<p>Exactly Megs. I was trying my best to say just that. They will not nominate a kid who does not meet the minimum requirements for admissions in my state no matter how bad they want to fill a "slot". From what I have learned, the academies want well rounded kids that can learn from each others differences. There is a reason why the nomination process is what it is. Its not a bad thing nor unfair in my humble opinion. The academies are not getting substandard folks here. They are getting all types of brilliant personalities.</p>
<p>The merchant marine does have a website!!!</p>
<p>That's the academy... And I thought they had a branch, why else would there be an academy eh? Common sense. </p>
<p>And... Maybe you're right, I dunno. Maybe I shouldn't go into the military no matter how much it means to me. I guess for me the bigger sacrifice would be to not join the military, since it's always meant so much to me. I'm only a jerk because I'm not used to being told I'm not good enough for something. I guess South Carolina has lower expectations than every other state, or maybe it's just my school, because I've gotten every award we have here. Hell, this morning I got a letter from Newberry College saying I qualified for a $10,000 scholarship. I guess I need to look beyond the way things are here and try to see what the rest of the country is like. But to me, people here are too worried... Always worried about getting into an ivy league school always worried about getting into the BEST. It has to be the BEST, can't be the 2nd best can't be in the top 10 or 20 in the country... Am I wrong for wanting to go to a GOOD college and not the BEST? I don't even want to go to the Academy, ok, I just want to be in the Coast Guard. I don't even want to be an officer, I just want to go there and do my part and have a job there and make a difference somehow in any way that I can. But the only way I can do that is to be an officer because I don't want to end up the way all the enlisted people always do when they're 65 or 70... Unable to retire or living off nothing but social security or homeless or in poverty... Cause that's what's happened to half my family, no joke. My grandparents, my great grandparents, my great uncle, they all lead ****ty lives because they didn't have the money. That's the only real reason I've ever even considered going to the Academy, is so I can do what I want and be able to live off it for the rest of my life. Yes, the military has retirement pay, but no, they do NOT cover all your healthcare as they claim, otherwise my grandfather wouldn't have died waiting for a liver transplant that he should have gotten 2 years ago but the VA hospital wouldn't perform the surgery because they said it wasn't a covered operation or some crap and they made him go to the county hospital which wouldn't treat him because he didn't have insurance. I do NOT want to end up like that. </p>
<p>I'm sorry for being such a bastard to everyone here, it's just that with all this pressure that's been put on me by my family and my teachers and even by myself I can't stop worrying about what if I fail and what if I'm not good enough and what if I end up like my family. I don't want to live in South Carolina anymore, I don't want to be part of a household whose gross income is only $52,000 for FIVE PEOPLE. I want to live in a real house instead of a trailer and I want to have real health insurance where I can go to whatever doctor I want instead of some crappy HMO that won't authorize certain treatments and will only let us go to the crappy doctors and I want to do something to make a difference so other people will have the opportunity to make their lives better like I'm going to make mine. What's so bad about that? What's wrong with wanting to be able to support myself? What's wrong with not wanting to have bill collectors calling because I have $15,000 in credit card debt like my mom does because she's too lazy to get a job with the accounting degree she wasted seven years earning? </p>
<p>So yeah, maybe my grades suck, maybe I haven't done as well as I could have in my classes, but it isn't because I didn't try and it isn't because I'm an idiot. It's because I have so much else on my mind that I can't focus on my schoolwork and I can't pay attention during class cause I'm worrying about what will happen 10 years from now and no matter how hard I try I can't figure out what to do tomorrow or even an hour from now. </p>
<p>And that isn't even taking into account what the people at school do to me. You people have no idea what they do to me do you? I get laughed at everyday and they call me names and they threaten me and even my teachers won't do anything to help me they just let it happen. When I go to the principal even he doesn't do anything, he just ignores me and says to deal with it. But I can't deal with it without getting in trouble, last time I tried to deal with it I ended up with a black eye and getting suspended for inciting a fight, even though I never fought anyone. People steal my books and put them in the toilets and make ME pay for them because there's no way for me to prove which one of them it was that did it. And every time I finally find a friend they tell them all kinds of lies about me and I always end up left alone. And what about my ex boyfriend who abused me? He hit me whenever I said something he didn't like, he wouldn't even let me say I loved him. And I did love him. He hit me and hit me and then he gave me the clap and then he dumped me because he found someone better. </p>
