In this political climate, who in their right mind would pursue a military career?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of misinformation here. After your sophomore year you are asked to sign a commitment for 7 years (2 more years at Navy and 5 years of service). If you leave before signing, you are not asked to pay back tuition. Service Academies aren't for everyone, but my kid is quite happy at Annapolis and is looking forward to returning when COVID restrictions are lifted.

Congrats. Are you from MD? Is it that much harder getting into USNA from MD because of the competition?

From DMV area and MD can be quite competitive, depending on your congressional district.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of misinformation here. After your sophomore year you are asked to sign a commitment for 7 years (2 more years at Navy and 5 years of service). If you leave before signing, you are not asked to pay back tuition. Service Academies aren't for everyone, but my kid is quite happy at Annapolis and is looking forward to returning when COVID restrictions are lifted.

Congrats. Are you from MD? Is it that much harder getting into USNA from MD because of the competition?

Lots of misinformation here. After your sophomore year you are asked to sign a commitment for 7 years (2 more years at Navy and 5 years of service). If you leave before signing, you are not asked to pay back tuition. Service Academies aren't for everyone, but my kid is quite happy at Annapolis and is looking forward to returning when COVID restrictions are lifted.

Anonymous wrote:Are the years that you "owe" the government in service after graduation the same for each one of the service academies?

You owe the government five years of military service after you graduate, but you graduate as a commissioned officer and many graduates go on to a full military career.

It is possible to transfer out after your sophomore year without any military commitment, but you are required to pay back the government for the two years of free tuition you received as a freshman / plebe and sophomore. But the hardest part of these academies by far is the first two years. By the end of that second year you will know whether this is the right place for you. The saying about the Naval Academy (and probably the others, but I just know USNA people) is that it is a terrible place to be at, but a great place to be from.

Anonymous wrote:If your DC got into a military academy this year, please post here and share a bit of his/her profile (e.g., straight a student, all-met athlete, rotc, private or public, etc.). Thank u.

The service academies emphasize athletics. You don't need to be at the recruitable level but demonstrated interest in and accomplishment in sports, especially team sports, seems to be prized by Admissions staff.

Air Force? I've heard it's less stressful?

Anonymous wrote:About 5 years ago we visited a family friend at West Point. From the second we arrived, it felt like a jail. They searched our car. The kid was a freshman so he had only been there a few months but he was totally desensitized, couldn’t crack a joke, etc. The student was able to come out to eat with us off-campus and he was dressed like a Catholic Priest. And yes I know they don’t call it freshman but they should.

This, Annapolis USNA version. We visited (no car search because at Annapolis visitors have to park off-campus; very tight space); the friend's daughter was basically an automaton. The atmosphere was oppressive - much worse and more tense than any active post I've ever been on, and that's multiple. I later heard that close to half of the 4th class Mids that this one knew had come home for Christmas break and raised the issue of dropping out with their families. The group has been out for over two years now. They are all ver confident and very good at following instructions. Not one has any awareness of non-job life, and not one talks about the Naval Academy overall. Signs of trauma resulting from institutionalized hazing.

Anonymous wrote:About 5 years ago we visited a family friend at West Point. From the second we arrived, it felt like a jail. They searched our car. The kid was a freshman so he had only been there a few months but he was totally desensitized, couldn’t crack a joke, etc. The student was able to come out to eat with us off-campus and he was dressed like a Catholic Priest. And yes I know they don’t call it freshman but they should.

Did the kid stay the course and graduate? What does he say about the experience now?

About 5 years ago we visited a family friend at West Point. From the second we arrived, it felt like a jail. They searched our car. The kid was a freshman so he had only been there a few months but he was totally desensitized, couldn’t crack a joke, etc. The student was able to come out to eat with us off-campus and he was dressed like a Catholic Priest. And yes I know they don’t call it freshman but they should.

Anonymous wrote:Both USNA and USMA are ranked in the top 20 liberal arts colleges, according to US News. I think the USNA is ranked 14th.

They are considered liberal arts schools?

Anonymous wrote:If you get a nomination, what are the odds you then get admitted?

I found this in college confidential for the class of 2012:

USNA Class of 2012

3,838 Nominations
2,196 Triple qualified w/ nomination (1,642 unqualified nominees)
1,537 Appointments awarded
1,261 Sworn in

Someone who is nominated can fail the physical or not be academically qualified. They used the physical to weed people out -- I had a friend whose son had one incident with asthma as a child, and they used that to disqualify him. They were told that they have to find some way to get the numbers down.

Anonymous wrote:Which one is easiest to get into?

Coast Guard Academy doesn’t require Congressional recommendation, so that can make it “easier” in that aspect.

Anonymous wrote:You don't necessarily need to or want to apply to all three. My DH told the admissions committee that he was only interested in USNA, and if not that, he'd have to go through ROTC instead. Keep in mind that the different branches of the services don't feel that they (or their cultures) are interchangeable.

What are the differences in “culture” between the academies?

Which one is easiest to get into?