National Service/Military Academies?

[Anonymous]

If you don't have perfect vision (so can't fly), is the Air Force Academy still worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't have perfect vision (so can't fly), is the Air Force Academy still worth it?

I know two very successful non-pilot AFA grads. They joke about the non pilot stigma, but they seem to be progressing in their careers (rotations on JCS and NATO).

[Anonymous]

Both my nieces graduated from the AF Acadwmy. The one with glasses is a nurse practitioner in the AF.

[Anonymous]

We toured the USNA and even tho we loved the curriculum, discipline, and spirit, we were turned us off by the service commitment and hours per week physical athletic requirement and uniforms and traditions and other stringent rules. For one, we don't have family members who have served and honestly Dh and I agreed that our kid is too "spoiled" and would likely get kicked out.

[Anonymous]

Assuming you live in the DC area, it's a quick drive out to Annapolis. They have a great visitors center and a good (but old) short movie about life at the academy. It's a good way to get at least a high level feel for it.

[Anonymous]

Civil Air Patrol is a great way for high school students to find out more about the military. It looks great on a military academy application, and I believe that some slots may even be set aside for CAP candidates, at least at the Air Force Academy. You also can get a pilot's license very inexpensively through this program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor's son was accepted to West Point, but will be at the prep school for one year prior to matriculating. What is the prep school? Is that a way they redshirt recruited athletes? Does it add an extra year of obligatory service?

It means they're sent to grade 13. Not ready academically for the freshman class or freshman class full but they're taking him for next yr is how I understand it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor's son was accepted to West Point, but will be at the prep school for one year prior to matriculating. What is the prep school? Is that a way they redshirt recruited athletes? Does it add an extra year of obligatory service?

It means they're sent to grade 13. Not ready academically for the freshman class or freshman class full but they're taking him for next yr is how I understand it.

Correct. However, it is also used as a way to redshirt.

[Anonymous]

How are these academies for Asians? Are there a lot? Is there a lot of discrimination? I've read about Muslim cadets being discriminated against and was wondering if this extends to other minorities as well..

[Anonymous]

My kid is not an athlete. It's not that he's uncoordinated or weak. But he's just not an athlete. How much of a hindrance would this be if he wants to pursue one of the service academies? Is there one that is "less physical" than another?

[Anonymous]

Are there strict GPA cut-offs?

[Anonymous]

How important are ACT/SAT scores for admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is not an athlete. It's not that he's uncoordinated or weak. But he's just not an athlete. How much of a hindrance would this be if he wants to pursue one of the service academies? Is there one that is "less physical" than another?

You have to be in at least decent shape (for an 18-year-old male) to survive (girls really need to be in better than decent shape). While PE is not a major part of your grade, not being any good at it will make your life WAY harder than it has to be.

Historically USMA was the hardest from a PT perspective. although the altitude at USAFA has always been very hard until you acclimate. Exchange cadets/midshipmen would attest to this. However, in recent years, all three schools have upped their fitness game.

PFT (what you will need to be able to do when you graduate) and CFA (candidate fitness assessment -- what you take to get in an Academy or ROTC) requirements and scores are posted in many places on the web. College Confidential has a lot of honest posts on the current physical fitness requirements as well.

If DC is a junior, I would strongly recommend looking at the Summer Seminars at one of the three Academies (any one of them would do if this is your/his concern). They now have the kids do some amount of PT/sports/physical activity during the week -- not as much much as you would do Plebe Summer, but enough to give a taste of it. My DC went last year and decided that it was more than they were willing to do for four years...

Navy grad

[Anonymous]

"My DC went last year and decided that it was more than they were willing to do for four years...

Navy grad "

Another Navy grad here. This is kind of surprising to me. I know the academies love to play up the "physical mission," and yeah, you do a lot of running around Plebe Summer. But after that, if you just want to play company intramurals (and you pick things like volleyball, street hockey, etc.), it's really not all that physical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"My DC went last year and decided that it was more than they were willing to do for four years...

Navy grad "

Another Navy grad here. This is kind of surprising to me. I know the academies love to play up the "physical mission," and yeah, you do a lot of running around Plebe Summer. But after that, if you just want to play company intramurals (and you pick things like volleyball, street hockey, etc.), it's really not all that physical.

I think you have to enjoy physical activity, not necessarily be the starting varsity as a 4/c (or even as a 1/c).

But yes it does seem to have a lot more physical aspect to it now. Pull-up bars in the Hall, far more emphasis on running and individual workouts (at what looks like all hours), higher standards on semester PE evals -- just talking to the current mids, it's physically more demanding than it was back then. Maybe internally-imposed from each other (peer pressure) rather than by the administration, but they are all in better shape than we were. Probably even more so if you think about the fact that many current HS students are NOT as fit as students were 20-30 years ago.