<p>So God, why don't you all just shut up about what's wrong with me? I KNOW what's wrong with me, I want to know how to FIX it and make it better so I can actually be something! I'm trying to find out how I can make myself a better person and a better student so when I do go to college I'll be ready for it and I won't get kicked out after my first semester. That's what I'm scared will happen, because I realize just how naive I really am and how little I know about the world and I'm afraid I'll get out there and not know what to do and I'll panic and do the wrong thing and get in jail or even worse get dead. Just like I'm doing here. These people are probably going to ban me from here cause I can't stop from going off on people when they insult me. I just wish I knew what to do...</p>
<p>I'm sorry about all the things I just said, I really am, but that's how I feel. I know this isn't the place to say those things, but I couldn't hold it all in any longer. So please just stop laughing at me and stop calling me stupid and tell me something that might be useful to me, ok? That's what I came here for. If you can't do that, let me know and I won't ask for anything again. </p>
<p>(AIM: MchAdama, YAHOO: sataidellenn, MSN: <a href="mailto:adanbrac@hotmail.com">adanbrac@hotmail.com</a>... if anyone wants to contact me)</p>
<p>. . . . and the moderator was nowhere to be found . . . </p>
<p>DeepThroat</p>
<p>OK. I'm done.</p>
<p>Done with what bulldog? Like I said, I'm sorry for putting all this here... But I didn't know where else to put it so that you could all see it.</p>
<p>......what a monolouge......</p>
<p>Spilling your heart out on a message board? Seems a little out of place...</p>
<p>And the e-slamming continues!</p>
<p>"I'm sorry about all the things I just said, I really am, but that's how I feel. I know this isn't the place to say those things, but I couldn't hold it all in any longer."</p>
<p>1)If you were really sorry by the time you got to the end of your post, you did not have to submit it.
2)A number of people here have offered sound advice. You have chosen to argue rather than listen.</p>
<p>Momoftwins:</p>
<p>I've come to the conclusion that this guy's not for real>>>>something just doesn't seem right about his posts (beyond the obvious). I think we've all been "played".</p>
<p>If you want further amusement, look in the USCGA thread for a similar [as in cheap entertainment] set of posts.
My doubts surfaced long ago. . .</p>
<p>Yep. Played is the key word. No serious questions. Venting about himself. Not serious about educating himself on the academies. Wow, I need to go eat MY cookies and watch cartoons after that. Sorry Bill. You & the others were right from the start. He'd posted some 65 times all over this board. Manic behavior to say the least. AOL offers a chat rooms for kids to play in I'm sure. Not here.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that he'd posted 65 times in two days. Seems a bit over the top...............</p>
<p>The Merchant Marine isnt a branch.. Before graduating from the merchant marine academy, you pick whatever branch you want to go to so it actually isnt a bad deal.</p>
<p>No problem. Once you reach a certain age [and, unfortunately, I have reached that age and I don't know yours], you become a bit more skeptical. Anybody that has as many problems as suggested by the writer will not find solutions in an anonymous message board. </p>
<p>I did not intend to chastise you for for apologizing [I just asked a question actually]; rather, I was suggesting that since you had not offered any words that should have offended, there was no reason for you to apologize. [Let's say a backhanded measure of support for you that did not come across in my generalized question to all readers.]</p>
<p>I got ya. Thanks. Anyhow, I've also reached that age where I should be beyond being duped by something so preposterous.... Can't believe that I let that kid get my Irish up....I'd lurked on these boards for a long time to see how the application process was done. Read and learned so that I could guide my child, if needed. He did indeed get an appointment and is taking it by both hands. He insist that he remain anonymous or I'd say more. However, you folks offer the best of advice of anywhere we've ever researched and we'd used it often and it may have gained my son an edge. I feel that these discussions are very important for others to learn from. Its a shame that sometimes there are incidents where we (I) can't see a face or hear a tone of voice to know that comments are meant more light hearted. I feel I've learned another important lesson yet again from these boards. All I can say is, you're never to old to learn! :) And LUDA, congrats on making it thru NAPS. What an accomplishment! You too were trying to help by giving good information. Good for you to help others. Don't stop even though this thread darkened a few thoughts! Keep fighting the good fight all! HEY! I just found I can put "somebody" on my ignore list! COOL!</p>
<p>I've been consulting with a professor at Norwich, and she thinks I've got a very good chance of being accepted there. So I guess that's how I'll do it... ROTC at Norwich and then transfer to Coast Guard after I get my Navy commission.</p>
<p>I think Norwich has a Coast Guard commission track.....check that out, if they do it would be easier then trying to get a tranfer from the Navy to the Coast Guard.</p>