National Service/Military Academies?
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Anonymous
| Parents of anyone with a son or daughter who has gained admission to any one of our national service academies, my rising high school sophomore son says he might be interested in looking at West Point or Annapolis. I'm trying to provide him with some guidance, but I have no idea where to even begin. Questions include how does the application process differ from the regular college application process, how difficult was it to get into, what are they looking for, is is true I need our state senator to nominate them? We woud greatly appreciate anyone who can help answer these questions, and otherwise point us in the right direction. |
Anonymous
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Applicants need to be nominated by one of their Senators or Congressman. Apply to all 3 as it is very competitive. Others who are the children of KIA servicement, Medal of Honor winners, etc... are also able to apply.
Once nominated, the application process is similar to other schools in terms of transcript, application, etc... But, final admission also requires passing a medical physical. The summer after junior year, USNA in particular runs a "Summer Seminar for competitive candidates. I'm not sure how you get invitied, but possibly reach out to the admissions office to find out. |
Anonymous
| You don't necessarily need to or want to apply to all three. My DH told the admissions committee that he was only interested in USNA, and if not that, he'd have to go through ROTC instead. Keep in mind that the different branches of the services don't feel that they (or their cultures) are interchangeable. |
Anonymous
Just an FYI - there are 5 not 3 service academies. The United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York, The United States Naval Academy (USNA) in Annapolis, Maryland, The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in New London, Connecticut, The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York, The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado They all have a simlar application process where you need to be nominated. |
Anonymous
| The only warning I would have is that you should think up front about whether your child has any medical conditions that might disqualify him. These schools are extremely competitive, and can be very picky. I have one friend who got all the way to the end of the process, and was told he didn't make it in because he'd had ONE episode of childhood asthma (that had never been repeated). I think these schools have so many well-qualified applicants, they have to find some way of distinguishing between them. |
Anonymous
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I noticed that the better military boarding schools in Va. got a bunch of their students into the service academies.
If you are thinking of going that route, you might want to look into Fork Union, Hargraves, Randolph-Macon and Fishburn for high school. Don't see much discussion of these kinds of schools on the various DCUM threads. |
Anonymous
| I would also have your son go to these schools and look at what life is like as a military cadet before he signs on. It's very brutal physically and psychologically. Huge benefits of course. |
Anonymous
| Anyone have experience with the Coast Guard Academy? |
Anonymous
| Are the years that you "owe" the government in service after graduation the same for each one of the service academies? |
Anonymous
| In general yes, i believe the number is 5. However, your speciality can add years. Air Force pilot is 10 years, nuke is additional years. |
Anonymous
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I read that as apply to all 3 potential nominators -- both Senators and your congressperson, as it is difficult to get one to nominate you.
Unless, of course, you live in DC. |
Anonymous
| If you go to the naval academy website, it has the answers to many of these questions. |
Anonymous
I do not believe you have to be nominated for the Coast Guard Academy, although the rules may have changed. I am married to a Coast Guard Academy grad and he and his classmates have nothing but positive comments. New London campus is very nice and we have found the service to be very family friendly. It is a very small service and people tend to get to know each other on a personal level. Most assignments are in the US in a coastal town, although there are definitely opportunities for overseas and combat area assignments if you seek them out. |
Anonymous
| I work at the Pentagon and know a lot of people who went to the service academies (and places like VMI & the Citadel). Bottom line is really no different than for any college: some people loved them, some didn't. There's really nothing that can substitute for having a kid visit, read about them (there are some good books about cadet life at West Point, for instance), consider doing a summer sports camp there, etc. For some kids they are perfect. For other kids they'd be horrible. Note that the military service obligation is not incurred if you decide to transfer in the first couple of years.... |
Anonymous
I have to COMPLETELY disagree with this statement, "Bottom line is really no different than for any college: some people loved them, some didn't." While it is true that some people like them and some don't, they are MUCH different than your average university, including the Ivy's. My high school/college boyfriend was recruited to attend West Point, USNA, and USAFA. He chose USAFA because it is more laid back (if you can believe it) than West Point and USNA. While he attended the university, the female sexual assault problem was "discovered" but according to him it was ingrained in their culture. Also, having visited him at the University I can also attest to another scandal of theirs and that is the "evangelizing" of their student body. I saw it first hand and it is a problem that the school continues to deal with. I had good friends attend USNA and West Point. USNA had some cheating scandals and some date rape issues as well. I don't have any West Point horror stories. All of these academies prepare students with a fantastic background in whatever it is that they are studying. I do know that at least at USAFA and USNA that engineering degrees are the degrees that most students go after and anything that would be deemed liberal arts is like putting a "loser" sticker on your forehead. Again, this just goes to the competitive nature of the schools and machismo. The plebe year (first year) is tremendously difficult at the academies, and does exactly what it supposed to do -- weed out folks who aren't serious about the military or who just can't cope with all the demands. I can't stress how difficult the first year is mentally, emotionally, and physically. By the way, I'm married to former USMC Marine fighter pilot who graduated from UCLA with a psychology degree. He entered Officer Candidate school his junior year in college. He decided to take the USMC pilot exam after graduation. He beat out several Academy grads for a pilot slot. He left the USMC after 15 years because he wanted to do something other than fly. My former USAFA boyfriend is still in the AF and is a pilot. The AF is paying for his 2nd master's degree. Best of luck! Also, I worked for a Senior US Senator on the Armed Services Committee, who himself was a former senior military officer. I learned a great deal about the nomination process from that experience. Call your member of congress/senator if your son is serious. Once you get put on their list and on an academy recruitment list, you'll be informed of all the "to-do's" that are required for nomination by your MOC/Senator. Best of luck! |