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Why you chose to attend RMC?

Piper said:
It was more to do with your naive idea about RMC's lofty ideals and standards. The place is a breeding ground for stupidity. Thats how I (and others) see it and frankly, I have yet to be proven otherwise.

You call me naive, then you call my College a breeding ground for stupidity. Really?....

Piper said:
You may see it as that, thankfully the CF left me alone to complete my education and didn't ask any questions as long as I kept passing, didn't defraud them and stayed out of jail.

You make it seem like you did just the bare minimum.

Piper said:
I think dressing like a bellhop (all the school-specific uniforms resemble those worn by hotel employees) to go to class is silly, to each their own.

Well most people here don't like the pillbox either, and it's probably a good thing we don't go to school in our scarlets. I haven't the foggiest notion where you got that naive idea.

gcclarke said:
In fact, that's my advice to anyone reading this thread trying to chose between RMC and Civvie U. Pick whichever you think you would enjoy the most, as after the fact, no one is really going to care. Attending RMC isn't going to make you into a better officer, you're going to make yourself into whatever calibre of officer you are able / willing to do. Everything else will follow.

+1
 
I would hardly call RMC a breeding ground for stupidity. As a university, RMC has a niche: it's expertise IMO really lies in the provision of engineering officers to the CF. Outside of engineering, the other programs are good (not great), but there are better universities depending upon what you are taking.

I suppose this would be my piece of advice: that if you have your mind set on a specific program, find the best university for that program, RMC or otherwise.  RMC may not be the best place to study if you are going to pursue a specific academic track in the long term.

And I personally think RMC tries to do too much in terms of academic programs.  Outside of a general arts program and engineering, the rest can be farmed out (i.e. more civy u cadets).

Where it excels is on the sports side of the house. It has an excellent program of both intermural and varsity, although quite frankly it is hard for it to compete on the varsity level because of its small size.  Nonetheless, the opportunities are there and perhaps more so than in a large university.  Clubs also abound (over 25 last time I looked).

As for training future leaders, my experience is those who come out of RMC with the idea that they are 'great' leaders are quickly disabused of that notion and rapidly adapt or end up vanishing at the end of their initial contract. My own Regimental experience was that about 50% of RMC grads stuck around and 50% left to other, greener pastures.

The other thing that RMC has going for it is the networking that you can effect through the alumni club.  The ex-Cadet club is an excellent source, if you exploit it, for jobs both inside and outside the military.

And for the record, I did attend RMC as a Cadet (left for personal reasons), as well as having attended civy u to complete my undergrad degree, albeit some time ago. More recently, I returned to RMC and completed my grad degree through their War Studies program, so have some experience with that as well.

My thoughts for what it's worth...

 
cheeky_monkey said:
Well most people here don't like the pillbox either, and it's probably a good thing we don't go to school in our scarlets. I haven't the foggiest notion where you got that naive idea.

You guys are going back to 'college' uniforms from DEU's, are you not?

And they look just as silly and valet-like as the scarlets.

I'm glad you're proud to have to get dressed up to go to class. I'm glad I got to roll out of bed and attend class in whatever I felt like wearing and not have to be told how to dress every day. 
 
Piper said:
I'm glad I got to roll out of bed and attend class in whatever I felt like wearing and not have to be told how to dress every day.

Wait until you're done school.  ;)
 
All I can tell Piper, is that you have a frigging crappy attitude.

From RMC or not, you should judge people on who they are, what their attitude it, rather than judging on where they are from. 

As I told you, I think your attitude sucks, you can guess what my judgement of you is.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen (and FUTURE Ladies and Gentlemen):

This thread started out quite reasonably - there are indeed differences between civilian universities and RMC - and those differences are worth discussing.

Different people have different reasons for attending one or the other - and those reasons are worth discussing.

When "discussing" becomes "dissing", however - the thread has gone off topic.

Bring it back on topic, leave the personal gibes aside (y'all know who you are) - or I will lock it.


Roy Harding
Milnet.ca Staff
 
Here is a video on RMC...  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vELDPuRqZfE

It looks like a small university which has its pluses and minuses.
 
I had the opportunity to attend RMC but turned it down and went ROTP CivU instead.  There were several reasons for my decision, but the ones that stand out are depth of degree programs offered, quality of varsity sport teams and overall reputation as an academic institution in Canada the internationally. 

