NAPS

Are non recruited athletes, non prior enlsted, or non diversity candidates ev er offered NAPS or are they only offered Foundation Prep Schools?

Yes, NAPS is offered to candidates who are not recruited athletes, prior enlisted or URMs.

It is true, many recruited athletes do go to NAPS. However, the academy has long recognized that not all great potential naval officers had the advantages of being able to attend a good college preparatory school or even a decent public school. They have shown excellent potential due to leadership activities, athletics, strong letters, etc., yet may have a math or science ACT/SAT or grade that is less than ideal. I doubt any future NAPSters have terrible standardized test scores or grades, just slightly less than ideal in an area. There are far too many outstanding candidates to take anyone but someone who had everything but was lacking in one area. Besides, while smarts and academic aptitude are important, there is much more to being an effective leader than just brains. NAPS was originally created to buff up promising enlisted sailors in the fleet who had been out of HS for a few years and needed a booster/refresher prior to attending the academy. Given the nearly 18,000 USNA applications, I personally would be thrilled to be one of the 1250 on Plebe Indoc Day OR one of the 250-300 at NAPS. A small number get foundation scholarships. Over 16,000 applicants get the thin white envelope (TWE) offering nothing. The current Commandant of Midshipmen is a former NAPS graduate as are many high ranking officers. They tend to be popular roommates at the academy as they are ahead of the curve over the kids straight out of HS with the pace of academics and military training and have a higher retention rate than the "straight outta high schoolers". Direct appointment, NAPS, foundation, recruited athlete, prior enlisted, whatever......... they all gotta hack it at the academy and that is not easy at all. They're all studs IMHO. Most normal college kids couldn't hack it. The academy has no interest in bringing someone in and wasting precious taxpayer dollars to train someone who they didn't think could make it, morally, mentally or physically. Congrats to all those who earned a chance to prove themselves.

^^^^^^^Good post Motodoc, just a couple of comments. USNA, to avoid sanctions from NCAA, limits the precentage of recruited athletes to the same as the brigade at large, somewhere around 25%. Some students do absolutely horribly at standardized tests. So, one may indeed find a few individuals at NAP with terrible scores. However, rest assured that the remainder of their package will be outstanding, including their coursework grades.

MotoDoc, excellent post about NAPS. Even better, as a proud dad of DD who accepted NAPS, my military mindset has been in full force. I started reading more about NAPS, and found this dissapointing interview w/ Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler about NAPS:

http://navy.scout.com/2/984020.html

Although I admire Adm. Fowler's directness, I question his ability to remain unbiased since he was relieved in Aug 2010 and the article was dated Jul 2010.

Doug Cabarle, USN Retired

Perhaps I am missing the other article, but that link takes you to interview with Prof. Fleming (not Adm Fowler). I do agree with something mentioned in the article that he likes to make controversial statements to keep himself in the limelight. The video links don't work unles you are a subscriber to that site.

There's no doubt that were Prof. Fleming @ a secular institution, he'd be just one more "anti" professor assuming positions at odds with the powers-that-be, and particularly administration. Only because of 2 issues is he notable and quotable:

1. He is an oddity/anomaly at an institution like USNA where a modicum of loyalty, spit, polish, and convention is valued and rewarded. Even among the civilian, tenured professoriate. He is a wild voice in the rather tame wilderness of the Yard.

2. While many allege his points stem from an angry messenger, are not accurate or true, are designed to prop up book sales and thus self-serve Fleming ...none dispute the facts he builds his compelling arguments on. It's different opinion, shoot the messenger, cry un-patriotic and disloyalty. But none are willing or able to provide differing facts.

So painful as his points may be, and/or as much of a "pain" as he may be, he serves a vital, productive purpose for USNA and USN. Whether it is courage, anger, pursuit of truth, disloyalty, loyalty, or whatever ...he makes too much sense to be ignored or deemed delusional. I may not like his message or the messenger, but that does not make it any less truth. Only new additional information that is chronically not exposed would do so, addressing many of his contentions.

