Thoughts on Service Academy Admissions

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Someone asked me last week about thoughts concerning applying to a service academy on behalf of a friend with a young high schooler. I wanted to share some of the thoughts, in part with the hope that parents who’ve gone through this application process from the other side will chime in with their experience too. This is not intended to be one size fits all, but to get people pointed in the right direction.

 

So some things that I ask any student interested in Navy to consider:

 

The application process runs earlier than many other colleges. The application cycle for a service academy really starts in spring of junior year. This is when applications are opened, either by completing a Preliminary Application (Navy’s is on their website in the Admissions section http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/steps.htm) or by applying for the Naval Academy Summer Seminar (NASS). The admissions board starts meeting to consider packages in early fall. Nomination requests to Congressional offices tend to have a deadline in September – November. So a candidate who decides in November to apply to an academy, may find that there are no nomination sources still taking applications for the year.

 

Please also consider that this means that quality, competitive SAT scores need to be in hand by early fall of senior year (both for the USNA application and for applying for nominations). If a student expects to take the exam, study weak points, and take the exam again; then the first exam date needs to be early enough to provide time for this.

 

Do your homework. Like many colleges, USNA no longer sends out full catalogs to prospective students. But the entire catalog is available at their website. I’m biased, but I think it is a pretty good catalog, both for describing the demands of midshipman life and many of the rewards (summer training programs and military service selection for example). Spend some time reading about the Navy and Marine Corps and have a couple ideas of where you might like to serve after graduation. Your interests may change as you are exposed to new options, but it’s important to keep in mind that all officer programs are designed to create military officers - not just graduated midshipmen.

 

Realize that it is competitive (and demanding). The portrait for the last incoming class gives an idea of what sorts of students are being offered appointments. 52% were in the top 10% of their high school class. 90% were varsity athletes. The middle 50th percentile for SAT was verbal: 590-720 math: 610-730. This means that 50% of the incoming class had scores within that range. It also means that only 25% of the incoming class had scores that were lower. Nominations are also competitive within the state or congressional district.

 

The admissions board is also looking for candidates who have taken tough classes that will prepare them for a demanding academic environment. An outline of course recommendations for homeschoolers is available at usna.edu in the admissions section under Steps to Admission. Keep in mind that they are looking for students who will be prepared to succeed as midshipmen (and as officers). Even humanities majors at USNA take calculus, chemistry, physics, electrical engineering and several courses in naval engineering topics. This is not a place for the faint of heart in math and science – even if they plan to major in English or history.

 

The corollary to this is that the time to plan for rigorous academics is well before senior year. (I know that rigor gets bounced around a lot in these circles. Look again at the course recommendations. Look at the course load for academy freshmen. If chemistry, physics and challenging math courses aren’t on your plan, you may want to rethink it. Similarly, there are also high level writing demands in courses from English to history to leadership. And there isn’t much leeway in the schedule for slow readers and plodding writers. These are also skills to master in high school.

 

Accredited or state recognized diplomas are not required, but do note if the transcript has outside recognition. Also take a look at the info required on the transcript. Course descriptions are far easier to compile as you go than recreate at the end. As far as AP and dual enrollment courses go, they are not a requirement. But if they demonstrate that the student is seeking out challenging courses and excelling then they are a good option. Keep in mind that there were 19,000 applications last year for 1,400 offers of appointment. It is the responsibility of any candidate to give the academy enough information to say yes to.

 

It’s not about what you couldn’t do; it’s about what you did do. There are lots of candidates who have challenges in putting together a strong high school experience. Homeschoolers may not have access to high school varsity sports or easy access to upper level math or AP classes. But students attending small rural or low income urban high schools may also struggle to get challenging course preparation or sports options. If high school sports weren’t an option, did you seek out a club sport or an individual sport that was open? If student government wasn’t an option, then did you demonstrate leadership in other areas? Demonstrate creative problem solving skills with how you did find ways to be involved and active.

 

It’s not about who you know. Neither the admissions process nor the nominations process is based on being well connected. Nominations are a competitive process based on academics, leadership and sometimes interviews or essays. I would say that most midshipmen (and their families) had never met their nominator before applying. Similarly, your grandfather being golf buddies with an admiral is not going to improve a package that is weak on academics or leadership. Let your test scores, academic record and outside activities speak for themselves.

