enlisting is not a bad plan b?

i talked about this topic a while back but i came across it again the other day. i said earlier that if i didnt get accepted to the academy the first try that i would enlist and try again but my parents suggested not too because so many things could go wrong like a bad fitrep. well my mom told me to apply other places because if they didnt accept me out of high school why would they accept me if i was enlisted. i told her it was because i had experience in the fleet and she disagrees. could someone else give input on how enlisting would benefit my application if i didnt get in right out of high school? thanks

mdsu said:

i talked about this topic a while back but i came across it again the other day. i said earlier that if i didnt get accepted to the academy the first try that i would enlist and try again but my parents suggested not too because so many things could go wrong like a bad fitrep. well my mom told me to apply other places because if they didnt accept me out of high school why would they accept me if i was enlisted. i told her it was because i had experience in the fleet and she disagrees. could someone else give input on how enlisting would benefit my application if i didnt get in right out of high school? thanks

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It would show your dedication to the country through service, but I personally would join NROTC at a local university and then reapply. This would continue your schooling and you could challenge yourself academically which will prepare you for the academy.

Try Nuke school !!

The academy sets aside a significant amount of appointments for enlisted personal. Talk to a recruiter . Take the asvab test. If you score high enough for nuclear power school. And do well in boot camp . That is a viable option to achieve your goal. If you are basically a qualified canidate for usna and want it bad enough. You can find a path to your goal .

Is your goal to go to USNA, be an officer or serve?

If your goal is to be an officer, then enlisted isn't the best way to do that. Look at NROTC, etc. If you want to serve, enlisted is an option, and a good one. Nuke school will get you some great money too.

What is your end goal and do you want to take the most direct path to that goal?

Speaking just from the USNA perspective, enlisting is one way to get in but not the easiest or necessarily the best way. Most (not all) of enlisted who enter USNA from the USN (vs. USMC) come from nuclear subs. That may or may not be something you want to do or something for which you have the aptitude.

Also, when you enlist, you enlist. If going to USNA doesn't work out for whatever reason, you are still in the USN for 4 yrs (if memory serves).

Thus, as noted above, if your desire is to be in the USN, enlisting might be right for you. However, it's a more difficult path to becoming an officer (via USN or otherwise) than going NROTC or just going to college and then going to AOCS/OCS.

Whatever you do, consider all of your options. Don't make a decision like this lightly or b/c you're depressed about not being accepted to USNA. Our enlisted men & women are great people -- but part of your decision is whether you want to be one of them or want to lead them. Consider first what you want and, second, how best to get there.

LineInTheSand said:

Is your goal to go to USNA, be an officer or serve?

If your goal is to be an officer, then enlisted isn't the best way to do that. Look at NROTC, etc. If you want to serve, enlisted is an option, and a good one. Nuke school will get you some great money too.

What is your end goal and do you want to take the most direct path to that goal?

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right now my focus and end goal is to go to USNA. the reason Im not to fond of going ROTC and then usna because i would go through 1 year of college and then do the same course work at usna. Thats why i would rather enlist in a recognized field, maybe special operations and then apply through prior enlisted route.

You can always study and validate those classes so you are not taking all of the same GEs all over again.

usna1985 as usual, is giving you great advice.
Don't be concerned about "repeating a year of college" - what would you do if you went to the fleet and got accepted to NAPS? You would have to take a year of classes anyway.
I know a few West Point cadets who came from prior service and some on this and other forums have come from prior service to Navy and AF - all that I can recall did so because they found out about the academy while they were enlisted.

There is a big difference between the academies recruiting excellent soldiers, sailors and airmen for the academies and someone enlisting with the sole purpose of gaining an appointment. Not saying it hasn't happened but something for you to think about.

As others have said, give thought -- lots of thought -- to your career goals. If you desire to be an officer, there are easier ways than enlisting. If your goal is simply to serve -- and you are prepared to do it as an enlisted -- you can have a great start, or great career.

If you think that enlisting is the best/easiest route to becoming an officer/attending USNA, it's not. Sorry, but trying to be honest here.

What is your short term goal -- what is your long term goal. I know it's hard to think of all of this at age 17 or 18. But, making a decision to enlist is a big decision. Not a bad decision, just a big one.