Why are the service academies so selective?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because service academies produce the officers and other leadership roles. You want your military leaders to be the most qualified candidates, not Jimmy from BFE Fly Over-land whose only reason for joining is to get out of his Podunk town and who has no other options.

The majority of Jimmy's pals from Podunk take the "I'll just stay right here and do nothing at all" option. So, kudos to Jimmy and everyone else who decides to leave Podunk!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny to hear posters suggest that the admit rate is actually higher than advertised because you have to have certain physical requirements as a threshold. Not everybody has those requirements and that’s part of the reason why it’s so selective.

That’s like saying a division 1 athletic scholarship isn’t really that hard to get because you have to be really good at sports to get it.

Strawman argument. The acceptance rates are juiced because they include in the denominator everyone who ever clicked "apply" on the website, regardless of how little of the application they completed before abandoning it.

Right. Because they knew they couldn’t make the cut.

My daughter applied but couldn’t get medical clearance and withdrew her app. It’s fair to count her as an applicant.
I assume same happens with those who don’t get their nomination.
It’s just not comparable between service academies and civilians.

[Anonymous]

Is this a serious question??

Do you want the leaders of our military to be anything but the brightest and best?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From a long term perspective, you end up with an excellent education, a huge network, a guaranteed job with excellent benefits, and often interesting work. And you graduate without debt.

Unless you're air force and get missileer, then you get to live at one of the assorted truly miserable corners America

*raises hand*

- former missileer wife

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it just because they're free?

It’s not free. What a stupid thing to say.

My brother did ROTC because he couldn't afford college any other way. It's not a stupid thing to say!

It’s not free because you are contractually obligated to serve years in the military doing whatever they want you to do, going anywhere they want to send you, including war - and while you are a member of the military certain constitutional rights afforded to regular citizens will not be afforded to you. That’s hardly free.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Because more people are interested in that education and experience than they can accommodate.

But why? We don't currently know any, and we're a military family (dual, at one point in time).

The academies, particularly West Point and Annapolis, have long been regarded as elite schools. There are very few 18 year olds who are fit enough, smart enough, and well-rounded enough to get a Congressional Nomination, which is necessary to be considered for admittance. Upon graduation - debt free - graduates are obliged to serve as officers for four years. The pay isn't bad these days, particulalrly since a young officer has basically no expenses, and the job is probably a lot more interesting than most first jobs. Academy grads tend to get first priority for the more desirable tracks.

The M7 business schools love academy grads. So too does MBB consulting. Not to mention the corporate world. An academy degree probably doesn't do much in tech, but elsewhere it opens a lot of doors. The networking is unparalleled.

It's not for everyone, but for the right kid, it's a great launching pad.

It actually opens a lot of doors in tech. Showing you can get a computer science or engineering degree from one of the academies while balancing the other demands is a huge plus for tech companies. We have a family friend whose kid is majoring in CS at one of the academies. He is a sophomore and has already been approached by tech companies about joining after he is done serving.

LOL. No tech company plans 6+ years ahead.

IBM does. So does Honeywell. Probably many, many others.

Strange, I work in HR for IBM, and this is not true. We'll look into freshmen as regular universities, sure. Not a sophomore with a 4-6 year commitment after graduation. That's almost a decade for things to change!

Strange, my DH graduated from USNA, went on to serve in the Marine Corp knowing that his job at IBM was waiting for him. Guess they just didn't consult you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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."

Published where? How do they get away with this?

Applying to West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy is not like applying to a normal school. You have the fitness tests to begin with. That eliminates nearly 80 percent of all 18 year olds. And then there's the Congressional Nomination, which is very difficult to get. Very few kids receive one. But once you have it - if I recall - the odds of getting into an academy are about 50 percent.

So it's not like applying to Penn or wherever. West Point doesn't receive 10,000 applications and simply chooses the best 1000. It's a layered process and potential applicants are eliminated along the way before they even get a chance to formally apply. Getting a Congressional Nomination is key. And they're not handed out like candy. There are panels and all sorts of hoops to go through. Anyone that gets one is a very accomplished young person.

Stop. There are other nomination paths, and one academy that doesn't require one at all.

*snort* Yeah. The Coast Guard Academy.

It's so awkward to watch someone double down on their ignorance.

