SMC v. Civilian College for reapply?

Hey all, I am a senior in high school, and unfortunately I received my rejection notice a few days ago for the class of 2019. I will be reapplying here shortly. However, I am having an extremely hard time deciding what I should do for the next year while I reapply for the c/o 2020.

I currently have the option of attending a SMC at no cost, OR a moderately prestigious public Ivy for about 6.5K a year. NROTC scholarship is currently placed at the SMC and I have been assured by the scholarship coordinator that having it transferred will not be a problem.

Question 1: Disregarding the, "where I'll be happiest/two plebe years" question, Do SMC re-applicants stand a better chance at obtaining an appointment over civilian college reapplicants to the Naval Academy?

Question 2: Regarding the "where I'll be happiest/two plebe years" question, I am concerned about going through freshman year at a SMC while not being absolutely ecstatic to be there. Don't get me wrong, I want the military school..... but I want it at the Naval Academy. In short, I am concerned that not being as pumped/excited about the SMC as I am about the Academy may adversely affect, or altogether derail my performance at a SMC. Any suggestion/advice from someone who's been here before?

Background/Highlights on me:
720/730/750 CR/M/W SAT
Ranked 5/270
S&T High School/dual enrollment in local CC, curriculum included:
-math through Calculus 3 & Linear Algebra, Calculus based Physics, Intro. to Engineering etc.
-Capstone Project at Local Particle Accelerator (Programming simulations of future experiments)
President of NHS, Eagle Scout w/palms, Senior Patrol Leader, Capt. Swim Team, etc
District/Regional/State Qualifier for varsity swimming, club swim team during off season.
CFA
Not outstanding, but nowhere near bad.


Thanks for reading,
A disappointed young man




PS
(For the real swimmers out there, I fully realize high school swim team doesn't count, but I've been quite busy the last few years, and 10K meter practices 5 days a week plus weight days didn't quite fit my schedule)

oh_yeah said:

Question 1: Disregarding the, "where I'll be happiest/two plebe years" question, Do SMC re-applicants stand a better chance at obtaining an appointment over civilian college reapplicants to the Naval Academy?

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Logic dictates the being successful in a college that is fairly similar to USNA would carry more weight than similar success at another institution. Just my 2 cents.

oh_yeah said:

Question 2: Regarding the "where I'll be happiest/two plebe years" question, I am concerned about going through freshman year at a SMC while not being absolutely ecstatic to be there. Don't get me wrong, I want the military school..... but I want it at the Naval Academy, not a SMC. In short, I am concerned that not being as pumped/excited about the SMC as I am about the Academy may adversely affect, or altogether derail my performance at a SMC. Any suggestion/advice from someone who's been here before?

Click to expand...

My we're being pretty picky aren't we? Your attitude while attending an SMC is totally up to you. If you need to pump yourself up for it then do so. If you're unable to pump yourself up for it then perhaps you should be considering another career path since you WILL need to pump yourself up from time to time at USNA and in the military. Again, just my opinion.

Flourish where you're planted. You will definitely need to do THAT in the military.

Bottom line... You need to pick the school you will thrive at the most and what school you would want to stay at until you graduate. If an SMC out of state is not financially supportable for 4 years, you need to consider that. What happens if you get hurt, realize you want to stay at whatever school, what happens if you get the TWE again, what happens if you decide I want to study finance and go to Wall Street instead. If you hate the school you go to, it will show in your grades. Pick the school you can giving you the best chance to succeed and what school you can stay at for 4-5 years for the million just in case scenarios.

I had to make a similar choice a few months ago; I decided that if I didn't get into the Naval Academy next year on my re app, I would want finish my degree at military school. Thus, I am now going to VMI instead of my state school.

USNA doesn't care (with some limited exceptions) what college you attend other than they prefer a 4-yr college. It's more about the classes you take and the grades you earn. Now, I'm not naive enough to think that straight As in STEM courses at MIT won't look better than straight As at a "lesser" known school. But I've seen folks successfully reapply from state schools, from VMI/Citadel, etc.

As someone above said, you should pick the school where you think you would most enjoy the next four years. There is no guarantee that you will be appointed the second time around. Not to mention that many folks find they actually love their "second" choice and didn't even want to reapply. Suggest you read the Roller Coaster thread if you've not done so -- some great stories there.

Obviously, finances are important but only you know the extent to which they will play into your decision. But, as noted, don't count on the fact that you'll get into USNA so only need to finance one year at the other school.

If you go with your "gut," you are probably going to make the best decision for you.

Odds are, you will be happy at either choice. Most students are happy with their university, and if they aren't, they transfer. Echoing advice above, focus on where you will be able to make the grades and get involved.