Military Service Academies (USMA/USNA/USAFA), Tips for my son?

Looking for tips on getting my son into one of the service academies. He wants to go, it's not just me pushing it.

They are looking for the "Scholar/Athlete/Leader."

What kinds of leadership things is he doing?

Is there a J-ROTC program at his high school? Or at a high school nearby? (Does not matter the service.)

Email sent

A couple references I saw online:

http://www.amazon.com/West-Point-Candidate-Book-Prepare/dp/0979794323/ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Service-Academy-Admissions-ebook/dp/B0027IRF38

Before I go into depth on this topic, please have your son answer this question...Why do you want to be an officer in the US Army?

Send me a PM. Utilize the candidate handbook. Get your son ready for the SAT. Furthermore, who would your son seek a nomination through! Congresman, Senators, the VP? Find out they run their respective processes.

This is the number one type of question that I ask parents that have a son/daughter looking at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy. Sometimes just that simple goal alone will be the item that pulls them through the four challenging years of a military academy.

Take the SAT/ACTs now! I had to take the ACT 4 times to get the English up to min level (OK education) I maxed the other 3 but the English kicked my ass.

Get a couple letters to the congressman now to see how the current competition is (ie are they filling all the billets/percentage not approved/etc)


Ask around friends, family, if they have any contacts in the political realm. The good ol boy network still works.

Guidance counseler, see them they should have some info.

Any diversity (Indian blood, minority), no I'm not joking. If you can prove it, your a shoo in.

Find a local academy student on leave (thangsgiving/summer/xmas), have them talk together, w/o you around or anyone else. He will decide if its worth it. Find a grad to temper the cadets opinion.

Have him take a trip to one of the zoo's next summer, I forget what they call it, but hopefuls can go for a couple days, get stuck with a cadet and live in the dorms, look around, eat the food. Its a very lopsided view as during the summer the ass chewings are less prevalent.


Im sure it has changed since I was there but its a start

I don't agree with this. They don't need to answer it before they go, but they should think about it.

At the time I gave the "I don't know" and I did to many people. Hell the only reason I went is becuase I didn't have anything better to do and didn't really care. It was a option and I had no military in my family except for the grandfathers in WW2. The only person I knew in the mil was a marine who did one tour and only talked about LBFMs all the time. So I went completely cold and it was defiantly a shock.

They do not need to answer the question before they go, they will figure it out while they are there or they will leave. If they are good kids, been brought up decent they will do fine. If they are a sham or a closet fuckoff, they will get rooted out.

USNA? IMO "trying it out" at a service Academy is morally reprehensible. I saw many, many slots wasted on folks who never should have been admitted in the first that quit in the first semester. It burned me up because I knew there were potentially outstanding young officers out there who just missed the cut.

Another route to consider, if he can not secure the recommendation from the congress critter, is that it can be much easier to enlist and apply. The requirements are different, but are much easier to attain if they are squared away.

I guess I'm morally reprehensible.

Those guys that quit were never the right type to begin with, i.e momma's boys, your special in your little bowl/average in a group can't deal with it. I'm sure they all thought that's what "they wanted without a doubt".

There are always people that could have made it that didn't make the cut. All selection process are like that.

How is one supposed to know if they want to do something or not if they never have been exposed to it?

It's better to select the right "type" of person vice one that just want to do it (ie a feeling). Hell everyone wants to be a SEAL until they get their ass handed to them in cold water.

Desire is a feeling that can be masked, character does not mask that well.

I'd rather my colleagues wanted to be there, than just needed a free education.

You can tell the difference.

I never went to any of the service academies, I was just enlisted scum. One of my Bosses was a an AF Academy grad and he said that the best thing to do to try to get into any of the academies is to start getting ready in 9th grade and work your ass off, be well rounded, physically fit and show leadership potential through being in leadership positions both in and out of school.

As other posters stated, if a cadet doesn't pack the gear to stick it out in an academy they will be shown the door. I knew a girl in high school who was just sure she was going to go to the AF Academy and just tear that place up and kick ass. She lasted barely one semester.

If the service academies don't work out there's ROTC or OCS, though I never thought many of those officers were worth a shit.

Why is that?

Sounds like he's got a pretty good start. Tell him to get into the top 5% of the class by the end of Junior year. I am, though, immediately suspicious of anyone who gets their Eagle before 2 weeks prior to their 18th birthday (like I did).

