(Lengthy) Status Update

[Ranger Bill]

Maybe you will come to your senses and finish school and then become a Ranger.

[RangerX]

If you get a job that involves them, you will have plenty of Indian & Pakistani 20 somethings to do the hard thinking for you. :D

If any of them are available after train wrecks, mudslides, bus accidents, floods, tiger attacks, deadly disease outbreaks, nuke wars, starvation, kitchen accidents, “To Catch a Predator” episodes on Dateline NBC ……….

We both know there are plenty in the valley already.

[Ranger Ron]

Hey, drive on Buddy! You will be just fine.

I did think you would be over this silly desire to be in the Air Farce however!

[Jim]

OK, so you got that off your chest. Now we return Will to his regularly scheduled life.

[GoldCoast]

I've met your father, and he seemed like a great guy. I've no doubt from reading your post you are cut from the same cloth. I am rooting for you, and I'll root for your lacrosse team when you get playing - please keep us updated here! Everyone fails. Not everyone picks themselves up and tries another route. That's something to be proud of.

Well done sitrep Spawn. It was fun watching you and Andy's son playing Beer Pong topless.....at least better than some of the alteratives!

..really Slowpoke? C'mon.... I would expect that sort of thing from a 1/75 dude, but not one of the FOG's...

:)

[Spawn Of Zonk]

Physics and engineering mandates in the USAF academy?

Those classes are no joke...

How does that work? They field a football team. Do the football players get over or some shit?

Ranger Dan B 3/73,

The Academy does indeed field a football team, as well as many other division I and club athletic programs for both males and females. Every cadet, whether they are an athlete or not, must complete all of the same core classes (two semesters of Chem, two semesters of Physics, five semesters of Engineering, and two semesters of Calc to name a few). As to whether there is special consideration for said athletes is a debatable topic. The official Academy policy is that all students go through the same classes in the same manner, but obviously there is some less than official consideration for athletes. I was considered an athletic because I played Rugby, but being on a club team held much less merit than playing on one of the big division I sports such as Football. For instance, I had the luck of being placed in a Physics I class that was mostly athletes (and thus the class was taught somewhat differently) but I did not have the luxury of having team study sessions with the teacher or a personal aid on away trips to help me study.

I would go to say (and this is 100% my personal opinion and not even remotely agreed upon among cadets) that division I athletes do have it somewhat easier academically in terms of retainment. It seems the drive to keep an athlete with deficient grades is much greater than the drive to keep an average cadet with deficient grades; at least from the point of view of the Academic Review Committee. I would not, however, like to take anything away from the athletes at USAFA. They have it even harder than most cadets since they have practices on a daily basis on top of the standard regiment. Many of my best friends were football and lacrosse players and they definitely belonged at USAFA. On the other hand, there are plenty of athletes that do not belong and may be pushed through the institution because of their athletic prowess. Similarly, there are also non-athlete cadets at USAFA that are pushed through for other reasons that may seem less than fair. But as I'm sure every person has heard as a child and has preached as a parent, life simply is not fair; USAFA is no exception and should not be under scrutiny for being inherently "human." If anything, it keeps cadets in check with the reality of life.

The bottom line is I failed where many other students (both athletes and non-athletes alike) succeeded. I hold no ill will towards athletes or your standard cadet for being able to make it through and do not in anyway blame my not being a division I athlete as my reason for not succeeding. Hopefully that is a thorough (and P.C.) enough answer to your question, sir.

[Dan B 3/75]

Hopefully that is a thorough (and P.C.) enough answer to your question, sir.

Absolutely.

Everything happens for a reason. You will find what you were meant to do eventually.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I agree with this....

[CWeber]

Drive on Sponk.