- Joined
- Mar 5, 2015
- Messages
- 46
I like to hop on this forum a couple times a year as I remember it being a huge encouragement to myself during the "potential candidate" days. Today I had the realization it has been 10 years since my first TWE arrived and I found myself in a spot of reflection. Hoping my experience can bring encouragement to those feeling the pain of "crushed dreams". (Forgive me if I start to ramble, the newborn makes me wish I had as much sleep as I used to complain about at USNA 
) (This ended up way longer than I meant it to)
In 2013 I graduated high school, top 5 in my class, with well above a 4.0 GPA. JV football, varsity wrestling, varsity basketball, varsity cross country (team captain), four years varsity swim (team captain), National honors society.... etc etc etc. At the time I thought it was all for naught as I had been rejected from my dream school, USNA. Everything I had done through high school was with the focus of attending the Academy. Of course when I received my TWE I was devastated. I was a fully qualified candidate, I (in my mind) crushed the fitness test and had a congressional nomination from a very competitive district (San Diego). After coming to terms that I had to figure out my backup options I began to become downright pissed off. I thought I had wasted "the best years of my life" trying too hard to look good on paper and I was hurt that admissions could not see I was the right fit for the Academy. Just a few weeks before I had my whole life figured out and now I would be set back by going through OCS or having to reapply!! (Oh to be 18) Well thankfully my best friend smacked me around a bit, made me realize I was on a high horse and life wasn't over.
Some of you may be having some of the same emotions I did (the first time). It is natural to be going through the grieving process, but as someone who went through it I would suggest you ask what you are trying to achieve. Is your goal in life to go to and graduate the Naval Academy and have a prestigious college on your resume? If so you may want to look into Ivy league or private institutions which have the same caliber of applicants but you don't have to struggle through the military side on top of your academics. My sister went to a top tier college, allowing her to skip her masters and enter right into a PhD program. This is in no way a lesser route as the determination required for her to complete her PhD in physical chemistry is in many ways equal to what is required to get through the Academy. I say this to emphasis that it is vital you understand the purpose of USNA. It is not to give you a stellar education. It is not to allow you to participate in college sports. While these things are part of the Academy experience, the real goal is to develop leaders to be officers in the United States Navy. You main motivation for USNA should be to become a Naval Officer and mentor, lead, promote, and protect your sailors. Yes SWOs drive ships, Aviators fly, and Marines yut, but at the heart of it all, you are there for your people. That attitude of "I was the best of the best" or "I need these sets of orders" really doesn't matter unless it somehow aimed at the betterment of your people. (I say this as only a recently frocked LT, but you really do notice who cares about their sailors and who cares about other things).
Ok that may have started to become a rant so back to the main purpose of this post... If after a bit of reflection you can see that you want to be the best Naval Officer you can be, realize that there is no place that is going to make that happen. That is going to be based on your own actions. You can go to the Academy and learn nothing, or go to college and attend OCS and be the best officer anyone has seen. The reason the Academy is so valuable (in my opinion) is it constantly puts you in daily situations where you have experiences you can tuck away in the back of your mind for when you might have similar situation later. If you allow it, you can sit back and let those situations pop up, whereas at a different college you may have to put yourself in extracurricular activities that presents opportunities to pursue lessons in leadership. But two of the best officers I know didn't ever plan on becoming officers. One went to bible college and majored in theology because he had a scholarship, spent a few years self employed as a contractor and then after going to the marine corps museum in Quantico (don't go if you don't want to immediately feel the need to join the corps) decided to try the navy thing (this also happens to be the friend that smacked me around earlier... jerk ended up commissioning a month before me). The other commissioned at 45. Has his PhD, had a 6 digit salary, but just really felt like he wanted to give back and lead. I give these two examples to show you, life is not over, you aren't now "behind", and the many other paths to becoming a Naval Officer have their own benefits.
So you know you want to be an Officer, you are open to all routes, what can you do next? Well I strongly believe in two ideologies: the only guaranteed no is if you don't ask/apply, and as my mid told me during drag weekend USNA has a 100% acceptance rate for fully qualified candidates... just not necessarily the first time. For the first, apply to any officer program available even if you do not feel like you will get it. Just applying will show those who matter that you are in fact serious. And this goes hand in hand with belief number 2, do not be afraid to reapply to USNA. You already have the paperwork done, you know what is expected/required, all you really have to do is rewrite some essays to show your development since the last application. If you got your nomination, there is a really good chance you will get it again as there's something about determination in the face of disappointment that shows really good character. Continue to take STEM academics, do your best, and keep up fitness. Really look into what you want to do in the Navy as you will realize some jobs it just does not make sense to go to the Academy (i.e. restricted line). Allow this experience of disappointment to both humble and develop you, and most of all take time to enjoy where you are in life, learning to be an adult and independent.