Oof, yeah. Even years ago a 4.0 Eagle Scout athlete guy in my class didn’t get in.

[Anonymous]

Because the phrase dying for one's country is not just an abstraction.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it just because they're free?

It’s not free. What a stupid thing to say.

My brother did ROTC because he couldn't afford college any other way. It's not a stupid thing to say!

It’s not free because you are contractually obligated to serve years in the military doing whatever they want you to do, going anywhere they want to send you, including war - and while you are a member of the military certain constitutional rights afforded to regular citizens will not be afforded to you. That’s hardly free.

ROTC got my father out of poverty. The alternative was the draft, so it was both free and safer than the alternative.

[Anonymous]

3 years in a row the number one graduate of my high school went to West Point. Kudos to my public school for producing such brainiacs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because more people are interested in that education and experience than they can accommodate.

But why? We don't currently know any, and we're a military family (dual, at one point in time).

The academies, particularly West Point and Annapolis, have long been regarded as elite schools. There are very few 18 year olds who are fit enough, smart enough, and well-rounded enough to get a Congressional Nomination, which is necessary to be considered for admittance. Upon graduation - debt free - graduates are obliged to serve as officers for four years. The pay isn't bad these days, particulalrly since a young officer has basically no expenses, and the job is probably a lot more interesting than most first jobs. Academy grads tend to get first priority for the more desirable tracks.

The M7 business schools love academy grads. So too does MBB consulting. Not to mention the corporate world. An academy degree probably doesn't do much in tech, but elsewhere it opens a lot of doors. The networking is unparalleled.

It's not for everyone, but for the right kid, it's a great launching pad.

It actually opens a lot of doors in tech. Showing you can get a computer science or engineering degree from one of the academies while balancing the other demands is a huge plus for tech companies. We have a family friend whose kid is majoring in CS at one of the academies. He is a sophomore and has already been approached by tech companies about joining after he is done serving.

LOL. No tech company plans 6+ years ahead.

IBM does. So does Honeywell. Probably many, many others.

Strange, I work in HR for IBM, and this is not true. We'll look into freshmen as regular universities, sure. Not a sophomore with a 4-6 year commitment after graduation. That's almost a decade for things to change!

Strange, my DH graduated from USNA, went on to serve in the Marine Corp knowing that his job at IBM was waiting for him. Guess they just didn't consult you.

How many decades ago was this pp?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because more people are interested in that education and experience than they can accommodate.

But why? We don't currently know any, and we're a military family (dual, at one point in time).

The academies, particularly West Point and Annapolis, have long been regarded as elite schools. There are very few 18 year olds who are fit enough, smart enough, and well-rounded enough to get a Congressional Nomination, which is necessary to be considered for admittance. Upon graduation - debt free - graduates are obliged to serve as officers for four years. The pay isn't bad these days, particulalrly since a young officer has basically no expenses, and the job is probably a lot more interesting than most first jobs. Academy grads tend to get first priority for the more desirable tracks.

The M7 business schools love academy grads. So too does MBB consulting. Not to mention the corporate world. An academy degree probably doesn't do much in tech, but elsewhere it opens a lot of doors. The networking is unparalleled.

It's not for everyone, but for the right kid, it's a great launching pad.

It actually opens a lot of doors in tech. Showing you can get a computer science or engineering degree from one of the academies while balancing the other demands is a huge plus for tech companies. We have a family friend whose kid is majoring in CS at one of the academies. He is a sophomore and has already been approached by tech companies about joining after he is done serving.

LOL. No tech company plans 6+ years ahead.

IBM does. So does Honeywell. Probably many, many others.

Strange, I work in HR for IBM, and this is not true. We'll look into freshmen as regular universities, sure. Not a sophomore with a 4-6 year commitment after graduation. That's almost a decade for things to change!

Strange, my DH graduated from USNA, went on to serve in the Marine Corp knowing that his job at IBM was waiting for him. Guess they just didn't consult you.

How many decades ago was this pp?

New poster here. It doesn’t matter. Corporate America including IBM loves military academy graduates and gobbles them up for a whole host of reasons. Anybody who says they don’t is full of shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it just because they're free?

Because it should be attracting the best and the brightest in our country to be the future leaders of our military.