<p>The average success rate of a recruit at BUD/S is around 20%</p>
<p>However, I hear the success rate at BUD/S for USNA graduates is much higher-somewhere around 80%. </p>
<p>Can anyone confirm this?</p>
<p>I was class of 2007. I had 2 friends that made it through BUD/S. One of them told me during firstie year that the survival rate for usna grads was around 75% while NROTC was around 25%. Apparently that was the reason why in the last two years they've been taking alot more SEALs from the Academy...</p>
<p>Alot of that has to do with the fact that the Academy has a very rigorous program for those want to be Navy SEALs. Many plebes who want to be SEALs don't finish the four years with that same wish.</p>
<p>I'm interested in going SEALs (well I'd have to get into USNA first), what does the academy do to prepare SEAL Candidates?</p>
<p>force you to fight bears.</p>
<p>your response just made my decade! I love it!</p>
<p>
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what does the academy do to prepare SEAL Candidates?
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</p>
<p>They make you do alot. You need to distinguish yourself as a decent midshipman. Its good to be an athlete, i.e. swimming or crew. If not, you better be well incorporated with your company... stuff like training sgt definitely helps. The biggest thing though is doing well with the SEAL screener. Basically, they beat the crap out of you for a weekend. If you do well in that and have a good record than you have a chance... It also helps to get in well with the enlisted and officer SEALS at the Academy. The best way to do that is excel in the screener and show yourself for all the SEAL workouts that they do throught the year...</p>
<p>I didn't go SEAL out of the Academy, but this was my perspective, so I guess just take it with a grain of salt</p>
<p>I want to go for USNA and SEALS but right now I am going into my junior year of high school. I am 5'10'', what do you think should be my ideal weight when I graduate high school?</p>
<p>LoneWolf, </p>
<p>I would rank your weight as one of the last things you should concern yourself with at this point, outside of being in the best shape that you can be in. Assuming you are an athlete and performing well, I'm sure your weight will be fine regardless of where you are today. Focus your energy on having a very sucessful academic year, work hard and take the SAT and ACTs as many times as practical. </p>
<p>It's great to have goals at your age, just understand that you must first focus on what your near terms achievments must be so that you have a shot a your long term objectives. </p>
<p>Read about Seals and their training, try to gain some understanding of the differences in what it means to become a Seal through enlistment vs. what it means to become a Seal Officer and how their paths and responsibilites differ. </p>
<p>Well before you ever get to BUDs the path you are choosing becomes increasingly difficult; within my son's company their were 6 Plebes that expressed interest in SEALs, last I heard that number is down to 2. </p>
<p>My son showed up on I-day at about 135-140, and about 5-11, he's now at 170, I think if you looked you'll see a lot of sucessful SEALs with "wiry" frames as in they don't look like what Hollywood tells you a SEAL should look like. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>thanks rjrzoom57 because I'm athletic but not built big,</p>
<p>It does not matter how big you are or how much you weigh. What matters is you are in top physical condition. That does not mean just maxing the prt because many mids do that. It means being in that top 1 or2% in the brigade when it come to phyiscal condition. Yes you also need decent grades and good military performance ranks. Some of the guys who got seals from my class were the brigade character rep, and the brigade XO which shows they were involved in the brigade and leadership of it.</p>
<p>Talking to many Seals, it is not just physical conditioning, it is the ability to survive and cope with the elements. From what I have heard from Seal training officers, it is the cold that causes many of the trainees to DOR. They spend alot of time at BUDS in the water and the water in San Diego is not warm, even in the summer time. Mind over matter.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me the differences in what it means to become a Seal through enlistment vs. what it means to become a Seal Officer and how their paths and responsibilites differ?</p>
<p>I've never looked but I'm guessing the internet has a lot of info on that.</p>
<p>LW, there are not that many differences. For one, the reason that both officers and enlisted both go through BUD/S together is because they will be working and fighting together after they graduate BUD/S and go through SQT.</p>
<p>I believe I read that officers are usually not snipers, but I could not find the source for that info. Furthermore, officers might not have as many tours as a enlisted man would.</p>
<p>If you have a real interest in becoming a SEAL I would check out NavySEALs.com</a> - Experience the SEAL Edge | Gear, Fitness, Info
They have a forum and lots of information on becoming a SEAL. </p>
<p>Two notes before heading to those forums: 1. It's SEAL, not Seal or seal. and 2. Use the search function before asking a single question or they will rip you- no joke.</p>
<p>Lonewolf, </p>
