SA Prep School Question

Sguagliardo said:

Which preparatory school would best prepare me and improve my chances of an appointment? Also, if anyone knows, which one typically has the highest success rate.
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This is a huge ask of someone else, with a lot of legwork required. Yes, you will likely get some valuable anecdotal insights from individuals, but that may or may not be best for your case. No one can tell you what is best - for you.

Time to do your own legwork at primary sources!

The ability to organize a project, research and conduct a comparative analysis of key elements, and draw conclusions, is an example of the executive, analytical and critical thinking skills expected of a future junior officer.

Review the websites in deep detail for particulars on their program organization, performance, outcomes and other aspects of their SA prep program. Organize the info in a table or spreadsheet. Don’t forget cost!

Think about program elements of interest: Are college credits offered? One or two semester program? Tutoring available? Any college ROTC classes offered? Emphasis on one service over any other? Available sports? Items like this. Add to spreadsheet as you see fit.

Develop your questions you wish to ask about their programs and add them to your comparison table. Then, organize an “interview sheet” for each school and identify the point of contact, perhaps whoever directs the SA prep program. Email that person, briefly tell them about your situation (Are you a SA scholarship recipient? Self-prepper?) and ask for a phone appointment to discuss some questions you have.

Execute the phone appointment with your best professional and appreciative live phone skills, also a future junior officer communications skill.

Gather and organize your information. Put your thinking brain to work as you identify what seems most valuable to you, how their “stats” look, etc. You will eventually get a feel for how you would rank them.

Brief your parents at intervals. They should be appreciative and impressed with your adult approach to this research project.

If these schools were not successful at what they do, the SAs would not designate them as partner schools. Therefore, it is a matter of determining the best fit for you.

If you do this exercise and take ownership of the thinking, you will feel you have done your due diligence.
 
Northwestern would not reveal their self-prep success rate. I asked. Concededly, they enjoy a ton of anecdotal positive reviews and feedback, and their approach is unique and, thus, appealing for different reasons than the others; but my guess is that the overwhelming majority of their positive feedback comes from former sponsored preppers.

MMI, for one, seems more transparent in that particular regard.
 
Capt MJ said:
This is a huge ask of someone else, with a lot of legwork required. Yes, you will likely get some valuable anecdotal insights from individuals, but that may or may not be best for your case. No one can tell you what is best - for you.

Time to do your own legwork at primary sources!

The ability to organize a project, research and conduct a comparative analysis of key elements, and draw conclusions, is an example of the executive, analytical and critical thinking skills expected of a future junior officer.

Review the websites in deep detail for particulars on their program organization, performance, outcomes and other aspects of their SA prep program. Organize the info in a table or spreadsheet. Don’t forget cost!

Think about program elements of interest: Are college credits offered? One or two semester program? Tutoring available? Any college ROTC classes offered? Emphasis on one service over any other? Available sports? Items like this. Add to spreadsheet as you see fit.

Develop your questions you wish to ask about their programs and add them to your comparison table. Then, organize an “interview sheet” for each school and identify the point of contact, perhaps whoever directs the SA prep program. Email that person, briefly tell them about your situation (Are you a SA scholarship recipient? Self-prepper?) and ask for a phone appointment to discuss some questions you have.

Execute the phone appointment with your best professional and appreciative live phone skills, also a future junior officer communications skill.

Gather and organize your information. Put your thinking brain to work as you identify what seems most valuable to you, how their “stats” look, etc. You will eventually get a feel for how you would rank them.

Brief your parents at intervals. They should be appreciative and impressed with your adult approach to this research project.

If these schools were not successful at what they do, the SAs would not designate them as partner schools. Therefore, it is a matter of determining the best fit for you.

If you do this exercise and take ownership of the thinking, you will feel you have done your due diligence.
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Excellent advice!!!
 
