<p>Fairly new to these message boards and appreciate all the knowledge and opinions. I would like to know if there is anyone that has had the experience of applying to all three academies and how they decided which academy would be the best fit. My son has received an LOA from USMA. He has visited USNA and is visiting USAFA this weekend. He is considered a recruited athlete which is why I think he received the LOA. We would appreciate any opinions as to what he should be focusing on should he be fortunate to earn a spot at more than one academy. Between USMA and USNA he seemed to favor academy life at West Point, but thought he would have more career choices at USNA. His long term career goal is to become a JAG. Im posting this on the 3 different forums to get a variety of opinions. We appreciate any input we might receive.</p>
<p>jwags, just curious. What sport is your son's?</p>
<p>Gymnastics</p>
<p>That's a bit of a loaded question, akin to asking which is the best sports car, Ferrari, Mazarati, or Lamborghini?</p>
<p>A great deal will depend on him. The one thing you can be sure of is that no matter where he lands, it will be GOOD.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, West Point is seen as the better Leadership school, whereas Annapolis is considered the better all-around school. Air Force is considered good technically, but it's reputation is, in many ways, still being built (USMA and USNA have over 100 years each, while USAFA is playing catch-up at 50 or so).</p>
<p>Another viable option (especially if he wants JAG) is the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (I'll beat LFWDad to the punch). You can pick your Service after graduation, and apparently the curriculum there is heavily tilted toward aspects of Maritime Law, so it would seem a good choice.</p>
<p>Now, with all that said, the question is, "What does HE think he wants to do, and why?" If we know that, then maybe we can help narrow this down a bit.</p>
<p>Oh, and just to be up front, Navy is the best. Don't let the peanut gallery at the other places trick you into believing otherwise. ;)</p>
<p>You're right - it is all good and I'm very excited for him. He can answer better than I what he wants to do and he'll probably chime in when he gets back from USAFA. He's been reading the message boards here and getting a lot of good information that he wouldn't necessarily get from a recruiting visit. In your post you said that you can choose your Service after graduation. Does that just apply to Merchant Marines or all the academies?</p>
<p>Coming out of USNA, USMA, and USAFA, a select few are permitted to cross the lines and serve in another branch of the Service. I don't know the criteria because I never considered it, but each year anywhere rom 5-10 grads switch sides at each school.</p>
<p>Now, from what I understand about USMMA, you can actually pick what service you want after graduation. LFWBDad will be able to give you the details, as his son is a Mid there right now.</p>
<p>My dd had appointments to USNA, AFA and USCGA. Her list was rearranged after the summer seminars from her earlier ranking. Her final choice came down to more career opportunities at USNA. Plus, the hats are stupid looking at AFA... ;)</p>
<p>Career options are far greater at the Naval Academy. Also, the USNA can offer a comparable career field to anything offered by either West Point or the Air Force Academy. The qualifier is that anything the Army or Air Force can do, the Navy can do better. For example, anybody can land on a runway; only the very best can land a tactical jet on a pitching deck in the dark of night. And Navy SEALs are far superior to the Delta Force and the Green Beret.</p>
<p>Ditto on what Zapod posted concerning Kings Point.</p>
<p>Wow!! Zaph's getting good :D</p>
<p>He's right, when you graduate from Kings Point you can chose to serve 5 years active duty in the Navy, Army, Marines Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or the NOAA Corps. (NOAA has a fleet of 14 ships that basically sail around looking for bad weather to sail into)</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>You can take a commission in the US Naval Reserve, Merchant Marine Reserve and serve in the reserve for eight years and work for eight years in the US Maritime industry -- sailing on merchant ships, running ports, designing ships, running tug boats, being a harbor pilot, or an admiralty lawyer,etc. (Admiralty lawyers with a Coast Guard License are golden)</p>
<p>By law every KP graduate has to earn his/her Coast Guard 3rd mate's or 3rd enginneer's license and you must keep that active for six years. That is why Kings Pointers have to spend an entire year at sea before they graduate (Coast Guard Regs say you have to have 360 sea days to be a 3rd mate or engineer). So, they start classes in July and end classes in June every year because they have to cram 4 years of academics in to three calendar years.</p>
<p>The downside is that there are not alot of majors to choose from. You either major in Marine Transportation or Marine Engineering and there are three sub-disciplines in each major you can focus on. </p>
<p>Big Options when you graduate, little options while you are at school.</p>
<p>LFWB had appointments to USNA and USMMA and chose USMMA for the above reasons but, also because he's a good D-III athlete and realistically would not have been a varsity athlete at Navy. Some good advice he got as he was making his decision was that, all other things being eqaul, its a lot more fun starting at a D-III school than it is riding the bench at a D-I school.</p>
<p>
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Wow!! Zaph's getting good :D
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;)</p>
<p>
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Plus, the hats are stupid looking at AFA...
