Why are the service academies so selective?

[Anonymous]

No skin in the game. I’ve always viewed the top service academies as being selective bc they are training the future leaders of our armed services. To me, having some of the best and brightest in those positions is pretty important. I’d like the people making serious decisions to be educated at the highest level. So I’m in favor of the selectivity.

[Anonymous]

The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

[Anonymous]

Because we shouldn’t have subpar indivduals in charge of people’s lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

Yup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

I wonder how many incoming VT freshman could pass the medical and physical fitness portion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because we shouldn’t have subpar indivduals in charge of people’s lives.

so they have similar stats to police officers around 1300 SAT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

I wonder how many incoming VT freshman could pass the medical and physical fitness portion

It's not like normal healthy kids are rare thing at all.
physical fitness portion is not too difficult at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Published July 2023:

"The West Point Acceptance Rate originates from the total number of applicants that start files with the West Point Admissions team. This doesn’t include qualified candidates, only students who are interested in attending. They haven’t received a congressional nomination yet or gone through any of the admissions processes. From a recent class profile, this totals 12,294.

Since only 1,210 were admitted, this leads the public to believe that the admissions rate was 9.8%.

In reality, only 2,228 were qualified academically and in physical aptitude according to the admissions team. This results in a much higher acceptance rate of 54% if you are qualified."

It’s not really a fair comparison to normal college admissions, because a lot of kids wash out for medical reasons — e.g., if you ever had asthma, used anti-anxiety medication, etc. you will be disqualified. They are that strict because they can be and it is one way to thin out the application pile. It’s like looking at the acceptance rate for Harvard for kids with perfect SAT scores and grades.

Most of kids are healthy normal

I'm afraid not. Only 23 percent of Americans between the ages 0f 17-24 are even eligible to join the military. Obesity is the biggest reason. Very few young Americans are fit enough to join. Add addiction and criminal charges. Throw in certain conditions like ADHD and other mental health issues. Plus medical issues. And the pool of eligible young Americans is pretty small. And that's just to enlist.

As for the academies, all those things get caught before a formal application is submitted. And, as has been mentioned before, you need a Congressional Nomination to apply to West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy. Those are difficult to get. You need to be an exceptional person to get one. Applying to the academies is nothing like applying to a regular college. It's pointless to compare.

What percentage of Americans between the ages of 17-24 are even eligible to join the real selective schools.
Like 2%?

[Anonymous]

West Point drug tests regularly (including for weed!). That zaps 75% of our high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

Stats are the easiest box to check in the application prices for sure. And I don’t mean they’re easy- just relative to the rest of the requirements. 4.5 and 1550 is totally irrelevant if you’ve taken ADHD meds, antidepressants, aren’t an athlete, or have any health issues at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

I wonder how many incoming VT freshman could pass the medical and physical fitness portion

It's not like normal healthy kids are rare thing at all.
physical fitness portion is not too difficult at all.

And how do you know what’s in their medical records? All my kids and their friends look fit and healthy. Not one of them would pass the medical board part of the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

I have no horse in this race. Personally, I think ROTC at the more selective schools are likely to produce better officers than the academies. It's a more well-rounded experience. You get the best of all worlds

However, comparing West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy to schools like Virginia Tech doesn't make any sense. The academies, unsurprisingly, value physical fitness. It's a big part of being a soldier. I suspect there aren't many Virginia Tech students who can do 18 pull ups, 95 sit ups, 75 push-ups, and run a sub-5:20 mile over a short period of time. Those are the minimum requirements. Everyone accepted to an academy does a lot better than that.

What good is a 1600 SAT score when you're weak and useless? And it's not just strength and endurance. Leadership matters. How many Virginia Tech students were class presidents or captains of their football teams? How many Virginia Tech students were such assets to their communities that their Congressperson or Senator would be willing to nominate them for a space at one of the academies?

What I sense here is that there's a general disdain for folks who choose the military for one reason or another. It's too bad. There are a lot of really impressive young people who pursue that path. And a degree from West Point or Annapolis opens a lot more doors than one from Virginia Tech. For the right kid, it's a great opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admission stats at the Naval Academy are nearly identical to Virginia Tech. So, stats wise, it’s not selective. But they put up a bunch of hoops that make it difficult to be accepted.

I have no horse in this race. Personally, I think ROTC at the more selective schools are likely to produce better officers than the academies. It's a more well-rounded experience. You get the best of all worlds

However, comparing West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy to schools like Virginia Tech doesn't make any sense. The academies, unsurprisingly, value physical fitness. It's a big part of being a soldier. I suspect there aren't many Virginia Tech students who can do 18 pull ups, 95 sit ups, 75 push-ups, and run a sub-5:20 mile over a short period of time. Those are the minimum requirements. Everyone accepted to an academy does a lot better than that.

What good is a 1600 SAT score when you're weak and useless? And it's not just strength and endurance. Leadership matters. How many Virginia Tech students were class presidents or captains of their football teams? How many Virginia Tech students were such assets to their communities that their Congressperson or Senator would be willing to nominate them for a space at one of the academies?

What I sense here is that there's a general disdain for folks who choose the military for one reason or another. It's too bad. There are a lot of really impressive young people who pursue that path. And a degree from West Point or Annapolis opens a lot more doors than one from Virginia Tech. For the right kid, it's a great opportunity.

Agree. When I married an Astronautical engineer in the military, a high school friend was shocked to find out that not everyone in the military is a Hollywood grunt. Her pacifism made her ignorant and it was embarrassingly eye opening to her that we have a lot of very educated people in the military. She absolutely would have been one of these people minimizing the difficulty of acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH graduated #1 in his school class and was selected for both West Point and The Merchant Marine Academy. He chose the latter. He served in the reserves for 6 years but started with a DoD position directly after college, with 4 years of federal service already credited to him. Top-level clearance. His family was so poor he could never have dreamed of getting such a fabulous education completely for free.

The Merchant Marine Academy is often overlooked, but really does set one up for success.

Unless you're talking about a woman, then it sets you up for abuse and trauma.

[Anonymous]

It’s so predictable to see who comes slithering out of the weeds when there is an opportunity to denigrate the military.