 

So the take away points are to work really hard, start early (both with academics and activities and with the application), be hungry to seek out information about the academies and the military, and to not get disheartened. The process is long and intricate. But if it is a good fit, the payoff is worth the effort.

[luvnlattes]

Thank you so much for posting this. My middle son is interested in a military career and he seems to be serious about it. He requested an information packet from Westpoint and has memorized it. He's not sure that is the branch he wants to join, however. I've been pleased to see him take the initiative to begin studying more on his own and applying himself more to his schoolwork. I'm going to have him read your post.

[roseyloxs]

Thank you so much for posting this. My middle son is interested in a military career and he seems to be serious about it. He requested an information packet from Westpoint and has memorized it. He's not sure that is the branch he wants to join, however. I've been pleased to see him take the initiative to begin studying more on his own and applying himself more to his schoolwork. I'm going to have him read your post.

 

Don't forget about ROTC programs. Not all ROTC programs cover 100% of tuition but they do usually cover a significant portion. I would encourage my own kids to choose this option over an academy. Military life comes soon enough and plenty of sacrifices will have to be made on their part so I don't see why college life should have to be the first. My DH did ROTC and is now a pilot in the USAF. He also had a great college life with enriching programs like a summer in Russia and a semester in London.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I meant to say more about ROTC and OCS in the original post.

 

ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps. This is a program in which students attend civilian schools, take additional courses in military science and leadership, have some regular military obligations during the school year and then have a training committment during the summer.

 

There are ROTC scholarships that cover tuition, uniforms and books. Students apply late junior year or early senior year for the ROTC scholarship and also must be accepted at a college that has an ROTC unit for that service.

 

There are about as many ROTC trained officers as academy trained officers. There are advantages and disadvantages to either path. Both paths are competitive. ROTC is not a fall back plan for weaker students. Similar high school courses are recommended.

 

It is also possible to be part of an ROTC unit without being on a 4 year scholarship. There are some shorter scholarships and also ways of earning a commission even if you were not on scholarship.

 

High school JROTC and college ROTC are two separate programs. You do NOT have to have been in JROTC to be eligible or competitive for ROTC in college.

 

OCS is Officer Candidate School. This is a program that takes college graduates and trains them (in a very concentrated course) to be officers. Upon graduation from OCS, they are commissioned and sent on to their first military assignments (often a training course like flight school, nuclear power school, Marine TBS). A word of warning about OCS. It may well be the most competitive of all of the options. Especially in specialties like aviation or intelligence. There was one recent OCS selection board that had over 600 applicants for 20 some slots (this was for a specific officer specialty). Many of the successful applicants had master's degrees and high level (or multiple) language proficiency.

 

In other words, a student should not think that they are going to get just any degree and then get picked up for OCS. Despite some perceptions that the military might be hurting for recruits (enlisted or officer), that really isn't the case at present. Many people are applying, and the military is facing major personnel cutbacks. They can afford to be quite picky about whom they accept. As long as the economy is iffy, this is likely to remain true.

 

Again, the lesson is to seek out challenges and do well at them.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Don't forget about ROTC programs. Not all ROTC programs cover 100% of tuition but they do usually cover a significant portion. I would encourage my own kids to choose this option over an academy. Military life comes soon enough and plenty of sacrifices will have to be made on their part so I don't see why college life should have to be the first. My DH did ROTC and is now a pilot in the USAF. He also had a great college life with enriching programs like a summer in Russia and a semester in London.

 

Thanks for mentioning ROTC. I had that in my original PM reply, but forgot to put it into the OP in this thread.

 

ROTC is indeed a great option. It is also very competitive to get a scholarship. And it has its own intricate process, requiring both applications for the scholarships and to colleges with ROTC units (or cross town agreements). Most of the same advice about academic preparation still applies for ROTC.

 

There are a lot of myths about the relative benefits of academy vs. ROTC. Many of them really are myths (at least in my opinion), such as the one that successful senior ranking officers come primarily from academies. I've seen plenty of successful captains and admirals from ROTC programs. Frankly, most people care what your performance is right now, not where you earned your commission. There are stars from all sources and clueless or arrogant officers from all sources.