Being a small university/college RMC doesn’t offer the degree programs I wanted to pursue and you are limited in what you can study.  This was not an issue with the university I attended and the depth of electives to choose from was almost bottomless, which gave me a really well rounded education.

The varsity sports programs offered at RMC are not even close to the caliber of the big universities (probably because of funding at RMC).  This was important to me as I played on both on the Rugby and Rowing varsity teams at my CiviU.  Enjoying the high caliber of competition and advice with fellow athletics/coaches was something I would not have received attending a smaller school.

The overall reputation as an academic institution in Canada and internationally was also another determining factor.  It as been my experience that RMC is really only known within the confines of the CF. A lot of civi’s/companies don’t even know that the CF has a military college that offers degree’s and as a result have never heard of RMC.  I understand that the purpose of RMC is to produce military Officers for the CF, and not academics/scholars, but if I am going to school for 4 years and I will be working hard for a degree then I want to ensure that the school I attend is reputable.  In my opinion some of the CF’s top General’s have had attended CiviU, General Hillier comes to mind.

I have RMC friends who loved their experience and some that also wished they went elsewhere.  The decision is yours, my only advice would be to look at the “big” picture and see which university suits your needs .  I think gcclarke said it best, “RMC isn't going to make you into a better officer, you're going to make yourself into whatever calibre of officer you are able / willing to do. Everything else will follow.”

As a side note, I would like to see Canada adopt something similar to the UK style, like the Sandhurst Military Academy.  Where the majority of the students already have a university degree and it is used more as a Officer “finishing’ school before the enter the “real” military.

Cheers J.
 
I see it quite simply between RMC and CivvyU. Attending RMC gets you ahead in the military side of the house as you will be living and learning with many other OCdts with whom you will serve upon being commissioned. Your OPMEs are already done, and upon graduation will hold a bilingual profile, giving you another head start. I see RMC as the place to go if you want to spend 25+ yrs in the CF. Granted, you can still do that with CivvyU, it just makes more sense to get ahead on the military side.

An RMC grad's ring isn't called a door knocker for no reason at all; After retiring from the CF, the network that the RMC Club of Canada provides is excellent for other career opportunities.

I see CivvyU as good for someone just looking to put in their time, as well as being more academically oriented. You can focus more on your studies at CivvyU seeing as there are no physical fitness, leadership or second language requirements.

Your mileage may vary.
--------------------
Piper said:
You guys are going back to 'college' uniforms from DEU's, are you not?
And they look just as silly and valet-like as the scarlets.
The new uniform, #5, has it's uniform parts pilfered from the Navy. White NCM collared shirt, black pullover sweater, black pants with red pin stripe, black wedge with red pinstripe, and a collared version of the Navy Canex jacket (with RMC/CMR crest). All in all, going from 1000 OCdts with variations of the 3 separate DEUs, with all different headdress to the #5s has rendered us a sharp new uniform. We don't call ourselves bell-hops, as we look more like panzer commanders with the black jacket and wedge.

I must say that every Civvie I've talked to who has seen us parade has said we look "great," "awesome," "sharp" ... My friends back home say the same thing. None of this bellhop garbage. It's more like an inside joke for us. You, my dear Sir, are NOT on the inside.

Piper said:
I'm glad you're proud to have to get dressed up to go to class. I'm glad I got to roll out of bed and attend class in whatever I felt like wearing and not have to be told how to dress every day. 

I take pride in not looking like a bag of shit when I go to class.


I will not let you bash my College, just as I will not bash someone for choosing CivvyU ROTP.

You have never attended class here, nor have you ever met more than a handful of RMC OCdts or ex-cadets. The only way you could have met more than a few College members in one place is if you'd ever stepped on the grounds here, which you clearly haven't.
 
Piper give it a rest for a while.  For someone who never attended RMC you seem to spend an inordinate amount  of time bashing it.  I am a ROTP civi-U grad and have noting but respect for my RMC alumni peers
 
Actually, a quick scan of the thread indicates that Piper HAS "given it a rest" since my warning earlier.  The rest of you give HIM a rest for a while.

There are a number of intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful responses here - and I suspect many more waiting to be made.

Let's keep the rhetoric on a level expected of professional CF Officers (and OCDTs) when participating in a PUBLIC forum.


