Good Afternoon All,
I found out that I have received 2 nominations for Kings Point. I am very happy to be nominated to such an institution and I hope that I will be gaining admission in the near future.
My main question here is this: what would I have to do if I wanted to go Active Duty as a Naval Officer (especially SWO) for my commitment following graduation? Do only a certain amount of Mids from KP get to go this route? Is it selective?
I'd love to be apart of KP, but my hope and dream is to be a Naval Officer.
I'm sure this has been covered dozens of times on this forum, so I apologize for the repeated questions
Thank you for your time, and merry Christmas Eve.
V/r
Congratulations on your nominations! I have two as well. I'm hoping to get off the Hold list sometime soon. Hopefully 7th Semester Grades will do the trick.
Well for starters, I would try and gain a solid academic foundation Plebe Year. It is easier to maintain a good GPA rather than spending the next three years digging out of a hole. You should also strive to score well on the PRT and have good military/conduct scores. I would also encourage you to form a good relationship with the Naval Science Department. They oversee the training and commissioning of all naval officers that graduate Kings Point. This means they handle both those going into the Reserve (SSO) and those going Active Duty. In addition to that, they can help set up internships with a shore unit in the Navy. This means going to an Aviation Squadron, a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (CB's), or any other unit that is shore based. You do this as a part of your second Sea Term. They can also arrange for you to spend part of your Second Sea Term on an active naval warship. You can spend up to a month deployed with the Navy.
There is no set amount for Midshipmen going Active Duty. Some years have more active duty bound graduates than others. Historically, the number has been between 25%-30%. The rest either sail or work onshore. You do have to apply to go Active Duty, no matter what branch or billet you want. It can be competitive, but it usually depends on how many officers the Armed Forces need once you graduate. If you have good grades, good PRT scores, good military/conduct scores, and a demonstrated interest in being a SWO, then it becomes harder to not give you a spot. If you get in, a lot of people show up to Indoc wanting to go Active Duty. People have said that somewhere around 80% want to go Active Duty. You get the full gambit. Some want SWO, some want to be pilots, some want to be Marines, and others want to be Infantry Officers. Over the course of four years, most Midshipmen find out that their desired billet is not what they thought it was, fall in love with sailing, or they get persuaded by the salary difference between Merchant Mariners and the Armed Forces. If you visit KP in the future, I would try and make it over to the Naval Science Department. I did this and got some good information on Naval Aviation.
One last thought. If you do not get Active Duty straight out of KP, it is not the end of the road. It is not unheard of for people to activate (Reserve to Active Duy) their commissions and serve in the Navy. kp2001 did this and he is now a Navy Doc. I believe there is also another person trying to go from SSO to Naval Aviation.
Good luck!
. I added some more info for you.