alright, as you may have seen my post on the USCG. well i got accepted to valley forge military college in PA. its  a 2 year school. they have a 99% success rate on getting their students into the US Military Academy, US Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy. so heres my quesion. say by some chance i do get accepted to the Naval Academy, right. should i take the opportunity and go. because i have been looking at both the USCG and Navy. and i think the Naval college would be a good place to go. but say it does come up and i get accepted, should i take the opportunity and go for it? or just finish the rest 2 years off at a civy college doing ROTC? or just got to the USCG?

thanks guys

take care

ETA: other two colleges are norwhich in VT and mass maritime academy. and im sernior in high school. class 06

Biased opinion, but take USNA if you can get it.  USCGA too for that matter.  Absolutely nothing wrong with ROTC at a good university and good officers come from all commissioning sources (not so good ones too), but if your intention is for a military career, a service academy is the right place to begin it.

My $.02 and YMMV.

H-46, USNA '89

Quoted: My personal opinion.  If you don't get into the academy, but you are close, join the fleet, serve a hitch enlisted and then apply.  Standards for sailors (and soldiers, for USMA) are much lower than for joe blow out of high school. You will learn more, get paid, have fun and be much better prepared for your career as an officer than by going to a prep school. my 2 cents. Sylvan USMA 93

I agree, but I think a better way to say it is that  the standard for sailors and soldiers is "different" and not "lower".  A four year enlistment makes up for (and then some) a point or two on an exam.

Bubba
former USA officer
Not ROTC or USMA

Here's my fifty cents.  The Class of 2009, the current plebe class, roughly 7% of them are prior enlisted, and 20% of that 7% went to nuke school.  Also 65% of the 7% went to NAPS, Naval Academy Prepatory School.  Those are just facts and figures to ponder.

If you get accepted to either Academy, and you truly desire to become an officer do as Nike says: just do it.  You will have to put up with some BS, but it will be worth it in the end.  If you have more questions about the Naval Academy, my roommate and I would be happy to talk to you.  Neither of us are prior enlisted, but we have a few in company who we could get information from about their experiences, as well as a bunch of NAPSters.      

ADH
USNA '07

Yes, I do realize I am not an officer yet; just a lowly midshipman.

Quoted: By lower I was referring to the SAT scores and GPA and such. Trust me, the prior service guys usually did much better than the so-called "smarter" high schoolers. Discipline will do wonders for your grades.

Does the USNA take old people? I know I outclass the H.S. kids they're putting out these days.

Quoted: Quoted: By lower I was referring to the SAT scores and GPA and such. Trust me, the prior service guys usually did much better than the so-called "smarter" high schoolers. Discipline will do wonders for your grades. Does the USNA take old people? I know I outclass the H.S. kids they're putting out these days.

Like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan?