<p>I've wanted to go to USNA for a really long time, but my congressman's office called me today and basically told me that they would give me a nomination to the Merchant Marine Academy if I would apply to it. Since I can't get a Congressional nomination to USNA this year, USMMA could be another avenue to getting a commission as a Naval Officer. Judging by the mission statement at least, USMMA is less focused on producing military leaders. I want to become the best officer possible--does anyone here know anything about the quality and emphasis of leadership training at King's Point? </p>
<p>I posted this on the USMMA board and naturally most people there said the Merchant Marine Academy gives better leadership training than USNA :) Now I need to hear the biased viewpoint of people on this board to get a balanced perspective.</p>
<p>I would advice you to apply to USMMA if you would enjoy a career in shipping. I know cadets at USMMA spend a lot of time at sea. You have to remember that their main purpose is to produce merchant shippers. Just think about whether it's right for you or not.</p>
<p>I think USMMA is great way to earn a commission in the Navy. If you're goal is to be a Naval Officer I think you should do it or NROTC if you don't go USNA. Remember that you will get out of the experience what you put into it, so it does not matter so much how you get there as how much you apply yourself and learn along the way. This is what will make you a good officer. Simpily attend USNA will not do so, it will merely give you the tools to let you shape yourself that way. Remember that the goal of the Service Academies is to make leaders for our nations, not just military officers.</p>
<p>I would disagree with anyone who says that USMMA is lacking in military training and focus. USMMA students are Midshipmen in the US Naval Reserve, like NROTC Midshipmen. And unless they accept a commission into one of the branches of the armed service at graduation, they are commissioned as Ensigns in the Naval Reserve and required to be a member of the Naval Reserve for 8 years.</p>
<p>In the end, the decission is up to you. If I couldn't get a nomination to USNA, I think I would go the NROTC route.</p>
<p>usnagirl - this is a decision you are going to have to make.</p>
<p>Explore USMMA - check out the school, what is offered etc....it is a great school with great programs in it's own right.</p>
<p>BUT - if you feel like you would be "settling" in your own mind - consider NROTC at a college or university for a year and reapplying to USNA.</p>
<p>Remember - about 30% of each class is NOT right out of high school. Yes it will take an extra year but many many kids take 5 years to graduate from college anyway - if USNA is what you REALLY REALLY want -
reapply.</p>
<p>^^^^^
USMMA is an excellent opportunity as an alternative to the Naval Academy. Kings Point graduates have more career option than USNA graduates. Also, King Point graduates have better seamanship skills than Navy graduates.</p>
<p>Stick with your heart. If USNA is something you have wanted for a long time, hold out for it. If your package is strong, there are many ways to work around the lack of a nomination. Also, it may seem like forever for a young person to wait a year, but there is always next year. Also, listen to what Krypter is saying. </p>
<p>Leadership is a character trait of an individual, not a superficial description because one goes to a certain academy. I think respect would be a good start for exhibiting leadership and if Im not mistaken, a Merchant Marine midshipman is in the Naval Reserves.</p>
<p>usnagirl,
I'm fortunate to have a child at Navy and another at MMA. I would say that neither MMA nor USNA have the advantage in leadership training. Both schools have plenty of opportunities for leadership positions and as in most situations, the experience will be what you make of it. You will see good and bad examples of leadership at both academies and again, you'll be the one to determine how you learn from those examples. </p>
<p>Yes, the students at MMA are in the Naval Reserves. They wear uniforms, drill and have to maintain their physical "readiness." As they are in the reserves they do not get a monthly paycheck which means that you are required to pay for your uniforms outright and there is a tuition, although it is much less than what you would pay for an in-state school tuition. </p>
<p>The biggest difference between the two schools is the academic opportunities and requirements. MMA has far fewer majors and requires that their students spend at least the equivalent of one school year at sea. Their year is broken up into 3 trimesters instead of 2 semesters so as to get 4 years of education into 3 years. The Mids spend one trimester at sea in their 2nd year and 2 trimesters at sea in their 3rd year. My D is currently in her 2nd year and has been aboard a US Flagship container ship since 11/8. She recently called from Singapore and is on her way back through the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, the Med and the Atlantic back to NY where the ship will refit and she will do the loop over again. It's an amazing experience although it could be miserable if you knew that you didn't want to be there. </p>
<p>Following graduation the Mids at MMA can enter any branch of military service and if you want to fly I've heard that they rarely fill all of their available aviation slots. If you don't want to enter the service you can "sail" on a commercial vessel and make very good $$. You will still have to serve in the Naval Reserves for 8 years (I think it's 8 years, could be wrong). I am not certain what the committment is if you enter the active-duty military. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you or your parents have more questions.</p>
<p>In my personal opinion, I would evaluate how you feel about it. If it sounds good for you and you would'nt have a problem than go for it! But if you feel like it is less than what you want go the NROTC route and reapply next year. I know my Congressman's Office suggested the same thing. I respectfully told them that I didn't feel that USMMA was right for me and they respected my honesty. Overall the decision is left up to you. Goodluck!</p>
<p>The best advice I can offer is to suggest you think about what you want to do after you get out of school and then work back from there. In thinking about the career you hope to pursue (and that is a real challenge at any age, let alone while you are still in High School) you may discover one path makes more sense. While the USNA, the USMMA and NROTC may all provide you with the opportunity to become a naval officer, the experiences will be different.
