<p>I know - I was stunned by the counselor's response. How on earth could you discourage a student from doing his best? My son is one who had the attitude that doubt makes him work that much harder - how many kids over the years took the counselor's words to heart and didn't try their best because someone told them they weren't good enough?</p>
<p>It's a shame.</p>
<p>When I told one of my friends about my LOA, he asked if I knew where I'd be stationed yet. I told him in Colorado Springs for four years...</p>
<p>:D HEHEHE! Hopefully I will be joining you.</p>
<p>Going back and reading some of the posts, I am appalled. I have been lucky enough to have the greatest guidence counselor in the world. I don't think I've had one adult say anything negative or stupid to me yet. Most understand at least the basis of the Service Academies and respect my choice. I'm sure I'll run into some that don't though.</p>
<p>Kids on the other hand...
My favorite comment was "you're too smart for the Air Force." I just shook my head and walked away. How disrespectful to all our servicemen and women. I guess you have to be dumb to go to a service academy or enlist in the military.</p>
<p>S1 is a 1C NROTC mid. Someone (who has known S1 for years and knows that he is in NROTC) asked last week "So, S1 is senior, what is he going to do when he graduates? Does he HAVE to go in the Navy?"</p>
<p>plebe son was home for a quick weekend thanks to the new Dant and being SAT at 6 weeks and working a chit. Stopped in at the HS on Sat morning to see his old FBall team and walks into a meeting in his SDB's. The room stops and the coach was all emotional and explains to the kids what it means to serve, What USNA is and how he is the most proud of him as one of his former players. This Coach has players who have gone on the NFL and starred in some of the best bowl games in college FB. </p>
<p>some of them get it. </p>
<p>dinner at the local steakhouse same weekend. A gentleman buys dinner for the 8 of us as he see's a Mid uniform. Thanks S for his service, and puts in a hint for Marine service selection in a few years...</p>
<p>Some are greatful.</p>
<p>hope for the best.</p>
<p>Wow, that is awesome!</p>
<p>I want to know how you got your son to wear his uniform when he was home - ;)</p>
<p>Some of my fellow employees at work are grossly ignorant of the military and of the uniqueness of each service. Last week over lunch we were discussing our kids and their college plans. My son recently received an appointment to West Point. When asked, I let this fact be known. The first question was "Hey, Isn't that where McCain went?" It progressed downhill from there. As a Navy grad, all I could do was chuckle and shake my head ruefully.</p>
<p>I dropped off my Mom at the train station on Sunday (New Carrolton, MD) and 3 mids came in and sat down behind my Mom (obviously going back to Annapolis) I made it a point to say over her shoulder to them thank you for serving our country. They looked stunned and then a smile came over their face. All 3 were prior service and had never been thanked before so it was hard for them to wrap themselvs around the idea that people were thankful. I told Bullet the story and we both felt sad for them. Whatever anybody's opinion is about the war, I still believe we should thank them for their service even more so now when this war has become an issue of conflict at home.</p>
<p>Wow, this thread really does have the good, bad, ugly, and sublime. </p>
<p>Over the guys' break from USAFA, some really fantastic things happened:</p>
<p>Fencing twins at local driving range and when they go to pay, they ask "Is there a military discount?" Well, the gal in the cashiers window doesn't know and they wait a few minutes. Gal comes back and hands them each a gift card for $50 worth of free golf!!! WooHoo! Manager came out later and gave them each a coke and bag of chips. </p>
<p>At local movie theatre, there is a now a sign, with military ID, $3 off admission. When twins were there, the manager let them in 2 for 1 which was fantastic too! </p>
<p>Several people came up to them after church and shook their hands (a couple shoving dollar bills into their pockets) and hugged them, all thanking them for their service. So sweet.</p>
<p>Reality check: at the aiport this morning, all dressed up in their service blues, a young man came over and asked them how they liked the Navy. Then, another guy came over and suggested they take a bus to West Point, since he hated the taxpayer having to pick up the tab for their transportation (of course, <em>we</em> paid for their airfare, to/from USAFA). </p>
<p>Still, over the break, things were definitely better, less confrontational, than when they were on their way to the Academy.</p>
<p>At first I was stunned when I read that someone actually came up to them and suggested they take a bus since he (a taxpayer) did not want to pay for their transportation! (Of course we all know that the parents paid!)</p>
<p>Then I remembered back to when our son was a cadet and attending a seminar in Boston in his Dress Grays. As he entered the building an older gentleman and his wife were behind him so he stopped and held the door for them. Instead of a smile, a nod or heaven forbid a 'thank you' the man turned and snarled at him. His words were, "Damn right you better get that door boy! I pay your salary!" This was prior to 9-11.</p>
<p>I had hoped we were past that!</p>
<p>and he could have elucidated. . . </p>
<p>"I glad you appreciate it, because I earn it."</p>
<p>There is no accounting for grouchy, old men [As has been well documented on these threads.] or, as seems to frequently be the case, just grouchy people.</p>
