<p>Say I never applied to the academy, and am going somewhere else this coming fall, but want to apply for the following year, (class of 2011) when would I need to start the app process,and is there anything special I would have to do since i wasw already in college? I know i'd have to start as a freshmen, but would class credits transfer?</p>
<p>the Application process is exactly the same as if you were in high school...but getting teacher recs and the counselor's stuff might be different. I still used my high school teachers and counselor for that.</p>
<p>And no, your credits don't transfer. but you still have to work your ass off. I worked harder that first quarter than I ever did in high school. Once I got the appointment though, it's just been downhill...</p>
<p>You would want to select a curriculum that closely mirrors that of a Plebe, and with similar hours. You would do this to demonstrate you could handle the load and coursework.</p>
<p>You would also want to participate in sports and ECA's, and get the aforementioned recommendations and so forth.</p>
<p>I can't give you a specific window to apply by (I applied my Junior year in HS), but earlier is better. </p>
<p>You're gonna have to bust your butt, but lots of folks have done it.</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe USNA takes transfer credits. You will be given validation tests and, as with any other student, if you validate one or more classes, you will be given validation credit for them. Thus, if you received an "A" in Calc I at your civilian college, you don't get an "A" for USNA purposes. If you pass the validation test, you start with Calc II (and have freed up 4 hours for later in your midshipman academic career).</p>
<p>As for the application process, it is the same procedurally. However, some students find it more difficult because most colleges don't have a guidance counselor who's job it is to help you apply to college. Thus, you have to do more work on your own. I would start early, b/c it may take you more time to obtain letters of recommendation and transcripts from your high school once you've graduated.</p>
<p>Also agree with Zaphod that you should take as many "plebe" courses as possible -- meaning Calculus, Chemistry, English, World History. Other courses that allow you to potentially validate include language and physics.</p>
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Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe USNA takes transfer credits. You will be given validation tests and, as with any other student, if you validate one or more classes, you will be given validation credit for them. Thus, if you received an "A" in Calc I at your civilian college, you don't get an "A" for USNA purposes. If you pass the validation test, you start with Calc II (and have freed up 4 hours for later in your midshipman academic career).
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<p>Correct. There are, however, a small handful of exceptions, which can be found on USNA's website. VERY few exceptions, mostly in languages like Spanish.</p>
<p>It's not that complicted to apply from college. If you need a friggin guidance counselor, then you're probably headed to the wrong place. The only thing my Honors Program advisor did was write a recommendation letter to the Academy (USAFA), the senator and the house of reps guy.</p>
<p>This is what I'm doing. I actually registered for classes today and I felt bad because I just told them that I picked the classes that I did to get a well-rounded base, which is pretty much true. But it's more for the academy. I signed up for Calc 1, Chem and Lab, Independent Study in German, and there Core class which is a lit type class. plus a seminar type thing about the da Vinci Code, adds up to 18 hours. I figure it makes me more competitive to have these classes and will help me out some next year.</p>
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plus a seminar type thing about the da Vinci Code
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<p>Drop that and take real history.</p>
<p>No, I'm not kidding.</p>
<p>Getting a high GPA is more important than overloading yourself with credit hours. I took the recommended course load for Computer Science at Michigan Tech so that in case I didn't get into Navy, I'd at least be on track for my major at Tech. This only turned out to be 15.5 hours first semester and 16 second semester.</p>
<p>I got a 4.0 first semester and 3.9 second semester, yielding me an LOA (had a broken bone that had to be cleared first).</p>
<p>It is much more important to show the Academy that you can succeed in college than to completely overload yourself with classes and struggle to keep above a 3.0 GPA.</p>
<p>I agree with Zaphod...drop that da Vinci class and sign up for a U.S. History or Government type class.
Most 4/c are carrying a very heavy course load and classes generally include (for the year):
Calc I & II
Chemistry I & II
English Literature (semester)
English Composition (semester)
US History
Intro Engineering/Naval Science courses (CGA takes a Static engineering one semester and a Navigation class the other)
Some sort of physical education class (swimming, personal defense)
Philosophy and/or Ethics course</p>
<p>I know that it sounds like a lot...It is! Keep in mind that in addition to their academic courses, cadets are responsible for military training and sports activities.
Challenge yourself at a civilian college, watch your time management and keep those grades up!
