<p>To One and All,
I am a graduate of Kings Point. I cruise this forum quite often, but avoid posting. I would advise all that the internet is never as anonymous as you think, and certainly those in situations where their words can come back to bite them should be careful( ahem MIDSHIPMEN). This will be my only post on here, so I would like to make a few points on what I have noticed by browsing this forum for the last few months.</p>
<li><p>Dear Midshipman-Please Shut Up
Upperclasses: You have come back from sea, encountered strange people, maybe even been in some dangerous situations. Your parents brag about you, and when you talk to a member of the opposite sex you always try to build up your experience a little because it might just impress them. I think this describes most of you on this forum. Be proud of what youve done. You are the only college students in the country that can really make a claim to the have the type of experience Sea Year affords. That being said
Shut up. A year of sea time, and most of you probably spend several months landside( especially if you were MSC), does not make you an expert in any sense of the word. You have seen great things, and done great things but you are not a conquering hero. Your advice is often unsolicited- and unsolicited advice is the worst of all. I know you think going to a house of ill repute or seeing some ladies of the night gives you insight into the larger issues of the world, but in really you are just one of many who have encountered the less savory aspects of the world. Parents do not need to hear about this. As stupid as some of these parents requests and inquires may seem to you, they are honest expressions of parents who are concerned ( dont worry I will address the parents later). Leave the talk of late nights in foreign ports for Delano, if the parents want to know or need to know those things let it be settled between them and their children.
To all: When I was a midshipman I learned a lesson in how easy it is for a few loose words to get back to you. I would not think it prudent to make comments about company officers or other staff at the academy on a PUBLIC message board. The academy is not run as a democracy, and its problems will not be solved by whining online. If you have sincere disagreements with how things are done then try and make some positive changes there. Remember, change will only come with responsibility and responsibility often means not going to BHT on Tuesday or even having to deal with another midshipman who you detest in order to get something done. Time to grow up, if you dont want it to be the Mystery Service then quit doing the same things you rail against in your posts.
There are many better ways to spend your time at KP than cruising forums for parents and candidates, even if Howard Wiener and the evil DoIT has taken away all the other fun parts of the internet. Maybe you could even be productive and start a message board for mids and grads-other academies have done it
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<li><p>“Parents- The Art of Letting Go”
Kings Point was the best decision of my life so far. I am not yet married so I do not want to discredit any future spouse I may have by saying it is the best decision of all time. I am very happy with going there, and I say that knowing it was not my first choice when I was junior in high school. You should be proud of your children as I know you all are. They will need you support over the next few years and even afterward. Hopefully come graduation day you will see a different person than the one you dropped off at the gate four years earlier. This forum is a great support module for you but
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Let the little bird fly away from the nest. Maybe it is a product of the modern age, but there seems to be an ever increasing number of helicopter parents. Your need to hover over every small detail of your childs live will not help them. Taking an interest and enjoyment in what they are doing is fine, worry about how you will contact little Johnny in the middle of the ocean and how much to pay for a sat phone is not. Less than a decade ago most ships did not have email, 20 years ago cadets would have to relay on mail, and during world war two many parents would never see their child again. I assure you that you will have plenty of contact with them while they are at the academy and at sea. Calm down, youve had them for 18 years and now they have to run the ball on their own for a while. I think anytime a parent is involved in a case that deals with anything less than their child being kicked out, having serious harm done to them , or going through a serious personal issue then that parent is hurting the childs chances of being a adult by interfering. I balk at some of the inquires that you guys have on here, if you are that concerned please try an email to your kid or even the local alumni rep before posting it on a public board. Remember, mids look at this board too and no one wants to be the kid whose mom or dad writes embarrassing things about them every day ( it is quite easy to figure out who is who). Your child will be fine if you gave them the right background, if they need a little more maturity I am sure they will be fine also. Just try and lay off a bit.</p></li>
<li><p>Candidates/Non Grads-“If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”
Candidates you have made a great choice by looking into KP. Remember if you are trying to decide about collage, the mids and others on this message board can only speak to you from your experience. I am of the opinion that the only thing KP cannot give you is a lot of fluffier majors ( poly sci or humanities types) and a big name. Otherwise I will stack it exactly the same as any of the other academies. The debate can rage on and much anger will be expended but in the end it is all relatively useless to argue over which method one should use to serve their country. I know one person on this forum will certainly rail against even suggesting their precious canoe U is not THE only source of great naval officers, but in my personal experience no one school has a monopoly on great leaders/officers or in the opposing column total jerks. They both graduate from both institutions ( and other sources such as ROTC) and both make it to the fleet. What matters is the core material, any school cannot change that too much outside of getting rid of them ( and every school, no matter how good the vetting process, lets some scumbags through). Stick with what you know, if you went to a certain place then sell that school on what makes it great, not why it is better than somewhere else. All one is doing by starting worthless internet flame wars is wasting bandwidth.
So if you really want to learn about KP the best thing you can do is make a visit, talk to as many people as you can, and have a long term view. I had many mornings at the academy where I work up and was ready to call it quits. Usually a few hours later I was laughing at some very immature joke in Delano with my friends and back to normal. Seeing the sunset over the pyramids really made me appreciate my choice, and when I looked back on graduation day over what I had done, I only could think of how blessed I had been. What I am getting at is do not let yourself get caught up in small aggravations and let downs, and do not think any opinion is better than the next. </p></li>
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<p>That is all I have, and as I said this will be my first and last post. Fair Winds and Following Seas
BEAT COAST GUARD.</p>