so. much. stress. and. work.

[Cerberi]

The stress in the process is the waiting. The forms aren't overly complicated and the actual application is on-line requiring filling out bubbles.

If you really think the application process is overwhelming, you need to consider what life is like on The Yard.

The medical forms are simple unless you have a very complex history with multiple medical conditions which probably points towards a DQ

The terminology is different but overall it really isn't that stressful and once you have done it for one SA, there isn't much left to re-create for ROTC, other SAs and other colleges.

The CFA is 30 minutes and either you have trained for it or you haven't.

Plebes get up at 0530 and carry 18-21 academic hours with sports and military duties added on top.

My DD had no issues or concerns completing the process and her parents only involvement was helping her remember dates for medical injuries.

You have guidance counselors, BGO, and USNA admissions available to help in the process.

The biggest hurdle is overcoming procrastination - which is self induced stress

 

[MABlue]

Dealing with the stress is something you also want to condition yourself to get used to, because it hits you in the face really quick here, and the more prepared you get in high school, the easier it will be to deal with at USNA. I had the pleasure of having to write a 5 page English paper, study for Calc 3 and Chem quizzes, and stand an hour of watch all after getting out of practice at 1900 last night. Fun times.

 

[DaGrubs]

As a parent of a rising senior who just completed her applications for both the USNA and the NROTC scholarship, my advice to you is to start EARLY. During your junior year, you should be taking the required standardized tests, visiting colleges, and researching who your nominating sources are what your nominating sources require. Get a much done as you can before school starts.

Here is the timeline my DD followed her junior year to give you an idea:
September: Registered to take the ACT in Oct. Dec. Feb. and April
Signed up for a CVW. Dad had to request two days off of work to drive out.
October: Took ACT. Score not too bad, but room for improvement.
November: Visited USNA
December: Took ACT for the second time. (Score improved 10% in English and 30% in Science)
January: Researched colleges, wrote resume, started asking teachers for letters of references
Applied to NASS on the first day the portal opened.
February: Did not take the ACT due to illiness.
Went on college visits. (Brrrr!)
Got notified of acceptance to NASS
March: More college visits!
Reminded teachers for letters of references
April: Took the ACT again. Refused to ever take another test. Mom very happy with results.
More college visits!
Met with high school guidance counsellor to find out the process for requesting transcripts
May: Got notified by USNA of official candidate status
Requested transcripts from guidance office be sent out
Letters of references received and uploaded
June: Went to NASS
Completed application for NROTC
Completed application for USNA
July: Met with BGO, scheduled required physical exams, had interview with NROTC
Sent out completed packets to nominating sources

It's now the beginning of August and DD is completely done with the application process for both the USNA and NROTC. Her BGO complimented her on being the first candidate this cycle to get all of her paperwork in. The Common App portal just opened so DD is currently working on applying to the colleges she selected. Her goal is to be completely done with everything before the start of senior year in two weeks.

I hope this timeline is helpful to you. Keep in mind that with all of your activities and responsibilities, you should not wait until the last minute to get things done. My DD had to work around her sports practices, Sea Cadet drill schedule, work schedule, holiday orchestra concerts, and The FAMILY schedule for things such as college visits and it was very, very difficult to align everything. With over 5000 students in her high school, it took DD a few weeks to get an appointment with the guidance office, and DD's English teacher didn't write a letter of reference until the teacher had finished grading 300 final essays.

Yes, the process is long and complicated, and at first glance, it can be very overwhelming. Work with your parents and come up with a timeline. By breaking down the process into small manageable steps, you will complete the tasks, keep your sanity, enjoy Thanksgiving break, and enter your senior year confident!

Best of luck to you!

This post is AMAZING!! Thank you for the step by step of what you did in the Junior year. This will be a big help as my son is a Junior and working towards applying to the USNA as plan A and an NROTC school(s) as plan B. It is overwhelming and your steps really broke it all down!! Thank you.

 

[ENwifeArmyMom]

i'm an incoming junior in high school and i'm interested in applying for USNA. the problem is, it's very frustrating. i'm in the dilemma of if i do get accepted, then that's great. but if i don't, then i'll either be in ROTC or another nursing school. but what i don't get is how candidates prepare for both plan a and b at the same time.
while i would be preparing for my naval academy application, i'm supposed to be preparing for another ROTC scholarship program application, as well as looking into nursing school. how do people organize and handle this?

Apply to all but just so you know, service academies do not offer nursing as a major. If you want to be a nurse concentrate of ROTC programs. If your not sure of your major it is well within your ability to apply to all. Good luck!!

 

[NavyHoops]

You start early and make a plan. If you think figuring out how to fill out the application for both paths is stressful, you are going to have a rude awakening at a SA or college/ROTC. Thousands of kids a year figure it out, what makes you think you can't? The application opens in the late spring/early summer, are you working 12 hours days all summer? Heck you spend 1 hour a day over the summer for a few weeks you will have it all knocked out. How are you going to carry 21 credit hours, participate in a club, play an intramural sport, stay in shape with your own workouts, study professional knowledge, stand watch, and ensure your Plebes are ready for their pro quiz? And just for fun it's mid terms too! That is just the bare minimum at USNA for a sophomore.

Make a plan. Figure out what schools you want to apply to as back ups. Lots will use the common app. There is a lot of the same info for USNA and ROTC. It's not that complicated, it's just long. Dodmerb will carry over between the two. Prepare your teachers for the recs. Get in shape, take the PT tests for each the same week. No reason to be frustrated or see this as a dilemma. 1000s do this a year, so can you.

