Are service academies like West Point considered prestigious?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like to an average layman? Maybe not as prestigious as Harvard and Yale, but up there with Penn and Brown? Just curious. This really impressive great-at-everything senior boy in our son’s school is heading to one and I sense parents are not impressed. And most kids don’t seem to have a clue what a service academy is, how selective, process of getting in, and commitment. I honestly think most sort of conflate it with just enlisting?

To non-military families, this is indeed basically what they think.

[Anonymous]

A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparable to #20 - #30 schools

You honestly think West point is on the level of Emory and Georgetown??!! Service academies are not even top 50 at best.

Yes. And Gtown is not what it used to be.

You're utterly delusional. I guarantee you 99% of service academy students couldnt get into Emory or Georgetown, nor would service academy students have the same med school/ law school placement as the schools or any other top 25. Just delusional!

Are you at all familiar with JAG? Or how many active duty doctors are in our military? And where they were educated? Do you know anything about the math requirements at academies or how many engineers they produce? You’re embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

UVA has more than 5x the enrollment of West Point. So obviously you know more of them in VA. I'm not from VA and West Point is far more prestigious than UVA IMHO. It's free, requires Congressional nomination and you know the grads are disciplined and smart!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparable to #20 - #30 schools

You honestly think West point is on the level of Emory and Georgetown??!! Service academies are not even top 50 at best.

Apples and oranges. Academically, West Point/Annapolis/AFA are around the same level as the second tier B1G schools (so, IU or Minnesota, not Michigan or Wisconsin): quite strong but not elite. But academics are maybe a third of the academy experience, and the rest of that experience is really valuable, too. As an employer, there's no way I look at one resume with West Point on it and another with Ohio State and say, "Oh, sure, those two are the same." Frankly, I'd rather see West Point that Emory or Georgetown, even recognizing that the academic experience at those latter two schools is stronger. (Others are free to value the experiences differently, of course.)

It really depends on the context. If I was hiring for a functional role like comp sci I’d always go with the more highly skilled applicant which would likely come from the Emorys of the world. If I were hiring for general management I’d give the edge to service academy grads who bring a wealth of team and leadership skills. Top business schools love service academy grads.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Getting an appointment, graduating from West Point, Annapolis, or Air Force, and completing service says a lot about the individual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparable to #20 - #30 schools

You honestly think West point is on the level of Emory and Georgetown??!! Service academies are not even top 50 at best.

Yes. And Gtown is not what it used to be.

You're utterly delusional. I guarantee you 99% of service academy students couldnt get into Emory or Georgetown, nor would service academy students have the same med school/ law school placement as the schools or any other top 25. Just delusional!

You’re oddly defensive and ignorant.

+1. Very odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

Everyone! This is not a decision your kid (or you) should make based on what others may thing. They either want to commit to be in the military 5 years after graduation, or they don't. They either want the structured, scheduled life of a cadet, or they want the life of a traditional college student. "Prestige" should not be #1 on their list of whether or not to do this, but yes, many people think of them as prestigious. Comparing to Emory or Georgetown sounds silly and is apples/oranges. If interested, I suggest visiting one and ideally attending one of their camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When is it to late to pursue an application to one of the service academies? My rising senior has suddenly become much more interested in applying.

It's not too late but they need to get moving.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

Everyone! This is not a decision your kid (or you) should make based on what others may thing. They either want to commit to be in the military 5 years after graduation, or they don't. They either want the structured, scheduled life of a cadet, or they want the life of a traditional college student. "Prestige" should not be #1 on their list of whether or not to do this, but yes, many people think of them as prestigious. Comparing to Emory or Georgetown sounds silly and is apples/oranges. If interested, I suggest visiting one and ideally attending one of their camps.

It may be more like 8 years, with 5 years being the active duty requirement.

[Anonymous]

This thread is insane. Of course West Point and Naval Academy are prestigious. The others less so but still good schools. I would be more likely to hire a West Point or Naval Academy grad over an Ivy grad (and I am an Ivy grad) for most jobs. They are way stronger on leadership skills and also have more stringent STEM requirements for graduation. The main downside is in my experience they are rarely strong writers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

UVA has more than 5x the enrollment of West Point. So obviously you know more of them in VA. I'm not from VA and West Point is far more prestigious than UVA IMHO. It's free, requires Congressional nomination and you know the grads are disciplined and smart!

Pp here. Of course West Point is more prestigious than UVA. I’m from NY and some of the best students went to West Point. I’m just saying some average joe who is not ivy bound or never would be in the pool to apply may be unfamiliar with West Point or Penn. anyone in VA does know uva and considers it a top school kid here the smart kids from their high school go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

UVA has more than 5x the enrollment of West Point. So obviously you know more of them in VA. I'm not from VA and West Point is far more prestigious than UVA IMHO. It's free, requires Congressional nomination and you know the grads are disciplined and smart!

Pp here. Of course West Point is more prestigious than UVA. I’m from NY and some of the best students went to West Point. I’m just saying some average joe who is not ivy bound or never would be in the pool to apply may be unfamiliar with West Point or Penn. anyone in VA does know uva and considers it a top school kid here the smart kids from their high school go.

UVA is way more prestigious than West Point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

UVA has more than 5x the enrollment of West Point. So obviously you know more of them in VA. I'm not from VA and West Point is far more prestigious than UVA IMHO. It's free, requires Congressional nomination and you know the grads are disciplined and smart!

Pp here. Of course West Point is more prestigious than UVA. I’m from NY and some of the best students went to West Point. I’m just saying some average joe who is not ivy bound or never would be in the pool to apply may be unfamiliar with West Point or Penn. anyone in VA does know uva and considers it a top school kid here the smart kids from their high school go.

UVA is way more prestigious than West Point

Only if you live in VA and know nothing about the service academies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of layman may not know Penn either so I would put little weight on what your average person thinks. We live in VA and people love UVA. I don’t think I have met anyone who had a kid attend naval academy or west point.

UVA has more than 5x the enrollment of West Point. So obviously you know more of them in VA. I'm not from VA and West Point is far more prestigious than UVA IMHO. It's free, requires Congressional nomination and you know the grads are disciplined and smart!

Pp here. Of course West Point is more prestigious than UVA. I’m from NY and some of the best students went to West Point. I’m just saying some average joe who is not ivy bound or never would be in the pool to apply may be unfamiliar with West Point or Penn. anyone in VA does know uva and considers it a top school kid here the smart kids from their high school go.

UVA is way more prestigious than West Point

Only if you live in VA and know nothing about the service academies.

You’re just wrong and delusional