<p>I've always had a liking for the military. I didn't really know it until last year, when I figured out I love anything in a uniform. This year I discovered my total love for the organization, strength, honor, and courage of the military. They are everything I want to be.</p>
<p>I am a sophmore in high school. I have an average GPA of about 4.3 (weighted) and 3.9 (unweighted). I take many Honors classes, and am taking my first AP class this year. I have done everything 'right' academically. I have been in marching band for two years. I joined NJROTC this year. I want to pursue a military career, or, as a parallel, political. </p>
<p>What I want to know are the advatages of West Point versus Annapolis. Which one is harder to get into, what are the requirments, which one will 'get me farther', what are the differences between them? I have scoured the internet for arguments for both and it usually comes down to what branch of the military you want.</p>
<p>Which branch of military doesn'tmatter to me much. When I was smaller, I wanted (very badly) to be a pilot... only to be told that I needed 20/20 vision for that, lol. My dad tells me the Navy eats better (I don't know if he's kidding or not) and that that's pretty much the only difference between the Army and the Navy. All help and advice recieved greatfully.</p>
<p>Thanks for your interest in pursuing a career in the military. And congratulations for already having a great high school record.</p>
<p>You’re very fortunate as you have time to make this decision. I’d like to suggest that you:
keep up your grades
NJROTC is a great activity. Look for a leadership role.
if there is time in your schedule, consider participating in a sport
if you have an opportunity to take the PSAT this year, it could be a good idea. You’ll have another chance junior year and the practice will be good for you. The test scores are used to determine acceptance to summer programs at both academies.
try visiting both academies - they will become more real to you
look at Boys’/Girls’ State and what would be necessary for you to participate in the summer after your junior year
make yourself competitive for summer programs at both academies. These are 1-week programs which will give you a glimpse of cadet/mid life could be as well as an opportunity to meet other potential candidates.<br>
position yourself for Nattional Honor Society - if your school doesn’t have a chapter, talk to a faculty member about starting one</p>
<p>You should keep doing your research. Read what you can, talk to current cadets/mids as well as alumni, reach out to your MALO and B&G admissions reps, and consider applying to both. There are many very strong candidates who do not receive an appointment from their first choice academy, but receive an appointment from a different academy. They go on to have a great experience and career. </p>
<p>The right decision will happen. You’re smart to begin this process now, but you don’t have to decide yet. Just remember it’s not about the uniform or the food, but about service to your country.</p>
<p>Thanks a ton, momoftwins. I’ll be sure to look into all of what you suggested. What is MALO and B&G?
And lol, I didn’t mean to make it sound like food and uniforms were the deciding factor, I just mean to say giong into any branch of military is a plus for me, because the bottom line is that I want to serve my country, and that I don’t have a favorite. :D</p>
<p>You can apply to both and decide after the appointments come out (like my son did). I’ve heard Navy eats better as a branch of the service, but if you will look through old threads on this forum, you will see West Point cadets eat much better than USNA mids!</p>
<p>The decision you make will be based on what you want to do during your time of service. For my son, he ultimately decided he did not want to be on a boat for long stretches at a time, and he absolutely didn’t want to be on a sub. He liked the ideas of flying helicopters, so he went USMA. He loved everything about WP after visiting it. You need to read everything on the academies and then start your visits. You will know when you make the right decision. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>Both of these are local admissions reps, often volunteers
MALO = Military Academy Liaison Officer
B&G = Blue and Gold Officer </p>
<p>I didn’t mean to say that I thought you were focused on food and uniforms exclusively. Sometimes it is easy though to notice some of the superficial details and pay more attention to them than the really important points. It sounds like you’re doing so much right. Just keep it up and let us know how you’re doing.</p>
<p>The missions of the Army and Navy (not to mention the uniforms and food ) are so vastly different that it seems you should be open to exploring ALL military branches and not limit yourself to USNA or USMA.</p>
<p>A rather silly question which if you havent sorted out by now… The question should be framed by asking yourself what your skillset is and how can you serve your country best and which may offer the best foundation for you to become an officer. The answer, if you are honest, may very well be ROTC or even enlist and then go to OCS. If the school itself is the sole criteria as to your interest in a SA - then you may not have really thought it out. Your objective should be to become a commisioned officer in the service of your country.</p>
<p>To Luigi59:
Ah, I see your point, although I meant no favorite between the Navy and Army. I don’t have the ‘skills’ to be in airforce to do what I would want to do, and Coast Gaurd just does not appeal to me. Thank you for the links, though, they helped me rule those two out. :)</p>
<p>And GMRobertson:
Thanks for the input, I understand your point and brought it back to the forefront of my mind. My goal is to be a commisioned officer, and I don’t want to lose track of that goal.</p>
