Hi! I guess I should tell you a little about myself first: My name is Peter Anschutz. I’m 17 years old (18 next month) I’m a senior, and thinking of going into a maritime career after I graduate. I’ve had a love for ships and the water ever since (don’t laugh) I saw [I]Titanic[/I] for the first time back in '97 when I was only 6. Since then I’ve fallen in love with ships and being on the water. I concluded that a career in the maritime industry will be the only one I’ll be happy doing as I’m not really interested in anything else.
I’ve floated back and forth between career ideas. The big three I’ve thought most about have been: ship mate, naval architect, or architectural drafter.
Ship mate is my number 1 choice, though I don’t really have any experience handling even small boats. That’s what the academy is for right?
I’ve looked at all the academies, even the ones that are far out of reach (i.e. Cali and Texas), and I think that The Great Lakes Maritime Academy is the one for me.
So, I’m here to ask any GLMA Alumni, or current students if there are any on here, about the academy. What info can you give me? Could you tell me about the area, the academy itself, instructors, the training ship, sea projects, etc?
Also to anyone else, what is your life like as a ship mate? How long are you on the water at a time? Vacation time? Pay? Anything you can tell me will help a lot.
I’m trying to get as much info as I can before I make a final decision.
If you’re set on GLMA, look at the “ocean option” program that leads to an oceans license. The “regular” or near coastal license program will limit your employability, mostly to the Great Lakes. The oceans license gives you additional options on where to work.
Give Capt John Berck a call up at GLMA. He was my first POC at GLMA and was a wealth of information and encouragement - not just for GLMA but for the maritime industry in general.
Be aware that they are already filling up the Fall 2010 class - class size is deliberately limited. A visit to Traverse City is normally part of the application process - I will be visiting at the end of this month at which point my Fall 2010 application will be complete.
Just an FYI, and I will try to post more about the academy later ( I go to GLMA, even live on the training ship). But John Berck is definitely NOT a captain. LOL
First things first…you should always apply to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point before all other schools. Then start the application process at the state schools as a back-up option. Kings Point gives you two things 1) Top-notch education 2) Debt free at graduation. Can’t beat that!
Okay - misinformation is everywhere. My apologies on the unauthorized title for Mr. John Berck. Made an assumption - and we know how those can turn out.
So - in sum, I suck.
That being said, I will stick by the rest of my statement.
And, staying “in my lane” - talking about things of which I have some legitimate knowledge - all of the various federal academies from West Point to Kings Point, are competitive, offer great educations, and are “free” from a general financial standpoint.
But - with everything, there are pros and cons. At your age, you have a huge number of options, and I also feel that Kings Point probably needs to be on your list of things at which to look. Be aware that some sort of regimented cadet system is a requirement at all of the academies. How that system is administered is a function of each academy based on the requirements of the law, the demographics of their student populations, the size of their student populations, their philosophy, etc.
Without leaving my lane to talk school specifics, but using some 2 years of research into my own school selection, I will say that each of the various academies has its own flavor. A key to your success will be being honest with yourself regarding the kind of environment in which you will thrive. If you feel that you are a self-starter and can work with limited structure, than there are some academies that are better for that approach. If you feel that you do best with solid structure to help with focus, then there are academies for that as well.
So there you have it - a brief defense and apology, and some preaching because I can.
