Naval Academy

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
1

<p>I found out on about December 10th that I would have to attend the 1 year prep school before being admitted to the Naval Academy with the class of 2018. I have already signed my paper work and I received my Letter of Appointment on Christmas Eve. Obviously, I am going to take this offer because it would allow me to strengthen my academic background so I can strive when I do indeed arrive in Annapolis and also allow me more time to train for the SEALs, which is my desired career path. If anybody has any questions regarding the admissions process or just the Academy in general, feel free to ask. I'm here to offer advice and to help and that is why I made this thread. Here is my resume by the way:</p>

<p>Academic
• Honors English 9th grade
• Honors Earth Science 9th grade
• Honors World History 9th grade
• Honors English 10th grade
• Honors Biology 10th grade
• Honors World History 10th grade
• Honors English College Composition 11th grade (Dual Enrollment, 6 credits earned)
• Honors Virginia/US History 11th grade
• Honors AP European History 11th grade
• Honors English College British Literature 12th grade (Dual Enrollment, 6 credits earned)
• Honors Anatomy/Physiology 12th grade
• Honors VA/US Government 12th grade
• Honors German 2 12th grade
• 3.83 GPA
• 26 ACT composite score
• Class Ranking- 64 out of 317
Awards/Accomplishments
• 3 year Academic letter
• All-District Track & Field 9th grade
• All-District Track & Field 11th grade
• Varsity letter in Track & Field 9th,10th, and 11th grade
• All-Region Track & Field 11th grade
• 2011-2012 Dominion District Track & Field Champions
• Boy’s State Nominee
• National Honor Society candidate
Extracurricular Activities
• Junior Varsity Basketball 10th grade
• Junior Varsity Football 9th and 10th grade
• Varsity Track and Field 9th, 10th, and 11th grade (Captain)
• Spirit Club
• German Club
Community Service
• Volunteer at the VA Medical Center (Dialysis Ward) every Saturday
• Toys for tots kids drive 10th grade
• Cookies for Cancer bake sale 10th grade
• Virginia Food Festival 2012
• DaVita Dialysis Aid</p>

2

<p>Congratulations! That’s awesome!</p>

<p>What about math classes?</p>

3

<p>You should be very proud! You seem like quite a competitive candidate. Do you think the lack of chemistry, physics and Algebra II/Trgi (we have been told that background is more important than calculus) is the academic reason for the prep school? Also, any idea of how competitive your school is? I ask because you seem very well qualified…so do they indicated what areas they wish you to work on at the prep school?
You have a great road ahead…heard good things about the prep program!
T</p>

4

<p>I have taken Algebra I & II, Trig/Advanced Algebra and I am taking Prob & Stat this year… BIG mistake! EVERY person (graduates of USNA, BGOfficers, NROTC officers) that I have talked to says you NEED to take Physics AND Calculus your senior year to be competitive, there is no way around it. I did not know this until after my senior year started and it messed me up in the end, I do believe that is the reason why I am going to Prep School and I do not have a problem with it. And I attend Midlothian High School In Virginia, it is a nationally known school so i’d say it is rather competitive. However, I do not know which areas I am going to have to focus on while at Prep. My officer who attended Prep says that when you go there you take an academic entry test to see where you stand and what subject areas you need the most help in. It’s like this, if I had the opportunity to go straight to the Academy after high school rather than going to prep, I wouldn’t. I hear that Prep helps you A LOT during your plebe year so if that means attending an extra year, then so be it.</p>

5

<p>Congratulations! You’ve just received one of the best gifts you might imagine. </p>

<p>Several questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Which district in VA are you located?</p></li>
<li><p>Did you receive a nomination?</p></li>
<li><p>What were your specific SAT/ACT math and verbal high scores?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you a member of USNA priority admissions target? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Again, congrats and be greatful! You’re beginning on a great adventure.</p>