<p>Oooooh, this all really gets my goat... sorry. Don't ppl realize that these fine young men and women are not getting a free education? They are putting their lives on the line to pay for their education... I have a question?? Where does the scholarship money come from for the kids who attend regular colleges?</p>
<p>When our oldest received an appointment to West Point, we had some goofy reactions. One of our favorites was from one of our son's classmates who didn't know what West Point was and mentioned it to his Grandfather. The next day, the classmate came back full of himself saying it wasn't such a big deal because his Grandfather told him there was also a North Point, East Point and a South Point too. The boy was adamant because he also knew that West Point was down near Columbus, GA.</p>
<p>A younger colleague of mine asked how my son liked the Air Force. I told her that he was at the Air Force Academy. I could tell by the look on her face she had no clue about USAFA. Turns out she didn't know anything about West Point or Annapolis, either.</p>
<p>On the good side, over the break I took my son to his favorite BBQ place. The owner insisted on paying for my son's dinner and thanked him for being willing to serve his country. (And the owner recoginized his uniform as being one from USAFA). </p>
<p>I guess it takes all kinds...</p>
<p>Someone asked me what my college plans were. I said that I'm going to the USAFA. He said thank you for your service. I think I had that shocked look on my face, too. I haven't done anything yet, except for getting an appointment.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most of it from the university's multi-billion dollar endowment.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Most of it from the university's multi-billion dollar endowment.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, yes and no. While endowments can be a valuable, important revenue source for scholarships (and many other expenses @ colleges and u's ...chairs, professorships, facility maintenance, prizes, fellowships and assistantships, lectures, flower funds, arboretums, athletics (people, equip, facilities, positions), programs, ad nauseum etc.), much of it comes from 3 other revenue sources ...others tuition (yea, tuition figures recognize that a full paying student is paying for both his/her and some of others), current "annual" giving, and simply "other." Most places will tell you about a huge budget item called "unfunded FA" which is simply saying ..."well, it's better having a student @ half price than none at zero $." The rationale is ...got the profs, got the space, got the room so why not get SOME revenue, even if not all. And so it goes. </p>
<p>And the ultimate stressor/paradox is that generally the places with the least endowment are the ones that must offer the most FA. It's a perceived value, market thing. </p>
<p>But once one recognizes that a $1 M endowment generates $50 K annually in spending money ... well you begin to recognize what a monumental task it becomes to try and generate sufficient revenue via endowment. For example, Allegheny College, a very decent and expensive college in PA, now claims that something like 95% of incoming students receive some kind of aid, mostly institutional. Well, lets just say that tuition is $35 K/ year (or about). With 2,000 students that comes to a nut of about $70 M each year that one would need to pay the full freight. In endowment that would mean about $1.5 BILLION to pay for it all. But lets say we only have 95% of those students averaging about $20 K/student. Then we'd only need ... well you see the problem. It becomes astronomical. </p>
<p>btw, Allegheny's endowment ...before the slide was listed as ...$150 M of which only a relatively small part would be designated for scholarship. And now that's probly 100-110 M. </p>
<p>So you begin to see that an annual gift of $10,000 for scholarship funding becomes equivalent to about $200,000 endowment. The problem is ...for them to be of equal value, the college must get that $10K gift EVERY year. And now we know why they employ large numbers of staff working to generate both the endowments and those annual donations.</p>
<p>And in the end, most still have that huge unfunded nut. And what's the problem there? Well, at some point, the classroom needs painting, carpeting, new desks or even replacement (read :building); at some point the once empty dorm room needs same; at some point increasing student enrollments with unfunded aid requires hiring more faculty, generating more library and computing assets, having more coaches and leaders for ECs, etc. So unfunded aid is not a viable ongoing strategy.</p>
<p>The real problem??? Why is it that for over 30 years now, higher education costs have sky rocketed relative to CPI and virtually every other measure that all others (maybe government excluded :( ) with literally zero accounatability. Health costs and faculty "make up" can only be blamed so long. </p>
<p>In truth, it would seem like the consumer's being gouged. But ...in the absence of any oversight, unless one wishes to become a plumber, paperboy, or trucker ...well, they need that union card. So pay parents, pay, with not one clue what you're paying for.</p>
<p>My plebe was treated amazingly well by TSA and airport personnel. It was great for him to be able to defeat some of the lines. Traveling in uniform may not be ideal but there sure are benefits that make up for the discomfort, at least from my old perspective. Not sure that he would agree but I will encourage him to take advantage of the good will as long as it lasts. He got to visit his HS while home and the teachers were very taken by the uniform and the changes in him. Go Army, Beat Navy!</p>