 

But ROTC programs are in as much demand (if not, possibly, more) as academy billets. They are also looking for outstanding students, not second bests.

 

(My ROTC grad dh likes to joke that he's the college graduate in the family. On the other hand, I did two different overseas training programs in my USNA years. There are many opportunities to be had on both sides.)

[In The Great White North]

Another thought on ROTC.

 

You have to be accepted for ROTC AND the college you will attend.

 

Not to belabor the obvious, but that means you must APPLY to both ROTC and the college. If you list a school as a second, third, fourth or fifth choice on your ROTC application, APPLY TO THOSE SCHOOLS!

 

Sadly, I know one very panicked highschooler right now who has been accepted to one school but has an ROTC scholarship to another (his second choice that he never got around to applying to.)

 

And if you put a major on your ROTC application, make sure you apply to the school (within the university) that actually offers that major. Some ROTC scholarships are dependent on your major.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Another thought on ROTC.

 

You have to be accepted for ROTC AND the college you will attend.

 

Not to belabor the obvious, but that means you must APPLY to both ROTC and the college. If you list a school as a second, third, fourth or fifth choice on your ROTC application, APPLY TO THOSE SCHOOLS!

 

Sadly, I know one very panicked highschooler right now who has been accepted to one school but has an ROTC scholarship to another (his second choice that he never got around to applying to.)

And if you put a major on your ROTC application, make sure you apply to the school (within the university) that actually offers that major. Some ROTC scholarships are dependent on your major.

 

Could you explain a little more about how the ROTC process works. Unfortunately, I don't have first hand info about it. When you get a scholarship, how does it list the schools at which you can use it?

 

I was under the impression that the two processes (scholarship app and college app) weren't that closely linked. I'm not sure if my impression is just wrong or if that is the way things used to be back in my day.

[In The Great White North]

The actual applications aren't linked at all. They're all online. You go to each school and fill out their application (or the Common App and their Supplements) THEN you go to the ROTC website and fill out their application. On the ROTC application, you list your school choices and specify your major.

 

After that, it's a lot like applying to the Academies. ROTC will do an interview just like the Academies. You send your transcript, tests scores, letters of recommendation, etc into the schools and to the ROTC. You do NOT have to get a nomination.

 

I've seen recent results from USAF and NAVY ROTC applications.

 

The USAF application was very clear about applying to the schools and the major.

 

http://afrotc.com/scholarships/high-school/schools-and-majors/

 

The online notification was also very clear that the scholarship was for that school in that major. If you change your mind about your major at some point in the process, you have to make sure the school's application and the ROTC application match. At some point (varies by institution) you are locked in. Same applies if you change your mind about your major while you are in college. They expect you to graduate with a degree in the subject they are paying for.

 

I didn't see the application for the Navy ROTC scholarship but I did see the online notification. It specified that the scholarship was to a specific school. It showed his school choices (in order) and told him which school his scholarship was for and what ROTC unit he would belong to.

 

It does appear that the Navy ROTC program is divided into Tiers by major:

 

http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/scholarship_criteria.aspx

 

Both services allocate a lot more full scholarships for tech majors.

 

After the scholarship is awarded, you can apply for a transfer (to a different institution or major) but there are no promises.

 

The USAF was not willing to change the major (at the same school) and he dropped it for USAFA so I don't know if the school would let him change. The school's first response was he could change the major in SEPTEMBER (long after tuition was due), but the USAF wouldn't pay the scholarship before he changed the major.

 

We'll see in the next few days if the Navy is willing to change the school. (I told the kid to call his second choice school, where he got the scholarship but didn't apply, and beg. I suspect his chances are better with the school, given that he has a full scholarship there already.)

Edited February 22, 2012 by In The Great White North

[lauracolumbus]

Thanks everyone for sharing such helpful information.

 

Laura

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Thank you. That provides a lot of good detail on the ROTC side.

[luvnlattes]

Don't forget about ROTC programs.

 

ROTC is indeed a great option. It is also very competitive to get a scholarship. And it has its own intricate process, requiring both applications for the scholarships and to colleges with ROTC units (or cross town agreements). Most of the same advice about academic preparation still applies for ROTC.

