<p>jaxmo-I am in no way an expert on this, but I believe that is possible. He would have to attend Wash U this year and still take all the ROTC classes and then he could apply for a scholarship for the remaining three years. </p>
<p>Wash U ROTC is one of the best ROTC programs in the country. It was ranked #2 in 2003, the last year they were ranked. Secondly, with most ROTC scholarships the Army actually only pays tuition (at an expensive private school), but Wash U picks up the room and board if you get the scholarship......total around 45 grand a year, very alluring to me (and it sounds like to you too). However, make no mistakes, ROTC is four years active duty and four years reserves in the Army. I would highly reccommend not even pursuing ROTC unless you and your son are rock solid on him wanting to serve in the Army.</p>
<p>it's definitely something to explore. he is pre-med, and intitially could not understand how to synch service with medicine. I forgive him, because he is not even turning 18 until late july. to me, service and medicine seem like a match made in heaven. if you look at his myspace.com, his heroes are "the men and women of the U.S. military." i'll pass along your information. Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm definitely turning down Wash U for Penn or Harvard, can't decide between the two. I would have to pay 6,000 at Wash U, 8,000 at Penn, and probably nothing at Harvard. I love Wash U's atmosphere, and their Rodriguez community, but they just don't have the prestige. I think it would be silly of me to turn down Ivy Leagues just for the social life at Wash U. right?</p>
<p>^ Congrats on Penn and Harvard, college is all about what makes you happy. I'd go with the money, which seems to be Harvard, and since prestige is important to you, you can't go wrong with them. You'll definately make some heads nod with that...i hope u do manage to enjoy yourself there</p>
<p>yes i will be and im very happy because i love it there...i used to only care about prestige but then i realized that virtually anywhere i go within the top 25, id get the same education and id put the effort into making myself successful in the world so it was more important for me to go some place where id be happy...also, the fact that they are paying for everything doesn't hurt either,</p>
<p>I'm deciding between Wash U, GW, Villanova, Bucknell and Delaware (among others that are lower on the list...BU, Syracuse, and Lehigh - which have been all but eliminated).</p>
<p>My biggest worries about Wash U are its distance (I'm from RI) and the student life (too many nerds and crappy sports...). GW is in a better city but doesn't really have a campus, and its social sciences programs may have an edge. Villanova and Bucknell have better atmosphere as far as sports and spirit, and at Delaware I'd be almost catered to in the Honors Program and be going for just over $1,000 a year. Bucknell and GW would be pretty cheap too ($6,000/$10,000 respectively), what with all of the aid I've received.</p>
<p>Joanna.. I find my situation somewhat like yours. I visited WashU for a weekend, met nothing but friendly and happy kids, and had a good time. However, I'm almost positive I'll be attending Princeton next fall. I thought long and hard about this decision (it starts to feel so much bigger than you, and you sometimes lose sight of what you truly want or feel).. but in the end, I went with the big picture.</p>
<p>For me, Princeton offered everything.. and when I visited, I loved it too. Sure prestige matters, particularly when your 4 years are done and it comes time to enter the work force. But in the same sense, you want to enjoy yourself in those 4 years. I've found that most kids--even if they dont necessarily end up at the school they once thought "perfect" for them--are very happy wherever they go. It's what you make of it, and I'm convinced that you will find your niche and some soulmates along the way.</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever path you choose.. and luckily for you, they're all damn good ones. :)</p>
<p>Thanks Run! That was really good advice. Another thing that makes me wary is that I have not visited Harvard and will not get a chance to. (We're poor lol) Should that have an effect on my decision??</p>
<p>Jaxmo, medical school is the exact reason I am thinking to attend Wash U over USMA....medical school is an option there, but it isn't pretty (obligatory active duty until you are 39). I plan on biomedical engineering + premed if I decide Wash U. It's exactly what you are talking about. I leave both options open with medicine and military. Good luck to your son once again.</p>
<p>i'm turning washu down for columbia. Washu offered me 19500 dollars annually and gave me a free plane ticket to visit and all these things so i'm feelign a lot of guilt. I really hope they don't ask where i'm going at the multicultural weekend next week. Then i'll feel really guilty towards washu. Columbia just had everything for me. My alumni interviewer is determined to help at Columbia and help me "be the top student at columbia" and his son whose president at Columbia is too. My two supporters well i can't turn them down. Sorry washu. :(</p>
<p>Joanna-- sorry for the uh, belated nature of this reply. As for the Harvard visit, I am mixed. I've heard many, many a story along the lines of "I got onto campus, and immediately knew it was the right place for me." That said, I do think visiting the campus, walking around, observing the type of kids you'll be surrounding yourself with for the next 4 years IS important. There's only so much a website, catalog, etc. can convey, and those resources are all usually sugar-coated and slightly unrealistic anyway.</p>
<p>But, given your situation.. I know a boy (ironically enough, a WashU boy now) who picked a school without ever visiting, and is very pleased. I think there's a bit of a risk factor involved there, but again, a place is what you make of it. If you can't visit Harvard, I say sit down with your parents and try to list the pros and cons of each school you're considering. After that, go with what feels right.</p>
<p>Trust your gut instinct.. I've found it very rarely leads you astray.</p>