<p>For those who might be wondering, here are a few statistics relative to NAPS over the past 5 admission seasons:</p>

<p>A. Classes have increased from 256 to 300; “Priors” has decreased from 64 to 30; Minorities has increased from 120 to 211; Recruited athletes from 79 to 111.</p>

<p>B. Average math/verbal SAT/ACT scores are as follows over 5 years: AA -543/535; Hispanic-580/569; Caucasian -593/570 </p>

<p>C.There are 20 officers and 40 civilians operating NAPS</p>

<p>D. USNA has just passed a requirement that all NAPS grads will have to re-take SAT/ACT tests </p>

<p>E. 58% of all black Mids come thru NAPS; 35% of Hispanics; 13% of caucasians </p>

<p>F. 60% of the football team are NAPSters; 70% of the lacrosse team.</p>

<p>G. NAPS has been receiving increasing scrutiny since the firing of its director, in light of USNA faculty complaints about Mids being poorly prepared for USNA-level work.</p>

6

<p>Thanks and i’ll try to answer your questions as best as possible.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I’m located in Virginia district 7 - Congressman J. Randy Forbes</p></li>
<li><p>I did receive a nomination (Children of Deceased/Disabled Veterans) early in my Candidacy so I did not have to worry about that. I did receive a nomination to West Point from Forbes and I may get rewarded a Vice Presidential Nomination to USNA although it really doesn’t matter now being that I got an appointment </p></li>
<li><p>I do not remember my exact ACT scores… I think they were all 28-30’s in all of the areas</p></li>
<li><p>I do not know what the “primary admission target is” so I will answer no to that question. Care to explain that to me?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I do know that I completed my candidate file with all required parts in early November which my Admissions Counselor told me was VERY early and it separated me although I did not have the highest test scores. By completing everything early it did show that I was highly interested in attending the academy (which I most definitely am) and it does indeed hold precedence over a stellar student who waits until near the deadline to complete all parts of his candidate file. That speaks volumes to the admissions board believe it or not.</p>

7

<p>A few clarifications:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Forbes is District 4, I believe?</p></li>
<li><p>Your ACT composite suggests your M/V scores might have been a bit below snuff. That’s the “level playing field” and you no doubt suffered from failing to research and take appropriate courses. What is totally surprising is that Midlothian did not provide counsel on this. In any case you point out the important reality that ultimate responsibility for knowing what the expectations for appointment belongs to the candidate. Thanks for sharing this with others that they may avoid your pitfalls that could so easily be avoided with some homework. </p></li>
<li><p>With all respect due your admission counselor, November is not notably “VERY early.” My only point in addressing this is that it is misleading information. Many files are completed by November. </p></li>
<li><p>Further correction, early completion is a good thing. All candidates should proceed in that early manner. However, a less qualified candidate completing his file in November does not necessarily trump or “hold precedence” over a more stellar candidate applying at a later appropriate date. Again, that is misleading information. You are correct that it is ALWAYS best to project a high degree of interest and motivation. </p></li>
<li><p>My question was about “priority admission target.” These are specific groups which USNA seeks and fall outside the traditional guidelines for admission. These include certain minority groups and recruited athletes. If you review my earlier post, point A., you can begin to see the change in these groups. At one time women and “priors”, i.e. those serving in the Fleet or the Marine Corps were considered to be priority admissions targets. </p></li>
<li><p>A minor point of semantics, but you note you “got an appointment.” You do not yet have an appointment, only an opportunity to be considered for one in the event you complete NAPS with a “C” or better gpa, and complementary other essential issues (medical, physical, behavioral). </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Again, congratulations on your offer to attend NAPS. Your attitude about this terrific gift is on the money. Some 1,000 fellow candidates who were qualified to compete for USNA appointment would have given their right arm to receive a similar gift. Do your best.</p>