 

Thank you for this additional information. I'll need to look into this more.

 

Last night he was reading a book on Elite Special Forces that had him excited. He loves the whole military idea but I don't think he has a good understanding of what the officers do vs. the enlisted. I'm guessing to be in a special forces unit you are enlisted, not an officer, and meet the myriad of requirements. I feel like he's young to make these decisions and will most likely change his mind, yet I want to have my bases covered.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

There are also officers in special forces. Though the ratio of enlisted to officer is high in these specialties.

 

There are lots of military websites that go into detail about the various communities and what they do. If you're on Facebook, a good start is to join the group for the US Navy and look at the links and videos they put up. Many individual commands also have good websites and FB pages.

 

My favorite portal website is Todaysmilitary.com . I think it does a good job of collecting together links and info. The careers section has details on lots of different military specialties.

[In The Great White North]

Is it true that you can select Seals right out of Annapolis? (Rumors abound up here.)

 

For Special Forces from West Point, you have to branch Infantry, then compete for Airborne School, then compete for Ranger School, then compete for Special Forces training. (Usually with a tour or two in between.) The odds are slim.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Is it true that you can select Seals right out of Annapolis? (Rumors abound up here.)

 

For Special Forces from West Point, you have to branch Infantry, then compete for Airborne School, then compete for Ranger School, then compete for Special Forces training. (Usually with a tour or two in between.) The odds are slim.

 

Yes, you can select any warfare specialty from USNA. These would include surface warfare (conventional and nuclear), submarine, aviation (pilot or naval flight officer), special warfare (SEALS), special operations (diving officer/EOD), USMC ground, and USMC aviation. If you are not physically qualified for the above, you can select restricted line (supply corps, intelligence, cryptology, etc). There is a small but growing number of grads able to commission directly into the medical corps.

 

This slide has the breakdown for all of the selections for class of 2011. Selections for 2012 are here. (Along with a bunch of grumpy grad comments.)

 

A couple changes since back in my day. They no longer go straight by class rank (which was a combo of academics and professional rankings). Now you put in a preference card and they try to match as many as possible with their first or second choice. I think there is also an interview process for more communities than in the past. Service Selection night is now Service Assignment night. Mids gather together with their company officer and are given a folder with their assignment inside.

 

The other big change is that USMC used to be capped at 16% coming from USNA. That restriction was dropped and USMC selections went up.

 

This article from a couple years ago gives some insight into the whole process.

 

ETA: I think the difference may rest in the idea in the Navy that Special Warfare is a separate and independent warfare specialty. It isn't seen as being a specialty branch of another designator. Enlisted SEALS got their own rating (like an MOS) in 2006.

Edited February 22, 2012 by Sebastian (a lady)

[NancyNellen]

Thank you all for this helpful information. My oldest has been aiming for the USNA for a few years now with a desire to become a Marine officer. We've discussed ROTC options, as well. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to explain the in's and out's and to give your advice.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Thank you all for this helpful information. My oldest has been aiming for the USNA for a few years now with a desire to become a Marine officer. We've discussed ROTC options, as well. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to explain the in's and out's and to give your advice.

 

One nice thing about ROTC is that you select Navy or Marines when you apply. So you do have a Marine commission at the end; it's not subject to service assignment. It might be less of an issue now that the cap on Marines has been lifted, but 20 years ago, it was possible for there to be more interested in Marines than there were billets available at USNA.

 

Of course the down side is that changing your mind isn't an option.

 

One other thing to consider in weighing options is the possible impact of budget and personnel cuts. I graduated from USNA in the 1990s, just as the cold war was ending, the Berlin Wall was falling and huge reductions in force were beginning. I knew cadets on ROTC scholarship who were not able to get a commission in the Army. They didn't owe money for their degrees, but they also didn't have a job upon graduation. The possibility for non-scholarship students to get commissions were very limited as well.

 

This was not something that was a factor for academy cadets and midshipmen.

 

Now every military drawdown has its own unique variables. Sometimes the military even learns from what they did poorly in the past. But it is something to consider. (Of course this is more of an issue for students who are entering in the next year or two.)