End of the Line for USNA

PenoyBalut said:
Same fate for my DS. he just forwarded me USNA's denial email. He's a little bit disappointed but at least he's backup has just been secured last week. He got his acceptance from his 1st choice of university (RPI) for his NROTC scholarship. One way or another he's still on his way on becoming a naval officer.
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Congratulations!

My son is a freshman in RPI's NROTC program. I am sure that they'll be meeting one another in the not too distant future.
 
Sam2018 said:
Would anybody like to share stats?
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I'll share stats. It's all about competition they say.

ACT 31. Math 27. English 32 reading 33 science 34
3.75 GPA
National Youth Leadership
CVW
Camp counselor 2 summers
FCA officer. 3 year member
Key Club 4 years, 2 officer positions
Class rep 3 years
All County cross country
2 year co captain cross country
County cross country champs 3 years
2 time state participant cross country
2 letters cross country/ 1 indoor track
School record holder 4x relay
Jr NHS, NHS
AP Lit, AP English, AP European History, AP Chemistry, AP Statistics
Honors Physics, Honors Chemistry, 2 years Spanish, pre- calc
All classes taken for 4 years were honors or AP except for electives.
Summer job in between cross country practice and counseling

Still waiting on other SA.

He got the same email last week
 
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Sorry to hear of the TWE's, We were in the same place 2 years ago, waitlisted and waiting until June before the final No came through. As Catchaser wrote, they definitely (the Academy and the nominating committees) truly do like reapplicants. DS is currently a very happy plebe. I can't emphasize enough the importance of following the guidelines listed in the TWE. Also, to maintain activity both volunteer and leadership, while attending plan B. I wish you all the best of luck
 
F15DOC said:
End of the line for my DS, he received his denial letter from USNA this morning.
He is quite disappointed as he really liked our trip to Annapolis.
Thanks for all the help and guidance on the forums, will let you know if he gets an offer to USCGA which he is still waiting to hear from.
He hasn't really discussed if he goes to his backup university if he will reapply, only time will tell on that one...
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I'm sorry Doc. That said, in my life I've learned a ton more from "No's" than I have the "Yes's"; I didn't reply just to preach though.

When my Kid and I went back East to visit colleges and teams we found ourselves leaving Yale with some extra time on our hands. My daughter had already had some contact with the USCGA coach and an "Official" was planed. We arranged a drive up the road for an impromptu look at the USCGA campus and a meeting with the coach, (avoiding a 2nd trip back East).

My daughter and the USCGA coach hit it off instantly and wandered off for a 2+hour talk. I was left sitting in a room full of USCGA students that comprised 2 sports teams. I assume you've toured the USGA campus, so I will skip over that stuff----but I tell you those kids were AWESOME!. Friendly, inquisitive, genuine, intelligent To be honest everything you'd see in a USNA Mid -----minus a little ego and maybe a little more "easygoing". I was really impressed. Twenty kids engaging the "Old Guy" in conversation asking me about my work, Seattle, PNW sking; and responding to my questions about life at the USCGA---in between exercise sets. I liked the place and I really liked the students. Ultimately, my daughter opted to apply to the USNA with a pretty high confidence that she would be appointed, (among her reasons: NCAA Div 1 vs Div 3 at USCGA). That said, it was not as easy a call for her as you might think.

I've been privileged to work with two USCGA Grads on contracts and litigation involving maritime/international law elements. both great guys who swore by the USCGA as solid springboard into some of the more palitable areas of legal practice. The plans that some of those kids I spoke with had/have in the areas of of engineering, aviation and shipping were pretty cool too. My Daughter liked the fact that, whether flying or floating with the USCG, she would likely see more "mission action" in the Coast Guard than the other services.

We both were impressed with the USCGA. We still talk about it on occasion, and she has talked up the USCGA to a couple of her Jr Class friends. USCGA was the big surprize of the whole college search for us. I hope your son gets an offer there, and I do hope you will swing back here if he does. Those guys ought to be getting more props-----but then this is the USNA board.
 
DD is in the same boat (no pun intended) as F15DOC - turned down by USNA today, hoping to hear from USCGA. She's heading out on a mission trip tomorrow till the 27th - she's hoping to come back to good news...

There is a plan B for next year and a plan for her life...although we are disappointed, her dad and I would be thrilled to have near home for another year - we live next to a college campus with a great pre-med program, so if she doesn't make it into the USCGA, she's going to hit some biology and physiology classes that wouldn't be offered at a SA (she's already done college calculus and chemistry), then try one more year for SA. It's all good. No matter what the USCGA decides, her life for next year will be a grand adventure!
 