Hi! I am currently a self prep at MMI! I am guessing that out of our group of SAP cadets, around 70-75% have earned appointments. I haven't done the actual math for it, but I think it should be around that. I have a thread on the Prep school forums if you want to know any more specific things about MMI! Here is the link to our website: https://marionmilitary.edu/
 
phoebem said:
Hi! I am currently a self prep at MMI! I am guessing that out of our group of SAP cadets, around 70-75% have earned appointments. I haven't done the actual math for it, but I think it should be around that. I have a thread on the Prep school forums if you want to know any more specific things about MMI! Here is the link to our website: https://marionmilitary.edu/
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70-75 seems quite low. Shouldn’t most prep students receive appointments? What happened to the other quarter of prep students?
 
For my DS I found YouTube to be a great resource if you cannot visit some or all of the JRMC's in person. He ended up choosing GMC because he spoke directly to various contacts at GMC and just got a great feeling from it. Also, Norwestern only has students for 1 semester and then you have to go home and take regular classes, and he did not want to do that. NM was also a bit too far. Once he narrowed it down to MMI or GMC, the personal-attention and information he received help solidify his decision. Time to do some research and decide what's best for you!
 
Sguagliardo said:

Which preparatory school would best prepare me and improve my chances of an appointment? Also, if anyone knows, which one typically has the highest success rate.
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My son is a sponsored cadet at MMI awaiting USNA for final decision on appointment. I believe MMI has prepared him well to move on. MMI was very transparent with their numbers.
 
brandonpluas said:
70-75 seems quite low. Shouldn’t most prep students receive appointments? What happened to the other quarter of prep students?
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So far, all of the sponsored cadets that have heard back have received their appointments. I said 70-75 because some kids switched programs and decided to pursue other routes of commissioning such as rotc. It was also just a “feels like” guess. If I removed those cadets from my guesstimation, then the percentage would be a lot higher. There are also some cadets still waiting on appointments so that plays into that too. The sponsored USCGA cadets are still waiting to hear as well as some sponsored Navy cadets. I can try to get you actual numbers tomorrow of how many have received appointments so far :) MMI is an amazing place to be self sponsored but you have to put in the work for it. It’s not going to work if you don’t put in the effort.
 
Appointment rate is a deceptive number. Do you compare the total that enter the program to the total number of appointments? Do you compare the total number that complete applications to the total number? How about comparing nominations earned to appointments? And what if a number of individuals have multiple appointments?

Earning an appointment is an individual endeavor. The real question is what you can do to make yourself more competitive in the appointment process. This includes improving your physical fitness, improving your standardized test scores, demonstrating leadership, and improving your overall academic skills and record.

Each of the prep schools will help, but each has a different philosophy. Looking at the list I'm guessing your a Falcon scholar or want to follow that curriculum. Do what CAPT MJ advises....contact each of the schools to find their philosphy.

At each school, all you can do is make yourself more competitive. Put in the effort, take advantage of leadership opportunities, see your instructors and do the extra work to master the material. You can do that easiest at a school that you feel is a good match for you.
 
It’s important to understand appointment numbers for sponsored vs non-sponsored. Sponsored should be 100% unless someone messes up along the way or doesn’t meet the requirements. Also, is the school a junior college and has transferable credits?
 
Any of these prep schools can provide a path to appointment. Sponsored cadets usually have a 90 to 100 percent acceptance rate unless they fail academically or have some sort of honor violation. For a self prep cadet you need to perform at the highest level academically physically and as a leader. DS attended MMI self prep. He spent his time at the gym getting stronger, the class room studying, and in his spare time participating in school sponsored activities. The benefit of attending MMI in addition to academics and physical training was the access to professors who know how to write recommendations to service academies. Ultimately it comes down to how hard are you willing to work to improve your application. The service academy admissions want to see very good grades and recommendations. Straight Cs won’t get you in. The decision to self prep is not to be taken lightly and you need to have a path to transfer if not accepted to a service academy. DS believes MMI prepared him well. He is currently studying engineering at USCGA
 
During their time at the SA prep schools, do sponsored cadets utilize their spare time to work on their new nomination applications? Given that the nomination process doesn't commence until late fall, and they likely require new essays and letters of recommendation for their applications, will they have the opportunity to dedicate time or attend a workshop to work on them?
 
