Visited GLMA yesterday, traverse city is a great place. The campus is new and their boat is a good learning platform, which is right on traverse bay. After talking with admissions its really a lakes oriented program, 2 out of your three sea projects are on lakes which makes total sense for getting lakes pilotage.
I didn’t like how the Maritime building is shared with a culinary school and conference center but its understandable NMC is a community college. They said there trying to get legislation passed to make the school capable to offer a Bachelor degree. Also their simulator was out of date compared to others.
I was attracted to great lakes because of being non-regimented, but after talking to several maritime grads I believe the corp of cadets can only benefit you in building leadership qualities. I think its all about your attitude. Are going to just go thru the motions or actually buy into the system and learn how to lead and manage properly. Bottom line is I want to be as well prepared for sailing as mate and ultimately master, having good leadership and management training is essential. I’m not convinced GLMA can offer this kind of training.
GLMA has a different learning environment. Many of the cadets are much older then at other schools and they have more experience. They’re attracted to this school because older cadets are not required to live on campus. Some have been through the military and don’t care to be in a regimented program. You can finish in three years if you have a bachelor’s (you could do it in less time but I’ve heard that the new admiral doesn’t like to approve of early graduation). We may not have a corp of cadets, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn leadership skills. Commercial vessels are not run like the military which is why this school isn’t run like the military. We do have the merchant marine reserve program (I’m not in it so I can’t tell you much about it). It’s all a matter of your learning style and personal preference. The program is geared towards Great Lake but you can do oceans as long as you do an oceans sea project and get your STCW done. You are now required to get your pilotage, or for engineers the steam endorsement.
I understand the regiment isn’t going to make you a better officer in terms of the actual nuts and bolts of the job, but it sounds like a good environment to learn the curricula and develop leadership skills if you want them.
[QUOTE=v16HundredTonv;54008]Time on the water is the best way to learn.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely it is ,I’ve been working inland tugs for 2 years, been trying to get offshore for the last 3 with no luck, so I’m going to an Academy. I chose Texas because I’m from the gulf coast, like their facilities and staff, and understand alot of grads go OSV in the gulf which is a interest of mine.
I see your point! But it’s all in the individual not the regimental environment. I have worked with ex military men that had no leadership or attention to details. So it’s really up to you!
[QUOTE=Bcooksey;54044]Absolutely it is ,I’ve been working inland tugs for 2 years, been trying to get offshore for the last 3 with no luck, so I’m going to an Academy. I chose Texas because I’m from the gulf coast, like their facilities and staff, and understand alot of grads go OSV in the gulf which is a interest of mine.[/QUOTE]
Most ships organizationresemble construction site more than the military.
When I attended GLMA you spent all your sea time in theindustry. I believe the best prep for the industry is to work with people in it,not on school ships with a hand full of instructors. I believe GLMA still hassome of the most industry time of the academies.
GLMA expects you to have adult responsibilities. Manystudents work their way through school. You have to schedule yourself, wake upin time for class, and be an adult.
At 18 years old when I started school I learned a lot fromworking with the majority of older maritime students and also the non maritimeclasses I took with people of many different backgrounds.
Respect is a big thing when you work with people of diversebackground. It must be given to be received.
Chances are when you graduate you will be a new 3rd with a ship full of old hands which won’t give [I](insert shipboard language here[/I]) that you know how to press auniform, and will burn you at the stake if you expect them to treat you like amilitary officer.
Hahaha I don’t expect to be treated like a military officer, Texas has it’s traditions and I respect them. I’ve worked in the industry with “old hands” and have the utmost respect for the more expierenced a maritime grad or not. Like I said before experience is the best way to learn but when you can’t get that experience because of a lack of entry level positions then what? If your that committed, as I am, the next best option is an Academy.
The new Admiral is really pushing cadets to work on the lakes, however we still get to do an ocean project and get a 3rd mate unlimited oceans license. Deck program I believe is very good, I have learned a ton, and learning how to pilot 3 rivers and 5 lakes is very intensive. Engine wise I would really consider another academy where you can get an engineering degree. Most engineering students struggle to get through some BS business calc class. 80% would never make it through diff eq.
[QUOTE=Bcooksey;54231]GLMA has it’s one training vessel now, so cadets have only two cruises at most on working vessels one lakes one ocean. It’s a lake academy bottom line[/QUOTE]
Hmmm. I’ll have to tell that to my GLMA Cadet right after we get done going from Boston to NYC to Baltimore, and then to Philly. I hope he’s not disappointed! BTW he’s going for 3rds Oceans. as well as lakes pilotage!
Regarding your original post, as others have said: It’s up to YOU how much you get out of wherever you go. The regi"mental" part is just that. In your head. If you can learn WHEN to apply that behavior then you will benefit from the quasi military nature of the academies. Most guys I know of in the brown water/ towing industry don’t even bother with it, as it is counterproductive on a small crew, small vessel.
Every Cadet at GLMA is “going” for 3rd oceans, there’s not just oceans or just lakes curricula. Somebody at GLMA needs to tell that to the NMC because 3rd mate ocean requirements for great lakes maritime cadets are: they must choose the “ocean option” to receive 3rd mate oceans.
Being a GLMA graduate- I don’t know anything about the ‘Corp of Cadets’- however- I was in marching band in high school. I presume it has more to do with the military component of those ‘other’ academies- because as far as I can tell- it has nothing to do w/life aboard a working merchant ship. What mattered to me while
I attended GLMA was the fact that I could get free tutoring whenever I needed it- that I could call my Calculus instructor by his first name- that I received probably a half dozen scholarships while I was there- and that I could live in a cottage-like-shack w/my own private beach for 4 years. A little peace & solitude did more for my leadership abilities than any upperclassman getting in my face and insulting me ever did. Personally- I’m not really into hazing- or being hazed. On a ship- or any workplace for that matter- it’s called harassment and it’s illegal.
My situation is different I already had a BS degree, it didn’t make any sense going to a community college, A&M just introduced masters/license option programs. And I didn’t have to be involved in the freshman orientation. Traverse City is a cool place though.