Sam2018 said:
Would anybody like to share stats?
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77/422 (transferred high schools after sophomore year)
3.83 gpa
Ap English lit
Ap English Lang
Ap Spanish Lang
Ap calc
Pre ap pre cal
Pre ap Spanish
Pre ap anatomy/physiology
Pre ap algebra 2
Pre ap chemistry
Debate

Varsity football 3 years
Jv football 1 year (capt)
Varsity soccer 1 yr (capt)
Varsity track 1 yr

Eagle Scout
250 community service hours
Led up to 40 boys in scout troop
1.5 years straight of leadership in scouts

Member of church youth leadership 3 yr
Member of church youth group 6 yr

Attended leadership camp

Act: eng 33 math 32 writing 30 science 26
Sat: cr 570 math 640 writing 680

270 work hours (current)

NHS 2 yrs

I felt like I was a strong candidate; however, I will continue to improve!
 
Aw lots of love to all who have been rejected. I got the same letter last year... it stings for a little while. I will urge you to move on though! Don't let it bring you down - truly, when one door closes, another opens. Always keep improving yourself, whether you plan to reapply or not. I reapplied and had success the second time, so I definitely advise that! If you are really passionate about being in the Navy, it will work out. You are all amazing people and I wish you the best of luck!
 
Great responses everyone, there is no doubt that we grow and improve in life with our disappointments as much as with our successes, and frequently more so. His Interact club had a meeting after school today, and as the Rotary Club Rep, I typically attend. I chatted with him briefly before he headed off to track (throws the Javelin). He didn't look too down to me, he is a resilient young man and this is a loss for him, but he is not taking it poorly. Both his mother and I think his personality is much more USCG than USN, so we aren't too saddened, other than I think he may have preferred the Navy. I will say, that we know our kids, and my son is a lifesaver not a warrior, always has been. I have flown in many aircraft, USAF/USN/USAR and USCG. Some of my favorite flights were tagging along as a flight doc on a USCG HH-65 Dolphin out of Port Angeles, and those young men and women impress me. Loved the sign in front of the Air Station one day "COURAGE IS YOUR DUTY". Sent chills up my spine. So, he has one last hope for his Plan A, we will see what life hands to him. Love the stories gang, they are inspiring :)
 
Hi, I'm a former Mid and I posted this earlier on another thread but I think it may help people on here as well. I hope it does.

I know for a lot of you reading this, it's application season and you're getting letters of rejection, acceptance or for NAPS/Foundation School. If you're accepted or sent to NAPS/Foundation School, congratulations. You've accomplished something few people get to do in their lives which is serve their country.

For those of who you who aren't accepted, it's ok.

At first you may think it's not ok or someone will tell you it's not. The people who stop being your friend or even loving you, being a significant other or even family, should love your irregardless of the circumstances or where you go to college. If they don't, then they really aren't worth it.

It's ok to be sad. Trust me. After you invest, hours, days, years and tons of money into training for a being hopefully accepted into a service academy and not having it happen, you have the right to cry, punch things, or do both (And yes you can eat ice cream/cake/fill in the blank guilty pleasure)

But you can't do this forever.

You have to get up and keep going. Just because this didn't workout, does not mean you're a bad person or not worth being here.

YOU ARE WORTH BEING HERE.

Do things that make you happy. Make a list. I'm serious. MAKE A LIST. You're good at sports, art, cooking, taking care of people,ect. Don't let someone else standards lead to you hating yourself. You don't have to do that.

You don't need to do that.

If you want to reapply to USNA or another SA, do it. You may get in the next time or or you may not. After 3 tries, I say stop. Usually the third time is the charm but there are other ways to be commissioned. You can go to ROTC and be a normal college student. You get to have a life and be a freshman, sophomore junior, and senior. Not do chow calls, not wake up at the crack of dawn unless you want to, not have 'mandatory fun', it's a good thing and trust me once you hit the Fleet you and USNA grads are on the same level.

Same with OCS. Full college experience like a normal person then 10 weeks of pain and chaos but you're in the zone when you hit the Fleet and you've been trained by enlisted Sailors and Marines that you will be leading. LEADING! That's a big deal. You are training to lead them into situations that may or may not be deadly. If you're going to lead them well, wouldn't you want to be trained by them and held to a standard of excellence.

Any commissioning program is great, the Academy is not the end all be all.

If you really want to serve, you'll make it happen.

Even enlisting is a great way to give back. You will be there doing the HARD WORK and learning how things work on both sides of the military coin if you want to transition from Enlisted to Officer.

Ok in closing for anyone who's reading this who's in the same boat as me or may be soon due to Academic/PT/Honor/Conduct Boards or was in the past and like me is having a tough time letting go, I just want to say: I AM SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO YOU.

I know people who are reading this may wonder why I'm saying that but see above for why I'm saying this: time, effort, and money was put into a dream that didn't come true due to one or various circumstances. For many ex-Mids/ex-Cadets, what comes next is a huge "?" and it's scary.

