Perception of Service Academies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i was chatting with a friend who mentioned that their high achieving rising junior was hoping to attend a service academy (West Point or USNA). They don't have a family military background and are certainly not hurting for money. My sense is that the kid could go to any school they wanted. It's not an understatement to say that choosing a service academy path totally floored me. What is the draw here or what am I missing? Is this considered a prestigious route in some circles?

They are harder to get into than the Ivy League. They are well regarded everywhere.

Not true! I worked on Capitol Hill. The process is really political. For students in downtrodden parts of America, they just have to be the best of the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They provide and excellent education. It's that simple. Of course, that comes with significant strings attached, and you need to be aware of and okay with them.

It's not "strings attached." They want to sign up.

They are still strings. You owe them when you graduate. You can't transfer the credits anywhere else, which is what a friend's kid ended up doing despite this because it turned out to not be a good match for him.

Yes, credits from service academies can be transferred to other colleges. My child went to a service academy and I am on the parent Facebook page. Lots of kids leave at the two year mark before they have to commit and their academic coursework fully transfers to their new colleges.

The “strings” are that you have to serve five years active duty and then three years reserve after that to fulfill your commitment. You are likely to deploy more than once during that time and could be sent to dangerous places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the "DC" part of DCUM is evident in some of these replies that assume that all people should know about service academies. In many places, there is no noticeable military presence. In my town, there is no one that I know who is or has been military.

However; years ago, we did a stint in Arlington, VA, and suddenly met teachers/coaches/parents who were former or active military, and many people had a family member who served. At this time, my then-elementary school DC noticed all this, became interested and here we are years later and DC is applying to a service academy.

And yes, we are all fumbling around trying to get it right, even DC's college counselor is on the learning curve, because we are back in our own geographical clueless bubble.

I don't think anyone should be shamed for not knowing about Service Academies. It's just an indicator at how stratified America is, and also, it's a bit of a marketing failure.

This is absolutely absurd. I grew up on a podunk town with no military presence, didn't know anyone in the service, etc. And I knew about the service academies. Why? Because I read a freakin' book a time or two in middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i was chatting with a friend who mentioned that their high achieving rising junior was hoping to attend a service academy (West Point or USNA). They don't have a family military background and are certainly not hurting for money. My sense is that the kid could go to any school they wanted. It's not an understatement to say that choosing a service academy path totally floored me. What is the draw here or what am I missing? Is this considered a prestigious route in some circles?

They are harder to get into than the Ivy League. They are well regarded everywhere.

Not true! I worked on Capitol Hill. The process is really political. For students in downtrodden parts of America, they just have to be the best of the worst.

This is true for Ivy League too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the "DC" part of DCUM is evident in some of these replies that assume that all people should know about service academies. In many places, there is no noticeable military presence. In my town, there is no one that I know who is or has been military.

However; years ago, we did a stint in Arlington, VA, and suddenly met teachers/coaches/parents who were former or active military, and many people had a family member who served. At this time, my then-elementary school DC noticed all this, became interested and here we are years later and DC is applying to a service academy.

And yes, we are all fumbling around trying to get it right, even DC's college counselor is on the learning curve, because we are back in our own geographical clueless bubble.

I don't think anyone should be shamed for not knowing about Service Academies. It's just an indicator at how stratified America is, and also, it's a bit of a marketing failure.

This is absolutely absurd. I grew up on a podunk town with no military presence, didn't know anyone in the service, etc. And I knew about the service academies. Why? Because I read a freakin' book a time or two in middle and high school.

Well if you knew, then clearly everyone should. I read plenty of books, none of which mentioned service academies. Not sure what you were reading in high school, but it wasn't what I was reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly cannot believe how ignorant some people are. My parents were both high school drop outs and half of my siblings didn't go to college. But we obviously knew the service academies were prestigious. People on this thread should be embarrassed.

I don't understand the outrage about people who didn't know of service academies in high school. There are a lot of subjects people don't know about in high school/early college that they get educated about. I'm the poster who didn't know what it was when I met my husband. He will retire in two years after 20 years of military service, with me by his side. And you think i should be embarrassed? The people who should be embarrassed are the ones who trash the military, ie cult poster below, or the ones who don't bother to serve. Give me a break.