On disparate but supportive anecdotes, I know several outstanding Mids who've come from the Fleet, and were counseled ..."NOT NAPS. That would only mess you up. No need to risk that."

Furthermore, it is well known among the Brigade that the NAPS qualifier has been lowered from the traditonal 2.0 and guaranteed "in" to 1.8 gpa. The drastically altered mix attending and transitioning to USNA from NAPS has been recognized by careful observers, and never ever highlighted beyond one Fowler foul-up, in which he mistakenly assumed all would celebrate his regime's so-called "success" in subtley sp? transitioning NAPS and consequently USNA slots from stronger traditional candidates to candidates deemed "priority" and scoring substantially "lower" on academic measures.

So this is not a popular topic and reality for this site or USNA PR but it is real and sadly true.

Now, should this diminish a proud parent whose son or daughter has a shot at USNA because he/she has been given the opportunity of a lifetime for a NAPS do-over? Not at all. But, as is always the case, even a NAPS shot is "no free lunch." Sadly, those who are simply in need of a 2nd chance ...for whatever reason ...will be forever and a day known as NAPSters at the Yard and beyond. And that connotation and label have far different meaning than just a few football seasons back. And truth be accepted? It does.

Fleming is right. When it comes to NAPS, while there are some who are legitimate in terms of Motodoc's mythological, perhaps one-time reality, way too many are merely slipping in the back door under the banner of ..."great candidate, just a victim of poor preparation tho." And in any case, there are undoubtedly dozens, perhaps hundreds of far superior candidates who never get that NAPS 2nd shot because they are "too good" or more likely "too slow" and who they aren't.

time2 said:

Perhaps I am missing the other article, but that link takes you to interview with Prof. Fleming (not Adm Fowler). I do agree with something mentioned in the article that he likes to make controversial statements to keep himself in the limelight. The video links don't work unles you are a subscriber to that site.

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No, I mis-wrote! Thanks for correcting me, shipmate.

Doug

Fleming is a supercilious professor with tenure. It sells the books and articles. More credit to him for promoting himself as an anti military in a military environment. He has his niche and is promoting it for his own agrandisement. As I have said before, lucky the Plebe that has a NAPSTER for a roommate or a friend. After Plebe Year NAPS falls off the screen.

NAPS will never again be primarily for ex-enlisted. Commencing 15 or so years ago, the STA-21 program has increasingly become the commissioning choice for enlisted troops. I would go so far as to say one would have to be relatively dumb to choose USNA over STA-21.

Whistle Pig said:

On disparate but supportive anecdotes, I know several outstanding Mids who've come from the Fleet, and were counseled ..."NOT NAPS. That would only mess you up. No need to risk that."
Interesting advice. Who was the source of it?


When it comes to NAPS, while there are some who are legitimate in terms of Motodoc's mythological, perhaps one-time reality, way too many are merely slipping in the back door under the banner of ..."great candidate, just a victim of poor preparation tho." And in any case, there are undoubtedly dozens, perhaps hundreds of far superior candidates who never get that NAPS 2nd shot because they are "too good" or more likely "too slow" and who they aren't.
Beyone athletes and minorities, there are many many reasons that one is offered NAPS, almost too many to categorize. Geography is a biggie. A school in an area without strong academics and the Academy unable to put any faith in a candidate's academic profile in the event of good academics and low SATs. However, I think socioeconomic is the greatest. Sons and daughters of parents who want more for their children than what they had. They overload their kids with an almost impossible slate. It is easy to measure success in terms of athletics, the win or loss every week. Extracurricular, the monthly merit badge keeps one on track for Eagle in three years. Academics in a course load that the parents never experienced make it easier for them to slide. Now we have a hard working great leader whose academic potential is risky. Great kid whose priorities were maybe misplaced. Perhaps he deserves a shot moreso than the candidate who is slightly above average in everything but not outstanding in any and just squeaked in on the very bottom of the 3Qs.

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