Missouri Military Academy - Review #7

It was extremely rigorous scholastically. The slightest infraction of drinking or drugs meant immediate expulsion. The best thing about it was that the structure greatly reduce peer pressures. It was as close to a true meritocracy as I have ever seen.

I developed real *earned* self-esteem. I was pushed in every way into things I never considered doing and realized I could do most anything if I worked hard and sought direction. Before MMA I thought mediocrity was a normal state. After MMA I believe I could succeed at whatever I tried.

I would have jumped in to try the hard stuff as soon as I got there instead of only observing for my 1st year.

The meritocracy and the skills I learned.

If you are tired of the twits that rule public schools and want to be in a place that will cause you to quickly move past them physically, mentally, and emotionally, then you go to someplace that will push you, test you, and cause you to see what you can really do.

The most important thing I learned was to get and stay focused on my school work. The school was extremely diligent about making you do well in school. They requited study time most every evening in which one can't do anything other than study. I mean nothing. It seemed tough at first but pretty soon the mind learns to get quiet and focus and it started to make a big difference. The best thing for me was that there were not other choices. There was no way to weasel out of studying, and if you did poorly the free time you had was lost to more study halls. You had time to get all your work done IF you used the time to do the work. The HUGE upside was that college was a breeze.

The great thing about the athletics was the diversity. We had sports most public schools did not. Also being a small school we had a hard time beating other bigger school. This is quite character building. Learning to stand against tough odds and persevere. I was very small for my age and began to grow after I arrived at MMA. The small number of students meant I could play most any sport I desired. And it was good that it was VERY difficult to get out of doing a sport. Many who came there had never been forced to try anything by their parents.

At the time I was there our band instructor was Maj Paul Cherches. He had played in the Tommy Dorsey band and was competent on every single instrument. He made our band the best HS marching band in the state and very probably the entire US.

I really have no idea about anything extra-curricular as MMA had us hopping from before light till after dark. I know you could get a pilots license but I am sure they have expanded their opportunities since I attended.

Again, it was the best example of a meritocracy I have ever seen. The companies competed so each one became unified in their effort to be the best. The cadets were closely and constantly monitored and "kept honest'. which is very necessary for teen boys. The competitions helped everyone who tried to get better at everything they did. The strict rules of cleanliness and order served my from then till now. 2 guys to a room max was what we had then and everything was in it's place all of the time.

Dining was in the Mess Hall and it was done with clockwork efficiency. You were marched in to music and the food was brought out with great speed and on time. You sat with your squad mates .

Very small town (Mexico MO.). Didn't spend much time in it. May have changed a lot.

We were kept way too busy to socialize much. But we became teams on many levels, Band was a team, you Barracks floor was a team. Your squad was a team. Your room was a team. etc etc. All of this caused us to have to learn to work together in every size group as well as on our own.