Best of luck with your application process!</p>
<p>Screw the slacker attitude.</p>
<p>I validated 33 credit hours, have junior status after 3 semesters, and a 3.53 with 75 credit hours. Bums.</p>
<p>I'm glad I did what I did, since I've basically taken every course at USAFA through the 300 level stuff, as well as 1 400 level class.</p>
<p>Basically what I'm saying is if you can get into higher stuff, take it.</p>
<p>TacticalNuke....your posts lately have been nothing but hateful to every single person.</p>
<p>How is it a slacker attitude to take my major's RECOMMENDED courseload at one of the top Engineering schools in the country?</p>
<p>I took Freshman Chemistry and got an A when the exam averages were in the 60s every time. I took Freshman Physics and got an A when the exam averages were also in the 60s every time. It does not make sense to try to overload yourself trying to make yourself look good, and then end up in a situation where your GPA isn't good enough DESPITE having taken all those courses.</p>
<p>I'm sorry that I didn't validate 33 credits before even entering college and have junior status after a year of college...I guess I just have a "slacker attitude".</p>
<p>The same idea applies in college as it does in high school.</p>
<p>Is the academy gonna like someone who takes numerous easy classes and gets a 4.0, or someone who really challenges himself and get's a 3.5?</p>
<p>Higher GPA is good...depending on how you achieve it. I took 18 hours in the fall with Calc I, Chem I, Naval Science, and Military History of the US. I came out with a 3.33 GPA. While it didn't get me an LOA, I did get the appointment.</p>
<p>I still don't get how taking the scheduled coursework for my major is taking "easy" classes and having a "slacker attitude".</p>
<p>My point is that you do not have to overload yourself with 20 credits per semester while reapplying as a college student. This might cause some people's GPA to suffer below a 3.0. If you have 75 credit hours already while still having a 3.5 GPA, then GOOD. The Academy will love that. However, a lot of people reapplying as college students might see this as NEEDING to have that many credit hours to get an Appointment.</p>
<p>For those of you that will be reapplying during college: Taking 20 credits per semester and having above a 3.0 will be looked very highly upon at the Academy; however, taking a courseload around 16 credits won't seem like "slacking" to the Academy and might offer you a better chance to succeed.</p>
<p>I never said to get 20 credit hours per semester. I took 14, 16, 14.</p>
<p>My point is that you made it sound like you should just take an exact replaice of the Academy load, instead of trying to get into the highest classes you can. Look, if you can't hack it at a civvie college except by taking easy stuff, how you gonna survive USNA?</p>
<p>We're talking about two different things. However, time and again I've seen people on here harp taking it easy at the civvie college so you can get a good GPA. Even if the Navy takes you, you're going to come into USNA woefully unprepared. That attitude is not conducive to the type of individuals the SAs are trying to build.</p>
<p>Challenge yourself.</p>
<p>If you have a problem with my posting, PM me.</p>
<p>Your freshman year of college, barring having taken AP exams and testing out of classes, does not present a student with a lot of choices for the types of classes they can take.</p>
<p>Almost every freshman at Michigan Tech takes the same base courseload: Calculus, Chemistry, Engineering, Language. One of the biggest killers at the Naval Academy for the Plebes is Freshman Chemistry, just like it was at Michigan Tech. </p>
<p>How does taking courses that reflect the kind of coursework that will be found at a SA come off as just taking "easy stuff"? You do not have to be taking Junior level courses when you enter the Academy. However, you SHOULD be able to prove that you can handle coursework similar to what you will be taking your freshman year at a SA.</p>
<p>i wouldn't say "woefully unprepared". i had never taken calc until i got to the academy, or any of the other college courses that seem to have set you up so nicely, and i was fine academically.</p>
<p>When exactly do I need to start the application process? When my brother applied to USAFA he started doing interviews and such in August. Is it the same for the Naval Academy?</p>
<p>It would just seem weird to start applying to the academy when I'd only been at my college for a week or so.</p>
<p>Wheelah, perhaps I'll rephrase.</p>
<p>In high school in order to gain admissions you have to have a prett hefty schedule, one that requires a lot of time-balancing. However, once you're off to college you can have what may pass for admission without really challenging yourself. What I think people should avoid is simply scheduling to get in, but rather lean toward scheduling to push themselves in such a way as to prepare for the Academy. Since you didn't go to civvie college, I understand that I may come off as bragging and harsh. However, what I mean to address here is this prevalence of "do what gets in you" as opposed to "do what gets you in and prepares you well for what lies ahead".</p>
<p>Hansel, start as early as possible. I was in college for two years total, so I started pretty early in my second year (but late by all standards, had to rush a lot of things). So yes, start very early. They won't make admissions decisions until your first semester (and this is the only one on which the "decision" will be made, the second semester will be a keep or no keep situation).</p>
<p>I applied in my senior year (this year) and am still waiting on the wait list. I want to apply again next year if I don't get in before I-Day. </p>
<p>I have an NROTC scholarship that I wanted to use for the first year and then I wanted to transfer to USNA but I called up the NROTC headquarters place today and someone there told me that once I'm in NROTC I'm not allowed to apply to USNA. Does anybody know if this is true??</p>