If you go to a prep school . . . ?

Are your chances in being admitted higher than a civilian college student applying? Which would be the best prep school (Greystone at Schreiner University, Kent School, Marion Military Institute, New Mexico Military Institute, Northwestern Preparatory School, Randolph-Macon Academy, Wentworth Military Academy) to go to if you don't get a direct appointment to a prep school? Are the students (in prep school) that apply to the academy the second time get appointments 100% of the time?

I don't think I will be offered a direct appointment and hoping for the best to get prep school or foundation. If not, I want to set myself up for the next best option, college or prep school (self prep)?

For the ones that have been to a prep school, could you give me your view (positive, negative, etc.) about the one you attended.

Thanks for your input!

I can't tell you if your chances are higher by going to a prep school vs. college or what prep school is the best. But I am going to be attending Northwestern Prep this fall and of the people that "self-prep" there, 85% get into a service academy. I doubt that those who go to civilian college for a year have that high of a percentage.

USNA advises candidates who are not admitted (or don't apply) directly from h.s. to attend a 4-yr civilian college. The exceptions are those who can only afford a community college and those who need additional academic prep in order to be competitive for USNA. The best evidence you can handle plebe courses is to get As on those courses in college.

That said, as the above poster notes, there are those who are successful from a prep school as a "self prep."

Investigate your options carefully -- including what your future will be if you are NOT admitted to a SA.

When I spoke to the dean of Northwestern Preparatory, Suzanne Durbeck, she said that Falcons that attend NWP have a 99.9% chance of admission a service academy the following year. From what I've gathered, the .1% is for those that slack off and get into trouble.
She said that the Air Force Academy Prep School has an 80% chance of admission.

Good luck!

Go to college, enroll in NROTC. If you don't get an appointment, you'll be on track to commission.

If you go to prep school, and then fail to get an appointment, (1) you will probably not have as many college credits that will transfer to a university as you would like (just like USNA, any university reserves the right to reject any and all of your transfer credits) and (2) you will not have made any actual progress on a commission.

I would only go to self-prep if you feel that you are not academically prepared for ANY college, academy or not. If you are fine academically, there is no reason to go through what is essentially a fifth year of high school.

There is never a 100% when it comes to a service academy. Expect to succeed, but plan to fail.

The downside to prep school as a non-sponsored cadet is that you still need to win either in the national pool or in your district/state. I had a 3.7 in prep school at MMI this past year, did well on my CFA, etc and did not get selected for USAFA admissions because I live in a competitive area. Another cadet had a 4.0 and another had a 3.4 here and none of us were selected. Even so, another cadet applied to a few academies and got into West Point and USAFA - chose USMA. You can do very well here and still not get in, but the advantage is that it is still college credit unlike a prep school such as NWP. We also have military science classes for the Army and an AF ROTC cross town school. Just remember, nothing is guaranteed.

usafmk95 said:

The downside to prep school as a non-sponsored cadet is that you still need to win either in the national pool or in your district/state. I had a 3.7 in prep school at MMI this past year, did well on my CFA, etc and did not get selected for USAFA admissions because I live in a competitive area. Another cadet had a 4.0 and another had a 3.4 here and none of us were selected. Even so, another cadet applied to a few academies and got into West Point and USAFA - chose USMA. You can do very well here and still not get in, but the advantage is that it is still college credit unlike a prep school such as NWP. We also have military science classes for the Army and an AF ROTC cross town school. Just remember, nothing is guaranteed.

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Which district do you live in? And how would I find out how competitive my district is? I talked to someone at MMI and he said almost %100 were appointed that only one person was waiting to hear.

AlexanderHess said:

Which district do you live in? And how would I find out how competitive my district is? I talked to someone at MMI and he said almost %100 were appointed that only one person was waiting to hear.

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Your source is correct, except he's referring to the Falcon Foundation scholars. For self-preps (students attending on their own), the number is somewhat less. I don't know how many have been accepted to AFA, but they do have to compete for their slots, both in the nomination process and in the national applicant pool.

Physicsguru is correct. I am from a populated area in NJ, outside of NYC. The two other self preps here are from Alabama, which I thought would have made their chances better based on population- but someone or a few people in their district surpassed them. You can't always tell. Some years can just have some very competitive candidates. Some districts are known for being especially competitive though - any state with a service academy in it will make it competitive, such as if you live in maryland and apply for USNA.