Back to my own experience. I knew I wanted to attend the Academy even after rejection. A mentor/family friend of mine when I was in middle school was a pilot who had commissioned into the Marine Corps. He was totally my hero and, although he was not a grad, he always stated the go to path to becoming an officer was through the Academies. Unfortunately he died when his 53 crashed his last week of deployment. Ever since I have always wanted to continue his legacy. Unfortunately I did not have the eyesight and at the time the only way to become a pilot was to have Navy approved surgery. The only option I could find was by going through the Academy to have it done (getting LASIK/PRK outside the navy is no longer a disqualifier and yeah it turns out you can still fly if you wear glasses.) In college I was studying Nuclear Eng. and so for me NUPOC was a great option. Only one school had ROTC and it was not feasible to commute between colleges. And I reapplied to USNA. After a 4.0, continued physical fitness, and stellar leadership positions, I again got rejected from USNA. In some ways it was easier than the first time, in some ways not, but the important thing was I had established my goals and a course of action and I continued to carry on.
So there I was, two times applied two times denied. now that I was in my second year of College I applied for the NUPOC scholarship. One of the questions asked if I had completed a current application to USNA. Well to make an already long post a little shorter, that year I got my BFE.
Now if I could do it all over again how would I change my application to get in the first time? I wouldn't. I am so glad that I was a part of C/o '19. I came in with life experience. One of my best mentors would not have been at the Academy then which would have totally changed my major, my opportunities while there, and my career choices (yes I got my dream of aviation, fulfilled my unknown love of rotary, and unexpectedly had a switch as my name suggests). I would not have had my sponsor family who I credit with getting me to commissioning, and I would not have had as solid a relationship with the woman who would become my wife (2% club can be done!) I was more prepared to handle the disappointments that occurred while at USNA and was able to handle the absolute devastation of transitioning out of aviation with a sense of positivity. Would I still be in a good position doing what I feel is the correct path for me to be on? Probably, but I have a lot of blessings in my life due to the timing of my Navy experience.
I initially meant to go more into my disappointments at USNA, my amazing time in aviation, and my transition to the wonderful world of IWO, but I feel this post is already too long. Hope some of you get something from it. Remember those who are on here really do understand your situations. Some have been on here long enough to be admirals, they really know what they are talking about. Stay humble. Press on. Beat Army.
) (This ended up way longer than I meant it to)In 2013 I graduated high school, top 5 in my class, with well above a 4.0 GPA. JV football, varsity wrestling, varsity basketball, varsity cross country (team captain), four years varsity swim (team captain), National honors society.... etc etc etc. At the time I thought it was all for naught as I had been rejected from my dream school, USNA. Everything I had done through high school was with the focus of attending the Academy. Of course when I received my TWE I was devastated. I was a fully qualified candidate, I (in my mind) crushed the fitness test and had a congressional nomination from a very competitive district (San Diego). After coming to terms that I had to figure out my backup options I began to become downright pissed off. I thought I had wasted "the best years of my life" trying too hard to look good on paper and I was hurt that admissions could not see I was the right fit for the Academy. Just a few weeks before I had my whole life figured out and now I would be set back by going through OCS or having to reapply!! (Oh to be 18) Well thankfully my best friend smacked me around a bit, made me realize I was on a high horse and life wasn't over.
Some of you may be having some of the same emotions I did (the first time). It is natural to be going through the grieving process, but as someone who went through it I would suggest you ask what you are trying to achieve. Is your goal in life to go to and graduate the Naval Academy and have a prestigious college on your resume? If so you may want to look into Ivy league or private institutions which have the same caliber of applicants but you don't have to struggle through the military side on top of your academics. My sister went to a top tier college, allowing her to skip her masters and enter right into a PhD program. This is in no way a lesser route as the determination required for her to complete her PhD in physical chemistry is in many ways equal to what is required to get through the Academy. I say this to emphasis that it is vital you understand the purpose of USNA. It is not to give you a stellar education. It is not to allow you to participate in college sports. While these things are part of the Academy experience, the real goal is to develop leaders to be officers in the United States Navy. You main motivation for USNA should be to become a Naval Officer and mentor, lead, promote, and protect your sailors. Yes SWOs drive ships, Aviators fly, and Marines yut, but at the heart of it all, you are there for your people. That attitude of "I was the best of the best" or "I need these sets of orders" really doesn't matter unless it somehow aimed at the betterment of your people. (I say this as only a recently frocked LT, but you really do notice who cares about their sailors and who cares about other things).
