SMC to USNA

DC1220

5-Year Member
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Feb 18, 2013
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My question is would it be worth it transitioning from the Citadel to the USNA? Or should a knob stay, just being curious because a friend of mine is going to be at the citadel and is thinking about it

he knows he'd have to start over
he would have to leave all his friends behind
his fellow cadets would probably not really socialize with him as much
all the work that he'd put into the citadel wouldnt mean anything afterward

So is it really worth it, leaving one outstanding institution for another
what do you think?
 
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Unless it's a huge life goal, I personally wouldn't. A year spent at The Citadel is expensive and USNA doesn't accept transfer credits so your friend would still be taking 15+ credit hours first semester of Plebe year. Plus, regarding career options, I met some Citadel guys at jump school and a few of them signed onto USMC/USN contracts as sophomores. Same end result, different experience. Having lived near Charleston before heading to USNA, I can definitely say that graduates of all military institutions are heavily recruited by southern corporations.
 
If it is what he wants, then yes. I know several people who started at an SMC and then went to a SA after. They had no regrets. But it is a personal decision. There were many reasons given... some it was a life long dream, others family legacy, financial, academics, etc. I knew one guy who had a 4 year NROTC scholarship, but was really thinking of going Marine Corps. He applied for transfer to MO and also to USNA. He was denied MO but was accepted to USNA. That is one of the great parts of USNA... you don't have to pick Navy or Marine Corps before Firstie Year. I had another friend who was from a long line of Sub Officers. He went to an SMC first but he really did not enjoy the majority of the focus being more on ground type training. He want more Naval Training and was accepted the second time he applied. Contracts are going to get harder and harder to get in the coming years, especially with the USMC downsizing. As someone who is now out of the military and working in corporate America, the alumni associates are great for SAs and SMCs. In my opinion, SAs have more of a national footprint for alumni than the SMCs. The SMCs tend to have more presence alumni wise in the South and the areas they are in (A&M in Texas, Norwich in the North). These are just my opinions based upon my experience. In the end, a commission is the goal. Either path will get you there. Opportunities are what you make of them.
 
Well, thats true, he's not on a NROTC scholarship and hes out of state, but for some reason or another he's been really passionate about it. he has some fears which are in my opinion quite common for someone in his shoes, for instance he's afraid of hatred for leaving, he's afraid that he would be doing great at the citadel and when he crosses over to the USNA, his grades would not be at the same level , and he wouldn't be as successful as he was over at the Citadel.

From his words - "The Citadel is a great school, and i like the system they have there when i went to pre-knob and how everything is so structured, but the academies are known everywhere, graduating from there is a big honor. I just don't know if i want to leave the brotherhood that i would be brought up with for something ive dreamed since i was little."

I asked him if he did apply and didnt get in how he would feel, He said "it would be fine, im still graduating from one of the nations finest institutions"

He wants to know if he should at least try to apply for an appointment from the citadel.

for some reason he just can't get the academy out of his head, and i dont blame him, he's a good guy with great characteristics and amazing passion for that school and i think he deserves a chance.

Do you feel it is too big of a risk? Knob year is extremely difficult both mentally and physically, and it would be extremely hard to go through that again at USNA

And NavyHoops where did those guys from the SMCs come from?
 
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He can decline his appointment later on.

He'll have to make that choice and it'll be a tough one, but he should at least make the choice available, especially if he doesn't make the cut for a college program scholarship. He won't have much of a choice in anything if he ends up without a contract. No contract, no bars, period.

Don't think that getting an NROTC scholarship is easier than getting an appointment to USNA. He should exhaust all options.
 
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I have an anecdote that speaks to your question, but might not have any real bearing here.

When I was a knob at The Citadel, there were two classmates in my company who re-applied to USNA and accepted appointments for the following year. That fall, when they were USNA plebes, I went to Annapolis for a Navy/Citadel football game and spent the weekend with them.

One of the guys told me that he hated the The Citadel, was thrilled to be at USNA and was happy that he never had to see The Citadel again. The other guy, who happened to be third generation USNA, told me that if he knew then what he now knew, he would have stayed at The Citadel. Given his family's history with USNA and his incessant talking about USNA during knob year, I was a little surprised.

I guess the bottom line is that you have to know what your goals are and how best they can be achieved. That takes some soul-searching and seeking advice from trusted people in your life.
 
Well, you see thats the thing, I think what hes trying to do is wait until he gets to the citadel to make his decision on whether he should stay but hes afraid that might be too late because he still has to do the prelim application, but he doesn't know yet, is there a way to cancel the usna application if he decides to stay instead? should he start the prelim application before he gets to the citadel just in case?
 
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Well, you see thats the thing, I think what hes trying to do is wait until he gets to the citadel to make his decision on whether he should stay but hes afraid that might be too late because he still has to do the prelim application, but he doesn't know yet, is there a way to cancel the usna application if he decides to stay instead? should he start the prelim application before he gets to the citadel just in case?

Of course he can withdraw his USNA application. By applying, he incurs no obligation. However, if he does apply to USNA, he should take care to follow the USNA application process. Your friend should keep all of his options open until he makes a final decision.
 
He could get an appointment, make it all the way to I-Day, be standing in line at Alumni Hall, and still decide to walk out and go his merry way. No one will stop him.

He also could just not show up. Blow it off completely.

Very rash ways to turn down an appointment. Happens every year. Waste of a slot and not preferable, but no one will track him down and no one will force him to attend USNA.

If he does get a side load scholarship he will be able to turn down an appointment. He can stop the application halfway. Admissions will not ask questions; they'll close his file and start working on the next guy in line.

If he does not get a side load scholarship, a USNA appointment could save him from graduating as a civilian. An SMC cannot guarantee a commission.
 
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He could get an appointment, make it all the way to I-Day, be standing in line at Alumni Hall, and still decide to walk out and go his merry way. No one will stop him.

He also could just not show up. Blow it off completely.

Very rash ways to turn down an appointment. Happens every year. Waste of a slot and not preferable, but no one will track him down and no one will force him to attend USNA.

If he does get a side load scholarship he will be able to turn down an appointment. He can stop the application halfway. Admissions will not ask questions; they'll close his file and start working on the next guy in line.

If he does not get a side load scholarship, a USNA appointment could save him from graduating as a civilian. An SMC cannot guarantee a commission.

It's true that an SMC cannot guarantee a commission, but I've never seen an SMC cadet who was qualified, denied a commission. Even with the downsizing now taking place, I find it hard to imagine that any qualified SMC cadet who wants a commission would be denied a commission. As for non-SMC ROTC cadets and mids, that's a different matter. They've always been lowest on the totem pole in terms of commissioning and branch/specialty selection.
 
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