They should get as much as they can accomplished before they go, for noms, etc.

Prospective prep students can be proactive in contacting the SA program coordinator at their destination prep school and asking these questions. These prep schools where the scholarships can be used have strong partnerships with the SAs. Anything they can do to support the next cycle’s application should be a common sense approach that supports the success of their program.
 
FVNY said:
During their time at the SA prep schools, do sponsored cadets utilize their spare time to work on their new nomination applications? Given that the nomination process doesn't commence until late fall, and they likely require new essays and letters of recommendation for their applications, will they have the opportunity to dedicate time or attend a workshop to work on them?
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This was the case for my DS at GMC. He did have to write a new essay but had much more relevant material with his experience as a military prep student. It was also nice to have letters of recommendation from Colonels and the General versus high school teachers!
 
My son had the unique experience of self-preping twice, (2 years after HS). Fortunately, he's younger and will still be 19 at West Point on R-day in 6 weeks. So, we feel like 2 yrs of prep was, in his case, an acceptable route. This year while at MMI, he received 3 offers of Appointments. USMA, USAFA, USCGA. All 3 he applied to.
He received ROTC nomination for WP by taking MS-1 ROTC coursework. And Rep nomination for West Point. Senatorial nom and appointment for USAFA. Our other Senator nominated him for USMMA, but he did not follow through with the application there, as he had ruled out that path for himself.
Last year he attended a self-prep program at a school that was not a college. And while he had an incredibly great experience, he did not gain an appointment. Did not get any ROTC class experience, (like he did this year).
Was he "well qualified" enough to have received an appointment last year? In the opinions of many, yes. But the real question should have been, "was he the best qualified in our competitive congressional district"? ....Likely not. And, "did he do absolutely everything as well as he possibly could have"? In all honesty, probably not exactly last year.
This year was different obviously.....
While I wouldn't rule out any of the prep school experiences, you should definitely consider what YOU in particular could benefit most from. Especially as a "self-prep" , you should be carefully considering plan B scenarios. Are you willing to stay and prep a second year, if necessary? Or will you transfer to civilian U and pursue ROTC route? And would you benefit from a year of ROTC classes simultaneous to your preping, to better your ROTC approach at Plan B school later on?
Would Corp of Cadets/military decorum experience benefit you?
MMI was definitely what seemed best answer for my son at this point 1yr ago. We felt he needed to improve militarily speaking. (Corp of Cadets & ROTC while at MMI).
And extracuriculars to show leadership. (Swamp Fox program and Color Guard while at MMI). AND, importantly, college credits earned in "Plebe year like" course work.
He seemingly did not need to improve his test scores, so he did not retest SAT again. (But he certainly could have).
Based purely on results, MMI was absolutely the best choice for him.
Importantly, they did not "over promise" any results in advance. But they ABSOLUTELY delivered on EVERYTHING they said they would, and MORE! Objectively speaking, MMI has some distinct advantages to this pursuit. But be forewarned! As a self-prep, you will have a LOT of "heavy lifting" to do! And you will need to EARN any appointments in your future. There are no "majic bullets" anywhere! And YOUR results will almost certainly vary!
I am always open to anyone who would like to PM me for further insight/questions, as so many people have truly helped us on this forum!
 
FVNY said:
During their time at the SA prep schools, do sponsored cadets utilize their spare time to work on their new nomination applications? Given that the nomination process doesn't commence until late fall, and they likely require new essays and letters of recommendation for their applications, will they have the opportunity to dedicate time or attend a workshop to work on them?
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My DS will be a sponsored prep at MMI in the fall. Our senatorial and congressional nominations are all due the first week of September so he'll have to get those applications done before he leaves home.

And thank you to Jetbill who has provided so much valuable prep school information on this forum.
 
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