I am thinking about applying to Wesleyan and getting recruited for college football.
However, there is no scholarship for d3 so i am thinking about joining the military.
I would like to serve and they pay for college.
Any thoughts?
Is a service academy or ROTC an alternative? Honestly though , I can’t imagine that someone who has Wesleyan at the top of his list would be happy in the military.
Are you saying, college is not affordable without a full scholarship? Have you discussed this with your parents?
You are right, the post 9-11 tuition benefits are great through the military. My son decided to join the Air Force instead of college and just separated this past month after 8 years. In those 8 years he was able to fulfill credits equal to three years of college, Business IT degree. He had many very good companies recruiting him for the past 4-6 months and took a contracted position as a systems engineer for more than 6 figures. He will now have to backtrack about one semester to switch his major but will have an engineering degree within the next two years, a great paying job, and tuition benefits for any children he might have in the future. Most importantly, he did this all while being paid, not piling up student loans that would take him into his 30s to pay off. Its not for everyone, but it should not be looked down upon either just because someone is capable of getting into a top school (my son could have got into a good school as well). I couldn’t be more proud of my son serving our country, too bad more kids didn’t think of it as an option.
couldnt agree more with @NEPatsGirl Not enough students utilize what the military has to offer in terms of education. Can you imagine how far ahead they are of the average college grad 40k in debt for an undergrad
I strongly recommend you NOT look at the military for financial aid purpose. It’s not what the military is for. Serving (including immediate obedience) is a vocation, not a shortcut to scholarships.
If you want to serve and have high academic credentials, try to get into a service academy, or ROTC. Get a degree in engineering with another specialty (West Point has superb foreign language programs, for example).
In addition, someone’s who a good fit for Wesleyan is a good fit for many places - Grinnell, Oberlin, Hampshire, NCF, Reed - but not the military, which is pretty much the opposite “fit”.
On the other hand, are you being recruited - have you contacted coaches, have they written back? September’s pretty late, even for D3… hurry up.
Now, Wesleyan DOES offer scholarships - they depend on your parents’ income and assets, not on your football skills. Do your parents earn 75K and under? 250K+? Have you run the NPC already?
@MYOS1634 Military is a great route for a young man who may not have another way to finance college. It beats taking out loans by a long shot. You make it sound like he’s cheating the system, he’s serving his country and in return his country serves him.
NO, that’s not what I’m saying AT ALL. I’m saying that the military is NOT “a great route” to “finance college”. The military is a vocation and commitment. It should NOT be chosen because of financial aid benefits many years down the road. It should be chosen because one wants to be in the military, period.
If one wants to attend college AND serve one’s country, one ought to look at the Service Academies and ROTC (or NROTC.)
Wesleyan, unlike a lot of other little ivies, strives to recruit a well-rounded class, not necessarily a class of well-rounded individuals. There’s a difference. Bill Belichick is as unlikely to direct a Pulitzer Prize winning drama in his old age as Lin-Manuel Miranda would be to coach the New England Patriots, but, both managed to find their peep while at Wesleyan. OP needs to clear the air about some things. Do his parents make less than $60,000 a year? If so, he will likely NOT have to graduate from Wesleyan with any loans.
But, @MYOS1634 is also correct: if football is his only hook, the clock is ticking. He needs to contact the coaches NOW.
personally i don’t want to apply to wesleyan. my dad is forcing me to do it. My parents make over 250 grand per year so they don’t qualify for financial aid
also i don’t think i would be happy at wesleyan
service academies are not an option but maybe rotc
i don’t plan on using the military for financial purposes only
I actually want to serve
You need to find a good financial safety that also offers ROTC. I wouldn’t worry about getting into Wesleyan until you actually get accepted which would be a long shot without a coach’s tip.
Most state flagships have ROTC. Private colleges too - I know Dickinson does and there’s a relationwhip with the War College, I don’t know whether students intern there or what exactly but it could be worth it to find out (they also have conferences by War College professors). And Dickinson offers merit scholarships.
How much can/will your parents pay?
You’re right, 250K+ is a very large income, too high for financial aid. If you can’t be full pay, ROTC/NROTC are possibilities, as well as earning merit through grades/test scores.
Parents don force their kids to apply to a specific school because it’s what’s best for you. They do it to live bi-curiously through you. So sick of seeing over bearing parents. Your over 18 and a grown adult according to law, it’s your parents fault if your not ready to make real world decisions alone. Sounds like it’s time to put your foot down and make the decision to do what YOU want. Life is all about experiences. The average lifelong career starts at age 32 in this country. You won’t graduate college in 4 years and roll into a lifelong career at 22. If you want to serve, go serve. Parents won’t like it and will call you stupid until they see you walk across the parade deck at graduation. I’m 11 years in and have a Bachelors degree and working on my masters and have $0 debt. I’ve had job offers to get out, but love the Marine Corps and love what I do, and am paid well to do it. I’m 31, own a home, have 3 kids and make enough to live comfortable, while loving what I do. My parents cursed me for joining in 2005, now they couldn’t be prouder. Remember, your learning how to grow up…but their also still learning how to be parents to an adult at the same time. They aren’t right on everything…but they also aren’t wrong. Value their advice more than anything in the world, but take it as advice and make your own choices and bask in the happiness of the freedom to make them.
Have you considered Annapolis? Might be a good blend between the two if you can get the appointment. You possibly could play football and join the military. Annapolis is beautiful, high level education that transfers to the real world and a you still get the college experience.
@HayesMarine , thank you for your service. Great to hear another positive story about military service as a choice for high school graduates (especially those for whom college was also an option). For many people/parents/students, its not even on the radar and then you have others that apparently think if you are bright enough for a four-year college, the military is a poor choice. Hmmm, bachelors degree, working on masters, owns home at 31, no college debt. Who’s the smart one here?
My brother was career Air Force. Toward the end of his career he spent some time as a recruiter. He didn’t like to see kids who wanted to sign up because they saw the military as a way to pay for college. Can you get a bachelor’s and/or a master’s with little to no debt and save up for a house? Sure. But the reality is that you’re signing up for a dangerous job and you might not live long enough to get any of those things. The people he wanted to enlist were the ones who viewed the military as a career, not a scholarship service.
Frankly, I think you have many good options. You want to play FB. You want to go to college affordably. You want to serve.
As for the first two, have you actually been recruited by any schools? If this is your caliber, then milk it for what it’s worth. Find a good program and college and develop yourself there. Maybe do it while also getting into an ROTC/NROTC program or the reserves. Do you envision yourself leading our country’s young women and men in a dangerous profession? If real leadership is a natural strength of yours, push yourself to become an officer. But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going the enlisted route as well (reserves).
You have options and many are not mutually exclusive. Good luck.
The US Coast Guard Academy will check off all your boxes:
play college football - check
serve your country - check
get a college degree on Uncle Sam’s dime - check
plus unlike the other service academies, you do not need a congressional recommendation to apply. that could take months. and it’s free.
http://www.cga.edu/admissions2.aspx?id=79
why not fill out an application? if you get accepted that is another option in your back pocket while you sort everything out and make your decision. you can always turn down your acceptance if you have a better offer.
I agree with both points of view expressed here, as weird as that sounds.
For my sons, I would not want them to join the military mainly for college benefits; on the other hand, if they felt called to serve - I would totally support the decision (not saying I wouldn’t worry!).
Have you considered a school like Virginia Tech, with a cadet corps? Not sure how much scholarship $$ is there though.