Washing Out

Drew_22

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What is the main reason why people wash out of Service Academies? Is it because they are too hard? Or is the because they like the civilian life better?
 
1. Academics - Handling the intense academic load can be too much for some.

2. Physical - Usually occurs during plebe/swab training, the intense physical activity claims bodies every year.

3. Medical - Believe it or not, some people conceal medical conditions that are later found to be disqualifying. Others may get injuries while at the academy deemed severe enough to prevent their commissioning.

4. Honor Violations - Living under an Honor Code or an Honor Concept can prove too much for some cadets, causing their involuntary separation. Alcohol and cheating are the usual suspects.

5. Lack of Desire/Motivation to enter military service or Change of Career Goals - Sometimes people change their minds about what they want, sometimes they realize that they are there for someone else (parents), some have emotional ties at home that are too hard to break.
 
1. Academics - Handling the intense academic load can be too much for some.

2. Physical - Usually occurs during plebe/swab training, the intense physical activity claims bodies every year.

3. Medical - Believe it or not, some people conceal medical conditions that are later found to be disqualifying. Others may get injuries while at the academy deemed severe enough to prevent their commissioning.

4. Honor Violations - Living under an Honor Code or an Honor Concept can prove too much for some cadets, causing their involuntary separation. Alcohol and cheating are the usual suspects.

5. Lack of Desire/Motivation to enter military service or Change of Career Goals - Sometimes people change their minds about what they want, sometimes they realize that they are there for someone else (parents), some have emotional ties at home that are too hard to break.


True....and while I'm not basing this on real starts, but instead what I've seen....

The order I would rank them in for frequency would be....

1. Academic
2. Honor Violations
3. Medical
4. Physical

As for "lack of motivation", I can't rank that because in many ways it plays in more than one of the above reasons. It would be pretty high up on the list though, probably #1 in the first year.
 
From my experiance from USNA the main two reasons were Academic and Priors who realized the military is not what they wanted to do for 5 more years or more.

As for honor, very few each year were actually kicked out for honor offenses and people who couldn't hack it physically were only kicked out as 1/c in most cases, but still rare.

Medical was even rarer and only in cases that precluded any sort of unrestricted or resticted line service, like a friend of mine that developed diabetes over 2/c summer.
 
Medical is often caught during that first summer. Rarely will something change while a cadet/midshipman is attending school. I had one classmate who had a problem with his eye and could not receive a commission. Most of the "medicals" occurred while being screened in the first week of swab summer.

Physical....concur....waivers are given until that last year, if they can cut it then, then no commission.

Academic....happens through out.

Motivation.....usually earlier on, in the first two years before they're required to give two years payback. Some kids...it's that first day "wait this is the military?1?!"

Honor happens through out. Also, although separate....conduct offenses, or too many demerits.
 
My reasons were not ranked in order.

However, Voluntary Separation reasons (change in career goals, environment adjustment) far outnumber Involuntary Separation reasons (academic, conduct/honor) at all 4 military academies.
 
Hey LITS, check your contact messages, my e mail should be in there bud, send me an e mail.
 
Academics and Honor are the two biggies.

Sometimes a combination of those.

Major causes of these are poor study skills/time management.


-and-
if you mess up, fess up... don't lie.
 
What is the main reason why people wash out of Service Academies? Is it because they are too hard? Or is the because they like the civilian life better?

Can only speak for USNA but the #1 reason people don't make it through is b/c they don't really want to. Seriously.

Whether they come to this realization during plebe summer or at some other point during the first two years, they simply don't have the desire/motivation/commitment to stay. That isn't a criticism, just a fact.

Yes, quite a few leave for academic reasons. Some of those are simply "mistakes" -- USNA thought, based on their records, that they could handle the academics but it turned out that, despite their best efforts, they couldn't. That's a minority. According to USNA, most (not all) who leave for academic reasons didn't put in the effort/weren't sufficiently motivated to pass.

At USNA, it's very rare for someone to be dismissed for medical reasons; typically, they are allowed to stay but may not be able to be commissioned. It's also relatively rare for someone to be dismissed for honor now that there is honor probation. Still happens, but very rare. Some folks are kicked out for failing PT but, again, most likely an effort/motivation issue.

The current view at USNA is that, if you want to be there, you can make it through. There are a few exceptions (as noted above), but not many. Those who leave want to do something else with their lives, which is unfortunate (in that they took the place of someone who might have stayed) but understandable.
 
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