Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program FAQs

Transcription

1 Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program FAQs Preparing for Prep School The Application Process Summer Orientation Attending Prep School Transitioning to the USCGA Preparing for Prep School Q: When will the prep school information be sent out in the mail? A: The first mailing is your offer letter with enclosed Statement of Acceptance and Obligation, and Statement of Decline. The link to our website is where you must find, download, and complete the forms and then mail them into CGA Admissions. After we receive the required information from you, as stated in the offer letter, the next mailing will consist of official travel orders for your transportation to New London for Summer Orientation along with instructions. Mailings will occur no earlier than late-december and will run as we tender prep school appointments through the following months. Q: In the Scholar Program Handbook, it talked about laptop compatibility with the schools. Are Mac Book Pros acceptable? A: Certainly. Those work just fine, as do all other laptops as long as they have a standard operating system. Q: Is there any particular laptop/software recommendation? A: Yes, keep it pretty mainstream...windows or Mac. Linux and other less popular operating systems are not compatible with most of the programs the schools utilize. If you're a PC and you're at least Windows XP or better, you're fine. If you're a Mac, you're fine no matter what Leopard/Snow Leopard version you're running Q: Are uniforms purchased by the cadet or the Academy? A: The USCG uniforms you will receive during Summer Orientation are paid for by the Coast Guard. Prep school uniforms are paid for out of the paycheck you'll earn every month.

2 Q: Uniforms are issued for prep school, but what other necessary items should we bring? A: The Scholar Program Handbook has a packing list in it. It's fairly minimal, you won't need much. Q: If we already took the required courses in high school, is there a way to waive the classes we have to take at the prep school or will we have to retake them? A: You will take a series of placement tests...at summer orientation, at prep school, and during swab summer the following summer (if you re appointed to CGA). Your achievement on those tests will determine your class placement, and will ultimately determine your validation of any courses at both your prep school and at the Academy. The Application Process Q: Is it possible for the prep school to decline our application? A: No, it is not. As a sponsored CGA prep, you are ensured a spot there. You only have to complete their app so as to populate their databases and get you into their systems. You will need to pay their application fee, but no other fees. Q: Will we need to submit recent SAT scores again as part of the app process for the prep school? A: You won't need to submit newer scores than the ones you submitted for the original CGA app, unless they are higher, and you ll need to send CGA a copy as well. You will take the SAT (or ACT) again during prep school. Q: What scores will be expected for us to achieve when we retake the SAT (or ACT)? A: Higher scores than the previous ones you took. There's not a magic number we're looking for you to achieve. You will most likely have a slot in the following CGA class as long as you maintain a 2.5 GPA all year long, pass the PFE with a score of 165 and you stay out of trouble. Q: What if someone decides not to accept their Coast Guard Academy appointment directly to CGA; do people going into the Scholar Program get to fill those slots? A: No, not normally. If spots open up for a direct appointment, and your file is competitive enough to fill that spot, it could happen. It's unlikely, but it's possible. Summer Orientation Q: After Orientation would we go directly to prep school? A: Yes, that's exactly what will happen. As a group you will be bused from New London to Providence, RI where you'll fly to your prep school. Q: For the Summer Orientation, is transportation provided from the airport to the Academy?

3 A: No. While the government does fund all travel, you're responsible for arranging that travel, and getting to the Academy on time. Shuttles, taxis, and other means of transportation are available from all of the airports. Q: Do we schedule classes during Summer Orientation or when we get to our schools? A: When you get to your school you will have a framework already assigned for you. Your class schedule is based on your achievement on the placement tests you will take during Summer Orientation and your high school transcripts. You'll have an opportunity to discuss your class schedule and your level of comfort and willingness to challenge yourself in the suggested curriculum during the first few weeks of prep school. Q: My parents may be flying with me to the New London area, when would we be notified of the airline info? A: You will receive a set of standard travel orders likely by mid-may or early-june. It will depend upon how fast we receive your administrative and medical forms. Q: When are both cadet candidates and Academy cadets able to contact family and friends and how will they do so? A: Cadet Candidates can contact family and friends after Summer Orientation when all electronics are returned. CGA Cadets can talk freely with family throughout the school year during free periods. Communication during Swab Summer is highly limited and likely will only be via regular mail. Q: What can we expect from orientation besides academic testing? A: Summer Orientation consists of physical training, nautical training, general military indoctrination, classroom instruction, marching, shining shoes and lots of other basic training requirements, but it s physically demanding, emotionally draining, and intense. Be prepared for it, and don t expect it to be anything less than a rigorous training environment. Q: Will the Cadet Candidates flying in from across the country stay at the Academy the night before orientation starts? A: No, not on the Academy grounds, but many hotels are available nearby. Arriving the day before is the safest bet to ensure you get in on time for your early morning reporting-in time. Q: How many days before Summer Orientation begins are we allowed to arrive at the Academy? A: As early as you like, but you'll only receive travel expense reimbursement for the one night before Reporting-In Day. You will not be permitted to stay on the Academy grounds overnight anytime before your Reporting-In Day. Attending Prep School Q: Do all CGA students room together?

