<p>I am entering my second year here at the academy and am having second thoughts about staying here another year. I am not enjoying it at all and do not know if this is the place for me. I would love to become an Army officer, but dont know if I want to do it through West Point. All I hear is that West Point "opens doors" and provides opportunities. But cant these same oppportunities be found by going somewhere else? I am interested in transferring to the University of Georgia and doing their ROTC program. It owuld be much closer to home and to my girlfriend. Would this be a poor decision?</p>
<p>Do ROTC. I made the same mistake by going to the Naval Academy. Found out it was such a a huge let down, and the only reason for staying was it’s “prestige” (which is not a good reason to stay). I left in January. Best decision I’ve ever made so far in my life.</p>
<p>Changing schools due to girlfriends and being closer to home is a rotten way to make a decision. Do you honestly think that being in the Army is going to be any easier? Better to adjust to that sort of thing now or question do you really want a career in the Army.</p>
<p>West Point IS a better school listed on your resume than UGA, no question. Yes, you will be the same 2LT upon graduation. But, it isn’t for everyone. No one will think less of you for making a change, folks do it all the time. So just make sure you are 100% on this decision because there is no going back. Yes, you’ll have a life at UGA, and ROTC will be much easier than the daily grind at USMA. But it will not give you the opportunities you have currently at West Point. Honestly, how many employers do you think are going to say, “Wow, you went through ROTC at UGA” versus “Wow, you graduated West Point”. </p>
<p>One other point, once you graduate, those in the Army that will appreciate your being a WP grad will primarily be other WP grads or wannabes. It’s what you do with yourself in the Army that will determine your success, not where you graduated from. There are a lot of folks in the Army who couldn’t care less that you are from the Hudson Home for Wayward Youth.</p>
<p>I graduated from USMA a few years ago. I never had the intention of being a career officer, but the offer of not having student loans and the West Point degree was what drove me during my 4 years there. I will be getting out of the army soon, but the West Point degree is invaluable in the civilian world. I am applying to graduate schools (9/11 gi bill pays for most of it) and being from west point has opened so many doors.<br>
The way I thought about west point is that my life may suck for 12 years (4 at wp and 8 in the army), but I will have set myself and family up for success down the road. Dont think about what is better for yourself now, but what will benefit you, your wife, and children 15-20 years from now. Dont get me wrong I have been deployed twice and I spend more time at work than with my family. But knowing that my west point degree means much more than typical college degree is worth the cost.</p>
<p>Seems like the only responses you get for staying is because it will help YOU, an individual, better out in the PRIVATE CIVILIAN sector of life.</p>
<p>I thought the goal of these service academies were different, no?</p>
<p>“It owuld be much closer to home and to my girlfriend.”</p>
<p>If being close to home and your girlfriend is a huge priority, do you think you are well suited for life in the military? I am not trying to be flip, but as an army wife (West Point grad hubby put in 27 years, 18 married to me), I often thought that it was a good thing that I didn’t need to have family around to make me happy.</p>
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<p>Think very carefully and do your research. How did you do academically plebe year? Top half of your class? There are many opportunities that West pointer’s have that their ROTC counterparts do not have - i.e. the opportunity to go abroad, the opportunity for internships and military training are more plentiful for WP Cadets than ROTC cadets.</p>
<p>If you transfer after your second year, you might be playing catchup at your new college and ROTC. Credits do transfer very well but you mileage will vary depending on your major.
Everything you have done at WP so far has been mandatory - you went to Beast, you took classes someone else picked for you, you went to Buckner.<br>
Going forward is the time to find yourself - you get more choices, more privileges, more passes.
Transferring to ROTC you won’t get a scholarship. You do have more options as far as serving your time in the Guard/Reserves instead of active duty.
In the end, it’s your choice. If you are serious, do well this semester and during winter break visit UGA. Take your transcripts in and they will evaluate them and tell you how long you have to graduate. Visit the ROTC department and talk to them as well. Bottom line - don’t make a knee jerk decision; make an informed decision.</p>
<p>Do students that voluntarily leave the USMA have any difficulty getting admitted into a ROTC program? Or does the Army not care?</p>
<p>
As long as they got an honorable discharge there is no problem. If they were separated for a legal issue that would be a problem.
The ones I know have been very well received.</p>
<p>If they leave after junior year starts they owe the government $$$.</p>
<p>^
or they must enlist. The choice is up to the Army.<br>
The OP is entering his second year.</p>
<p>Not to resurrect an old thread but this caught my eye.
