<p>The flu has struck & the meds are making me float around…Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to veer so off course but just wanted beam to be aware (if I understood her comments correctly, that is) that each kid goes through this a little differently & not to be scared. Wanted to let her know that it is rare for kids to keep a 3.5 or up in a GPA & not to go crazy when she sees some of those first grades and that its ok. I’m telling you, its the meds. I have no idea if I’m explaining better or not… LOL I sure didn’t mean to take away from the huge accomplishments! No how, no way! I’m just so amazed that it happens at all with all they go through. </p>
<p>Talking with other USMMA parents, its a safe bet that most of the kids leave due to the academics & not the regimental lifestyle, with the exception of those who left during Indoc. I saw some beyond brilliant kids fall the first tri-mester. I think they find out early on that their high school study skills don’t work there. Didn’t with my kid. He’s had to re-think everything when he pulled a C in one of his classes. He freaked. His senior year in high school he had a 5.0 & scored perfect AP exams scores. Not seeing a B let alone a C leaves these kids unsettled when they get one. You really gotta pick them up & dust them off. They do offer tutoring and study groups. Sometimes they put the whole class in mandatory turtoring if all are doing poorly. So the help is there. As to the selection process or it being overly overly difficult, I really believe that doing three tri-mesters plays a big part in the difficulty. They cram it all in fast & hard. 20-21 credits per tri-mester is the norm in 11 months. Since we have no list to go by & parents just talk, there are several who made the honors list last tri. One SC Plebe got a 4.0. He is, sorry Bill, there is no other word, Awesome! </p>
<p>I just thought to give beam a different perspective. Its all really really hard & will be for her kid too but know that if he ends up on an honors list, you better know he’s done something BIG. Even for the kids like Bill’s & Shogun’s. They have to work so hard to get the grades they do and the more I learn about academy life, the more these kids blow me away. Man, they’re good!</p>