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a) They are selected for a variety of qualities, and mathematical competence weighs only so much, I suppose. b) They have many duties that eat up time and energ
by cafard 6y ago
a) They are selected for a variety of qualities, and mathematical competence weighs only so much, I suppose. b) They have many duties that eat up time and energy, and no doubt make it harder to study than it would be at a standard university.
- chrisseaton 6y agoI wonder why West Point combines academics and military training at the same time. Why not doing them one after the other?
- cafard 6y agoHistorical reasons, but I don't know enough about this to say what they were. I infer that some of it may have had to do with the more uneven level of secondary schools in the US, as compared to the UK--where Sandhurst has a much shorter period of study (doesn't it)--or I suppose France/St. Cyr.
- chrisseaton 6y agoYes most people turn up to Sandhurst having already completed a full degree at a normal civilian university.
- cafard 6y agoOr, in the 19th and earlier 20th Century, public school, just as in Germany the Abitur qualified one to do one's compulsory military service as an officer of the reserve. Now, the instruction in the public school and gymnasium leaned heavily on classical studies, and no doubt for much of the period scanted math and science. But there would have been a consistent level of schooling. In the US, particularly until the late 19th Century, I'm not sure that was so. The congressman on the recent frontier had an appointment in his gift, just as did the congressman whose district took in the Boston Latin School. Combining the military and educational instruction gave a chance to bring everyone up to at least a known level.