4 A: No. The prep school tries to keep all CGA folks together, but not all will have a CGA roommate due to odd numbers and also to encourage integration among the school s corps of cadets. You will most likely room with another Service Academy Prep if you re not rooming with a CGA Scholar Program Cadet Candidate. Q: May we use our own laptop? A: You can use your own. If you don't have a laptop, you can use the available terminals in the library/learning center. Q: Are Mac Book Pros acceptable? A: Those work just fine, as do all other laptops as long as they have a standard operating system. Q: Will we be allowed to have laptops in our room 24/7? A: Yes, it will sit on your desk if it's not with you in class. Various classes and study labs require you to bring it along. Q: Are uniforms purchased by the cadet or the Academy? A: The USCG uniforms you will receive during Summer Orientation are paid for by the Coast Guard. Prep school uniforms are paid for out of the paycheck you'll earn every month. Q: What type of interaction will CGA cadet candidates face with the rest of the school population at prep school? A: Full integration throughout the entire school year; you become a member of their corps of cadets. Q: How much of the paycheck will cadets be able to save for travel arrangements to return home during breaks? A: Around $1,000 per month. Only about half of your monthly pay will go to your prep school s business office to pay for your room and board, uniforms, books, fees, etc. (roughly $800 per month). The Scholar Handbook contains a detailed pay chart. Q: How are monthly paycheck funds managed? Does the USCGA recommend a particular bank for direct deposit? Or can we use our current personal accounts? A: CGA will create direct deposit accounts for everybody at the Navy Federal Credit Union. Your monthly paycheck will go into that account and you re responsible for paying your debt at the prep school by taking your debit card to the business office for bi-monthly payments. Q: Is the monthly housing allowance the same as the E-2 pay? A: No, that's called BAH. Basic Allowance for Housing. You can find that information on the internet by typing "BAH" in a search engine and looking at the chart for what an E-2 earns WITHOUT dependents for the location where you'll be assigned. Q: If we already took the required courses in high school, is there a way to waive the classes we

5 have to take at the prep school or will we have to retake them? A: You will take a series of placement tests...at summer orientation, at prep school, and during swab summer the following summer (if you re appointed to CGA). Your achievement on those tests will determine your class placement, and will ultimately determine your validation of any courses at both your prep school and at the Academy. Q: What sports options will be available for us at the prep school? A: Many sports options exist. Visit the prep school s website. All sports that exist at the prep school are available for you to play. Q: Have there been any hazing issues in the past at the prep schools? A: Hazing is taken VERY seriously, and handled with utmost care and concern. There have not been any hazing issues involving injury or physical harm in recent years. A few cases of alleged hazing have been brought up; they were verbal remarks, and the accused offenders were handled swiftly and disciplined accordingly. Q: There is no competitive swimming at the Marion Military Institute. What do recruited swimmers do? A: Unfortunately, right now the prep school does not have a competitive swimming program. Our recruited swimmers are maintaining a strict swimming regimen under the guidance of the CGA swim coaches and prep school s aquatics instructors. Q: Are we allowed to have our own cars on campus? A: Yes, at prep school, but not at CGA until your senior year. Q: Are we given liberty during the week to go off campus or is the purpose of having our own car there for travel to and from our homes during vacation dates? A: You are given liberty on the weekends and you can use your car during those times. Q: Are religious services available for various denominations? A: Yes. If your service is not available on campus, there are several denominations available in the local communities, and you're welcome to attend those. Not EVERY denomination is represented, so if there's a specific concern related to your religion, please the Scholar Program Manager. Q: When are both cadet candidates and Academy cadets able to contact family and friends and how will they do so? A: Cadet Candidates can contact family and friends after Summer Orientation when all electronics are returned. CGA Cadets can talk freely with family throughout the school year during free periods. Communication during Swab Summer is highly limited and likely will only be via regular mail. Q: When are parents invited to the prep schools for official social visits? A: The prep school website has an annual calendar and it will show you those dates. Some

