My DD just got a call from USCGA yesterday giving her a "head-up" that her appointment will be coming in the mail very soon.
I wish I could say I was excited about this but she has an LOA from USNA and an appointment already from her MOC.
I thought she was all set on going to USNA (well she put the likelihood at 90% just to be alittle coy)
Now she is seriously considering USCGA and the USNA dropped to 70%.
USNA has so much more of what she is looking for - possibility of foreign travel, more majors (particularly Arabic), much better location and student body that was more the size she was looking for.
She some how has the idea that the careers coming from USCGA are better suited to her. She likes the idea of helping people in her day to day job (ie search & resuce and drug interdiction).
She thinks of USCGA as little picture "help" and USNA as big picture "help"
I know that USCGA is a wonderful institution but as a mom I really picture her at USNA.
Has anyone been faced with a similar choice between Academies? I appreciate any thoughts.
USCGA is better.... so she's got that going for her.
My decision was 12-13 years ago now, but it was between USCGA, USNA and USMMA (eventually, in that order). USNA did a better job of keeping my interest throughout the application process, but USCGA won out in the end.
Why?
I liked the idea of doing a job, in an organization that is often overlooked, in wartime and peace. I visited and USCGA felt "right." The students, to me, seemed more put-together than the folks at USNA or USMMA. Yes, USNA has more name recognition, but that didn't translate into "makes better officers... ship drivers" to me.
Two USNA midshipmen were visiting my high school and a blue and gold officer asked them "which is the hardest?" We were both surprised to hear them say "the Coast Guard Academy."
But why? Well, at 900+ total students, it's extremely hard to be a wallflower. It's hard to "get by" because you will be noticed and your upperclass will expect certain things of you.
Now, also consider the size of the school and the service. The entire school is smaller than a single class at USNA. You will know all of your classmates. You will know all of the members of the classes immediately ahead and behind you. You will know the vast majority of the classes two years ahead and behind you. And you will know a good portion of the classes three years ahead and behind you. You will see them in the fleet. You will see your company officers and instructors in the fleet too.
If you're a "slashmate", if you're bad at what you do and you don't help shipmates out.... people will know.
The Coast Guard Academy feeds 40% of the Coast Guard officer corps. The entire Coast Guard officer corps is around 6,000.... you won't know EVERYONE, but there's a very good chance you'll know someone who does.
I think (or I've been told) that USCGA cadets really really dislike their time at CGA (I certainly didn't like it until.... maybe my senior year, or maybe after I graduated) and USNA midshipmen enjoy USNA (as much as is possible), but that Coast Guard junior officerss enjoy their work in their jobs more than Navy (or Marine Corps) junior officers.
Annapolis, MD (USNA's home) is MUCH MUCH nicer than New London, CT (CGA's home). The Navy's budget makes the Coast Guard's budget look like petty cash.
My boss commented on the sad Polar Class Coast Guard ice breakers, reading from a Washington Post article about the cutter's age. "You think that's bad... it was commissioned in 1993.... my cutter was commissioned in 1969, and has gone through two mid-life overhauls... with no plan to replace it... and it was one of the newer ones in its class."
The Coast Guard Academy is not the place to go if you want everyone to immediately recognize what you did to get there, what you have to do to graduate from there, and what you'll be doing after you graduate. It IS the place to go if you can figure out how to be completely comfortable and confident in doing a job every day with little fanfare.
If I had to choose again, between USCGA, USNA, and USMMA..... USCGA wins every time (but I'm not unbiased.)