- shared hardship really builds strong bonds and it preps you for the reality of the outside world- which you will be prepared to face down because you have already proved that you can take pressure, prioritize and function with personal and integrity intact. It's hard to believe that it's been 45 years since I was a Rat- but I still am devoted to the school and my Brother Rats! Good luck!
AirForceVet
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Mom of a rising first that is an engineering major here: best advice I can give you is study calculus as much as you can on your own over the summer- youtube, Udemy, whatever. VMI is great, but some of their teachers can be, shall we say, lacking... and for some reason their math department wrote their own subpar Calculus books. If you get a teacher like my kid got (first year teaching, failed 90% of the class and quit) or his second teacher (barely understandable English speaker-from India)... your scholarship could be affected. I also recommend you take Chemistry at a community college some (any) summer. That department has a very bad rep too. You would think a high caliber school would have all fabulous teachers... but the pay is low. Some of the teachers are great and others aren't. You prep hard for Calculus and I think you'll be just fine. Just never take anything personally, and never, ever quit. Your dyke class is awesome. You'll be in good hands! 
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@AirForceVet great post and congrats to your rising dyke.
That was a tough read on the subpar faculty, both as a Virginia taxpayer and someone who holds VMI in high regard.
Best wishes to you and yours going forward.
That was a tough read on the subpar faculty, both as a Virginia taxpayer and someone who holds VMI in high regard.
Best wishes to you and yours going forward.
EEBTTF
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I don't think this is a VMI issue as much as it is a global issue. University faculty is just like any other profession - some good, some bad, some excellent and some abysmal. I think that there is great competition for STEM related professors across the board. Calculus/Physics and other hard sciences are very difficult in general and even more so when there is a language barrier. This year was even of a challenge with COVID and the remote learning platform.
@AirForceVet - thank you for the post and I hope your child has a great last year at VMI.
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Ah sorry!! I just now saw this. Thank you very much for the detailed reply! I appreciate the realistic lens you used to write your reply. I am actually going to be taking calculus during the STP at VMI this summer, so hopefully it will be a little better than your son's experience. After talking to lots of people, they all seem to say the same thing about never taking things personally. I hope that when I'm there in the thick of it, I can remember that its all just a game. I think if I do that, then I'll be just fine. Thank you again!Mom of a rising first that is an engineering major here: best advice I can give you is study calculus as much as you can on your own over the summer- youtube, Udemy, whatever. VMI is great, but some of their teachers can be, shall we say, lacking... and for some reason their math department wrote their own subpar Calculus books. If you get a teacher like my kid got (first year teaching, failed 90% of the class and quit) or his second teacher (barely understandable English speaker-from India)... your scholarship could be affected. I also recommend you take Chemistry at a community college some (any) summer. That department has a very bad rep too. You would think a high caliber school would have all fabulous teachers... but the pay is low. Some of the teachers are great and others aren't. You prep hard for Calculus and I think you'll be just fine. Just never take anything personally, and never, ever quit. Your dyke class is awesome. You'll be in good hands!
Now, are students given the option at VMI to request certain teachers while making their schedules? I really have no idea how anything works yet ahaha.
Your first semester will be built for you. After that, you manually register for sections yourself.
Ahh ok. That's good to know that everyone will have it more or less the same when it comes to first semester academics.
Everyone in your major….
Well that's slightly less reassuring ahaha. I'm putting in the work now to prepare so I'm sure I'll get through it just fine.