I think it’s as OP’s combination of “ I didn’t know” with the “thought that was for kids with no options”. It’s pretty cringe. Simultaneously ignorant and arrogant. But yes, it’s surprising for anyone who was college bound to be unaware of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sibling who attended a service academy and did the exchange program to spend a semester at other academies. Overall, the academies are an intense experience that can mess up the most sane person. When I meet a ring knocker, I think two things: you're smart but odds are you have trauma that probably clouds your thinking.

Or at least makes you bad at relationships. Not all, of course.

Interesting you think that. I dated a cadet in college and they were way more respectful of "no" than civilian college boys. Way more focused and just really had that respect driven into them. Why do you feel they are bad at relationships?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly cannot believe how ignorant some people are. My parents were both high school drop outs and half of my siblings didn't go to college. But we obviously knew the service academies were prestigious. People on this thread should be embarrassed.

I don't understand the outrage about people who didn't know of service academies in high school. There are a lot of subjects people don't know about in high school/early college that they get educated about. I'm the poster who didn't know what it was when I met my husband. He will retire in two years after 20 years of military service, with me by his side. And you think i should be embarrassed? The people who should be embarrassed are the ones who trash the military, ie cult poster below, or the ones who don't bother to serve. Give me a break.

I think it’s as OP’s combination of “ I didn’t know” with the “thought that was for kids with no options”. It’s pretty cringe. Simultaneously ignorant and arrogant. But yes, it’s surprising for anyone who was college bound to be unaware of this.

I mean isn't that what message boards are for? I didn't find it arrogant at all. I think a lot of people in our area feel the way that OP does - why would you go to service academy if you have other money and opportunities available to you. We are in a period where you expect an academy grad to get deployed and no mom wants that. I can't tell you the number of people who talk down about the military (using the term baby killers) to me before they find out we're active duty. That is ignorant and cringe. My spouse went to WP because they had no money for college. So I do understand OP wondering why you'd want it so much if you didn't financially need it. I can't find anything in the OP that is worthy of some of these replies claiming she's ignorant and arrogant.

[Anonymous]

Highly regarded.
SAT average is only 1270 though for West Point.
It's a different animal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly cannot believe how ignorant some people are. My parents were both high school drop outs and half of my siblings didn't go to college. But we obviously knew the service academies were prestigious. People on this thread should be embarrassed.

I don't understand the outrage about people who didn't know of service academies in high school. There are a lot of subjects people don't know about in high school/early college that they get educated about. I'm the poster who didn't know what it was when I met my husband. He will retire in two years after 20 years of military service, with me by his side. And you think i should be embarrassed? The people who should be embarrassed are the ones who trash the military, ie cult poster below, or the ones who don't bother to serve. Give me a break.

I think it’s as OP’s combination of “ I didn’t know” with the “thought that was for kids with no options”. It’s pretty cringe. Simultaneously ignorant and arrogant. But yes, it’s surprising for anyone who was college bound to be unaware of this.

Her/his response at 21:04 is far from arrogant. It fact I would say it's the opposite where he/she says "I guess I"m the one who needs schooling". They were quite open minded in listening to the responses unlike half the posters on this forum.
i think it just makes people feel superior to chime in yet again with "I can't believe you wouldn't know that".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They provide and excellent education. It's that simple. Of course, that comes with significant strings attached, and you need to be aware of and okay with them.

It's not "strings attached." They want to sign up.

They are still strings. You owe them when you graduate. You can't transfer the credits anywhere else,[i][u] which is what a friend's kid ended up doing despite this because it turned out to not be a good match for him.

Calling bull shit, again.

You're telling me whatever college he transferred to wouldn't take these credits from his first year at USNA?
2 semesters of Calculus
2 semesters of Chemistry
2 semesters of English

Their other courses are leadership, naval history, government, cybersecurity, and seamanship, so I can imagine some of those didn't transfer cleanly. But there's just no college that would say "sorry, Calc 1 at USNA isn't good enough for us."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly cannot believe how ignorant some people are. My parents were both high school drop outs and half of my siblings didn't go to college. But we obviously knew the service academies were prestigious. People on this thread should be embarrassed.

