717 Citadel freshmen sign up

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Citadel Cadet Matthew Sloat eyeballs some of the school's freshmen, who reported to the military college Saturday

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Citadel freshman Jessica Anderson of Summerville leans over an imaginary line to sign a form Satruday as three cadets watch. Parents dropped off new students Saturday morning.

Citadel freshman Chris Morgan is only 18, but he has an unusually clear view of the path he wants his life to take.

Morgan, who is from Pickens and is one of more than 700 freshmen who moved into the barracks Saturday, eventually wants to be an astronaut.

The freshmen, known as knobs for their extremely short haircuts, begin their training today as they sign in and learn to stand at attention and follow orders. They'll get their haircuts and begin a grueling week of military training Monday.

The first step in Morgan's plan is to complete his education at The Citadel. Then, he'll join the Air Force and become a pilot, a move that he hopes will help him realize his dreams of exploring beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

Gina Morgan, Chris' mother, said she's glad her son decided to attend The Citadel because he's always been interested in the military. And, she said, he's an 18-year-old male, so "the discipline is a plus in my mind."

Robert Morgan, Chris' father, said, unlike at other colleges, his son will "have the pressure to do the right thing."

Citadel officials said they won't have final enrollment numbers until later this month, but preliminary numbers indicate that this is the largest freshman class in the past 30 years, with 717 students.

Fifty women have signed up, the second largest number of female freshmen since the school began admitting women in 1995.

Eric Haught II, 18, a freshman from Davidson, Md., said he's known for the past two years that he wanted to attend The Citadel.

"I like the military aspect and the discipline," he said.

His mother, Theresa Haught, said her biggest concern for her son is that he's so far from home. But she said some parents of older students from The Citadel Family Association were helpful and comforting.

Kaye Youngren, the association's chairwoman, said all parents of cadets are members. She tells parents of first-year students that other association members are there to take care of them.

After the first year, some parents decide to get more involved, she said. Association members can volunteer to speak to families that have a child who is considering attending The Citadel. They also can volunteer to help send packages to a handful of cadets who have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

But on move-in day, association members are there to answer parents' questions and to comfort them, she said.

Students coming to The Citadel "have chosen the road less traveled," Youngren said.

Parents often worry about how their children will handle the rigors of a military college.

"We mostly have to reassure moms," she said, "but we've had dads tear up."