 

[che527]

It is important for you to identify what you plan to study. By reading your initial note, it sounds like you are planning on a nursing degree. If so, USNA does not offer nursing as a major. ROTC (Army, Air Force and Navy) do offer the ability to get your BSN. So you might need to re-evaluate what you want, what type of major are you interested in, those type of things. Good Luck.

Thanks. I love your signature quote by the way.

 

[che527]

You start early and make a plan. If you think figuring out how to fill out the application for both paths is stressful, you are going to have a rude awakening at a SA or college/ROTC. Thousands of kids a year figure it out, what makes you think you can't? The application opens in the late spring/early summer, are you working 12 hours days all summer? Heck you spend 1 hour a day over the summer for a few weeks you will have it all knocked out. How are you going to carry 21 credit hours, participate in a club, play an intramural sport, stay in shape with your own workouts, study professional knowledge, stand watch, and ensure your Plebes are ready for their pro quiz? And just for fun it's mid terms too! That is just the bare minimum at USNA for a sophomore.

Make a plan. Figure out what schools you want to apply to as back ups. Lots will use the common app. There is a lot of the same info for USNA and ROTC. It's not that complicated, it's just long. Dodmerb will carry over between the two. Prepare your teachers for the recs. Get in shape, take the PT tests for each the same week. No reason to be frustrated or see this as a dilemma. 1000s do this a year, so can you.

Thank you so much for the motivation. Love it!

 

[JDB]

As a parent of a rising senior who just completed her applications for both the USNA and the NROTC scholarship, my advice to you is to start EARLY. During your junior year, you should be taking the required standardized tests, visiting colleges, and researching who your nominating sources are what your nominating sources require. Get a much done as you can before school starts.

Here is the timeline my DD followed her junior year to give you an idea:
September: Registered to take the ACT in Oct. Dec. Feb. and April
Signed up for a CVW. Dad had to request two days off of work to drive out.
October: Took ACT. Score not too bad, but room for improvement.
November: Visited USNA
December: Took ACT for the second time. (Score improved 10% in English and 30% in Science)
January: Researched colleges, wrote resume, started asking teachers for letters of references
Applied to NASS on the first day the portal opened.
February: Did not take the ACT due to illiness.
Went on college visits. (Brrrr!)
Got notified of acceptance to NASS
March: More college visits!
Reminded teachers for letters of references
April: Took the ACT again. Refused to ever take another test. Mom very happy with results.
More college visits!
Met with high school guidance counsellor to find out the process for requesting transcripts
May: Got notified by USNA of official candidate status
Requested transcripts from guidance office be sent out
Letters of references received and uploaded

Hello Maskry:

My DS is currently a Jr. and the timeline you have posted above is very helpful. He is registered to take his first ACT test in October. He was initially going to start with the SAT, but a post by Brovol convinced him to start with the ACT and potentially never even take the SAT. The strategy that Brovol laid out for maximizing the super scoring of ACT tests made a lot of sense. DS is now prepping for the test and hopes to do well right out of the gate.

Your post above indicates that, between her first and second tests, your DD experienced a 10% and 30% improvement in English and Science respectively. If my math is correct, her scores increased by around 3 points and 7 or 8 points. Can you share any strategy that your DD employed to achieve such fantastic increases in her scores? Would you be willing to share what her initial scores were verses her final scores?

Any suggestions on how DS can achieve his highest possible score would truly be appreciated.

JDB

 

[Dckc88]

i'm an incoming junior in high school and i'm interested in applying for USNA. the problem is, it's very frustrating. i'm in the dilemma of if i do get accepted, then that's great. but if i don't, then i'll either be in ROTC or another nursing school. but what i don't get is how candidates prepare for both plan a and b at the same time.
while i would be preparing for my naval academy application, i'm supposed to be preparing for another ROTC scholarship program application, as well as looking into nursing school. how do people organize and handle this?

You have gotten a lot of great advice and feedback, and even a little bit about nursing. My daughter is in AROTC and an MS1 at a university with a great nursing school. She did not apply to any of the academies because her heart was set on nursing, 100%. So this is how she narrowed down the nursing school options:
1. Start your AROTC application. (I understand you cannot apply yet, you are not going to finish the application) I am not sure about the other services, but for Army this will be a helpful exercise.
2. Once you get to school selection, choose nursing as your major. Now the fun begins!
3. Do you have a location you would prefer? My daughter wanted to stay on the western part of the US. So she opened each state she would consider. Washington, then Oregon, Nevada, etc. Then it will show you which schools in each state you can choose from. (You need at least one in your home state, does not need to be public, but you will need some public in or out of state)
4. Once she found a list of schools, some she knew none about. She started researching the schools onlind initiallu to see if it was a university she would be interested in.
5. Next step, contsct the ROTC dept at each school. Try emailing the ROTC department. She started to realize she would prefer a host school over a satellite and she also started asking how many nursing slots they had, etc. She ended up with a school with direct entry into nursing as a freshman, instead of as a junior.
6. She narrowed it down to 4 schools, all while she was still a junior. That way she was able to visit those 4 schools prior to the application being due. Since it required travel for msot, she finished her visits fall of Senior year. She ended up liking all 4 and left them all on her application. I feel this shows her research and connecting with the schools before deciding to visit paid off. It did help how she ordered them on her application.
7. She never finished her application junior year. In fact the only thing she filled out was to get her to the school selection to find out nursing programs. She didnt mess with the essay, suevey etc. When that year closed and her year opened she started her application over.
Good luck and PM me of you have any questions about nursing schools on the west coast, I think I have heard about the majority of them from my daughter's research.