SCUBA Certified - A Desirable Skill for the USMMA?

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Jan 12, 2016
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Any significant advantage for a candidate to the USMMA to being SCUBA certified and having their own equipment? How would this benefit DS on their application above and beyond something on the activities resume' if at all? A quick review of past posts shows them more as club activities at the academies but not much about applying the skill to a future job. Wondering the same for the USNA and USCGA and will post question there as well. Thanks.
 
How would this benefit DS on their application above and beyond something on the activities resume' if at all?

Not at all, it would be the exact same as if you had spent time basketweaving as an extracurricular activity. The academy doesn't care about your scuba equipment or certification.
 
There is a point system at each academy. You can find discussions of it and examples of such through this board. All extra-curricular activities are important, as they offer a little into who the person is. Granted, if Scuba is the only activity, that would not be as well received as if it was one of many. Obtaining certification, and thereafter higher levels of certification, would show perseverance and drive. It would also show some athletic ability. So, unless the activity is a team sport, etc. free diving championships, etc., it likely does not gain points for a sport but could be viewed favorably as another activity you are involved in. It could also show some familiarity with the water, etc. Certainly not something to omit from your documents.
 
I agree with golfindad and COMPLETELY DISAGREE with mma19kid. I spoke with my DS today and he knows that USMMA has a club but does not know anything else about it or where they go. If your DS also is a Boy Scout or an aquatics instructor and can show that he helped or helps teach this skill it will help...not hurt, that is for sure. Does he belong to a dive club where they do anything with looking for wrecks or other? Depending on where you live, has he ever volunteered for any search and rescue demonstration or actual search and rescue...age could be a factor being able to do this...does he work in a dive shop...I think you get the idea/thoughts.

To mmakid19...just this week you were told your writing style could be offensive...disrespectful...IMHO you were successful. Your writing style reminds me a someone else who was banned by the moderators before
 
I agree with golfindad and COMPLETELY DISAGREE with mma19kid. I spoke with my DS today and he knows that USMMA has a club but does not know anything else about it or where they go. If your DS also is a Boy Scout or an aquatics instructor and can show that he helped or helps teach this skill it will help...not hurt, that is for sure. Does he belong to a dive club where they do anything with looking for wrecks or other? Depending on where you live, has he ever volunteered for any search and rescue demonstration or actual search and rescue...age could be a factor being able to do this...does he work in a dive shop...I think you get the idea/thoughts.

To mmakid19...just this week you were told your writing style could be offensive...disrespectful...IMHO you were successful. Your writing style reminds me a someone else who was banned by the moderators before

Thanks. He is still considered a novice with a continued desire to grow. Not ready to teach or mentor others at this time. For sure will add this to his activities resume'; he views it as taking on new challenges and broadening his skillset so he can be a greater asset to those he serves.

mmakid19 - as a manager in a Fortune 50 company, I communicate professionally with numerous customers and coworkers throughout my day and agree that your writing style is inappropriate and frankly not consistent with the professionalism of past or present cadets I've heard from on this forum. If you are from the USMMA as you lead on to be I urge you to step up and represent yourself and the academy appropriately.
 
Scuba is worth listing on your resume. The academy has a recreational club that gets people certified. It's a leisure activity, just like there's a rock climbing club and a club that goes bowling every week. Is it a significant advantage in terms of admissions? No. You don't need to demonstrate that you can swim or survive in the water because you'll have to take 2 classes on that. Of course, if it's an activity that you spend a lot of time doing and achieve something (like certification), you should list it because it demonstrates commitment, just like you could demonstrate that by becoming an Eagle Scout or any other activity where you can earn something for dedicating time and effort.
 
According to the academy "Fourth classmen must demonstrate the capability of swimming 100 yards using two basic strokes, and 15 minutes of flotation. Non-swimmers must devote a part of their time to learning basic swimming strokes, and it is therefore recommended that applicants learn to swim before entering the Academy. This requirement must be fulfilled prior to a midshipman's first shipboard training period."
https://www.usmma.edu/admissions/application/medical-exam
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Check the Facts MMA19kid before you make your "statements".
 