8

<p>Brandon, thanks for the clarifications. I was wondering if you came from a competitive state, and I was right! (I’m a Virginian as well) Congrats on getting the opportunity to get a chance to go to NAPS since we all know how competitive VA is for anything (appointment, NAPS, foundation, etc.)</p>

<p>WhistlePig…Over the past couple of years as I’ve gathered my “intel” on USNA in order to make myself the most competitive applicant I could be, I’ve shadowed you (figuratively, of course ;)), making sure whenever I saw the words “WhistlePig and USNA” together that I read the post, and you’ve sure given me a lot of information over the past couple of years! Soon enough it’ll be my time to apply, and if I am so lucky enough to make it to the Academy, I’ll have to give a speech telling all of the Mids and faculty at USNA how it came to be that I learned so much about the Academy. And I’m sure many of the Mids there will exclaim, “I know him! I know him!” when they heard of your pseudonym. :wink: :D</p>

<p>And yes, I believe Forbes is of the 4th district, Cantor is 7th.</p>

9

<ol>
<li><p>I live on the district line between Forbes’ and Cantor’s district. There was a discrepancy early in my candidacy regarding this but it was indeed cleared up because my candidate file could not be located by Forbes’ office. I was told that I lived in District 7 but Forbes was still my representative due to the boundary lines.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, my ACT scores were low in science. I was not able to take Physics and Calculus during my senior year as a result of classes that I had to take to “play catch up” because I moved around a lot and switched schools during my underclassmen years. When I asked my counselor and principal about this, it was determined that i would be “too far behind” had I opted to take those courses being that it was already 3 months into the school year. </p></li>
<li><p>Regarding the “VERY Early” portion of my application, that is in respect to my CFA, receiving a nomination, and getting cleared for my medical exam being that a high percentage of candidates do not get that done for a while (primarily their nominations) depending on where they live and who their senators or congressman are and when the deadlines are.</p></li>
<li><p>The Academy does use a rolling admissions board and it has been noted that earlier is indeed better. I personally know plenty of my peers who had near perfect academic records and ACT/SAT test scores who put off completing their candidate files until near the deadline and were not awarded letters of appointment to either USNA or NAPS. My admissions counselor and multiple officers at the academy did tell me that a mediocre candidate who completes everything early does indeed hold somewhat of an upper hand over a stellar candidate who waits until the “last minute”</p></li>
<li><p>Just to clear this up, I am not a member of a USNA priority admission target. If i am, I have not been made aware of this so the answer is no.</p></li>
<li><p>I didn’t get a “letter of appointment” to the USNA directly but i got a Letter of appointment to the Naval Academy Prep School as the admissions board notified me of this. I am taking it for what they called it.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you once again, I do know I am fortunate to have this opportunity and I will give it some thought in regard to my aspirations of trying to be a Navy SEAL officer or being an enlisted man</p>

10

<p>WhistlePig are you a graduate of USNA?</p>

11

<p>Some additional clarification might be in order here.</p>

<p>CE implies that Brandon’s being from a “competitive state” has some impact upon his appointment to NAPS or non-appointment to USNA.</p>

<p>In fact, being appointed to NAPS implicitly indicates a candidate was not qualified for appointment to USNA. </p>

<p>And it also means that for whatever reason(s) USNA chose to “appoint” a candidate to NAPS, therefore circumventing any barriers, including “competitive state” issues.</p>

<p>In simple terms, a NAPS appointment has nothing to do with being from a competitive state. That is only an issue for those qualified to compete for an appointment to USNA, which by definition, NAPS candidates are not qualified. Thus introducing this issue to this discussion is informative and interesting (I wondered where the candidate is from) but of no consequence or importance to the issue.</p>

