Anyone Currently at the Citadel...

[goirish10]

A better choice than USNA

I am a cadet at The Citadel and think it is a much better choice than the Academy. About 40% of every class accepts some kind of commision to the military. We have excellent academics and the 4th class year (Knob Year) at El Cid is much harder and demanding than any of the other service academies. The Naval Rotc program at the school is great also. For all those gung-ho "I have to go to the naval academy or I'll die" people you should definatly think about The Citadel.

Go Dogs!

 

[viv]

If a lot of the cadets are on ROTC scholarships, the cost is probably not too bad for them.

GO NAVY BEAT ARMY

 

[chartdk]

Academically, the Citadel can't hold a candle the USNA. It's slightly ludicrous to assert that the Citadel is a better institution than the USNA.

 

[vegita1220]

it helps to be poor. My brother got in as an out of state student, no scholarships at all, and paid at most 8K per year. Of course, academically...there are many better schools.

 

[goirish10]

Well it is true that The Citadel is not as ranked high as the Naval Academy, but the education we receive is top-notch. For example the school was ranked as #2 overall in the south by US News and World Report and the #11 best value nationwide. Also it is true many, many cadets receive ROTC scholarships and because of the dedicated alumni there many other scholarhship resourses. But that was just a little FYI for you guys...best of luck in which ever path you choose because everyone will end up in the same place.

 

[ONDWATER]

VMI is ranked first in the country in the liberal arts by US News and World Report and 20th in the nation for it's engineering programs.The education there is top notch also and a far more demanding military program than what you will find at USNA or USMA.VMI and the Citadel along with their ROTC programs are excellent choices for a path to a commission as an alternative to USNA.

 

[virtu050]

in the end it doesn't matter what your commissioning source is. Every Captain or high ranking officer I've talked to all say the same thing... in the fleet it don't mean a thing whether you graduated from the academy, rotc, or ocs. if fact they'll often give arguments for why they prefer ocs or rotc over academy. enlisted seem to dislike academy-type as well.

 

[privateer]

Nah Nannie booboo I'm better than you. WTF?

 

[Enishi1983]

well, what do you expect? ppl hate the ring knockers. imo, i wanna be one

 

[WannaBEaP3gal]

I took my NROTC scholarship to a school that threw in room and board. I haven't paid my university one cent! And I love my freedom. The fact that I can go to a movie, dinner, or the mall whenever I want to is great, unlike you poor academy kids. Yeah, and as far as the USNA goes, I have some good friends that go there, but damn, some of them are the biggest complainers! I mean honestly, did you actually go into the Academy thinking that you were gonna be making cupcakes for 4 yrs?! And while I was on my summer cruise, I actually had some girl from the academy tell me, and I quote, "We should get 80% of the avaition billets for the 4 years of hell we go through." NEWS FLASH: You chose to go there!!!!! I didn't apply to any academies because I knew I wasn't going to be happy there, but being able to attend any academy is an honor, so quit your bitchin kids!

 

[Enrique]

hey kid

Just because, you go to a academy school it won't make u smart I see no difrence. Plus tell me do you think you are having real life experince? The best way is rotc,ocs,plc in my opinion.

See many people who take the rotc,ocs,plc route work part time and go too school. And they get to learn the real life experince you get to talk to real

'people'. And you are responsible to be on time to school. You don't need some on to nock at your door and say LETS GO LETS GO MOVE. AND ALSO YOU LEARN TO COOK. MANY THINGS LIKE TOP ROMMEN.

And also it is true what people say, every time I talk to an officer

who is agraduet from any service academy they say "the academy is like jail" "all you do is walk in squares" here is the big one "enliste people hate you" and "you don't know how to talk to people"

I wonder why they say all this stuff. I allways wanted to join the academy. But now that a lot of officer say that. I'm glad I made a good choice.. I can experince real life 69

.. and plus i don't need to rape a woman to get sex. my friend so don't come here and tell us that your school is better then others or that you are better because you are in the academy. When sh..t heats the fan your real life experince will come to the test.