<p>Hopefully at some point someone with direct experience; as in a SEAL will post on this site, until then understand the amount of information will be limited and largely anecdotal....and potential incorrect or misleading. If you haven't already you should search the older threads on this site; you should find some other posts on the subject. </p>
<p>My son spent a good bit of time researching SEALs as it will likely be his first choice for service assignment. I can tell you the amount of information he found about SEAL officers, duties, responsibilities, etc prior to I day was rather limited. At the Academy he has had opportunities to talk to and train (PT) with the SEALs assigned to the Academy and that has helped broaden his understanding of the differences between an enlisted vs. officer path. One of the high points of his summer assignment was the opportunity he had to meet and talk to members of a SEAL team. </p>
<p>The first major difference you'll find relates to the training at BUDs. If you are enlisted you can get a second shot at making it through, if you DOR or are injured you may get to come back. Officers get one, if you DOR you're done. </p>
<p>As an officer at BUDs you are also expected to perform on a different level; you have to do more than just survive BUDs as an individual, you are also expected to motivate and help the other members of your team. </p>
<p>Much of what you may find online more accurately describes the "typical" path an enlisted SEAL experiences. Enlistment is obviously a more direct path and the assignments of enlisted SEALs are more in line with the operational aspects of what people think of when they hear SEALs. </p>
<p>My understanding of the officer track suggests SEAL officers initially spend some time in the "field" as a junior officer working closely with a senior enlisted member of his team and then as you make rank you transition from a direct role in field operations to one in which you are more heavily involved in the planning, oversight and management of an operation, more so than they actual execution. </p>
<p>Also understand if you make it through BUDs, the training doesn't end, specialized training continues; it's a long road.</p>
<p>koho123: you are absolutely correct and I also made the misatke. It is SEAL (SEa Air and Land)</p>
<p>Are there any books that someone recommends to me to read about the Navy or more specifically the SEALs? Right now I'm going to buy "The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228" by Dick Couch, just wondering if there are any other books I should get while I am at the stores.</p>
<p>If your sights are set on the Naval Academy you might want to consider some books that may not be as interesting a read, but may help you reach you goal: </p>
<p>SAT and ACT study guides</p>
<p>So rjrzoom57 your son goes to the USNA and obviously it is very difficult to get accepted into it but what was your son's main focus when preparing for it ( example - grades...)?</p>
<p>That is a difficult question to answer, not so much in terms of the activities involved as to the individual nature each applicant brings to the process. </p>
<p>In my son's case he had no grades...and no class rank...which added to the challenge of a service academy application, the High School he attended is portfolio based. He was focused on his academics, he just didn't have the grades to show for it. At his HS you have to complete and demonstrate mastery of all the necessary skills; Math, Science, Arts and Humanities etc in order to graduate, you don't just progress because you received passing grades. </p>
<p>Not only did he have to demonstrate his was a candidate worthy of consideration, he also had to educate Admissions about his High School the quality of his education. </p>
<p>Based on his experiences I will say the Naval Academy appeared well equipped to understand and consider applicants from what some might say are more "unconventional educational backgrounds"; home schools, small schools etc. </p>
<p>If you knew you wanted to attend a SA when you hit your freshman year in HS, you could probably build a better resume but most kids aren't in a position to go down that path and I'm not entirely convinced it would make a difference. </p>
<p>You application should honestly reflect who you are, what your interests and strengths happen to be, it should not be crafted to appeal to an admissions board based on what you think they want to hear. </p>
<p>You should focus on your grades, taking a full course load with subjects (Calculus, Physics, Chemistry etc) that are appropriate and necessary given the academic challenges of a SA. </p>
<p>Take the SAT and ACT tests over and over and over.....take a look at the incoming class profiles from the last few years, benchmark yourself against them and you may see areas you need to work on. </p>
<p>Don't fall into the EC trap that some do and try to involve yourself in 26 different ECs. Play the sports you enjoy and get involved in the activities that interest you. Positions and activities that include leadership and some responsibilities also help. </p>
<p>There are many other posts for you to read on this subject and many other individuals on this site that are interested in helping and answering your questions. We are fortunate to have a number of BGOs, Alumni and current mids posting here. </p>
<p>Ask away and good luck.</p>