The Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Date: Feb 22 2017
Major: Electrical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
I think I got my job because one of the people on the interview board was a Citadel parent, but I never found out if it made a real difference. That eventually allowed me to transfer to the department in which I majored because my grades weren't going to get me there.

I was a straight A student in high school but too many cadets look at grades as second or third priority and I ended my freshman year barely keeping my academic scholarship. I graduated in just about the same situation. If it weren't for the determined professors' constant tutoring sessions to retrace the lesson to me, I would have never graduated. They were the most helpful for my earning my degree but I still haven't received a single letter asking for donations, probably because other alumni are as appreciative of their support as I am.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have tried to get scholarships at a different school. The Citadel wasn't even on any of my lists but they offered a full scholarship, so I went there. I met some very interesting people, but the majority of the cadets are just honing their bullying skills each year. Less than a third join the military, but way more than that know how to be rude. A lot of people in town and in the nearby colleges avoid cadets like the plague for this reason. They will never publicly admit it, but they are still one of the most backwards hubs in the nation for white men, constantly defending the South in the Civil War, always tooting "Dixie" and pining for the "good ol' days", and always politely or flat out rudely looking down on women and minorities. They will make comments that no one should think or utter and then call you a p***y for not finding humor in it.

It is no better even if you make it through. If you are not a white man or a minority who keeps his/her head down and let's them run all over you, do not expect any of the networking benefits it claims to have. There is no end to the discrimination. Note that the network does not extend past the bordering states, so if you want to stay close, go ahead and try. But once you are out three or four states, people don't even know the school exists.

I would recommend minorities who are looking for a good education to look elsewhere. If the Citadel is the only one to offer a full scholarship, it might be worth it. You DO get three meals a day once you're an upperclassman, but during the first year, you will probably have to scavenge. If you DO attend this school as a minority, get a degree that will make it worth the excess trouble. Go for the Honors program. Some of the best professors teach these classes.

I reiterate, try to go to a different school first. The Citadel should be a last resort.