Roy Harding
Milnet.ca Staff
 
J'alores (is that the right term, and spelling) I got a wee bit carried away.

Piper give it a rest for a while.  For someone who never attended RMC you seem to spend an inordinate amount  of time bashing it.  I am a ROTP civi-U grad and have noting but respect for my RMC alumni peers

And the ones that don't drive me up the wall get my respect as well (believe it or not, I do have friends...I think). I'm not bashing the people themselves that attended (lots of great grads have come from there) but rather the institutional mindset and attitude that it reeks of. And that's all I've got to say on that for the time being.

You have never attended class here, nor have you ever met more than a handful of RMC OCdts or ex-cadets. The only way you could have met more than a few College members in one place is if you'd ever stepped on the grounds here, which you clearly haven't.

I'll bet I know every single one of your cadet wing staff (or whatever you call them), FYOP staff...you name it. My tentacles extend farther then many suspect. And I have stepped foot on the hallowed grounds many a time. Just an FYI.
 
Piper said:
That's what chits are for  ;)

Chits are only so good for so long.  You won't be able to avoid showing up for work on time or wearing a uniform for long.  ;)
 
PMedMoe said:
Chits are only so good for so long.  You won't be able to avoid showing up for work on time or wearing a uniform for long.  ;)

So my chit for my pink flannel pj's at work won't last forever?  :(

Of course I was referring to chits for my boots and rucksack for legitimate medical conditions
 
Piper said:
I'll bet I know every single one of your cadet wing staff (or whatever you call them), FYOP staff...you name it. My tentacles extend farther then many suspect. And I have stepped foot on the hallowed grounds many a time. Just an FYI.

Fair enough, but those senior barmen that you do know must only be saying negative things about RMC. I only say that because it seems you've never said a positive thing about the College. I'm sure your RMC friends must have some positive things to say... Granted, some people go through hating every minute of their time here, but thats only to be expected. It's not for everyone.

Regardless, the differences between RMC and CivvyU provide the CF with many officers of varied backgrounds, which will only ever be a good thing.
 
gcclarke said:
Civvie U ROTP students are not given a mandate by any higher authority with regards to what levels of dress are acceptable and what levels are not. For anyone else on a random internet forum to decide that these people are failing a standard that we made up is, in my humble opinion, rather bloody arrogant.

Another important factor is that not only are the civvie U students not required to maintain any particular level of dress, they are also not provided any funds that would allow them to upkeep said level of dress. Whereas not only are RMC students provided with the uniform they wear on a day to day basis, they even get free freakin' dry cleaning of said uniforms. To expect others to maintain the same level of dress, out of pocket on an Officer Cadet's salary, is rather ridiculous.

I beg to differ with your opinions - if only from a regulations and historical perspective.  When I did ROTP each University Liaison Office selected a senior ROTP student at each university to act as "Senior Subbie".  These Sr Subs who had a few summers of training made sure that people were on good behaviour.  In locations where the university and a CFB are near to each other the Base Comd and ULO's influence can be quite strong.  I went to WLU, the ULO at that time was in CFRC Kitchener and several of my professors were retired Senior CF Officers who were well aware that I was on ROTP. This worked to my benefit when I failed to meet my academic requirements despite doing two sessions of summer school in two locations before and during BOTC II/SLT.  They came to my defence (pun not intended) and supported my progression to 3rd year when I still did not attain the minimum grade point average after balancing summer school and summer training.

I call your attention to the CFAO 9-12 ROTP - Since you are subject to Code of Service Discipline it is a not a hard decision for someone at a university to contact the local recruiting office or Base Comd and request corrective discipline.  As Sr Sub I was asked to specifically check on a few of my fellow students on occasion.  Perhaps this is no longer the case, or you are just unaware of this type of position if you were never asked to take on the role, or people are not doing this task properly.  I was given a list by the ULO of all students at my location.

Excerpt:  para 47. Discipline. An officer cadet of the ROTP is subject to the Code of
Service Discipline and to the rules and regulations of the applicable
academic institution. Discipline will be administered by the commandants of
the CMCs, or, in the case of officer cadets attending civilian academic
institutions, by the base commander of the support unit.


