The Age Factor?

dtakeda

5-Year Member
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Sep 15, 2014
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2
Hello all.
So I'm a high school senior applying to USMA. I guess I have a pretty good file and its almost complete. The thing is my mom keeps thinking I have a bad chance being a high school senior. From what she has heard or read, they usually will take all of the older candidates over the high school seniors. Is this fact or fiction? Does your age really hurt your application chances and how many incoming cadets are out of high school?
 
Based on my limited knowledge, most appointments go to graduating seniors. I typically hear estimates of maybe 30% (or so, it varies) of each entering class has applied more than once, usually with that interim year spent in a similar college setting including DoD or civilian prep schools. I have not heard of age being a weighted factor or even a gating factor with the exception of you can't be too old (not young) on R-Day.
RLTW
 
Most new cadets and midshipman applied senior year of high school.

And that's true whether they were accepted that year, or the next, or the next. But most are graduating high school seniors.
 
Hello all.
So I'm a high school senior applying to USMA. I guess I have a pretty good file and its almost complete. The thing is my mom keeps thinking I have a bad chance being a high school senior. From what she has heard or read, they usually will take all of the older candidates over the high school seniors. Is this fact or fiction? Does your age really hurt your application chances and how many incoming cadets are out of high school?

Where has your mother read or heard this?
 
Dixieland,
I think part of it is her being negative and jumping to conclusions. A friend of mine is in her first year at USAFA and she mentioned 22 year old first-year cadets. Also a nominations person from an event we attended said that they prefer people who have applied more then once because it shows commitment? But i guess that means they weren't strong enough the first go round.
 
If you look at USNA Class of 2018 Profile you'll find that maybe 20% are non-high school direct admit. Of that 20% you'll see most come from NAPS or Foundation. Less than 90 total Midshipman came from a college or higher learning institution not affiliated with USNA.


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Less than 90 total Midshipman came from a college or higher learning institution not affiliated with USNA.

For this you really can't look at the raw number alone, you would need to know the number of people applying from that cohort as well to understand what the "90" really means.

If there are 10,000 applicants 90 would be low, but if there are only 200 that would be a pretty good number.

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Dixieland,
I think part of it is her being negative and jumping to conclusions. A friend of mine is in her first year at USAFA and she mentioned 22 year old first-year cadets. Also a nominations person from an event we attended said that they prefer people who have applied more then once because it shows commitment? But i guess that means they weren't strong enough the first go round.

Every time mom says something you perceive as negative or jumping to conclusions without fact-based research and proper sourcing, I challenge you: set out to prove her wrong.
 
I think the "older" cadets stand out because they are few in number. As others have said, about 1/3 of a class has a year post-h.s. and most of those come from the SA's prep school and/or prior enlisted.

I can't speak for USMA but USNA has 80-90 mids each year with one or more years of college (other than prep schools). So, <10% of each class.

While nominating committees and SAs like to see older students apply for various reasons, remember the SAs are still basically colleges and thus the overwhelming majority of applicants (and appointees) will be h.s. seniors.

You can't worry about who else might or might not be applying or their credentials -- you can only focus on making yourself the best candidate you can be.:thumb:
 
I thing you will learn when applying to any service academy is there are no lack of opinions/hunches and just bad information about the application/selection process. It is amazing how many well-intentioned indivduals will provide inaccurate information.

You mainly apply to a service academy as a h.s. senior. Those sent to prep school will obviously be 1 yr older then those who got an appointment when applying. Some prior enlisted will also be selected, but you really have no control over that and it shouldn't be anything you worry about when applying.
 
It is amazing how many well-intentioned indivduals will provide inaccurate information.

To the OP, this quote above is true. And full disclaimer... I am about to pass along more heresay that may not be based in fact. That being said...

Your mom may not be crazy (or at least as crazy as you think! :wink:) because this same vague impression of USMA "preferring" second-time applicants was actually shared by some MOC staffs during one state's recent information events as well as nomination panel interviews. Our DS was told by one panel (possibly inaccurately) that roughly half the USMA cadets were second-time or post-HS applicants. And while our MOCs do most definitely talk amongst themselves about candidates, it's a fairly common/known practice for our Senior Senator (who gets first dibs) to favor deserving second-timers with his Principal nomination; letting the other MOCs choose the best directs.

Is this "preference" actually born out by the numbers as USMA? No idea. But at least in some districts/states there is an impression that post-HS candidates are seen as truly committed and willing to do what it takes to succeed at our rigorous SAs.
 
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