An international school/service academy question

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi all, </p>

<p>I got some great info here when my older daughter was looking at schools and I am counting on your help again. We moved to China in July for my husbands work. I have a freshman at WPI in Massachusetts and a sophomore in high school here with us in China. While I have lots to say about the 7823 mile separation of our freshman daughter and us, this question relates to our younger daughter. </p>

<p>She has always been interested in being a naval officer. Her top choice of future place is of course, Annapolis. Our situation is that we are in China for either 14 months, or if she chooses to extend, 3 years. My husband's assignment is flexible and we will return to one of the top high schools in New England if she chooses to return. So this is the complicated question:</p>

<p>Should we stay in China?</p>

<p>She has a 93 GPA and on track for an IB diploma from a top International school. She fences 2 times per week and is a delegate in her school's Model United Nations (and going to Beijing for a 5 day conference in March as a rep from her school) She is also learning Mandarin and doing incredibly well in this progress. </p>

<p>Should we return to New England?</p>

<p>Top public high school, varsity rower, more than 300 hours teaching in one year in a program which gets kids with disabilities out on the snow in adaptive equip or skis. She is also a Sea Cadet back home. Her grades are slightly lower there, but the GPA is unweighted. She could go back to all of these things the moment we return to the US -- if we go back for her Junior year. </p>

<p>Other stuff -- Not Asian heritage, non military parents, wants to be a Mandarin/liguistics major -- can speak Spanish as well.</p>

<p>She has emailed the blue and gold international rep and is waiting to hear - but any advice is appreciated. </p>

<p>Also, she knows the secret formula of high grades, strong math and science curriculum, seeking out other leadership activities and rock the SATs...</p>

<p>The problem is, where does she have the better shot of making a serious run at it?</p>

2

<p>I would post this on the service academy threads. I don’t know the answer, but here is one way to think about it: service academies require nominations from elected officials for your state, right? How does this process work for international students (students who don’t have a home state)? If you can figure out the odds (number of students) going each route and requesting appointments, that might help you think about this. </p>

<p>I have a niece who was a National Merit Semifinalist, but did not even complete the paperwork to be a finalist because she felt that the odds were so stacked against her given the high volume of expat students she had to compete against for a small number of slots. She said that if she had lived in her “home state” they had originally moved from, her competition would have been less AND the pool she would compete against would have been smaller. So if you can glean some info about the number of applicants from abroad and how recommendations/nominations work for that, that might be a factor to consider.</p>

3

<p>Have you discussed this with the college-placement team at her international school? If they don’t have the expertise needed, they may have pals at other international schools who do.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>I have no advice, just wanted to say “good luck” to your D. My S1 commissioned thorugh the NROTC program at a big state u. He wanted the traditional college experience along with the military training. It worked out great for him. He’s now an Ensign training for his dream job in the Navy.<br>
If your D is really serious about being a Naval officer, she should also investigate NROTC so as not to have all her eggs in one basket. From what I’ve read, the majority of USNA applicants do this. Best of luck.</p>

5

<p>I can’t offer much advice, but wanted to clarify an item – The recommendation for the academies do NOT need to come from your home states rep. </p>

<p>I know a young man at the Air Force Academy whose recommendation can from an out of state who also happened to be on a well known committee – the cadet’s SAT did not match up against most of the applicants and this cadet is convinced it was the “known” recommendor which gave him the edge he needed to off-set the SAT.</p>

<p>Another poster suggested NROTC. I don’t know if they were referring to consider it when applying to Annapolis as the alternative or as a junior member while in high school. I believe the Sea Cadet program is stronger in most respects vs. junior ROTC as it provides more hands on experiences.</p>

<p>Given her current education major choice, it would be very difficult to replicate the experience she is gaining by living in China. I also think she would stand out nicely from others in the application pool by remaining in China. But this is simply my opinion and no basis in personal experience.</p>

6

<p>What sticks out to m,e is that in China, she is surround by the language and you say she is doing well. I assure you a child “just taking” Mandarin in the USA will not even come close to the mastery your daughter will experience in the everyday. If the Mandarin is her passion (I say that because that is what you said she wants to major in) then I think China is the place for her now. That alone should give her a stronger leg to stand on in the admissions process. This that said, what does she want? Does she miss her NE friends? Has she made good friends in China and does she seem happy there? I would go with emotional and spiritual stability as the tie breaker in this case.</p>

7

<p>

It is not a recommendation but a Congressional Nomination.
Actually by law - you need to be a resident of the district or state the nominator represents.</p>

<p>In order for her to receive a Congressional Nomination she needs to apply to the three members of Congress where you are a legal resident. This gets tricky for ex-pats who live overseas. Some members of Congress will hesitate on this if your residency is in question.</p>

<p>The nomination hurdle may be easier if she is attending high school in the US. If you choose to remain overseas make sure you maintain a clear legal residence in the US.
Other than that - it’s not about where she goes to high school but what she brings to the table. There are no points nor penalties for attending high school overseas.</p>

<p>Also keep in mind, USNA is highly technical. If she chooses to major in Chinese she will still take a courseload heavy on math (calc I, II and diff eq), science (Chem and physics) and engineering.</p>

8

<p>JustMomof4 - Thank you for setting me straight on the recommendation. I am sorry for supplying misleading info.</p>

9

<p>^
It’s okay - it is very confusing!!</p>

10

<p>Thank you for all the input. I have also put this on the service academy thread. I appreciate all the ideas. Lots to think about. She and I are meeting with her guidance person at the international school on Monday. I am hoping we can come to some decision before we go home for the holidays so we can deliver the news of our extending (if that is the case) to our families in person. It will not be well received…on second thought, maybe a email is better…</p>

<p>:) Thank you again.</p>

11

<p>Is she considering Coast Guard Academy? You do not need a Congressional nom and admission is strictly by the numbers. What appeals to her to become a Naval Officer? Coasties spend more time on ships that Middies.</p>

12

<p>There is also the Merchant Marine Academy which would love, I’m sure, to train people who speak Mandarin as their service personnel travel all over the world. That training gives you the life at sea much more than going to Annapolis. I’ve known a lot of Naval Academy grads who spend nearly the whole of their working lives at the Pentagon or some other office building. The Navy is also huge…which means there’s a whole lot of people ahead of you when you are waiting for your command. The smaller services generally promote more quickly.</p>

13

<p>The service academies also have Presidential and VP nominations.</p>

14

<p>^
yes they do but Presidential nominations are reserved for children of active or retired military members. The OP has not indicated this is the case.
VP nominations are extremely limited to about 1 per academy per year.</p>