<p>“I wanted (very badly) to be a pilot… only to be told that I needed 20/20 vision for that…”
Isn’t the requirement to have 20/20 “corrected” vision?</p>
<p>“I don’t have the ‘skills’ to be in airforce to do what I would want to do…”
Which skills do you have that will help you in the Army or Navy but won’t help you in the Air Force? Or is it you want to do a certain “job” in the Navy or Army that the Air Force doesn’t offer?</p>
<p>I understand. The US Air Force and the US Coast Guard usually want their academy candidates to know how to correctly spell the names of their respective military branches, and I guess “Army” and “Navy” only being 4 letters each appeals to you. :D</p>
<p>The advice given has been great. I’d like to add a few points. Your high grades and positive attitude towards Service are going to make you eligible for all the Service Academies. That is a great compliment to you and puts you in a great place to have such desirable choices. I would say it is a fair guess that you don’t have all the details about all the Academies (few students do, it takes time to do that research), so it could be well worth your time to reference them before you cross certain Academies off your list(s). [Service</a> Academy Admissions - Welcome](<a href=“http://www.toughestschoolsintheworld.com/]Service”>http://www.toughestschoolsintheworld.com/) is a website and a quick reference for all the Federal Service Academies. Navy still has the toughest standards for pilot vision, but you can be a Bombadier/ Navigator with less than 20/20. Air Force (good thing I spelled it right) will accept some pilots that are “correctable” to 20/20, so you may just want to read up to make sure you have all the facts. If you graduate from USMMA for instance, you can choose your service after graduation-including Coast Guard. I know you are cheering for Army and Navy (and as a USNA Grad, I think you show good taste), but a year ago you didn’t feel that strongly. Next year you could have a new interest or interests. Enjoy your many options. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Skyrunner - If you want to get a feel for what both Academies are about (USNA & USMA), I would highly recommend applying for Summer Seminar. Both USNA and USMA have multiple sessions so it’s possible to schedule it so that you can attend both. The respective admissions depts have the detailed information.</p>
<p>Skyrunner: I would also advise you to look at official Academy websites when looking for admissions information. While sites like the one mentioned above in post #12 can be helpful, be warned they are not always accurate.</p>
<p>I clicked on the USMA link at that site and found this information:
“… From great leaders in politics like Colin Powell to successful business leaders like Kelly Perdew, USMA Class of 1989 and winner of the second season of “The Apprentice”, West Point Grads are in the news.”</p>
<p>I’d like to thank everyone again, for all your wonderful advice and help. I have a new batch of questions ready. :)</p>
<p>1st, the school that I attend is currently a ‘D’ school, this is on a scale of A-F. I go to a Florida school, and this is largely based off the FCAT. Would this largely affect theway they (either USMA or USNA) view me as a applicant?</p>
<p>Considering that, my local Rotary Club is sponsering two students in my county for an exchange program to another country. Is it a good idea in general to go for it, or should I stay here at home? Does it look better if I am a transfer student?</p>
<p>my son wants navy all the way. he awill apply for summer session and then the academy. If he applies to any other summer program I wonder if they will KNOW and he will be seen as less committed. He does not care about applying to others but if he does not get in a summer program with navy and does not go to any summer program then it may be harder to be accepted into the academy. Well if they dont take him for summer them maybe he wouldnt get in anyhow. CONFUSED</p>
<p>I wouldnt worry abt it studentsmom. A number of candidates are offered appointments to more than one academy. Applying to one isnt going to hurt your chances with another. Our daughter was accepted to all 3 summer programs (AF, Navy, and WP) and attended two of them (AF seminar wouldn’t fit her school schedule). She was later offered appointments to both Navy and WP. Also, many candidates who are accepted for appointments to the academies didnt attend the seminars (whether they were accepted or not to the seminar). Going to the seminar can help but not going doesnt dash your chances by any means. He would be advised to apply to all the summer programs and go to the one he wants most, but if navy doesnt take him for the summer, the experience at Army or Air Force will still be valuable to him. Always have a back-up plan. Our daughter knew it would be West Point, but if for some reason she hadnt gotten an appt there she would have taken the Navy appt and maybe branched Marines.</p>
<p>FYI - there are 4 summer programs at the military academies - SLS (USMA), NASS (USNA), AFASS (USAFA), & AIM (USCGA). </p>
<p>USMMA (KP) is the only one of the five SAs not to have a summer program as they operate a little differently (tri-mester system & sea year requirements make it difficult).</p>
<p>studentsmom: Acceptance and attendance at various summer seminars is not a “do or die” when it comes to gaining an appointment to the SA’s. At USNA, summer seminar (NASS) slots are often offered to interested candidates who are not likely to have much experience with things “Navy.” For eg, a kiddo from a coastal area might not be offered NASS, whereas, my son in dry, dusty West Texas, was offered a chance to attend NASS. Many, many candidates earn appointments without attending NASS.</p>
) are so vastly different that it seems you should be open to exploring ALL military branches and not limit yourself to USNA or USMA.</p>