Ok that may have started to become a rant so back to the main purpose of this post... If after a bit of reflection you can see that you want to be the best Naval Officer you can be, realize that there is no place that is going to make that happen. That is going to be based on your own actions. You can go to the Academy and learn nothing, or go to college and attend OCS and be the best officer anyone has seen. The reason the Academy is so valuable (in my opinion) is it constantly puts you in daily situations where you have experiences you can tuck away in the back of your mind for when you might have similar situation later. If you allow it, you can sit back and let those situations pop up, whereas at a different college you may have to put yourself in extracurricular activities that presents opportunities to pursue lessons in leadership. But two of the best officers I know didn't ever plan on becoming officers. One went to bible college and majored in theology because he had a scholarship, spent a few years self employed as a contractor and then after going to the marine corps museum in Quantico (don't go if you don't want to immediately feel the need to join the corps) decided to try the navy thing (this also happens to be the friend that smacked me around earlier... jerk ended up commissioning a month before me
). The other commissioned at 45. Has his PhD, had a 6 digit salary, but just really felt like he wanted to give back and lead. I give these two examples to show you, life is not over, you aren't now "behind", and the many other paths to becoming a Naval Officer have their own benefits. So you know you want to be an Officer, you are open to all routes, what can you do next? Well I strongly believe in two ideologies: the only guaranteed no is if you don't ask/apply, and as my mid told me during drag weekend USNA has a 100% acceptance rate for fully qualified candidates... just not necessarily the first time. For the first, apply to any officer program available even if you do not feel like you will get it. Just applying will show those who matter that you are in fact serious. And this goes hand in hand with belief number 2, do not be afraid to reapply to USNA. You already have the paperwork done, you know what is expected/required, all you really have to do is rewrite some essays to show your development since the last application. If you got your nomination, there is a really good chance you will get it again as there's something about determination in the face of disappointment that shows really good character. Continue to take STEM academics, do your best, and keep up fitness. Really look into what you want to do in the Navy as you will realize some jobs it just does not make sense to go to the Academy (i.e. restricted line). Allow this experience of disappointment to both humble and develop you, and most of all take time to enjoy where you are in life, learning to be an adult and independent.
Back to my own experience. I knew I wanted to attend the Academy even after rejection. A mentor/family friend of mine when I was in middle school was a pilot who had commissioned into the Marine Corps. He was totally my hero and, although he was not a grad, he always stated the go to path to becoming an officer was through the Academies. Unfortunately he died when his 53 crashed his last week of deployment. Ever since I have always wanted to continue his legacy. Unfortunately I did not have the eyesight and at the time the only way to become a pilot was to have Navy approved surgery. The only option I could find was by going through the Academy to have it done (getting LASIK/PRK outside the navy is no longer a disqualifier and yeah it turns out you can still fly if you wear glasses.) In college I was studying Nuclear Eng. and so for me NUPOC was a great option. Only one school had ROTC and it was not feasible to commute between colleges. And I reapplied to USNA. After a 4.0, continued physical fitness, and stellar leadership positions, I again got rejected from USNA. In some ways it was easier than the first time, in some ways not, but the important thing was I had established my goals and a course of action and I continued to carry on.
So there I was, two times applied two times denied. now that I was in my second year of College I applied for the NUPOC scholarship. One of the questions asked if I had completed a current application to USNA. Well to make an already long post a little shorter, that year I got my BFE.
Now if I could do it all over again how would I change my application to get in the first time? I wouldn't. I am so glad that I was a part of C/o '19. I came in with life experience. One of my best mentors would not have been at the Academy then which would have totally changed my major, my opportunities while there, and my career choices (yes I got my dream of aviation, fulfilled my unknown love of rotary, and unexpectedly had a switch as my name suggests). I would not have had my sponsor family who I credit with getting me to commissioning, and I would not have had as solid a relationship with the woman who would become my wife (2% club can be done!) I was more prepared to handle the disappointments that occurred while at USNA and was able to handle the absolute devastation of transitioning out of aviation with a sense of positivity. Would I still be in a good position doing what I feel is the correct path for me to be on? Probably, but I have a lot of blessings in my life due to the timing of my Navy experience.
I initially meant to go more into my disappointments at USNA, my amazing time in aviation, and my transition to the wonderful world of IWO, but I feel this post is already too long. Hope some of you get something from it. Remember those who are on here really do understand your situations. Some have been on here long enough to be admirals, they really know what they are talking about. Stay humble. Press on. Beat Army.
