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I just filled out all of the Academic Background Information, but I have one question. In the Political Science section it says that validation may not be the best course of action for the course FP130 U.S. Government and Constitutional Development. I took AP Government in high school and did really well, but decided not to take the AP Exam. Would any midshipman like to comment on whether I should attempt to validate this or was this class one of the "keys to success at USNA"?
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<p>I validated out of Gov't because of previous college work. Personally I'm not sure why the Academy would dicourage you from validating Gov't if you have proven that you understand the material. In reality, there are not too many compelling reasons not to validate classes. You can get academics anywhere. While the Naval Academy does have outstanding academics, what makes it what it is are the leadership and character opportunities that it offers for those who want them. As far as being a "key to success" at the Naval Academy and in life, I'd say the much better advice would be to not "validate" out of possible leadership experiences. You can choose to be just a bump on a log and probably graduate too, but you'll be missing out on a lot... I think its time for me to get off my soapbox now</p>