College Decision Gouge

[UVaMarine]

It seems as though there are quite a few threads on college and college choices. I happen to be stuck right now with my decision between two colleges, The Citadel and the University of Virginia for the Class of 2012. I have been accepted at both and I am trying to get some advice for my decision.

Overall, my goal is to be commissioned in the Marine Corps. I am going to be getting involved with the PLC program that the Marine Corps offers. I am wanting to be a pilot, and I know that PLC guarantees a flight seat at flight school, as long as I get through college, OCS, and TBS. Basically, an NROTC scholorship is not what I am looking for.

I grew up with The Citadel...my Dad and brother are both Alumni from there and I have been there on visits very often, and am very VERY familiar with the inner workings of EL CID. I like The Citadel and what it has to offer me. I enjoy the military structure, and I like the kind of person it shapes the cadets into.

Now, I am not very familiar with UVA. I have been up there to visit a few times, but I'm not sure on how the school works...especially dealing with military stuff. It is a really good school, though, with a good reputation nationally.

My decision is pretty much whether or not I want to "have fun and party" (UVA) during college, or get somewhat prepared with a military structure (The Citadel) for my future with the Marine Corps. Will any of the schools really "prepare" me for the Marine Corps?

Any help with my decision or any gouge would be appreciated.

 

[FLYTPAY]

It seems as though there are quite a few threads on college and college choices. I happen to be stuck right now with my decision between two colleges, The Citadel and the University of Virginia for the Class of 2012. I have been accepted at both and I am trying to get some advice for my decision.

Overall, my goal is to be commissioned in the Marine Corps. I am going to be getting involved with the PLC program that the Marine Corps offers. I am wanting to be a pilot, and I know that PLC guarantees a flight seat at flight school, as long as I get through college, OCS, and TBS. Basically, an NROTC scholorship is not what I am looking for.

I grew up with The Citadel...my Dad and brother are both Alumni from there and I have been there on visits very often, and am very VERY familiar with the inner workings of EL CID. I like The Citadel and what it has to offer me. I enjoy the military structure, and I like the kind of person it shapes the cadets into.

Now, I am not very familiar with UVA. I have been up there to visit a few times, but I'm not sure on how the school works...especially dealing with military stuff. It is a really good school, though, with a good reputation nationally.

My decision is pretty much whether or not I want to "have fun and party" (UVA) during college, or get somewhat prepared with a military structure (The Citadel) for my future with the Marine Corps. Will any of the schools really "prepare" me for the Marine Corps?

Any help with my decision or any gouge would be appreciated.

We just had a 3 page thread on El Cid started by DSL1990. OCS and TBS will prepare you for the Corps. $$$, major, etc is what you need to look at. The Marines on the board can tell you whether you should go for a scholarship or PLC(Air) from a $$ and risk of getting the slot perspective. PS-My wife's cousin partied his way out of V Tech this year when he could have gone to El Cid and would be graduating.

 

[DocT]

You can be in the military and get paid for it after college. Personally I would go with UVA.

 

[phrogdriver]

For the love of God, go to UVA. I didn't go, but had 2 guys in my TBS class who did. I visited the school with one of them and had a great time there. More to the point, both of them did just fine in TBS, so it's not as if a military school magically prepares you better for the military.

 

[TigerGSU]

I went through the same decision as you when I graduated HS back in 2005, but my choice was between El Cid and Georgia Southern University.

What it boiled down to with me was the following; did I really want to put up with all the BS and the hassle that that place would entail for four years, and the price. I had not gotten a scholarship when I was accepted and that almost $30k out of state tuition seemed insane when I could stay here in my hometown and only pay $3k a year.

The decision I made is pretty obvious by my screen name, I chose Georgia Southern. I am currently in our school's Army ROTC program as a noncontracted cadet, and I am scheduled to goto PLCC-198 on May 30 with a SNA spot. In the end I think I made the right decision for ME.

 

[UVaMarine]

Yeah, I have been aiming a little more towards UVA. Your absolutely right, the price is a lot cheaper...

 

[DSL1990]

It seems as though there are quite a few threads on college and college choices. I happen to be stuck right now with my decision between two colleges, The Citadel and the University of Virginia for the Class of 2012. I have been accepted at both and I am trying to get some advice for my decision.

Overall, my goal is to be commissioned in the Marine Corps. I am going to be getting involved with the PLC program that the Marine Corps offers. I am wanting to be a pilot, and I know that PLC guarantees a flight seat at flight school, as long as I get through college, OCS, and TBS. Basically, an NROTC scholorship is not what I am looking for.