As others have suggested, visit the Academies or colleges if you are thinking about NROTC and talk to current and recent grads about their experiences. </p>
<p>Also as USNA69 said, there is always next year, that is good advice. If the Naval Academy is really what you want, give some thought to reapplying.</p>
<p>I would also add to the above to visit the USMMA and arrange an overnight stay. You get to see things from an entirely different perspective.</p>
<p>While I have respect for ALL the academies, they are not subsitiutes for one another. While they share lots of things in common, the missions are different, the environment is different, the offerings and experiences are different, and while some of the "outcomes" may overlap, they are still different. </p>
<p>If you visit/stay at USMMA and it catches your interest, then go for it. If not, then hold out for what it is you really want and work towards that goal. Back up plans are always good- but you have to treat those plans as "top choices" as well- the institutions to which you are applying deserve that, and you deserve it for yourself as well.</p>
<p>If, in the end, USNA remains the top choice, then an extra year of getting preped for it should be worth the time it takes to achieve it. </p>
<p>You will get a more "well rounded" engineering education at Annapolis and more "practical" experience at Kings Point. Navy plays Army in football while The Merchant Marine Academy plays the Coast Guard. The first two schools are much larger in both population and acreage than the latter two. Think of the first two schools as excellent universities and the second two schools as excellent small colleges. If "environment" is a factor (I believe it should be) than you need to take this into account.</p>
<p>I went to USNA but USMMA is a great option. You will get very good training and much more time at sea than the academy. I was very close to going there till I got a Foundation offer to the academy. In the end it is still a US Service academy which will benifit you in the fleet or in the civilian world. Like everywhere, you will get the leadership training based on the effort you put in. Just because you graduate doesnt make you a leader. You have to search out the leadership opeortunites and apply yourself.</p>
<p>One other thing to think about is, if you are an athlete, Kings Point is a D-III school and unless you are recruited to play a sport at Navy, ie a D-I athlete, you can have a blast plyaing varsity sports at KP vice watching them at Navy,</p>
<p>if you wanna go SWO, i think kings point is one of the best ways to prepare you since you spend like a year at sea. but, i didn't really know what i wanted to do in the Navy/Marines, and i still don't. so i like USNA more because you have a wider range of training readily available to you. For example, my training officer is a qualified US army ranger. He got to go to ranger school, and graduated first in his class.</p>
<p>However, being a plebe at boat school, my opinion is obviously biased as i don't know anything about USMMA. Keep that in mind. :)</p>
<p>There is an extensive Army program at KP that prepares Mids to go either active, reserves, or national guard. They commissioned seven into the Army at graduation last year (They were infantry, armor, aviation, intel and transporation) and may have as many as 20 this year. </p>
<p>They send two groups a year to jump school for their internships and a group to air assault school, as well as individual internships with units.</p>
<p>The biggest disadvantage is that there is not the breadth of majors you get at USNA. You can't get a political science or economics degree at KP. There are two majors -- Marine Transportation or Marine Engineering -- each with three emphasis to choose from. </p>
<p>But you can't get a Marine Engineering degree at USNA. Go figure?</p>
<p>They are both great schools and will prepare you well, but differently, to serve your country.</p>