USMMA compared to other service academies

mazing

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Hi. I was just wondering, is the USMMA on the same "level" as other service academies such as USMA,USNA, and USAFA? What I am trying to ask is, is the USMMA as rigorous, selective, and difficult? I am planning to apply to all service academies with USAFA as my top choice but I'm not confident that I'd be accepted.
 
Hi mazing and welcome! I invite you to spend a few minutes or an hour or two cruising around the USMMA threads here on the forum. I think you will get you question answered in many ways. Some say it may be earsier to get in to KP but harder to graduate from. That will explained in great detail on many threads. Plus when you look at the options available upon graduation you might just say ssshhhhh! "wait until I get in to tell everyone about this opportunity" I know I felt that way on my DS's behalf. Now that he has made it in, at least on paper, I can freely say how freaking amazing this academy is! All of them are great don't get me wrong. And all of them offer something that the others don't ( not sure what, lol) but depending on your goals one may be better than another but KP definatley offers the widest variety of options after graduation. Good luck. Look around and ask specific questions as they come up there are folks who have expertise in all different areas and can help greatly!:thumb:
 
Thanks a lot for your help. Hopefully, I eventually find which one fits me best.
 
Luigi59, do you care to expand on ":rolleyes:"?

Btw congrats to your USCGA swimmers. That is one group we all want to be fast! :thumb:
 
Luigi

Luigi might be perplexed by the omission of the USCGA from the original posters list of "other" service acadamies.

GO KP! :biggrin:
 
Luigi might be perplexed by the omission of the USCGA from the original posters list of "other" service acadamies.

We have a winner! :shake: (Lynpar, you're relatively new, so you may not know that I am a huge supporter of USMMA in everything except when they play USCGA :wink: )

FYI for the OP - USMMA is a service academy that will educate and train you better than any other school in the world to serve in the commercial merchant fleet of the United States. It is not a military academy, and was never meant to be one. It is highly selective, you must be nominated by a Congressman or Senator, and you must be able to hack the rigorous academic load unique to an academy that squeezes four(4) years of instruction into three (3) years of school, as you will be spending a full year at sea before you graduate.

:cool:
 
Visit as many of the academies as you can be aware that your essays will ask "why do you want to attend _______________? each academy has a unique mission. You also need a nomination; many MOC ask you for a first and second choice. You do not need a nomination for USCGA at this time, but it has been rumored that this will change.
Ask questions and see where you are the most interested and the best fit.
 
luigi59 and KpatKP!
doh! (think Homer Simpson sound). I can't believe I didn't catch that! Note to self: Must post AFTER first cup of coffee, not during! I know you are Luigi, you have been a huge help to me and DS because USMMA and USCGA are the only two academies he applied to (and NROTC). Incidently USCGA called today to remind ds to finish Essays before February deadline. He wasn't home so I explained (again) to them he had accepted KP appointment and the guy on the phone was so complimentary saying what a great school it was ,,,etc. But he actually sounded sincere! He had already formally pulled his application we thought. A very nice young man in admissions indeed, so if any of you know him, my compliments to his professionalism. He was also called once by Maine Maritime and you can really tell the difference in the quality of kids making the admissions calls. :thumb:
 
Yikes, is it too late to say the quality of the professionalism shown?:redface: I am sure the kid quality factor is the same! ThaT came out so wrong. Forgive me if I offended..
 
One point I haven't seen made in this thread is the role of Sea Year at USMMA. If you attend USMMA, you WILL spend 12 months at sea. If you're not sure about that idea, be sure to check it out carefully. It's an amazing experience, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

When choosing a Service Academy, you need to be sure to focus your decision on which service you want to serve in. There's a big difference between the Air Force and the Navy! Are you sure you'd be equally happy spending years serving in either one? Don't focus so much on the Academy itself as what it will be like to work in that service.
 
One point I haven't seen made in this thread is the role of Sea Year at USMMA. If you attend USMMA, you WILL spend 12 months at sea.

:confused: (you missed my post, 8th from the top :wink:)

...and you must be able to hack the rigorous academic load unique to an academy that squeezes four(4) years of instruction into three (3) years of school, as you will be spending a full year at sea before you graduate.

:thumb:
 
I'll Take This Oppt'y To Add to Luigi's Excellent Answer (Not Bad for a Coastie Luigi

Hi. I was just wondering, is the USMMA on the same "level" as other service academies such as USMA,USNA, and USAFA? What I am trying to ask is, is the USMMA as rigorous, selective, and difficult? I am planning to apply to all service academies with USAFA as my top choice but I'm not confident that I'd be accepted.

Basic short answer is, yes. The USMMA like the other Federal Service Academies is quite selective, whether it is "as selective or more or less selective" varies where you live with regard to getting a nomination but the other basic selection criteria (Class Standing, Standardized Test Scores, etc.) the USMMA is selective, additionally like all the Service Academies the three pronged path required (Nomination, Application, DoDMERB) to receive an appointment makes the process somewhat rigorous in it's own way.

As for difficulty in completing the course of instruction at USMMA, some argue that the USMMA, Plebe (Freshman) year in particular, is more rigorous at USMMA and harder to get through then at the other Service Academies. This is because the Academics are paced as Luigi indicated so you complete four years of instruction during the three years you are in residence on campus so you have time to spend at sea and get your sea time required to sit and take your Merchant Mariner's Liscense. Also during Plebe year you have the Regimental System, including things like cleaning stations, etc. in addition to the fact that each of the three 14 week trimesters are basically a 16 week semester crammed into 14 weeks.

So I'll go back to my original short answer which would apply to any of the 5 Federal Service Academies since though each is a little different: yes.
 
A couple of points on this one. When I was in high school, I really wanted to attend the Air Force Academy. When I started the process with my Congressman, he sent me a form letter with the four establishments that go through the Congressional Nomination process, and to indicate, in order, those that I wished to attend. Of course USAFA was first, then I thought and put USNA second. I certainly didn't think that I would like to go to West Point, so I left USMA blank. At the end there was the spot for USMMA. I didn't even know what it was at that point. I asked my dad, and he said it was the Merchant Marine Academy, so I put it as No. 3. Long story short, I was nominated to all three, but appointed to USMMA. To be honest, I don't know that I would have been happy with the other academies. Not so much with the programs, but most likely the 10 year total commitment to the military. When you are 18, 10 years is quite a long time. I sailed for many years after I got out of school and still work in the maritime industry. Ironically, that will make 30 years this year. And that doesn't seem very long at all.

I don't know if having the attitude of "which college is easier" is really the right way to go here (I apologize in advance if I am reading it wrong). All academies are rigorous. The Plebe system is not a pleasurable experience, and is pretty much the same across all of the academies. At KP, they do not have the luxury of a protracted indoctrination period since the time at school is limited to three years. As far as an overall career choice, I WOULD say that KP would be the best alternative of the service academies, if only for the options available to the graduates. What other academy has graduates that can serve in the civilian industry, or in the branch of the military that they choose?

As far as KP not being a military academy? Well, I don't think things have changed that much since I went there, and it was certainly a military academy. We all did graduate with commissions, after all.

Jasperdog has is right. Plebe year is a real grind and weeds out quite a few people. Sea Year makes up for quite a bit of what goes on at the academy. At least it did for me.
 
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