I was dead-set on going to the Air Force Academy from about the age of 5 until the age of 17 when they sent me a letter of non-acceptance (to be fair, they said I could go to their prep school). Luckily, I had hedged my bets and applied to ALL the service academies. USNA accepted me, and, sometimes the best things in life are, indeed, unanswered prayers. He might be very interested in going to West Point. He needs to examine ALL his service academy options - to include the Merchant Marine Academy (likely the best-kept secret of the service academies).

I also recommend he apply to the state colleges of his interest. He might not get in the first round, and some college credits from a decent school will still play well during subsequent applications.

It is possible to cross-service commission (i.e. go to USNA and get commissioned as an Army officer), but you need to find someone to trade with you from the other service.

If you go to the MMA, I have heard (don't know for a fact) that you can nearly pick the service into which you want to commission.

Merchant Marine Academy, and Coast Guard Academy, as well.

And, a big plus one to C_J's comment.

I went to the week long candidate summer camps for USMA and USNA. For me, the Army was a much better "fit". I didn't finalize my decision until after the camps.

If you finish your applications to the academies quickly, you can get accepted pretty early IE October of your senior year. I'm tracking most state schools keep their admissions open long after that.

I think i had 1 dude in my class of nearly 1k go Marines. His father and grandfather were career Marine officers. I'm pretty sure the approval for that is ultimately the office of the sec def.

Lack of experience is my guess...not talking about the officers.

Stealing your analogy, I'm of the opinion we should recruit the Ensign that wants to sacrifice the best years of his life leading the world's finest amphibious warriors than the ensign who wants to be a SEAL because they have long hair and wear a cool badge.

I want to go to WP to learn to lead and be the best officer I can be vs. I want to go to WP because dad did/to play lacrosse/they have a good engineering program.

IMO you can do enough reading/research before attending that you have a good enough idea of what you are getting into. Insert cliche football player that never filled out an application (what are coaches for...) and quits on R-day because people are yelling at him.

I went to USNA for one purpose: to fly. The long hair, oiled-up volleyball games and golden wings were just a bonus. Seriously, the .mil needs all kinds. Some of the most gung-ho folks quit becasue they just can't hack it. Some of the most laid-back midshipmen go on to do great things. You can't judge the person for the reasons they enter - only the reasons that they succeed.

It's been 18 years since I graduated from USMA, but I know some things have not changed. USMA was and is looking for leaders of character who serve the common defense. They basically want someone who is well rounded and an athelete. I knew I wanted to go to one of the academies when I entered high school Over those 4 years I basically built a file to get me in. I played sports, participated is class leadership, earned a black belt in karate, and joined and participated in an many school clubs and civic organizations as I could. I also studied my butt off to keep my GPA high, and prepped for the ACT and SAT. I also made sure I met by house representative and senators. I applied thru then, the VP, and President Reagan (Presidential route only open to offspring of active or retired military).

What awed me when I was there was that for every one of us admitted, there were 10 who tried to get in. I always felt I owed it to those guys who tried to get in to stay, gut it out, and graduate. It was a heck of a motivator to me. As far as why you're there, in general BS sessions and in private conversations over my 4 years, there were many, many reasons. I myself always wanted to be a military officer. My dad was Army and his dad Navy. USMA just accepted me before USNA did.

Shoot me an IM if I can give you any more info. I have several classmates teaching there now and lots and lots who have done so before returning to the larger Army.

Duane

I would assume so as well.

My Soldiers think I'm a USMA grad when I yell, a prior service OCS grad when I care and an ROTC grad when I talk about college.

Your son needs excellent grades and standardized test scores - sounds like he's on track for that. Beyond that, he needs varsity athletics and a few other activities like scouting, student council, national honor society, etc.

I suggest he apply for all 3 (or 4) academies. My father was a career USAF officer and I went to high school near Offutt AFB in NE and even had delusions of playing football at USAFA. A wise high school counselor convinced me to apply to USAFA, USMA, and USNA. I'm glad I did. I was rejected by USAFA but was accepted by USMA and USNA. You can probably tell by my handle here which one I chose

I didn't do JROTC in high school so I'm not sure if that helps or not. My high school class had 2 go to USMA and 2 to USAFA and 1 of the 4 did JROTC.

It may vary by state or congresscritter, but way back in my day, the congresscritters nominated 5 or so applicants per opening they had and let the academies sort them out. I didn't try to schmooze them, YMMV.

There may be a parents club or other similar organization that supports one or more of the academies in your area. Check them out. Summer picnics were pretty common and a good way to meet cadets/midshipmen and their parents.