How has the situation developed FearViper?
I used to be class of 2012 at USMA. Now I’m a junior in Duke ROTC and have followed my friends as they have continued USMA. I’m very familiar with this comparison btwn ROTC and USMA. That being said, I’m still a cadet so I accept that my impressions of the Army have limited backing. Correct me if you feel otherwise, I can take it.</p>
<p>I’m not ripping West Point, I still love the place, but there are very real shortcomings and fantasies about the place that tempt cadets to stay.
Also, none of my statements are meant to generalize about every cadet in the corps but I am merely noting trends I have observed, and I know plenty of cadets.
I would say that the one thing many ROTC battalions does not instill (which USMA does very well) is mental toughness. You learn how to deal with pain and distress.
Some points I hope to shed light on:</p>
<p>Extra Training for USMA: This really depends on which ROTC unit your in, however I’ve had no problem getting summer training opportunities. I was also able to do a short training course with an SF unit, something I would not have been able to do at USMA. In fact my friends have said that the competition for schools other than AAS and Airborne is harsher at USMA than in the ROTC brigades. I wouldn’t let the promise of supposed extra opportunities particularly sway you, especially since you’ve been through CBT and CFT already.</p>
<p>Also, our LTC, who was a grad of USMA was of the opinion that our battalion gets a good deal more field training during the year than USMA. We go out every week with some additional training on select weekends. You also will have better cadre/cadet ratio. You will likely get more personal instruction by cadre than at USMA.</p>
<p>Abroad:
It has to be timed right but if you want to go you can. Also during the summer you’ll have more freedom to do this than at USMA.</p>
<p>After the Army: While I disagree strongly with the idea “go to West Point, it will get you a job after the army” (Then why are you going to a service academy??) I feel I should address this.
The statement “it opens doors” is more complicated than it sounds. I’ve talked with old grads and read some of their articles and some things are apparent.
Many of the jobs that are opened up are strictly government work, or coordinating between government and private sector companies, bureaucrats. Companies (often, not always of course) hire West Pointers for their government connections, NOT because they are gifted leaders.
From my conversations it seems my degree from Duke with ROTC is on par with West Point’s, and higher in some areas. My general impression is that my experience is considered more versatile and innovative, something not merely in demand but necessary for private sector work. </p>
<p>The last point I wish to make is that in my opinion, there is real advantage to ROTC which is often overlooked, the social development.
When I left USMA, one of the big reasons was that I realized the stunted social development of a significant portion (not all, i’m not say every cadet is a dork) of the Corps. The range of attitudes and personalities at USMA is constricted between Left and Right limits. Making friends is easy and necessary. However, coming to Duke I had to radically change how I approached people. The straightforward “we share a common goal” approach fell flat on its face. I had to make a much more conscious effort to develop relationships. This ability to build a rapport is vital as an officer, in fact behind domain knowledge that connection with your soldiers (not necessarily as a friend but as a person and leader) will make or break your officership. I spoken with USMA grads currently in the military who very bluntly said that USMA sucks at teaching cadets communication skills. Being in a normal college setting definitely helps this. USMA cadets I meet outside of a military setting seem tense and ill-at-ease. In fact a few rely on the fact they are from USMA to pump themselves up and validate themselves. It definitely was a conscious realization when I transferred that I wanted to build myself up to stand on my own feet without having this institution overshadowing my personal abilities. Three years later, I feel I made the right choice.</p>
<p>I apologize for the length of this post but I strongly empathize with your situation, having been there thinking those same thoughts. If you have any of questions let me know.</p>
<p>PS: I understand that you can’t get a scholarship, but for anyone else reading this and perhaps is still in highschool, I am making more money at Duke than I would at West Point. With my scholarship and my position as a Resident Assistant I make about $8,000 in pure profit. None of it gets siphoned off to buy uniforms, etc as it is at the Academy.</p>
<p>is this even a question? do rotc</p>
<p>I vote ROTC haha.</p>
<p>Who and where do I call to find out about my daughter getting started in finding out information about getting into school? She wants to be an anesthesiologist. I am at a loss on who to call or where to get started.</p>
<p>Thanks,
Tonya</p>
<p>^ tonbritpay – assuming you’re referring to WP, here is a forum that can help:</p>
<p>[United</a> States of America Service Academy Forums - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/]United”>http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/)</p>