<p>From what I read here, Kings Point is a highly respected Service Academy and appointments to it are very competitive. I was wondering why it is not as well-known as the other four Academies and how it might rank compared to them. Thank you-JOhn</p>
<ol>
<li> It is small - less than 1000 students.</li>
<li>It is not run by the Dept. of Defense (or Homeland Security), but by the Dept. of Transportation. Yet, a congressional nomination is necessary.</li>
<li>Founded in 1943 - it has always been a stepchild of the service academy system.</li>
<li>Purpose is to train for the commercial merchant fleet to back up the Navy and Armed Services. </li>
<li>Academically it is very though - many say more difficult than the other service academies. Runs on trimester system, getting a semester's worth of studies in less time in order to work in 300 days of sea time in 4 years. Thus 4 years of studies in 3 plus year of sea time.</li>
<li>If you make it through, you are a valuable commodity to all the armed forces as well as the merchant marine. It is a tight network of those who survived a very tough 4 years.</li>
</ol>
<p>They consider it the best kept secret in the Navy! :) I think #5 & #6 of Weski's bear repeating...</p>
<p>Sorry - caught typo late:
5. Academically it is very tough...</p>
<p>Everyone earns an engineering degree and Coast Guard license. Choices are to become a deck officer or a "below deck" engineering officer. See catalog for limited list of majors.</p>
<p>Hoot. Glad I'm not the only night owl out here. ;)</p>
<p>Only problem is the morning wake up - people expect me to talk in the a.m.!! I do not talk unless it is critical information, like -"it is trash day."</p>
<p>Exactly. Saying 'good morning sunshine' results in a snarl. I don't like happy until about 9. I have a few more minutes left to be a grump.</p>