Senior Members - College experience?

[Dragoon]

Again, folks keep saying an "officer" needs to be able to do X and why.

This is true in the RM, where there is an expectation that certain positions will only be filled by officers of certain grades.  So....we demand skills of those officers of those grades so that they can do the work


In CAP, you don't need to be an officer to fill any job.

A squadron commander can be an unranked SM or even an NCO, last time I checked.
Wing directors can also be of any grade, including no grade at all.


So.....what exactly makes officers special?  Nothing actually.  Except Wing CCs - they are all Colonels.  Hence the Wing CC charm school - to teach them what they need to know - but not for the grade, for the position

The truth is, the vast majority of our officers don't do any writing beyond filling out a 108. A few do, but it's not because they are officers, it's because of their position.

If you wanted to restrict certain CAP jobs to officers, then you'd have reason to raise the standards for officers.

If you wanted to raise the standards for EVERYONE, since anyone can end up filling any position, you'd also be on solid ground.

But here's the bottom line - the CAP corporation doesn't expect anything in terms of duty performance out of an Officer beyond what it expects out of an unranked member.

The first step to raising the standards for officers would be to define exactly what roles in CAP are officers, ALL officers, expected to fill.  And what do we do with "officers" who don't want to fill them.  That's a much tougher discussion than just raising the standards so that our officers seem more "high speed."

What good does it do to tell a bunch of our members that they aren't qualified to be officers, and then let them fill officer positions anyway? 

[JohnKachenmeister]

I took algebra online. My co-workers wife is a math teacher. She teaches Advanced Placement level stuff. She tutored me once a week for 2 hours. Worked out great. The book the school sent me also had 20 instructional CD's with mini videos to cover each section. This worked out perfectly. I could watch and practice at the same time. I still have the videos all 20.

Fortunately, I was able to learn more math than any of the lawyers who cross-examined me knew.  There is a reason they went to law school instead of med school!

[Stonewall]

I was a senior at George Mason Univ in VA before I took a good job in DC, leaving me with 102 credits.  Just like back then, I left the math classes for the end.

So, here I am, a senior, and I take the math placement test for a local "satellite" campus for Columbia College and I the lady checked to see if she had the right answer key.  I got 24 out of 34 on regular math and then 4 out of 25 on algebra.  I think she thought I was clinically brain dead.  I almost cried.

So, here I am, going to take elementary algebra so I can take intermediate algebra so finally, I can take college algebra.  Luckily the community college has classes on base, near where I work that get out 15 minutes before I have to work.  And they're the "short semesters", 8 weeks instead of 16.  I may just have a BA before Dec '08.  Started in Spring of '96.  Yes, that's a "9" before the six, not a zero.

[ddelaney103]

I was a senior at George Mason Univ in VA before I took a good job in DC, leaving me with 102 credits.  Just like back then, I left the math classes for the end.

So, here I am, a senior, and I take the math placement test for a local "satellite" campus for Columbia College and I the lady checked to see if she had the right answer key.  I got 24 out of 34 on regular math and then 4 out of 25 on algebra.  I think she thought I was clinically brain dead.  I almost cried.

So, here I am, going to take elementary algebra so I can take intermediate algebra so finally, I can take college algebra.  Luckily the community college has classes on base, near where I work that get out 15 minutes before I have to work.  And they're the "short semesters", 8 weeks instead of 16.  I may just have a BA before Dec '08.  Started in Spring of '96.  Yes, that's a "9" before the six, not a zero.

You might want to consider what I did in the same circumstances.  I went back to college about 12 after I was asked to leave my last university.  I took the assessment test and bombed it.  Fortunately, I was allowed a "do over."  I got some "algebra for dummies" books and was able to pass well enough to only need one math class.  It may save you a chunk of time.

[Stonewall]

I got some "algebra for dummies" books and was able to pass well enough to only need one math class.  It may save you a chunk of time.

DUDE!

I just got back from Borders Books getting an Algebra for Dummies book.  I've used "for dummies" books in the past for everything from running to the Civil War and have always benefited greatly. 

I'm going to the Navy base's education center on Monday to take the math placement test with the local comm college.  I'm hoping to do well enough to skip at least the pre-pre algebra class.  With any luck, I'll be able to take the College Algebra class without the pre-reqs.  Chances are, my true ignorance of the algebraic language will shine.  But we'll see.  I've got 2 days to learn what I couldn't learn in 2 years of failing algebra in high school.

