<p>my dd received full aid from Cornell (no loan) and now it makes the choosing more difficult…Ivy education without a loan will be too good of an option to pass by. And West Point grad is highly respected by top corp. but she have to commit 5yr active/3yr reserve. any suggestion or advice will be appreciated.</p>
<p>
I think most of the people who attend the military academies want to serve in the military so they wouldn’t view what you wrote as a negative but probably a positive. If she doesn’t want to serve in the military she shouldn’t go to West Point.</p>
<p>She has a couple of great options - good for her.</p>
<p>Yes, does she want to serve as an officer in the US Army? The answer to that will be the major factor in choosing here.</p>
<p>coming from family with no military background, she went through difficult, year long application process all by her self, to me that alone show enough passion to serve this country as an officer. my biggest concern is that even though she attended a week summer seminar at USNA, and got some cadet life experience in academy,and plenty of advice from current cadet, i’m not sure if any 18yr old can be totally sure of this path or even understanding life after West Point…</p>
<p>West Point is an excellent school and my dad told me that if you successfully serve the required years then leave the army, having that experience and the West Point degree means you are pretty much guaranteed a good job in your area.</p>
<p>But your daughter needs to understand the full implications of serving in the army… living a hard life in the field, risk of death, risk of getting seriously injured such as losing a leg or an eye and becoming disabled. All this and more should be understood before committing to West Point.</p>
<p>Do you know any current or retired military officers (preferably US Army since the school is USMA)? She may want to ask them about life as an officer in the military.</p>
<p>There are also various army forums on the web on which she can ask questions about life as an officer in the US Army after attending the USMA.</p>
<p>I would venture that a large percentage of the young people entering service academies or committing through ROTC don’t have any family military background or service experience.
S1 committed to NROTC with no military background or experience. He knew he wanted to serve in the military. That was it. He’s now a Lt. in the Navy and loves his job. </p>
<p>Is your D committed to becoming an Army officer regardless or was she just applying to USMA to see if she could get in? Cornell has AROTC. If she chose Cornell would she join ROTC there?</p>
<p>Regarding risk of death in combat in the US armed forces, the following study is of interest:</p>
<p><a href=“http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=psc_working_papers[/url]”>http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=psc_working_papers</a></p>
<p>Tables 1 and 2 in this paper say that from 3/21/2003 to 3/31/2006, total death rates per 1000 for those in combat in Iraq were:</p>
<p>Marines: 8.48
Army: 3.94
All US military in Iraq: 3.92
Civilian males aged 20-34: 1.41
Navy: 0.83
Air Force: 0.40</p>
<p>Women are barred from serving in infantry,armor or special forces, considered the most dangerous combat jobs. Of the more than 6,300 deaths in Iraq/Afghanistan, 144 were women.
But new changes will open the door for more promotions and opportunities for women by allowing them to perform jobs they are already doing but in battalions that will be closer to the fighting and once considered too dangerous for women.</p>
<p>thank you all for the useful info and comment, my dd and i will have to do a little more research on life after USMA…</p>
<p>A good friend of ours went to college on a ROTC money. He was going into medical school and they paid for that as well. He finished medical school and then they transferred him to Germany for his residency and internships. By the time he got back to the states, he had 3 more years to go and he could “retire” with full pension so he stuck it out. So, by the time he was about 35 had full pension, having retired at the rank of “major”, had no debt from UG or Medical school and now has a thriving medical practice. It’s something we are starting to talk to our DD about but to be honest, it isn’t something we would talk to our son’s about, sorry. If they chose that, fine, up to them. Neither of our boys would probably qualify for the military because they both have bad asthma but who knows.</p>
<p>Anyway, several ad comm’s have suggested this to DD because of her plan to go to medical school. They talk to all of the kids that are pre-professional (medical, law, etc.) because of the lack of debt through all of your schooling and the minimal time required after finishing school to really be “in” the Army. </p>
<p>Graduating from Cornell is going to give her great career opportunities as well. What does she plan to study in college?</p>
<p>as of now, she’s considering Law school right after undergrad. she will not incurred any undergrad dept from either school! from what i understand is that, unlike Med school,she have to service her time before she can continue her graduate/law school?</p>
<p>advicemom2016, The real question is does she want to be an officer in the U.S. Army? Can she see herself possibly spending six or eight months in Afghanistan? Is her desire to prepare herself to be a leader of men in a nation at war?
The mission of the USMA is to produce line officers for active duty immediately upon commissioning. Given our country’s engagement in the Middle East, chances of going from USMA to Law school would prob. be miniscule. </p>
<p>If her real goal is to go to Law school rather than be an Army officer, she should probably choose Cornell.</p>
<p>@SteveMa - re : your friend - yes that was possible when US wasnt in several wars.<br>
OP - your daughter would have to be in top 3-5% at West Point to get the assignment she would want. By the way - law school wouldnt be one of them. She will have to give the first 2/3 yrs to active duty, and if she was in the top 3/5% she can get a desk job for the last 2 yrs. During those 2 years it will be possible for her to be able to get into law school. But highly unlikely. The competition for that is brutal. So realistically she is looking to go to law school 5 years after graduating West Point. On her own dime. BUT, she will be looked at at a whole different level by future employers/law school admission. A major leg up. Another hurdle - hope she doesnt fall in love at West Point. Those couples tend to marry right after graduation, so that the army assigns them into the same base…</p>
<p>my dd is fully aware of what is expected from an officer during the time of war,and i know that no other place better then USMA to get prepare and ready for their mission. she will grow as an adult/leader/officer during the 4yrs at the West Point. At the end no matter where she decide to go i will respect her choice, but like i mention earlier,“how many 18yr/young teen age kids” knows their path for sure and the commitment involved?</p>
<p>I vote for Cornell. No obligation period.</p>
<p>Who is ambivalent? The OP or her D?</p>
<p>I can’t imagine why anyone would apply to one of the service academies in the first place if she wasn’t certain she wanted to be a military officer, with all that entails. If the D herself has any doubt, choose Cornell; but I wonder if that’s the issue.</p>
<p>mhmm—actually, when he went through college/med school we were in “several wars”…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>do all the officers in the JAG corps go active duty in another role before joining JAG?</p>
<p>Soccer, the only person I know who was in JAG did not go military (either ROTC or serice academy) for undergrad, so he did not have a service committment prior to going to law school. I dont know if this is common or not.</p>