48.    Clothing, Equipment and Dress. An officer cadet:

    a.  shall be issued clothing and equipment as prescribed by NDHQ;

    b.  shall wear the dress ordered by the CMC commandant during the
          academic year if attending a CMC, and the dress ordered by the
          unit CO during summer training; and

    c.  attending a civilian academic institution shall not wear uniform
          except when it is required for military duties or when attending
          exercises, parades or social functions of a military nature.

Likewise QR&O 4.02 and 17.02

4.02 – GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS
  4.02 – RESPONSABILITÉS GÉNÉRALES DES OFFICIERS

(1) An officer shall:
  (1) Un officier doit :

  (a) become acquainted with, observe and enforce:
    a) connaître, observer et faire respecter :

  (i) the National Defence Act,
    (i) la Loi sur la défense nationale,

  (ii) the Security of Information Act, (5 June 2008)
    (ii) la Loi sur la protection de l’information,
(5 juin 2008)

  (iii) QR&O, and
    (iii) les ORFC,

  (iv) all other regulations, rules, orders and instructions that pertain to the performance of the officer’s duties;
    (iv) tous les autres règlements, règles, ordres et directives se rapportant à l’exercice de ses fonctions;

  (b) afford to all persons employed in the public service such assistance in the performance of their duties as is practical;
    b) donner à toutes personnes employées au service de l’État l’aide qu’il peut dans l’accomplissement de leurs fonctions;

  (c) promote the welfare, efficiency and good discipline of all subordinates;
    c) promouvoir le bien-être, l’efficacité et l’esprit de discipline de tous les subordonnés;

  (d) ensure the proper care and maintenance, and prevent the waste, of all public and non-public property within the officer’s control; and
    d) assurer le soin et l’entretien convenables de tous les biens publics et biens non publics qui relèvent de son autorité et en empêcher le gaspillage;

  (e) report to the proper authority any infringement of the pertinent statutes, regulations, rules, orders and instructions governing the conduct of any person subject to the Code of Service Discipline when the officer cannot deal adequately with the matter.
    e) signaler aux autorités compétentes toute infraction aux lois, règlements, règles, ordres et directives pertinents qui régissent la conduite de toute personne justiciable du code de discipline militaire quand il ne peut régler la question lui-même de façon satisfaisante.

 
(M) (9 May 2008 effective 5 June 2008)
  (M) (9 mai 2008 en vigueur le 5 juin 2008)(C)
  (C)


17.02 – PERSONAL APPEARANCE
  17.02 – TENUE

The dress and appearance of officers and non-commissioned members shall on all occasions be such as to reflect credit on the Service.
  Tous les officiers et militaires du rang doivent en toute occasion faire honneur aux forces armées tant par sa mise que par sa tenue.


 
Ok, I'll bite. The QR&O on Dress and Appearance states that our dress and appearance shall on all occasions be such as to reflect credit to the service.

What, praytell, does that mean? Does it mean that I cannot wear a pair of ripped jeans to a Green Day concert? No. Does it mean that I have to, at all times, have a collared shirt and polo pants? No.

I don't think that a ROTP student at a civilian university reflects badly upon the Service for showing up to class in regular university student gear.

As for the first parts of your post, yes, we all realize that these students are subject to the Code of Service Discipline, and have a chain of command. And, if a regulation was issued that actually outlines the required level of dress for ROTP students, and a student failed to meet that standard, then yes, they could be subject to disciplinary action. Or, perhaps, the ULO could issue its own orders to its students, providing guidance on dress. But until such time as that occurs, the only specific order given is the order to not wear your uniform unless it is required for a parade etc.

Frankly, I consider the wording of the QR&O to be vague enough to be almost useless in providing guidance on this topic, except for very extreme cases (Such as wearing clothing with offensive text / images, or lacking clothing that really should be there).
 
gcclarke said:
Ok, I'll bite. The QR&O on Dress and Appearance states that our dress and appearance shall on all occasions be such as to reflect credit to the service.

What, praytell, does that mean? Does it mean that I cannot wear a pair of ripped jeans to a Green Day concert? No. Does it mean that I have to, at all times, have a collared shirt and polo pants? No.

In the Service sense, it means clean, neat and well maintained. Not showing up with a Grizzly Adams beard and dressed like a hobo.

Dressing and acting like a slob goes to self respect and respect you have for your organization.

Personally, I would find it hard working for anyone, let alone an officer, with such low self esteem for themselves.
 
Not to spark an other fire, but what does appearance have to do with self esteem?
 
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