Many kids go to the academy because of the Historical value and believe that they are going to be heroes. (any one who is in the service is a heroe to me)

I believe that you can go to the best school in the WORLD and still be stupid. And you can go to the worst school and come out smart (money wont buy knowledge. It all comes down to the student, (how much work do you want to do).

Finally we are all going to die for the same country.

. Why fight and come to say that academy schools are better then others and that there graduets are better then rotc,plc,ocs or mustang officer?

 

[Integer]

I'm glad that someone like you isn't at the academy No offense but I wouldn't be able to stand your bitching Maybe there is a problem when 15 year olds apply for the academy without knowing what they are getting themselves into, and you seemed to be the case. Newsflash: 99.99999999% of the world does not attend a US Military Academy for billions of reasons. You have to really want to be there. It is clearly not for those wanting a free ride. Like you said, many students can get a free ride in other ways. Once you learned about an easier way, you took it. However, many people want to challenge themselves. Hearing how much of a pain in the butt the school is motivates those individuals. EZness demotivates. I would assume that most individuals at the academies have been challenging themselves all their lives and see this as another simple obstacle to overcome. A person who never has might look at the academy and say, "sh**, I wouldn't want to go through that!"

Maybe a mandatory two years at a community college will not only make academy entrants work their ass off at places they truly DON'T want to be --a community college--but make them work their butts off to stay motivated and get stuff done in such a miserable position. Imagine, straight A students and leaders being stuck at a community college and told not to let faculty know why they are there. Seriously, I'm sure anybody you put from the academy into a community college will have such a huge motivational hit that their grades will become poor. Never mind the lack of intelligence to be around and tons of cheaters and professors who don't care. THAT is real life. Those are circumstances where a person has to really discover themselves and learn how to deal with being a bit depressed at going to a community college. However, because of the lack of 'students' (meaning there to learn and do it honestly), you have a lot of opportunities to take on positions of leadership and impact change. Both the opportunities and real life will serve future midshipmen well as they try to attend the naval academy. And, maybe the NA could count credits from such a comm college program towards graduation, so midshipmen could do their masters the last two years.

Everybody can attend a quality institution that will build them morally, personally, scholastically, and physically. But would you attend two years at a crappy, low morale comm. college as a prerequisite (with no guarantee that you will be accepted after graduating from the comm college)??

Lower attrition simply like that. Students will be able to choose to transfer to a 4 year school or apply to the NA, or both.

 

[Warlord]

I'm sorry goirish, but I went to the University of North Carolina, and there's no way the Citadel is ranked #2 in the South... unless we're ranked #1... and I know we're not with the likes of Duke... where the hell'd you get that report from?!?!?

 

[Flash]

I am a cadet at The Citadel and think it is a much better choice than the Academy.

What the heck prompted this? Were you just a little too bored wandering around the gallery and decided to have a little fun during ESP? While I admire your pride in your school, isn't a pretty bold statement when you have never gone to the academy or a civilian school? I agree that that the first year is tougher militarily at the Citadel than Annapolis but that does not make it any better. As for the academics, the Citadel is no slouch (that rating was a regional school rating I believe, not a national one on par with Duke or UNC) but the breadth and quality of a USNA education is world class.


In the fleet it does not matter which school you graduated from except on Saturdays, when your football team is playing. If you think that which school you go to will make a difference then you are sorely mistaken. Don't get me wrong, if you run into a fellow alumnus when in Iraq or Japan or anywhere else, it will be a great time. What matters in the end is what kind of guy or gal you are, period.

My advice, be proud of where you went. Wear your ring if you want, just don't think you are better than others.

Don't get too riled up there goirish10. I wear the band of gold, do you?

A friendly Citadel grad

 

[NeoCortex]

I would have accepted an invitation to go the USNA in a sec if it was offered to me, but I slacked off in high school. I ended up at a very large state school, known for our football team. I had alot of fun in college. No ROTC or anything. I was active and very social. I wouldn't trade it. It made me who I am.

Ben