Similar to most other hopeful military academy attendees I was wondering about the general difference between the two military academies I am currently interested in (West Point v USNA). Beyond the difference of one being army and the other navy what are the lifestyle and general career differences between the two.
In addition, I’m currently a high school junior who is very determined to get an appointment to the academy of my choosing need any tips or suggestions for anything else to focus on for my application.
The general Rundown:
ACADEMICS
weighted GPA - 4.75
unweighted GPA - 4.0
I’ve taken 16 AP classes throughout high school (all 4’s and 5’s on exams ) * made a 3 on my AP ART History Exam
SAT - 2260
ACT - 34
EXTRA CURRICULAR
2 varsity letters (tennis + golf)
Tennis - 2nd team all conference; set a all time school record of 40+ years as a regional finalist in Florida (very competitive state for tennis), TennisTeam Captain
Key Club Secretary
Science Olympiad 1st place regional (team + individual)
School Academic/Brain Bowl team multiple awards/competitions
200+ volunteer hours at a community shelter for abused victims and underprivileged children/families.
Naval Academy – By far the smallest campus (only 340 acres), but the best weather. Places heavy emphasis on engineering, with a quota of 60% of midshipmen graduating in an engineering discipline. If you are in the Navy, you are almost certain to be assigned to a ship. Very few land based careers. However, you can go Marine Corps. Indeed, USNA graduates can do almost anything that USMA and USAFA graduates can. They can be pilots, command a ship, or lead an infantry platoon. Coming out of USNA you will probably follow one of four careers: Surface Line (regular ships), submarines, aviation, or Marine Corps.
West Point – Enormous campus (over 16,000 acres!), and very cold winters. Lovely location on the Hudson River. Amazing sense of history; almost like attending college in a museum. You can almost feel the ghosts of MacArthur, Patton, Eisenhower, Grant, Pershing, etc… Last thing I knew, USMA still used the “Thayer Method” of instruction, which is very interactive and requires solid preparation before class. http://www.usma.edu/cfe/literature/shallberg_10.pdf
The Army is the largest service, and has more bases world wide than you can imagine. Also has tons of career options.
Air Force Academy – You didn’t ask but, anyhow, USAFA has the largest campus, with over 18,000 acres. Almost as cold as West Point, but with wider temperature swings. Not quite the emphasis on engineering as USNA, but still heavy on technology.
All of the academies will push you to your limit! All are serious about physical fitness and time management. It is hard for anybody to get in, but you seem well positioned.