<p>I have wanted to go to west point for a long time and was recently talking to a teacher of mine who attended USNA. He said that I should not got to USMA but rather USNA becuase the attitude there is much better and that USMA is an ugly place to be at. Is he just professing his biased opinion or this there substantial evidence backing these claims?</p>
<p>always good to take advice about West Point from an Annapolis grad.</p>
<p>Though I've never visited USNA, I went to SLS for West Point and visited AFA and I can state for a fact that West Point comparatively looks a bit "broken down" (shanty looking barracks hallway, old buildings, the place was on the list of 'Dorms like Dungeons' for Princeton Review I think). There is a difference of style; AFA looks more futuristic and technological, while WP has a gothic, castle-like architecture. However, depressing as the architecture may seem, that also attests to WP's longer history: the list of notable grads from WP is much longer than the list of notable grads from either AFA or USNA, according to Wikipedia (<a href="http://www.wikipedia.org)%5B/url%5D">www.wikipedia.org)</a>. Seeing how the Navy is thought to be neater than the Army but not as much as the Air Force, I would bet that USNA's "beauty" lies somewhere between the two.</p>
<p>With that being said, I don't know what your teacher means by how the "attitude" is better at USNA. All the service academies attract candidates who wish to pursue a career in the military, so I would assume that the cadets/midshipmen and faculty would all be well-minded individuals. That's the impression I got from my week at SLS, and from my visit at AFA at least. </p>
<p>Quite honestly though, "school attitude" and "looks" should be the last things on your mind when looking at West Point or Annapolis. Focus more instead on what life would be like if you were in the ARMY or NAVY/MARINE CORPS. Remember, you're only gunna be at the Academy for 4 years, while you will have to serve in your prospective branch of military service for 8 (5 Active, 3 Reserve). "I spent my college years at a nicer looking Academy" isn't going to sound as nice if you're stuck in the Navy wiping the deck, when what you really want to do is parachute off of airplanes or command a tank (though you can do that in the Marine Corps). Think ahead more; both schools (and all the branches) have their pros and cons.</p>
<p>When I visited the Naval Academy a month ago, every midshipen said the same thing: West Point is soo depressing and ugly. However, after visiting West Point and spending a night with a cadet, I feel that West Point is just as (if not more) beautiful than Annapolis and the moods at both schools seem to be about the same. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt until you actually visit both schools.</p>
<p>i agree- west point has beautiful architecture. it also depends on what kind of setting you are more into.</p>
<p>I know I'm a bit bias...well alot. But I simply liked West Point alot more than Annapolis. Judging from SLS/SS: Its a complete difference in people. At West Point most people if not everyone was very hooah. I dont know if I want to say the kids were tougher, but they seemed more gung ho about the Army philosophy. Whereas the Navy kids were very excited about surface warfare and such. Personally, I just don't get excited by going abroad for 6 months at a time and looking at the Ocean. I could never be in the Navy. I mean yea, the Army is just months spent in the mud and rain, but in my mind thats adventurous. The Navy just seems boring. Even if you say yea I'm going to go SEALS or Marines or something, I couldnt be with the 85% of the guys who weren't are were getting revved up about the summer cruise. Don't get me wrong I love sailing and boats, but not enough to justify a life like that.</p>
<p>The campus at West Point may not be as modern as Air Force or Navy, but its enormous. Theres sooo much to do. You know a college campus is fairly nice when it has its own SKI SLOPE and golf course. Between hunting, shooting, possibly fishing, without a doubt lifting at the gyms (I hear theres one in every basement, and a ridiculous one in the new building), I will without a doubt be occupied. You say West Point is run down, I think its gorgeous. </p>
<p>GO ARMY!!!! BEAT NAVY!!!!</p>
<p>"USMA is an ugly place to be at." Most definitely not! It's absolutely beautiful. The barracks are much better than the dorms at many civilian college campuses. And the rooms are definitely bigger.</p>
<p>Attitudes: Well, there has been a lot written here about the attitudes of cadets/mids during the gloom periods at any of the academies. The most hooah cadet will certainly have bad days. All in all, most are highly focused and understand that the bad days are just something to deal with. I agree with demosthenes. Don't listen to anyone who is not encouraging you by asking you what your goals really are.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you, barce.</p>
<p>Interesting comment about the barracks. Our daughter came back from SS commenting that Annapolis looked like it needed some serious repair work in the barracks. Her other comment was that the cadre at USMA was a lot more "squared-away" both physically and militarily that that of USNA. She turned down an appt to the Naval Academy to live in the castle on the Hudson.</p>
<p>Forget about campuses and attitudes; what do you want to do should be what guides your decision. The Army is a more people oriented organization, as you will lead platoons of 40 people, whereas in the AF and Navy, you deal with a lot more technology (but they Army has plenty as well) and less with people as a whole. Those are broad generalizations, but from conferences I've been to with Cadets and Midshipmen from all the service Academies, I truly believe that West Point has the leader development process down much better than anywhere else. Of course, I am biased, but having talked to people from all of them, I really think we have it right.</p>
<p>Think of what you want to do, do you want to be an Infantry guy, a tanker, a helicopter pilot? Then go Army. If you like the ideas of ships, subs, fighter planes, then the Navy may be for you. If you like country clubs, good food, and lots of sleep, then the Air Force could be a fit. In the end, you really cant go wrong.</p>
<p>And althought I hate to admit it, I am still amazed at how beautiful the Campus is at West Point. It is truly an amazing location and a national treasure. With the exception of Bradley Barracks, the dorms aren't bad and are larger than most civilian rooms.</p>
<p>I live in Northern Virginia and have been to both the Naval Academy and the Military numerous times. Even though the Naval Academy is closer to home, West Point was always my first choice. When you are at West Point you have that feeling that you are a part of something special, that very few others get to experience. Sure you will somewhat get the same experience at the Naval Academy, but when I was there I just did not feel like I did while at West Point.</p>
<p>Yea I guess now that I think about it, West Point was a pretty pictoresque campus... I just have a very strong impression of the bare lifeless barracks room that I spent a week in, but I suppose once stuff started piling in there (books, comp, uniforms) in an orderly manner, it'll seem more lively.</p>
<p>If you want airconditioning in your dorm, and want to learn how to manage large pieces of equipment (or at least try to, a navy sub came up under a Japanese tourist ship a year or two ago) and you want to live in a tourist town, go to Annapolis. If you want to learn leadership, go to West Point. West Point is beautiful but you'll be too focused on leveraging every minute of your time and learning how to prioritize to even notice where you are.</p>