12

<p>NAPS is a great opportunity, you will most definitely enjoy your time there. The greatest piece of advice that I can give to you is this: what you put into NAPS is what you get out, so maximize your time there. Some people I’ve known and myself included put a lot of effort both academically and physically while at NAPS, and it put us way ahead in our plebe year. You will find that NAPS indoctrination is physically tougher than Plebe Summer, magnitudes by which you will find PS a joke. I also know others who wasted their time here, didn’t quite put in the effort, lackadaisical, did not care, etc. For those miracles that graduated and made it to the academy they did not last long. You will enter plebe year with 100+ friends from the start, closer bonds than many of your future company mates. It’s essentially a frat within a frat. So with that, congratulations and good luck!</p>

13

<p>Thank you very much, that is very encouraging. If there is anything that you can tell me to prepare me right not for NAPS what would it be?</p>

14

<p>Learning academic skills and habits, as well as keeping physically fit are already pretty evident, so i’ll just move over to other things that no one mentions.</p>

<p>The first thing that comes to mind, is to start saving and get into a habit of being financially responsible. You get paid a lot at NAPS in comparison to the Academy; $950 a month. Essentially everyone blew their money on a lot of useless crap, a “trend” or two sweeps across and everyone must have a better version of that than anyone else. Example in my year was tobacco pipes, not that many people smoked regularly or was addicted but it became a thing to enjoy a cigar or a pipe on occasion with friends. That in itself was not a problem, but people started buying more expensive pipes that went up as high as a few thousand dollars to have the “best” one. Ridiculous, so keep your eyes out for that and avoid it. I like talking to Napsters that arrive in the newer classes and they all have the same stories: pipes, knives, sports gear, computers. It’s not a bad thing to have them but just be aware of the need/price ratio and keep it reasonable. There are so many things to do at the academy but it requires money, examples are SCUBA club, Skydiving Club, and NOLS (~$4000 but every one of my friends who went says it’s completely worth it, it’s like a summer training opportunity to hike mountains in Alaska and what not). So save money! But do actually go out and enjoy Providence, and other cities nearby. </p>

<p>So yea, first advice to learn to save money, second is to know your ranks inside and out. I heard that Master Gunnery Sergeant Ford is still killing napsters for calling him Senior Chief. There are also a lot of enlisted sailors/marines and officers in the area, and it’s important that you are able to recognize them and give respect when it’s due. A lot of my friends got in trouble with that. And if you’re like me with bad eyesight and don’t wear glasses regularly, and you’re in a situation where you can’t distinguish an officer from a chief, I found it more forgiving to not salute an officer than saluting a Chief. It’s best that you learn all of that ahead of time.</p>

<p>Also, they have rates for you to memorize. I know a lot of people suggest that you should learn all of them ahead of time so you can keep out of being yelled at or the stress of memorizing things quickly in short notice. I’d say don’t bother and instead enjoy your time as much as possible while you’re away at home. They give you literally hours of standing time to memorize things.</p>

<p>Bring a car, 11-13 hour drive from Virginia is totally worth the ability to drive.</p>

<p>Lastly, and probably most importantly is to study physics while you can, and regardless of what track you test into, always ask to be placed in the advanced. Reason being is that it all starts the same, they all start from the very beginning so it’s not like you’re going in needing prerequisite knowledge. But advanced does move a lot quicker and through more material. Professors there are fantastic so I doubt you’d have a hard time, and also they are the only ones that allow validation tests while still at NAPS, which is great because the alternative requires you to try to retain it over the summer. </p>

<p>There’s more, but I’ve already written a short essay so I may come back.</p>

15

<p>

Wow, is that a great point, stated superbly. And it is the very same counsel that could be iterated for Mids at all levels. And it becomes notably extreme when Mids get their $35,000 “free interest” loans in 2nd class year. Wanna see the real definition of waste? Watch the new “motor pool” that shows up on the stadium lot. :cool: :confused: </p>

<p>Thanks for sharing what might well be one of the most important, pragmatic, productive recommendations a wannabe Mid might ever receive. And even those unsuccessful candidates. Ditto. Same thing. </p>

