This is a video showing an assortment of videos and photographs from the 2008-2009 academic year. This video was made to show the path taken during a Cadet’s first year at the Virginia Military Institute, known as Rat Year. Upon entering the Institute, “new cadets” are referred to as “Rats.” The title of Cadet is earned upon completion of the Ratline -the challenging and demanding indoctrination period every applicant must complete. When the administration, upper classes, cadre, and the 1st classmen (seniors) decide the “Rat Mass” is worthy enough to “breakout” of the Ratline, the Rats then go through Breakout Day. Breakout Day can be compared with “Recognition Day” for the Service Academies, but involves a full day of constant physical activity, culminating in the upper-class recognition of the Rats as Cadets. Once broken out the Rats go from being a Rat Mass to an official VMI Class. For example, at the time I made this video, the VMI Class of 2012 was the Rat Mass of 2009 + 3. Rats get most of their training of the VMI system and mentoring from the 1st Class, so the Rat Mass gets the designation of their 1st Class mentors (Known as “Dykes”) plus three years. Upon Breakout, Rats earn the official title of Cadets and are recognized as a class. Breakout typically occurs at the end of January, but the Ratline has been known to last longer or shorter depending on how well the Rat Mass is able to bond and work together as a Class.

Our drive then took us east to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic drive along the Appalachian Ridge that stretches 755 km (470 miles) from North Carolina to Virginia. Great mountain vistas opened up towards the west over the expansive Shenandoah Valley and the mountain ridges towards the east.

We exited the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesborough and headed east on Interstate 64 to a city called Charlottesville. We were both impressed by this city of about 40,000 people whose main anchor is the University of Virginia. It was founded by Thomas Jefferson, whose nearby mountain-top villa Monticello is a big tourist draw for the area. The campus impresses with its colonial architecture, and the downtown area features a pedestrian zone called the “Downtown Mall”. In this area several blocks of a main street have been blocked off to traffic and now feature restaurants, galleries, retail stores and other attractions. Charlottesville was apparently chosen as one of America’s most livable cities, and we could certainly see its appeal. We capped off a great outing with a tasty dinner in a Mexican restaurant in the student quarter and headed back to our home base over the mountains.

North Georgia is looking for Scholar, Athlete, Leaders. We define Scholar, Athlete, Leaders as prospective students who have at least a 2.5 high school GPA on a college-preparatory curriculum, a 920 SAT (480 critical reading, and 440 math), or a composite ACT score of 20 (20 in English, 18 in math), have participated in some form of organized sports, and have demonstrated the characteristics of leadership through various ways such as involvement in clubs or jobs. If you meet this criteria, we want you to come to school at NGCSU!