<p>i am nervous about asking for them...im not the typical person they would see asking for a rec to a service academy...im not particurally built..i dont have a reputation around school for being a military type of guy or a badass.....so i just want to know if anybody has had any experience of this?</p>
<p>Yes. May I suggest a revision of your personal perception of what a “military type guy or a badass” might look like. Read the thread about “nerds.” You may not fit that profile either, and that’s the real point. USNA Midshipmen come in all shapes, shades, sizes, and sexes. </p>
<p>And you may want to determine how to highlight your many gifts to your recommenders, while re-educating them as necessary to that common misconception. Look at the profile markers on USNA website. </p>
<p>But in the end, you’ve no choice and you’re already slow, if not behind on where you might be on this task. Delayed recommendations from the specfically-required sources are frequently cause for delays in determinations. You can’t let your fear stymie or deter your need to move ahead in a timely way. Get going and may the Force be with you. (btw, I don’t mean Air by that, although that’s His home base. ;))</p>
<p>^^^
The recent thread about nerds was started by the OP.
Seriously collegedude1777, you need to find some confidence if you are going to make it through the application process and a service academy. If you have been cooperative with your teaches and not a PITA, then I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how many of your teachers will help you with recommendations…if you ask. Just remember to give the teacher a resume and let him/her know when the SA / MOC needs their recommendation. AND, as WP mentioned…start now.</p>
<p>^^^ Good counsel. Seems like you’ve got a fever which simply says something’s not right. You’ve got to get beyond your fears now, or consider another path. Your symptoms might often be correlated with those who succeed in getting an appointment and then bail. The proverbial square peg working to find its fit in a non-square hole because others saw it as a grand calling (it can be), just not for the appointee. </p>
<p>You’re the only one who can get to the truth in this. And you need to get to it. And whatever it is, it’ll be fine because it’s YOUR truth.</p>
<p>make an appt with your teachers, explain your reasons for wanting to attend the academy, and ask them for a letter of recommendation. </p>
<p>if there is a legit REASON why this is dicey, then you will need to be up front and address any elephants in the room. Front and center. </p>
<p>in the big scheme of things, this is a pebble in your shoe. Get it out of there and keep on moving. Mountains to climb ahead.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>First off just ask your teachers for a rec, no big deal. If they like you, then they will want you to succeed in whatever it is that YOU want to do. </p>
<p>On a seperate note I ask that you seriously evaluate a career in the military. A huge percentage of being an officer is the fact that you are LEADING. Leading takes respect. How does one gain respect? Just to name one factor of many, CONFIDENCE. Your first job, if you were to commission, could be leading 40 men. If you were one of these 40 men and your officer was unsure about himself, would you have any trust in him? An officer can be nerdy, and I’m sure many are. But this has absolutely nothing to do with gaining respect. You can be a “nerd” and still have confidence. As an officer you will be making decision that could not just effect you, but your men. You need the confidence to make these decisions. Not everybody has that confidence. And quite frankly nothing is wrong with it, but it does mean that the military may not be for you.</p>
<p>You don’t need to be a badass to be in the military. Nor do you need to be a PT stud. But understand that the physical aspect of the military exists. As an officer you don’t want to aim just for the barebone minimum, but the maximum. How does it look that your sailors/Marines are maxing out on all event of a fitness test, and you are barely making the minimum? The military is not for everyone. If serving the country is your number one goal, there are other routes besides the military that are equally as vital.</p>