<p>Great gouge Napster’11!</p>

16

<p>NAPSter11 Thank you very much for all of this advice, I am soaking all of this up and trying to be a sponge. There is not too much that you can tell me, I need all the advice I can get. I am very great about saving money, being that I have a mother and father both in the marine and army respectively; they always press the issue of saving money on me so I know what you mean. On the subject of physics and calculus, I have taken neither in high school during my senior year (I take Anatomy and Probability/statistics). Would you recommend me to take summer classes and receive tutoring in these areas so I can have some sort of background before arriving at NAPS? or would you just recommend me to wait until I’m at NAPS to take care of those academic areas? Also,physical activity areas are stressed at NAPS (running, swimming, etc)? I’d like to know so I can start to work on it now. I am going to be competing for a Navy SEAL billet (god willing) so I am physically fit, I would just like to know what areas of physical fitness I should focus on for NAPS. Also, I know that there are a plethora of clubs at USNA, are there any at NAPS?</p>

17

<p>@Whistle Pig, Thanks.</p>

<p>For your first question regarding summer tutoring for physics and calculus: I don’t think that is necessary at all. In essence the courses at NAPS IS tutoring, given to you in preparation for the Academy. To be honest, I frankly don’t remember much what was on the placement exam except that it was short and all multiple choice. It was pretty much all conceptual. But what I do know for a fact is: </p>

<p>The first two weeks of academics is exactly the same across the board for all the different levels. They do this as a control to gauge people’s performance equally, and will move people up or down. So you can technically bomb those exams but still have chance to move up to advanced. It may complicate things this way because of seating arrangements, so try your best but don’t fret. If you do very well the first two weeks by paying attention and simply following the course syllabus and express a desire for the advanced track they will move you up.</p>

<p>For the physical part, NAPS is very running intensive, and there is a really easy swimming course. There’s also a gym available for you to work out, and multitudes of sports to partake in. So run a lot in preparation for the running they will make mandatory at NAPS. It’s distances of 3-6 miles everyday, avoid shin splints and get use to running ahead of time.</p>

<p>For clubs, there’s unfortunately not many if at all. It’s all based on the interest of napsters who are there. My year we had a Marine Corp Appreciation Program, but interest sort of died halfway and nothing happened after that. You can always just get together with friends, and do scuba and skydiving opportunities on your own. There’s a great airfield that offers it not too far away.</p>

<p>Happy New Years!</p>

18

<p>Thank you very much because this is all very helpful. It means a lot. Running long distance isn’t my strongest area and I know I have to conquer it so I will begin to work on it now. And it is okay that there aren’t many clubs, which I understand because I am there primarily to strengthen my academic background. All of this information really helps me a lot. I can’t think of any other questions for now, but you can feel more than free to drop by the thread and spill ANYTHING that you remember because it really helps. Or you could just shoot me an email at stretchalford@ aol</p>

<p>Happy New Years!</p>

19

<p>Congratulations! I just got my foundation scholarship finalized today. I was wondering if any one knows the reason one may be sent to naps vs the foundation?</p>

20

<p>In a word, “control.” For USNA.</p>

<p>Foundation students are essentially on your own. Financially, academically.</p>

<p>I’ve long contended that it would be far more efficient; academically rigorous, productive, and credible; and cost-effective to send ALL NAPSters to private, accredited prep schools. However, USNA has no “control” in those independent, private prep schools. </p>

<p>NAPS is a fully antiquated concept but it is all about money, inputs and outputs, perceived need to be obtuse and/or non-transparent, and control, especially in many situations where USNA might be highly motivated to ensure that specific candidates ascend to Midshipmanship. USNA has far more “invested” in NAPSters than in Foundation students, literally and figuratively. </p>

<p>The upside for Foundation candidates included most always receiving a highly superior, fully accredited prep school “preparation” competing against similarly brighter students day in and day out, and the benefit of having had to pay for and make this on their own, they are winners, whether they land at USNA or elsewhere.</p>