6 examples include matriculation, Parent's Weekend, Graduation, and the like. Q: Will there be physical training everyday of the week? And how rigorous will this training be? A: Yes, every day before the school year starts. Once the academic year begins, you are expected to maintain your physical fitness. You may have a mandatory Physical Training class a few times a week, and you are required to take the CGA Physical Fitness Exam at least once per semester. The Summer Orientation physical activity is rigorous if you're not in shape, and it's a great workout if you are in shape. You should arrive at Summer Orientation well-prepared to exert yourself physically just as if you were reporting to Swab Summer. Q: Will we have access to a gym and weights each day? A: Yes, it depends on your own schedule as to how much time, but the prep school has excellent accessibility and comprehensive facilities. Q: At the prep school, is there extra time for a cadet to get extra help with the rigorous exercise and/or any academic needs with a tutor or such? A: Yes, each day you will have a block of time at 4:00 in the afternoon to get help from teachers or do extra PT depending upon what you need. Q: How much time each day is available for free time? A: It depends on your day of classes or training, but you have some free time in the afternoons and evenings to get extra help or do homework. Q: So after the Summer Orientation, are cell phones allowed for use at the prep schools? A: Yes, you can carry your phone with you but you should only use it during your free time. Q: How many students were chosen for the Scholar Program? A: 40 students will start this year. Q: How common is it for a CGA Scholar to choose to finish their 10-month enlistment rather than go into CGA? A: The enlistment is really only for the time when you start Summer Orientation until you graduate from prep school. If you decide you do not want an appointment, you have no options to continue that enlistment contract. You have to enlist with a recruiter and start a new enlistment contract, including reporting to basic training in Cape May, New Jersey. Q: When is the last day of prep school? A: Please visit the prep school s website and look for the academic calendar. The last day is usually during the first week of May at Marion and the first week of June at Georgia. Transitioning to the USCGA Q: How does prep school prepare you for the CGA?

7 A: Answer provided by a CGA Scholar Program graduate, It helped 150% with academics, it really saved me with preparing some good habits for studying and getting over the high school slump of being afraid to ask for a lot of help when needed. It helped me get into the correct mindset with the whole military aspect, and really helped me to hit the ground running for Swab Summer. Q: When does the Academy let you pick your major and when are you able to take related classes to it? A: As a freshman you can declare your major, but you do not need to commit to it until the end of your freshman year. You may begin taking classes related to your major as early as the second semester of your 4/C (freshman) year; this depends heavily upon your chosen major. Q: How much better prepared for entering the CGA will attending the prep school make me, as opposed to not having that extra year of experience behind me? A: Answer provided by a former CGA Scholar, 150%, really. It helped me get to bed by 10 each night, helped me to ask questions from my teachers when I needed to, and it helped me keep a high GPA here at the academy throughout the past year and a half. Q: How many students were chosen to go directly into the CGA? A: This year's class will consist of 235 students, and they are not all directly from the applicant pool. A number of those are students who are coming from the Scholar Program, a few who were medically deferred from last Swab Summer injuries, and a few other unique cases. Q: How long are CGA graduates assigned for on the cutters? A: The first tour of duty is 2 years long. Almost all tours of duty afloat are two years for officers, rarely will they go for three, but it may if it's a payback tour for grad school. Some afloat tours are only one year long, in the Arabian Gulf, for example. Q: Where are the locations for the cutters on which we'll be assigned? A: Cutters have home ports all around the U.S. and its territories. Take a look at or explore through any internet search engine where all the cutters are located. Q: If we graduate top of our class will we be able to choose where we are commissioned in respect to our career field we attained a degree in? A: Your degree doesn't necessarily drive your career path at all. It can, but it doesn't have to. Your class rank will determine how close to your first choice you get in terms of location, type of unit, and type of position.