Are the Service Academies Prestigious?

[Anonymous]

OP, did you ask this back in March?

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/712841.page#12647342

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Honestly, this country could really culturally benefit if it incorporated a 2 year mandatory National Service program for all citizens during age 18-30. You could do military if you're up for basic training, physicality and teamwork, or you could do a Department desk job. This could really create unity and teamwork and understanding among the ever-heterogeneous America.

Right now all sides just talk over or across each other, the lack of understanding is awful. The lack of understanding of civics, the military, geography, U.S. history, and each other in this country is also awful.

TOTALLY AGREE. Wish someone in politics would put this forward, it's been needed for the last 20 years of cultural and unity decline here.

Norway, Israel, Italy, Singapore, S Korea, Sweden, Brazil, Turkey, Swiss, Denmark all have compulsory military/gov't service programs that work well at building cohesiveness, as well as leadership, teamwork and community skills.

[Anonymous]

Navy, Army and Air Force Academies are a step above Coast Guard which is a step above Merchant Marine Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very impressive. I run in to very accomplished academy grads at the Council on Foreign Relations and McChrystal Group.

Graduate an officer, constant leadership experience while at academy, many at AFA and NA go fighter pilot route and heavy STEM/engineering. If choose to stay in get more leadership and mgmt experience, top secret clearance and forced teamwork all the time. Graduate degrees must be earned in order for certain promotions, all schools love these grads if they can commit to a full-time program while working, often they cannot or take leave to go do their computer science or med or JD or Kennedy school masters degrees.

The most amazing thing about academy grads is their ability to work with people of all ranks, backgrounds and skills.
- They have no choice but to create a team out of entry level hispanics/blacks/whites/men/women, train others all the time, improve processes all the time, directly communicate ideas/improvements then move on and implement things (and no hard feelings, too much to do, too important to sulk).

Honestly, this country could really culturally benefit if it incorporated a 2 year mandatory National Service program for all citizens during age 18-30. You could do military if you're up for basic training, physicality and teamwork, or you could do a Department desk job. This could really create unity and teamwork and understanding among the ever-heterogeneous America.

Right now all sides just talk over or across each other, the lack of understanding is awful. The lack of understanding of civics, the military, geography, U.S. history, and each other in this country is also awful.

And I remember reading on this forum "why is diversity so important? When will I, Ivy - educated brain surgeon, lawyer, etc. ever have to interact with people who are not my intellectual equals" or some such bullsh*t.

[Anonymous]

No desk jobs. Stuff that is actual work. A Peace Corps for within the United States or military service. You cannot even enroll into a college receiving Federal funds until you have performed your service.

Hoo-wah!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Air Force Academy isn't all that prestigious, but West Point and Annapolis are. But it's still very specialized. Grads concentrate in engineering, defense contracting, etc. I've heard from others that they have a fairly low percentage who go on to professional schools, largely because they have multi-year service commitments and a lot of them end up getting married too, are fairly far along in their careers when they finally go civilian.

In terms of prestige, I would put them a notch or two below the ivy league foremost employers. But for some employers, particularly those in the defense industry, probably a notch above.

Untrue. YOu don't know what you're talking about--there is not such thing. If you think there is a field like that, please explain it.

There certainly is the "field" of defense contracting, but not sure about a specific "major". Maybe business. That seems to be a popular major for the defense contractors I know. Along with STEM degrees.

Computer science, business, marketing, and a bunch of others. CS is the biggest degree.

Yup. STEM degrees are common.

STEM is a generic term for anything computer, math and science. Computer Science is a very specific degree.

Yes. Obviously.

- Engineering undergrad & CS grad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall

Quite an odd ranking. Where is the list that includes engineering schools with doctorate programs? MIT, Perdue, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up on the West Coast and attended a private prep school and frankly never heard of West Point or Annapolis until I moved to Washington, DC.

Who is hiring their grads?

My God. This cannot be even remotely serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, U.S. News ranks West Point at #12 among Liberal Arts colleges, tied with Colby and Colgate.
Do you consider Colby and Colgate "prestigious?"
The Naval Academy is at #21, so deemed somewhat less prestigious.

Trying to judge these very unique schools’ prestige against colleges in general is difficult and doesn’t really work. Kind of in the same way that everyone knows Juilliard is an enormously prestigious arts school and nearly impossible to get into, but isn’t going to show up on lists next to Harvard and Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Navy, Army and Air Force Academies are a step above Coast Guard which is a step above Merchant Marine Academy

No, Coast Guard is very well respected and encouraged more with some military families due to the constant deployments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall

Quite an odd ranking. Where is the list that includes engineering schools with doctorate programs? MIT, Perdue, etc?

competing with tyson's chicken

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall

Quite an odd ranking. Where is the list that includes engineering schools with doctorate programs? MIT, Perdue, etc?

competing with tyson's chicken

Oops. Get a side of nuggets with that PhD!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Honestly, this country could really culturally benefit if it incorporated a 2 year mandatory National Service program for all citizens during age 18-30. You could do military if you're up for basic training, physicality and teamwork, or you could do a Department desk job. This could really create unity and teamwork and understanding among the ever-heterogeneous America.

Right now all sides just talk over or across each other, the lack of understanding is awful. The lack of understanding of civics, the military, geography, U.S. history, and each other in this country is also awful.

TOTALLY AGREE. Wish someone in politics would put this forward, it's been needed for the last 20 years of cultural and unity decline here.

Norway, Israel, Italy, Singapore, S Korea, Sweden, Brazil, Turkey, Swiss, Denmark all have compulsory military/gov't service programs that work well at building cohesiveness, as well as leadership, teamwork and community skills.

I am old enough to remember Americorps being derided by the right for more than a decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, U.S. News ranks West Point at #12 among Liberal Arts colleges, tied with Colby and Colgate.
Do you consider Colby and Colgate "prestigious?"
The Naval Academy is at #21, so deemed somewhat less prestigious.

West Point is not a little break arts school. All graduates receive bachelor degree in science. So, of course it will be ranked low in arts.

WP ranked number four in chemical engineering program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I admire the students that attend the service academies but I wouldn’t consider them to be prestigious in the same way I might Stanford, MIT, etc.

Actually, MIT happily takes transferred from WP every ear. WP also has a program with MIT where their cadets can go directly to MIT for master degree and WP pays for it.