Northwest Prep

pj01720

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How successful is Northwestern Prep in securing appointments for cadets? It seems like a very interesting program. Has anyone had any experience with NW Prep?
 
How successful is Northwestern Prep in securing appointments for cadets? It seems like a very interesting program. Has anyone had any experience with NW Prep?

My experience is a bit dated...but probably not untypical.

We (my class) entered NWPS with 61 students. 57 of us received appointments to the academy we'd come to NWPS to get to. The four that did not receive appointments didn't raise their ACT/SAT scores significantly; the rest of us did. Mine went up from 550v 560m to 720v 760m.

Two of my classmates at NWPS flew for the USAF Thunderbirds (one was the commander, TBird #1, and the other was the Slot pilot, TBird #4); one is a Brigadier General, the other is a Colonel (waiting to get his star).

We did pretty good.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
NWPS '78-'79
 
Impressive, my SAT scores are v550 m650. I really want to go to an academy so NWPS is looking like a great option. It looks like a great transition from civilian life to academy life.

Thanks for the response!
 
NWP

I can give you some perspective from a parent whose son just finished the semester in December at NWP. Our son was a Falcon Foundation scholar recipient. He got his Falcon offer in late march last year. He raised his verbal SAT by 50 points and his Math by 10. But he did get a 33 on ACT math. The school seems to have been a great bridge from high school to college life. It took some study habit adjustments on his part but he worked hard and I think is much better prepared for college. He just started this semester at the local Junior College. Every thing is in at the Academy and he received a nomination. We hope to hear the good news soon. He has been working hard at getting to the Academy for almost 2 years now. He also made some great friendships at NWP and he still stays in touch with a few of them. I would recommend NWP for any academy hopeful if they get the option. Let me know if you need any more info.
 
Unless you are a Falcon Foundation scholar or sponsored by another academy -think twice about this route.
The AFA and Naval Academy uses this school for their sponsored prep students. For them it is fantastic.
 
Unless you are a Falcon Foundation scholar or sponsored by another academy -think twice about this route.
The AFA and Naval Academy uses this school for their sponsored prep students. For them it is fantastic.

Not sure I agree here.

I had several classmates at NWPS that were NOT FF scholars or sponsored by the Getty group. They were there because the academy told them "this is where we send folks..."

MOST of them are now academy graduates. They received the same benefits of education (NWPS focuses upon study skills, testmanship, etc.) and were able to raise their scores significantly enough to enter the academies of their choice.

Is it a guarantee? Nope. BUT...it can't hurt if that is the ULTIMATE goal. I mean, what's a semester?

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
You are right on Fleiger as usual. I know my son had a couple classmates at NWP this fall who were so called free agents. I am sure we will hear in the next month or two about the NWP 2009 grads getting into the academies. Thanks again fleiger you were and still are a great source of info. You gave us a lot of info last year when my son learned about NWP. I agree it is only 1 semester. This provides a chance for the student to get a taste of life and college on their own. I feel my son will be much more prepared if he gets in the academy this year.
 
I am a Falcon Scholar that just completed NWP (there are a handful of us here). I made this post initially agreeing with Just_A_Mom, but I deleted it because I'm really not sure what to recommend to people who want to go the free agent route. It's very hard to tell how successful a school is when 75% of the students have been hand picked by an academy (also several of the free agents were recruited athletes). If you do decide on prep school, NWP is definitely the place to go though.
 
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It is risky. If you attend without being sponsored you risk losing an entire year of college. without an appointment you have two choices -
1. Go to college and join ROTC
2. Go to NWP - No ROTC and no college credit.
These two are competing against each other.

With a Falcon Scholar - you aren't competing in the pool. You simply have to do well and you get an appointment - it's yours to lose.

Furthermore - if you are a West Point applicant I would NOT recommend NWP at all. You would have zero increased chance of an appointment.
If you decide to go as a "free agent" - definitely talk to admission and get their opinion AND ask questions of the prep school. You want to know their "free agent" appointment rate.

A few years ago there was a young lady who didn't get an appointment despite three nominations. She went the free agent route to NWP and still did not get an appointment even when she brought up her SAT's markedly and got three nominations. It was so sad because her Dad thought she would be a shoe in. She ended up enlisting.

If you go to college and the ROTC route at least you won't be behind if you don't get an appointment and will graduate with your class.
 
Just adding a few comments...

We had a prior student who was a midshipman at Merchant Marine visit us. He was a free agent with a 34 ACT and he didn't get into Navy which was his top choice. He asked admissions why and they said it was because he had one D from tenth grade.

NWP is a essentially an Air Force school. My class of 77 had over 40 Falcon Scholars and there were less than 10 from the Navy Foundation. If you're only interested in Navy, that's fine. We were visited by several midshipmen and Navy/Marine officers (including an admiral).

IMO if you're a average (or below) student, a semester at NWP will be far more beneficial in the long run than a semester at college. NWP will teach you time management, how to memorize, and attention to detail.

Also, another benefit of doing ROTC instead is that ROTC is another nomination source.
 
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What are Falcon scholars expected to do with the second semester? The local community college seems like it wouldn't be challenging to a student who was accepted to some prestigious schools but not the academy.
 
What are Falcon scholars expected to do with the second semester? The local community college seems like it wouldn't be challenging to a student who was accepted to some prestigious schools but not the academy.
You will be "expected/required" to continue school.

Local community college or local college/university, doesn't matter but you MUST go!

And I'd advise taking challenging courses to keep your skills sharp!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Son decided to attend NW Prep this fall! So proud.

We just need to decide what to do for his second semester!
 
Check into your Community college before you discount it's academic rigor. Many cc's are top notch two year colleges with articulation agreements to some very good colleges and more and more have honors programs.
 
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