I grew up with The Citadel...my Dad and brother are both Alumni from there and I have been there on visits very often, and am very VERY familiar with the inner workings of EL CID. I like The Citadel and what it has to offer me. I enjoy the military structure, and I like the kind of person it shapes the cadets into.

Now, I am not very familiar with UVA. I have been up there to visit a few times, but I'm not sure on how the school works...especially dealing with military stuff. It is a really good school, though, with a good reputation nationally.

My decision is pretty much whether or not I want to "have fun and party" (UVA) during college, or get somewhat prepared with a military structure (The Citadel) for my future with the Marine Corps. Will any of the schools really "prepare" me for the Marine Corps?

Any help with my decision or any gouge would be appreciated.

The two recent threads that discuss the Citadel are:

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141819 (more recent)
http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141129 (older)

Good luck with your decision! if you do decide to go to the Citadel, I might see you there.

 

[abracadabra11]

The only compelling reason to go to the Citadel is the family ties that you have because of your father and brother. UVA is going to provide you a higher level of education and allow you to have a good background for once you're out of the military. I will never understand why people pay to go to a military school.

 

[DSL1990]

I will never understand why people pay to go to a military school.

is it the paying part that bothers you? because you yourself went to a military school...

As a USNA grad and former detailer...

 

[phrogpilot73]

is it the paying part that bothers you? because you yourself went to a military school...

It doesn't bother him. He just doesn't understand it. Remember - we got a salary to attend USNA, so the BS made more sense.

For the OP - no one has asked the most vital question to ask when deciding on the two colleges you have laid before us.

Do you have the discipline to attend enough class, do enough homework, etc... without threat of repercussion?

That's why I went to USNA (and was applying to VMI and The Citadel), because I knew that I couldn't. If you can - then my suggestion would be to go to UVA. If you can't, then go to The Citadel.

 

[FLYTPAY]

The only compelling reason to go to the Citadel is the family ties that you have because of your father and brother. UVA is going to provide you a higher level of education and allow you to have a good background for once you're out of the military. I will never understand why people pay to go to a military school.

Pretty interesting statement for someone who has attended neither.

 

[navy wahoo]

I graduated from UVA last year, so I can give you some perspective on how NROTC works in the school.

You obviously won't have the same level of military commitments that you would have at the Citadel. After your indoc week, you'll have commitments a few times a week at the Unit. You'll wear your uniform once a week, attend lectures and classes every Tuesday, take an ROTC class, and work out with the unit a few times a week. If you're a Marine Option, you'll do some extra stuff to get you prepared for OCS.

The school has a good attitude toward the ROTC units with a few exceptions. You'll find people that stop you walking down the street and thank you, or the awesome lady who checks you into the dining hall who hugs you and tells you how proud she is of what you're doing. You also might get stopped at drill one morning and screamed at by a guy who works in the library, but in the end that's just pretty entertaining.

To echo the advice earlier, make sure you can function on your own. The ROTC unit isn't going to babysit you, and you have to be able to keep your own schedule and motivate yourself. It can be much harder then you think. If you can, you can have a great military experience with the ROTC unit, and a great college experience at UVA.

If you want a more specific breakdown of what you'll do at UVA, PM me and I'll give you more details.

 

[abracadabra11]

Pretty interesting statement for someone who has attended neither.

Maybe. But I think most will agree that UVA is considered a prestigious university because of the excellent education they provide their graduates. A classmate is currently attending UVA for grad school and confirms the education is first rate.

 

[abracadabra11]

It doesn't bother him. He just doesn't understand it. Remember - we got a salary to attend USNA, so the BS made more sense.

For the OP - no one has asked the most vital question to ask when deciding on the two colleges you have laid before us.

Do you have the discipline to attend enough class, do enough homework, etc... without threat of repercussion?

That's why I went to USNA (and was applying to VMI and The Citadel), because I knew that I couldn't. If you can - then my suggestion would be to go to UVA. If you can't, then go to The Citadel.

Agreed.

The statement about discipline is probably the best question you can ask yourself when making the decision.

 

[Pags]

Do you have the discipline to attend enough class, do enough homework, etc... without threat of repercussion?

This is the best question you can ask yourself. It doesn't matter what major you pick, if you can't make yourself do the hard work. If you think you might struggle with this, then I'd say an environment where they make the decision to go to class or party an easy one might be better.