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</p>
<p>
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NOAA has a fleet of 14 ships that basically sail around looking for bad weather to sail into
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</p>
<p>Thank you both for the morning laughs! :D:D:D:D:D</p>
<p>Well if there is one thing I'm learning, it's that the more I learn the more I realize I have to learn. I don't think the Merchant Marines will be an option for him because they don't offer his sport and he's worked hard for 12 long years to be able to compete at the college level. And the coaches have told him that they expect him to be able to contribute starting his Freshman year (I know that's probably not the right term, but again I'm still learning!). From what I've been able to gather so far, it does seem as though Navy offers the most options. His strong point is probably his gift of gab and would probably do very well in public relations. Any thoughts on that? </p>
<p>Also, someone mentioned a little while back that they thought it was more important to select the Academy that was the right fit and the rest would work itself out. The opinion was based on that it was more important to get through the 4 years because they can be so tough. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say about AFA when he gets home, but right now he says he liked Academy life better at West Point (based on his recruiting visit) but the career options better at Navy. For now at least he is planning a career in the military (I remember reading Zaphod that that was your intention in the beginning also, but you changed your mind down the road). Would love to hear your opinions on this also.</p>
<p>jwags:
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His strong point is probably his gift of gab and would probably do very well in public relations. Any thoughts on that?
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</p>
<p>One of my classmates has that gift. His name is Montel Williams. Montel started out serving on sumbarines as a naval intelligence officer and ended up as a Hollyweird talk show host.</p>
<p>jwags mom...if your son is really interested in JAG, an ROTC program might be a better fit. At our kiddo's high school her friend turned down her USNA appointment to go Cornell Navy ROTC and get going on her JAG goals. And his gymnastics aspirations would be much better suited at a civilian University. We have a good friend who's daughter is a Firstie at USNA this year, was a recruited swimmer. Top times in lots of areas out of high school. She finally quit swimming after 2 years, because she couldn't handle the tension of trying to maintain the fitness level she KNEW she needed to advance at the elite swim levels, coupled with all the Academy demands. A young person at a Service Academy is FIRST and FOREMOST training to serve their country as a military officer, so that HAS to take priority over ANYTHING else - no matter how great an athlete you are in your sport </p>
<p>As far as which Academy - I think all the posts before me hit it spot on, so I will only concur with what is posted. </p>
<p>You probably should visit the places and talk, talk, talk to current and former grads of all the schools if your son really wants to get a 'feel' for the places and talking to graduates of each Academy gives you career information based on what each person did.</p>
<p>But your son needs to prioritize his college thoughts.
What comes first?</p>
<p>gymnastics - then go civilian college ROTC </p>
<p>JAG aspirations? - consider the above, and think hard about doing gymnastics at the level of competition he is expecting at a Service Academy. Frankly, this is NOT the reason Service Academies provide an education.</p>
<p>Military service first - Then a Service Academy might be the best fit.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son, though for his achievements so far. How wonderful to have all these options to consider for him and for you! :-)</p>
<p>Well, I know little about AFA aside from a comment from my AF buddy, who's son is there now. He noted that his son would have been a better fit for USMA, as he's a get-down-and-dirty type kid. And he added, "And he doesn't play golf."</p>
<p>My brother, who lives on an AF base, offered independently ... "They're always hugging each other. Makes me sick!":(</p>
<p>So, PR peeps guy? Maybe the USAFA is for your boy? ;)</p>
<p>Choosing a career is a process with so many variables that it is impossible to really describe accurate for one person based upon the experiences of another. I went in wanting a carrer, but decided not to. A classmate of mine I spoke to yesterday had no intention of doing a career, but now he is. That is a decision your son will have to make each time an opportunity to leave the Service comes up.</p>
<p>I feel I must say something, however. I recognize and appreciate the effort your son has put into gymnastics over the past several years, and I am quite certain it means a lot to him, but unless he's planning on being a professional gymnast I'd say that basing the decision on what school to attend on what sports are available is a bit shortsighted. He needs to look FORWARD, not backward, and see what his choice of school will mean 10, 15, 30 years down the road. I can assure you based on experience that no one in the military or the business world gives a hootin' hell what sport one did in college. They care what you studied in college and what college it was you studied it at. </p>
<p>If USMMA offers him the best and most flexible package of future opportunities based upon his interests, then he would be foolish to pick another school because they have gymnastics. You go to an Academy to be an Officer, not an athlete.</p>
<p>Somrthing to think about while he has the time. :)</p>
<p>ETA: Peskemom beat me to it. :)</p>
<p>He'd probably be more a Rush Limbaugh type guy, but I'll pass that info along! Thanks.</p>
<p>Maybe he's a future in pharmacy.;)</p>
<p>Or tap-dancing. :(</p>
<p>Well said Peskemom and Zaphod. I look forward to sharing your thoughts with my son. He's looked into some civilian colleges but he seems to have his mind set on the military and being an officer.</p>
<p>Well, that's good, but also tell him to keep this in mind:</p>
<p>Even if he thinks he wants a career NOW, he may very well change his mind later. If so, he will want to go to a place that gives him the broadest possible opportunities within his interests AFTER he's out of the military.</p>
<p>I hate to say this (John Paul Jones, forgive me!), but knowing what I know now, I would have applied to Kings Point back in 1986. It may have made me more marketable in a post-Cold-War, pre-9/11, pre-MD&D industry world. But hey, I also would have studied harder at USNA, would have driven subs, and the whole world might have been different, too! :D</p>
<p>So he needs to think not only about the military (which is what I was doing when I applied), but beyond it, because things can and do change.</p>
<p>ETA: Sorry, I read too fast and missed your point of his comparing civilian vs. SA. Still, the advice above stands no matter what SA he is looking at, and could also be applied if he is looking at an ROTC program somewhere. :)</p>