[SJFedor]

Kirt-

My university I'm at made me take a placement test when I entered. I didn't warrant going to intermediate algebra, but they had a "special" college algebra class that also covered some of the intermediate stuff, yet counted for the College algebra just the same. 2 birds, one grade 

See if they have something neat like that. If not, You can always commute to Middle TN 4 times a week 

[mikeylikey]

Kirt-

My university I'm at made me take a placement test when I entered. I didn't warrant going to intermediate algebra, but they had a "special" college algebra class that also covered some of the intermediate stuff, yet counted for the College algebra just the same. 2 birds, one grade 

See if they have something neat like that. If not, You can always commute to Middle TN 4 times a week 

They have math in Tennessee?  I guess calculating whisky flow through a still is complicated........ratios, squares, exponentials and the like.   

[Psicorp]

Math was never my favorite subject either...but I could do applied math.

Took Trigonometry in H.S. and needed a classmate to tutor me just to get a "C".   We both took Trig based Physics the following semester and I had to tutor her.   Calculus was the same way, struggled through that class but aced Calc based Physics.   Ended up getting a B.A. degree in Psychology.

Recently decided to go for R.N. and found out I had to take a math placement test.  Ugh.  There's a great resource at  www.math.com  which really helped me get back up to speed. 

You can do it, Colonel, don't give up.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Kirt-

My university I'm at made me take a placement test when I entered. I didn't warrant going to intermediate algebra, but they had a "special" college algebra class that also covered some of the intermediate stuff, yet counted for the College algebra just the same. 2 birds, one grade 

See if they have something neat like that. If not, You can always commute to Middle TN 4 times a week 

They have math in Tennessee?  I guess calculating whisky flow through a still is complicated........ratios, squares, exponentials and the like.   

...and critical speeds on mountain curves while you are outrunning the Revenuers.

[mikeylikey]

^ 

[bwj]

  This is my first post on here, so please excuse me if I mess up any protocols. I think I have you beat for how long it took me to finish my BS. Started in 1970 at Texas A&M and finally graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1997, a year after my oldest son.
   Besides math.com, a good resource for help with math is http://www.mathforum.org. This is probably the central resource for K-12 and college math education. It's organized and is searchable by topic and grade level. They also have an online help called "Ask Dr. Math". All of their previous answers are archived and searchable. Another website that provides some basic interactive java applets is http://illuminations.nctm.org.

Good Luck!

[mikeylikey]

^ Welcome to CAPTALK bwj!  Thanks for the info. 

[JohnKachenmeister]

Welcome to CAPTalk, Bill.  How did the Aggies do last night?  I turned the TV off in disgust after UCF got beat.

[bwj]

Thanks for the welcome. A&M got stomped. Kind of like when I was there. One game was considered a winning streak.

[star1151]

So, here I am, a senior, and I take the math placement test for a local "satellite" campus for Columbia College and I the lady checked to see if she had the right answer key.  I got 24 out of 34 on regular math and then 4 out of 25 on algebra.  I think she thought I was clinically brain dead.  I almost cried.

Good grief, I had six semesters of math in college, all calculus and above, and probably couldn't pass either of those tests.  Don't beat yourself up.

[Ranger75]

BS  --  Business Management
MS  --  National Security Affairs
MMAS --  Military Art and Science

[SAR-EMT1]

Are there any schools that offer a Certificate, Associates or Bachelors in Military Science or Military History?

[mikeylikey]

^ Most Universities that offer ROTC also allow the awarding of a minor, major or certificate in Military Science. 

Example.....at Penn State, a person can walk in and sign up for a Political Science major, enroll in the first two years of Army ROTC, get permission from the Senior Military Science Instructor (Professor of Military Science or Battalion Commander) to audit the last two years of the ROTC program.  PENN will then award you a bachelor of Science in Military Studies.  It is not advertised publicly though, but can be done.  I have seen other schools do the same. 

NOW if you were speaking of on line programs, there are many.  You can check out the AF or Army times websites and see the advertisements for them.

[BigMojo]

For what it's worth here's my "rack" of diplomas...

Post Secondary Certificates: Graphic Design, Technical Theatre Arts

BSBA - Marketing
Minor: International Business and Global Studies
Minor: Photography

MBA - Marketing and Advertising

[dhon27]

Are there any schools that offer a Certificate, Associates or Bachelors in Military Science or Military History?

I don't know anyone who has gotten a degree from here, but the American Military University has numerous certificates and degree programs delaing with military science/history.
http://www.amu.apus.edu/Academics/Degree-Programs/index.htm