I know a couple of people who went to VMI and didn’t accept a commission, but in every instance their fathers (and grandfathers) had gone to VMI.

If your daughter doesn’t want to be in the military, I would steer her away.

If she has no desire to go into the military after graduation, why would you even entertain going to a military school? Just go to a regular school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's got to want to be at VMI and even that is not enough to make you enjoy VMI.

This. VMI is brutal even for military-motivated kids who want to be there. Even more so for females. If she doesn’t really, truly, want to go to VMI and into the military, don’t consider it.

This is absolutely true however my brother and father-in-law both graduated from VMI and the alumnae network is very strong. Because of what you go through the bonds are very deep.

Athletes are exempt from a LOT of the standard PT etc. They get a lot of "outs". My daughter is there for soccer.

What is TAM?

Do you like racism? Because VMI has a long history of it …

The Virginia Military Institute is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts.

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Anonymous wrote:She's got to want to be at VMI and even that is not enough to make you enjoy VMI.

This. VMI is brutal even for military-motivated kids who want to be there. Even more so for females. If she doesn’t really, truly, want to go to VMI and into the military, don’t consider it.

VMI casts a very wide recruiting net, leaning on their D1 status because they know it is not a traditional college experience.

Don't get lulled into it by D1...pretend no sport is involved and decide if it is remotely the college your kid wants.

She's got to want to be at VMI and even that is not enough to make you enjoy VMI.

what sport does she play?

VMI is not a normal college experience at all. My husband went there. Freshman spend 6 months on the "rat line" proceeded by hell week. If she can hack it, it is character building and she'll have a lifelong bond with her brother and sister rats. As for the experience, the school is extremely strict and there are no weekend parties etc.

Just to "be recruited?" Sports shouldn't decide this

It's a great place to be FROM but a tough place to be AT.

DD is being recruited by VMI. A military school was never on our radar. I'm trying to understand the difference between the service academies and the 6 sr military colleges. VMI seems more "military" than say TAM or Tech.

The school seems to offer all of the military training and commissioning as the service academies but its not a free education. DD would love a D1 school but I'm not sure this is right for her. She also has ADHD and is medicated for it. I know that's a disqualifier for the service academies but it is true for the military colleges?

She has no desire to go into the military after college. TAM and Tech seem more like regular college experiences.