piper3
USNA ’28
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2022
- Messages
- 18
Hello!
This forum has helped me through my two applications to the Naval Academy! While this year I am celebrating receiving an appointment, exactly one year ago, I received the devastating news of a TWE. I was sitting in history class watching the Purge happen as my portal change from CPR to “Turned Down” at 11:36 on April 12, 2023.
In my first application, I was pretty much “all in” Naval Academy, only applying to one other school. While I knew the odds of getting in were not stacked in my favor, I had immense support from everyone in my community, who encouraged me and basically said that I would get in or that I was the perfect candidate. When I did not get in, it was not a fun experience. I felt dejected, heartbroken, surprised, and disappointed. I was absolutely crushed because I felt like the appointment was within reach. It was also the first time that I had never achieved a goal that I set for myself, a very common thing for many Academy applicants. Despite the decision being out of my control and the posted acceptance rate being ~10%, it felt like a personal failure, and I let the people who supported me through the journey down by not getting in.
I knew I was going to reapply from the beginning. I had been planning my reapplication before receiving the TWE when I signed up to take the ACT on April 15 (my best overall score), and within minutes of getting my TWE, I started planning how I wanted to do my reapplication. I was absolutely determined to get into Annapolis. I was also terrified of not getting in, but the possibility of getting outweighed the fear. My preliminary application was opened before I had secured my spot at the college I attended this year. Directly after I received my TWE, I was obsessed with reapplying and reflecting on it. It was not healthy, and in the summer, I managed to create a degree of separation so I could focus on the school year ahead of me.
Throughout this year, I learned a lot about life and myself. I wrote my essay almost exclusively about the lessons that I learned at school (an SMC). I was very successful at my school; I earned a 3.5-year NROTC contract, my club team won our league, and I did well academically. I would happily stay had I not received an appointment this year. In all honesty, I would not trade this extra year for anything. So, getting denied this year was not the end of the world, although it may feel like it in the short term.
To those who have just received a TWE and are considering reapplying, I encourage you to go for it. The second time around is much smoother, as your DoDMERB exams are already completed, and you’re familiar with the process. There was a point in my application where I seriously questioned if it would be worth going through the process again due to the toll the first one took on me. But an Ernest Hemingway quote helped me reframe my perspective: “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” This shift in mindset made all the difference.
These next couple weeks will be hard, but eventually, you will start to move forward, and then I-Day will come around, and it will bring those old feelings up again. I remember as all of those C/O'27 Plebes were standing in front of Bancroft saying “I do” while taking their oath, while I was at home thinking “I wish.” Fight through those feelings and remember that while the TWE does not define you, but your reaction does. You can either pick yourself up and use this as motivation to carry you through your life, or you can let it crush you.
I chose to use my TWE as motivation, and ultimately, my work paid off: I received an appointment to USNA on April 6th.
If the Naval Academy is what you want, Don’t Give Up the Ship, you can do it!
piper3
This forum has helped me through my two applications to the Naval Academy! While this year I am celebrating receiving an appointment, exactly one year ago, I received the devastating news of a TWE. I was sitting in history class watching the Purge happen as my portal change from CPR to “Turned Down” at 11:36 on April 12, 2023.
In my first application, I was pretty much “all in” Naval Academy, only applying to one other school. While I knew the odds of getting in were not stacked in my favor, I had immense support from everyone in my community, who encouraged me and basically said that I would get in or that I was the perfect candidate. When I did not get in, it was not a fun experience. I felt dejected, heartbroken, surprised, and disappointed. I was absolutely crushed because I felt like the appointment was within reach. It was also the first time that I had never achieved a goal that I set for myself, a very common thing for many Academy applicants. Despite the decision being out of my control and the posted acceptance rate being ~10%, it felt like a personal failure, and I let the people who supported me through the journey down by not getting in.
I knew I was going to reapply from the beginning. I had been planning my reapplication before receiving the TWE when I signed up to take the ACT on April 15 (my best overall score), and within minutes of getting my TWE, I started planning how I wanted to do my reapplication. I was absolutely determined to get into Annapolis. I was also terrified of not getting in, but the possibility of getting outweighed the fear. My preliminary application was opened before I had secured my spot at the college I attended this year. Directly after I received my TWE, I was obsessed with reapplying and reflecting on it. It was not healthy, and in the summer, I managed to create a degree of separation so I could focus on the school year ahead of me.
Throughout this year, I learned a lot about life and myself. I wrote my essay almost exclusively about the lessons that I learned at school (an SMC). I was very successful at my school; I earned a 3.5-year NROTC contract, my club team won our league, and I did well academically. I would happily stay had I not received an appointment this year. In all honesty, I would not trade this extra year for anything. So, getting denied this year was not the end of the world, although it may feel like it in the short term.
To those who have just received a TWE and are considering reapplying, I encourage you to go for it. The second time around is much smoother, as your DoDMERB exams are already completed, and you’re familiar with the process. There was a point in my application where I seriously questioned if it would be worth going through the process again due to the toll the first one took on me. But an Ernest Hemingway quote helped me reframe my perspective: “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” This shift in mindset made all the difference.
These next couple weeks will be hard, but eventually, you will start to move forward, and then I-Day will come around, and it will bring those old feelings up again. I remember as all of those C/O'27 Plebes were standing in front of Bancroft saying “I do” while taking their oath, while I was at home thinking “I wish.” Fight through those feelings and remember that while the TWE does not define you, but your reaction does. You can either pick yourself up and use this as motivation to carry you through your life, or you can let it crush you.
I chose to use my TWE as motivation, and ultimately, my work paid off: I received an appointment to USNA on April 6th.
If the Naval Academy is what you want, Don’t Give Up the Ship, you can do it!
piper3