I don't understand the outrage about people who didn't know of service academies in high school. There are a lot of subjects people don't know about in high school/early college that they get educated about. I'm the poster who didn't know what it was when I met my husband. He will retire in two years after 20 years of military service, with me by his side. And you think i should be embarrassed? The people who should be embarrassed are the ones who trash the military, ie cult poster below, or the ones who don't bother to serve. Give me a break.

I think it’s as OP’s combination of “ I didn’t know” with the “thought that was for kids with no options”. It’s pretty cringe. Simultaneously ignorant and arrogant. But yes, it’s surprising for anyone who was college bound to be unaware of this.

Her/his response at 21:04 is far from arrogant. It fact I would say it's the opposite where he/she says "I guess I"m the one who needs schooling". They were quite open minded in listening to the responses unlike half the posters on this forum.
i think it just makes people feel superior to chime in yet again with "I can't believe you wouldn't know that".

It’s really common for people to read only the first post or page of a multi-page post. It’s never safe to assume everyone has read every post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sibling who attended a service academy and did the exchange program to spend a semester at other academies. Overall, the academies are an intense experience that can mess up the most sane person. When I meet a ring knocker, I think two things: you're smart but odds are you have trauma that probably clouds your thinking.

Or at least makes you bad at relationships. Not all, of course.

Interesting you think that. I dated a cadet in college and they were way more respectful of "no" than civilian college boys. Way more focused and just really had that respect driven into them. Why do you feel they are bad at relationships?

Not in that way.

What makes them great at their jobs (compartmentalization, taking charge, looking for potential problems, making calculated, strictly rational decisions etc) often makes them hard to live with and less aware of other peoples needs, feelings, and emotions. Pilots in particular have an especially high divorce rate. Generally, they are really good, smart people who just kind of suck at relationships. That said, the military is widely diverse with thousands of different jobs so it’s not true of everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i was chatting with a friend who mentioned that their high achieving rising junior was hoping to attend a service academy (West Point or USNA). They don't have a family military background and are certainly not hurting for money. My sense is that the kid could go to any school they wanted. It's not an understatement to say that choosing a service academy path totally floored me. What is the draw here or what am I missing? Is this considered a prestigious route in some circles?

They are harder to get into than the Ivy League. They are well regarded everywhere.

Not true! I worked on Capitol Hill. The process is really political. For students in downtrodden parts of America, they just have to be the best of the worst.

This is true for Ivy League too.

You are ignorant and have no idea. Military academies are mainly for poor and middle class kids. Some UMC kids attend if it is a family tradition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it, OP. I come from a part of the country where I didnt know a single military member/vet other than my drafted grandfathers. Not a single person from my graduating class of 550 went into the military. When my sister’s boyfriend ended up attending the naval academy the following year, we were all fairly shocked—it wasn’t a typical path. (To be completely transparent though, he had applied to a handful of civilian schools and didn’t get in—USNA was the only option he had once decisions came out).

It worked out well for him, but it wasn’t until moving to DC that I learned it’s considered prestigious. I assumed at the time it had been his safety school since it was the only one he got into, lol.

Bullshit.

I don’t know how to prove it is true, but it really is. This was 2005 in an area where the closest (tiny) military bases were hours away. It just wasn’t a thing in my life at that time. Totally different mentality in dc adjacent areas, where I now have more military acquaintances than I can count.

My spouse grew up in the middle of nowhere in Central Flyover Country to parents who didn't go to college. They knew it. You're embarrassing yourself. I wouldn't tell anyone in real life that you didn't know about the service academies.

Sorry you’re so defensive. Many people aren’t impressed by the military or the “service academies.” Get over yourself.

-not the OP

I'm not being "defensive" for noting that educated Americans who haven't heard of the service academies are idiots. I didn't go to one; my kids didn't; nobody else I care about did either. I'm just not ignorant.