Hello! :D

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping to get in either USMA or USNA and I'll probably need help in planning this out. So I hope you guys can help me on this journey

Alright, so my first question is :
When picking a service academy, should you choose the academy of your desired branch? or should you pick the academy that has a major that interests you ?

I've always wanted to join the Navy through USNA since my sophomore year in high school. but as I look at the majors offered, I'm not quite sure if an engineering major would suit me well? As I went through the USMA list of majors, I saw Leader Development Science. I read through it and it really appeals to me.

and a slightly off topic question
Which is bettter? Applying to USMA/USNA as an Enlisted or applying as a college student?

Any opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
-Justin

Pick the academy of which branch you want to go into. They all pretty much have similar majors...USNA has other majors than engineering, they also have ones such as English, history, political science, etc.

Applying as a high school student is when people generally apply.

Try to choose the academy of your desired branch. You'll spend 3 years total studying your major at any of the academies and you'll end up serving a min of 5 years in the community you select. Just doing the math here, I'd prefer to be serving in a community I like for 5 yrs then trying to enjoy my major for 3 yrs.

Keep in mind, most of the academies have similar degrees and all require core classes each semester so your going to get a taste of everything no matter what.

As far as applying to the academies, "better" is not the word I'd use.

If your enlisted, your CO would have to recommend you and you'll need good fitreps (performance reviews) from your senior enlisted. If you screw up big or cause hassle in your unit, or upset the wrong person in your chain of command, your chances of good reviews and recommendations dramatically drop, and so will your chances of being accepted.

If your a college student, you'll need to be taking classes on par with ones the freshman class of the academies take, and do very well academically.

Both are very different paths so it depends which one you think would suit you more. If you are thinking of enlisting to better your chances of getting accepted to a service academy, then you are enlisting for the wrong reasons in my opinion.

Hope this helps!

Seavoyager said:

Both are very different paths so it depends which one you think would suit you more. If you are thinking of enlisting to better your chances of getting accepted to a service academy, then you are enlisting for the wrong reasons in my opinion.

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I was hoping if someone in the forums could help me figure that out. I'm a US citizen living abroad (Philippines) . The reasons why I'm considering the Enlistment Path is because I feel I'm not competitive enough as a college applicant (I'm really trying). I'd do anything to get to USNA. I've been trying to get my grades up to standard (Do I need to be an A student? I'm trying to be one) and Volunteer to teach the underprivileged kids english, I run track for my University and I'm one of the staffing members for the intramural sports competition in the universtiy.


Also,

Are extra curricular activities from high school reviewed by the board? If so, do they weigh heavily as a college applicant ?

Does anyone know how applicants abroad are evaluated ? Because the system here is different and I can that the opportunities here academically are somewhat less than the US. So can anyone give an input on that?

I can post my high school achievements here if it would help.

one may wish to reconsider using one's real name in a public internet forum.

+1 to JMS. Additionally, all you can do is to control what you can and do your best. The only way to really find out is to apply. Your experience living abroad could be a plus but I'm sure you'll also face some logistical hurdles in the process as a result of it. Specific questions are best posted to other threads on the forums and not the Introduction thread, as the others are more closely followed by folks. Welcome to the forums and good luck.