Very scary.

But know this, one day, things will get better. One day they will.

In the present, figure out what you're good at and use your skills to help you start over. Make a plan, write a schedule, ensure that you have some sort of financial stability, and place to go.

Make sure you have those things so you can have a smooth start as a civilian if leaving the Academy is rocky.

From there, work. There's no easier way to put this but you have to work on everything. Starting with yourself. Work to find employment, get back into school, or enlist. Waivers for enlisting take a while so in the meantime, work or go to school.

Keep yourself busy. Get away from social media. Give yourself a chance to breathe, to cry, to eat too many doughnuts and cry again. It's ok but don't do this forever.

Find yourself. Your own identity separate from your parents and your SA.

I think this is the hardest part because it takes the most time. You need to carve out an identity that isn't "Midshipman" or "Cadet". You need to be "You".

It get's better I promise. Just take one day, one meal, one minute as it comes.

If anyone needs more help or advice, I'll be happy to PM.
 
anne99 said:
Same here. DS has his solid backup and plans to try again next year. Now he just needs to research what he will need to do to be a better candidate for the class of 2021. Any advice in that area besides what is suggested in the denial letter?
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Take a VERY close look at the details in the letter as it applies to the courses...then look at the Plebe course curriculum on the USNA site. Mirror that as much as possible....not somewhat, but mostly! Do well in the college curriculum as outlined (that means A's and B's) get invloved in SOMETHING on campus, be physically active (play intramural or a club sport), retake ACT or SAT if the numbers aren't just right. USNA loves re-applicants but only to the degree that they can excel at the college level.
 
You probably aren't going to get much information from your BGO. Once Summer Seminar has concluded, I recommend any candidates who think they will re-apply, to contact their Admission's Counselor (now is not the best of time, as you might not get the attention/answer you need....they will remain busy until the beginning of the summer). Sometimes, it strictly comes down to numbers...your file might have been truly outstanding...but it ended up being a numbers game. As others have said, do EXTREMELY well in challenging plebe-like courses, GET INVOLVED (could be ROTC, Semper Fi Society, student government, greek life [for the right reasons]), and PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS (intramurals, leagues, road races, etc.)! Think of this as a court case...you want to prove to USNA Admissions, beyond all doubt, that you can handle the same EXACT busy/rigorous environment as USNA.
 
F15DOC said:
End of the line for my DS, he received his denial letter from USNA this morning.
He is quite disappointed as he really liked our trip to Annapolis.
Thanks for all the help and guidance on the forums, will let you know if he gets an offer to USCGA which he is still waiting to hear from.
He hasn't really discussed if he goes to his backup university if he will reapply, only time will tell on that one...
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Same here for my DS. Now waiting on a waiver from USMA.
 
Good point. I meant to say Admissions Counselor, not BGO! Thanks for correcting. Rough day for a lot of folks. Sorry to hear. I look forward roses what everyone's Plan Bs are and all these great kids succeeding!
 
jbusn said:
Seems as if a lot of TWE's went out today...sorry to hear from anyone that rec'd one.
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It was a BIG day for rejections! My son got his this morning, too. Then I saw a lot of the same on this forum and on a facebook group. Good luck to those who survived today and are still "complete pending review".
 
Impressive stats. Good luck to all still waiting for other academies.
 
Sydney C. said:
Take a VERY close look at the details in the letter as it applies to the courses...then look at the Plebe course curriculum on the USNA site. Mirror that as much as possible....not somewhat, but mostly! Do well in the college curriculum as outlined (that means A's and B's) get invloved in SOMETHING on campus, be physically active (play intramural or a club sport), retake ACT or SAT if the numbers aren't just right. USNA loves re-applicants but only to the degree that they can excel at the college level.
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anne99 said:
Same here. DS has his solid backup and plans to try again next year. Now he just needs to research what he will need to do to be a better candidate for the class of 2021. Any advice in that area besides what is suggested in the denial letter?
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One last thing on this if I may anne99. As your DS goes through the process again this fall, he will need to rewrite his essay as well as secure a nomination once again. In both cases he can use this life experience as a platform to address how he overcame the adversity, stood up to the challenge of a college curriculum, got immersed in meaningful EC pursuits, remained focused on his goal and his resume of the things he did and accomplished from here going forward demonstrate that commitment.

The last couple of days have been so difficult for so many outstanding young men and women in this pursuit. Every life has these moments. As has been noted by many before me, while some are already thinking about "getting back into the fight", and you have to admire that spirit, now may be the time to cycle through just a bit of the grieving process, begin to fully embrace their plan B, enjoy the balance of their senior year, and perhaps only then to refocus and let it play out.

Finally, perhaps share with DS the words of Helen Keller " A happy life consists not in the absence but in the mastery of hardships". I wish you well.
 
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