<p>My son was admitted ID to Rice. The other choices of schools my son has to choose from are fabulous - and surely all kids in the Rice Admit crowd are in the same boat. </p>
<p>He's not really worried about the small college vs big college experience, but rather which experience will help him expand as a person, both intellectually and maturity wise. I also want him to develop as a decision maker and leader.</p>
<p>So far (waiting to hear from other top schools and ivy's), the choices are admits to Rice, USMA, UT Engineering Honors, and a likely letter from UVa.</p>
<p>I worry that while Rice will provide an excellent experience academically, it will not help shape him as a leader (obivously we're thinking about West Point here). And so the beauty of learning at West Point and spending 5 years in the army is really seen in the production of leaders who are able to take a concept from it's formation through the steps of development and implementation, breaking it down step by step along the way and overseeing it's execution. This translates wonderfully in the civilian world.</p>
<p>Taking out any responses that deal simply with aversion to military service and the war in Iraq - how does a Rice student's experience develop this type of leadership. Or does it? I've heard criticism from friends who see some grads from top schools as lofty thinkers who can't manage well - obviously a generalization based on their own interaction with a specific grad. What do you Rice fans see?</p>
<p>My sister did AFROTC at RPI. When she went to basic training, she said that a lot of the Air Force Academy people seemed a little strange, like they couldn't really take care of themselves on their own because they are so used to being told what to do at the academy. That's air force though. West Point might be different.
I dunno if that's what you were looking for (probably not). It's just my sister's opinion. Obviously West Point is an incredible school/experience and your son is lucky to have gotten in. Do whatever he thinks is right.</p>
<p>I'm an adult with a very happy son at Rice, whom I think is learning to live his own life and make good decisions. Do you really think that the military, where you get your orders from on high....which you are then to follow blindly will prepare your child for leadership in real life? I question your assumptions. I look at Colin Powell, who lied for his commander in chief..to the whole world. Did he really lead or did he blindly follow his top leader....into a quagmire, when he knew better.
It was such a big deal when some generals balked and actually spoke out against our government's lies, when they knew the truth about Iraq. The fact that that was so unusual should make you question your assumption about what is a leader. Is it the loyalty to blindly follow bad/good leadership? Is it someone who can think for themselves and trust their own judgment as to what is a good idea and how to get there. If you followed your own ideas in the military, I think you'd be in big trouble. I think the military is hardly the right place to "make a leader"</p>
<p>Rice is great for "making" leaders - at a smaller school like Rice, students have lots of opportunities to take leadership roles.. producing plays, working as DJ's, running sports teams, clubs, religious groups, humanitarian groups, serving on boards of school organizations, advisory groups, honors council, organizing trips and events, administering and running the "colleges" and college budgets. Big schools have so many more kids to run things, and fewer
get a chance to step up to the plate. Rice has so many organizations and opportunities for leadership!!!</p>
<p>I think it all depends on how much your son values leadership, and whether that's of paramount importance for his college life. I think you are probably right: if you absolutely want to see some progress on the leadership front, West Point will force you into leadership roles. Rice would have just as many opportunities, but West Point by its very nature will require you to get involved in leading.</p>
<p>I would also point out, that judging by the positive reaction your son has received from schools, I would imagine that your son is already a contributing leader.</p>
<p>That being said, I think there's something to be said for having a taste of civilian adult life before jumping into a 10 year commitment to military life. At least then you've given yourself some time to taste what's out there, and see what your sacrificing, rather than potentially regretting it later. I'm not saying that's inevitable, but it's always a possibility. I respect all of those who go to the armed forces academies, but I just think if leadership development through the military is your son's goal, then I see ROTC as being the best of both worlds here.</p>
<p>But ultimately what matters is your sons priorities and how he feels in each of the places. If he's ambivalent about going to West Point, I don't think that's good enough. He could find himself not liking the experience when he gets there and that's 10 years of potential regret he could harbor. So the way I see it, if someone's going to go to West Point, they have to absolutely know they want to go there, they've got to already LOVE it, and have bought into the idea, the tenets, and the lifestyle. If that's not how he feels right now, if he goes to Rice (or UVA or UT) he can try out ROTC, and decide whether or not he likes it, and not be committed (unless there are scholarship considerations) to something he may or may not like.</p>
<p>Thanks to the responses. Truely my son has to make this decision himself. I can only point out the opportunities and qualities of each institution. He has to take an honest look at each to see if he sees himself there, weigh the positives and negatives, etc.</p>
<p>The only power I have is to say...no, you'll party too much there (what I say to UT)...or...no, the financial aid there is not going to work.</p>