Good Luck!

I've worked for a lot of officers over the years and I can only speak for those I knew personally. The ones who went to the AFA were always a cut above the ROTC/OTS grads. The academy grads were far better leaders, motivators, and above all they were better people to work for. ROTC grads seemed to have a chip on their shoulder and always felt they were being shortchanged because they ended up in my career field. The OTS officers were some of the worst micromanagers and always had to remind us they were once enlisted. I will say irregardless of which commissioning source, there is nothing worse than a 1LT who shows up to the unit who just failed out of pilot/navigator training and realizes he has to do time in Security Forces.

Shit they can't be that hard...I got a few emails from a MAJ in admissions in my first year of my contract. Only reason I turned it down was because I already have a degree, and I'd rather do green to gold to get a masters.

Requires a one for one swap.

I have always said, and will continue to say, that the commissioning program chosen has absolutely no bearing on the quality of the officer. There's good and bad with the Academies, with ROTC, and with OCS. It's the man, not the school, that determines if he'll be a good officer.

I disagree with that somewhat; I think ROTC produces the best officers, with USMA and OCS turning out a less reliable product.

Of course, the academies are absurdly expensive, and we could have better officers if we spent the money differently...

Wow. Perhaps that is true in the Army.

Start writing your congresman now, and write another letter every year with accomplishments over the past year.
My cousin did this for 3 years and was her Congresman's first choice.

What do all the Shitty Navy Academy grads branch? Then, where do the worst of that branch get posted. What's the worst unit at that post?

Find me that unit then show me the worst battalion and company there is.

That's where Combat Jack works.

PS: They have no deployments in the future...slightly less useful than tradoc.

PSS: At least that's how I see it...but I'm not privy to what a first BDE actually does.

I don't know much about USNA grads. The ones I went to FA BOLC with were such assholes that we were unable to exchange a conversation longer than forced pleasantries.

The classes heavy with West Point grads were always the worst classes to instruct for at Ft Sill.

There was really a not giving a fuck factor involved there also was always a large portion of each class being discharged for exercised induced asthma (apparently they never PTd at West Point). Normally around the 4th or 5th week all the USMA grads were pulled in and counseled by some field grade USMA grads and it somewhat fixed the problem


*I did have some really good USMA grads also that fit in better with the Marine Lts than their fellow USMA grads there at the school house.

Would be interesting to hear their opinion of you.

15 years old?

http://www.fuma.org/

GO BLUE DEVILS! (class of '83"

Who would get it? Their fellow Marines didn't like them either.

And a class before one of them had knocked a ring on an instructor and gotten himself into a world of shit, so the instructors weren't too happy with them, either.

I'll call bullshit on that one. I've never met a USNA grad that knocked a ring on anyone.

Either have I, but I didn't argue the point with the Captain telling the story.

Congrats! I am assuming he is highly commited and wish all the best in his future endeavors. A few thoughts on what I have seen:

1. Contact your congressional office. Many Congressmen have a interview process or application that they like to see. Find out what it is. This is one of the few jobs that most congressmen truly enjoy because they are helping a constituent out, not just dealing with someone with a problem.

2. Get involved in the community. My suggestion is if you can't be talking direct with the congressman, you can be involved in an organization that has ties or donors straight to the congressman. Also, elections are coming up. If your son were to volunteer and work the campaign this would be an easy "backdoor" approach to winning the congressman's favor.

3. The Academies want well rounded individuals. The Eagle Scout goes a long way (congrats). Do anything that shows your son is a leader and seperates him from his peers. My suggestion is get involved in student government. This shows leadership and his willingness to serve. You may look for anything else that builds a well rounded resume.

I see you are from Texas. IM me your location as I may be able to help out more...

I think the academies have proven their worth over the years. It seems that the most disparaging remarks always come from those who feel slighted by grads or envious. I will admit that you have duds from all sources but overall academies generally produce pretty good leaders. Must be an opinion generated through extensive "combat" experience to rate such a login ID.

Best advice for a potential candidate is focus on excellent grades, standardized test scores. Athletics is very important, especially in leadership roles such as team captain. They look for leadership roles in clubs or school functions. JROTC really doesn't rate much, I believe Eagle Scout is a big one though.

Yep. I couldn't even get into UNLV with my terrible grades, but I became interested in the USNA when I was enlisted. According to the USNA recruiter that came by, I was pretty much a shoo-in, though I got cold feet and decided not to go.

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