<p>Here's the backstory: I was awarded the Army ROTC scholarship to the 3 schools below. I only have around 10 days before I'm required to accept the scholarship to one of the schools or lose it. I don't know how I'm gonna make the decision on what school to accept this scholarship to. So I'm asking you guys for help, and I made a pros and cons list of each school. Just tell me what you think:</p>
<p>VMI
Pros:
Very well known school military wise and in VA
Awesome history and traditions
Top notch ROTC program with opportunities (summer schools, etc)
Most selective school on my list
Just always had the dream of going here</p>
<p>Cons:
Not very much diversity- cadets, mostly male, not normal college experience
Can't afford it without the scholarship
Only visited once in summer, never got to meet with ROTC cadre.</p>
<p>PURDUE
Pros:
Campus felt like home and I loved it.
Visited 3 times, so I have a really good idea of life there.
ROTC Cadre were VERY helpful in getting my file ready to go, really felt like they cared about me and wanted me in their Battalion.
I can afford it without the scholarship.</p>
<p>Cons:
Not very hard to get into, especially for non-engineering students
Almost too diverse (2nd largest international student population in country)
Definitely not as nationally well known and respected as VMI outside of engineering.</p>
<p>USF
Pros:
Cheapest- actually would be totally free to attend considering academic scholarships
Nice south Florida weather, I'm not a huge fan of the cold
Close to grandparents, so I could be far away from home but still have family nearby</p>
<p>Cons:
Again, never got a chance to meet with ROTC cadre
Pretty big city feel (Tampa) which I'm not crazy about
Never really caught my eye when I visited like VMI and Purdue did</p>
<p>I know this is an awesome problem to have and I'm thankful for the opportunity. I've concluded that all of their football teams are pretty bad and can't let that factor in to the decision Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Dump them all and find a university with a good football team!!</p>
<p>But if you can’t do that, I’d go with Purdue. There’s nothing wrong with diversity, and I disagree with the comment about it not being as well known as VMI outside of engineering. Most people don’t make that kind of distinction, and from the perspective of someone who lives on the west coast, VMI isn’t well known at all.</p>
<p>It sounds like you really like Purdue. Try to choose where you will love to end up, not predominately on prestige. Also, I personally like how “Purdue” reminds me of the chicken I eat :p</p>
<p>In all honesty, I have never heard of VMI and I actually had to look up what it stood for. But who am I to judge? I’m just a senior from Florida.</p>
<p>I’m actually from the Tampa area (I’m aloud to be a commuter to USF), and I got the $20k academic scholarship from them plus $2k for honors college (I’m not military bound or anything). It is a tempting offer, and I’ll get Florida Bright Futures on top of my scholarship if I choose to go there.</p>
<p>It sounds like you like Purdue the best then USF then VMI so I would go to them in that order because most important is that you go to a school you like and could see yourself at for the next four years!</p>
<p>Well the thing about VMI is that with every military member I’ve talked to (which has been quite a few in the last few months), they’ve all been wowed by VMI and very excited when they found I got the scholarship there. VMI is called the “West Point of the South” and is very well known in the military and in Virginia, like I said. </p>
<p>But I never got to see actual cadet life there since I visited in the summer, and the ROTC cadre were gone. However, I did my scholarship interview at Purdue, and the cadre there literally got my file sent in and made the scholarship possible. They really worked for me and let me know I was very wanted. I also know Ill be one of the top cadets there physically. I also visited Purdue 3 times, and twice took guided tours. So I know exactly what life is like there and love the campus.</p>
<p>USF is different. I never really could see myself going there, but totally free college is hard to pass up.</p>
<p>I spent four years in the Air Force, and can’t imagine anyone being more impressed with a degree from VMI than any other school. Where officers went to school wasn’t a big deal. Most of the officers I remember went through ROTC programs at state flagships like Arizona, Texas, UConn, and Arkansas.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are most comfortable with Purdue so I would say that should be your top choice. Never discount your “gut feeling” as part of this process. And FYI, I live on the east coast and I’d say that Purdue is certainly a well known and well respected (particularly for engineering and business) school.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are concerned about paying for the school if you don’t stay with ROTC? If so, then Purdue sounds like a good pick. That and the fact that you sound like you are certain you’d have a happy home there.</p>
<p>The one part that scares me about Purdue is how it’s college system works. You get accepted to a College (Management, Engineering, etc), and once you’re in it’s hard to switch to another. There’s no set general ed classes for freshmen, so it’s hard to change majors once you get there. This is troublesome for me, considering I’m not 100% sure what I want to major in.</p>