MMAkids answer was direct honest and to the point. I see nothing wrong with his comment.

As a Manager dealing with thousands of ships sailing every ocean and making port stops on every continent, and conversing daily with a broad range of people across those same continents I would find it refreshing to not have to listen to flowery salutations or to being verbally coddled.

I would like to know what specifically he said that you thought was so inappropriate? That the academy "doesn't care" about someone being a certified scuba diver? Guess what, they don't care any more than they care about any other other pastime. Just because it is related to the water does not give it any additional points with admissions. In reality any professional diving training would prefer someone with no diving knowledge so they don't have to "untrain" you before re-teaching it their way.

To cousmma: this whole thread is about applicants but you challenged MMAkid post with requirements which must be met prior to completion of plebe year at the earliest. It seems your point about someone knowing the facts before they post has some application here.
 
MMAkids answer was direct honest and to the point. I see nothing wrong with his comment.

As a Manager dealing with thousands of ships sailing every ocean and making port stops on every continent, and conversing daily with a broad range of people across those same continents I would find it refreshing to not have to listen to flowery salutations or to being verbally coddled.

I would like to know what specifically he said that you thought was so inappropriate? That the academy "doesn't care" about someone being a certified scuba diver? Guess what, they don't care any more than they care about any other other pastime. Just because it is related to the water does not give it any additional points with admissions. In reality any professional diving training would prefer someone with no diving knowledge so they don't have to "untrain" you before re-teaching it their way.

To cousmma: this whole thread is about applicants but you challenged MMAkid post with requirements which must be met prior to completion of plebe year at the earliest. It seems your point about someone knowing the facts before they post has some application here.

KP - For me, the content of what MMA19kid said was fine...I thought his approach was a little too direct and potentially inflammatory. Here's what I said:

I communicate professionally with numerous customers and coworkers throughout my day and agree that your writing style is inappropriate and frankly not consistent with the professionalism of past or present cadets I've heard from on this forum.

Apparently Buckeyeguy felt the same way in the post before mine:

To mmakid19...just this week you were told your writing style could be offensive...disrespectful...IMHO you were successful.

I was glad to see MMA19kid came back with, in my opinion, a post that sounded more professional and appropriate for this forum...Thanks! I appreciate most the input and feedback on here but when the tone of a post sounds troll-like I'd rather make an effort to protect and preserve what I've come to enjoy. If I knew MMAKID19 and we were having a talk and he was direct with me, that's a different story.
 
KP - For me, the content of what MMA19kid said was fine...I thought his approach was a little too direct and potentially inflammatory. Here's what I said:

I communicate professionally with numerous customers and coworkers throughout my day and agree that your writing style is inappropriate and frankly not consistent with the professionalism of past or present cadets I've heard from on this forum.

Apparently Buckeyeguy felt the same way in the post before mine:

To mmakid19...just this week you were told your writing style could be offensive...disrespectful...IMHO you were successful.

I was glad to see MMA19kid came back with, in my opinion, a post that sounded more professional and appropriate for this forum...Thanks! I appreciate most the input and feedback on here but when the tone of a post sounds troll-like I'd rather make an effort to protect and preserve what I've come to enjoy. If I knew MMAKID19 and we were having a talk and he was direct with me, that's a different story.

Fair enough, you and Buckeyeguy are entitled to your opinions but the push back on MMAKid in this thread seems more like piling on for the previous thread than reasoned input to his writing style in post#2 to this thread.
 
"As a manager of a Fortune 50 company..." I'm hoping that's in the C-suite, otherwise, I'm not sure it matters that much (especially considering how liberally "manager" is used in many companies.

Bottom line, listing SCUBA won't hurt, but it wouldn't be a significant "plus" either. If USMMA is like USCGA, clubs are great for cadets/midshipmen, but they're not a huge factor in the acceptance process.
 
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