Received and offer of Foundation and have questions?

palaudiver

palaudiver

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Feb 10, 2022
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My DS just completed a year of Foundation and received his appointment for class of 2027. Last year when we received this offer we had lots of questions and there is not nearly as much information for Foundation as there is for other topics. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer so fire away!
 
Congrats!

I know a lot of folks aren’t sure what to ask sometimes. So will throw a few questions out there to get the convo started…

What school did your DS choose and why (if you don’t want to name the school, no worries)?
How many foundation students?
What classes did he take?
What parts of the app did your DS have to do?
Your DS had to take the PRT not the CFA again?
Does he feel well prepared for USNA now?
 
What was a typical day like for him - pr, military, academic load.
 
My son is just finishing his year of prep school at Kiski ( near Pittsburgh). He chose a school that had hockey. Kiski wasn’t his first choice but I am glad he went there because it was only 4 hours away so he was able to come home a bunch and had a few of his hockey games near us. There was nothing military about this particular school… we figured he would get plenty of it in his future. There are 2 other foundation kids there and they are all roommates which is great because they all have the same goal and kept each other motivated.
The idea of him doing a year of prep school was though to swallow at first, because in our mind our son’s application was perfect… superscores, tons of volunteering and Captain of a couple teams… but he came from a very competitive are ( Maryland) and he knew that foundation was a golden ticket for the following year. His dream was always USNA, so he turned down Westpoint and NROTC. I think this year was a great way for him to mature and live away from home… (the Naval Academy is literally in our backyard… well, we can see it from our front yard 😂).
If you have any questions, you can also message me.
 
Thank you NavyHoops!

Our DS ended up going to Salisbury School in Connecticut which is a boarding school as are most of the schools. A little background here, DS is a coxswain and was recruited by the USNA lightweight rowing. Being recruited does not help much with admissions though.... But to keep up with rowing we wanted to pick a Foundation school that had a rowing program which limited us to only a few schools, Salisbury being one of them. At Salisbury there were 3 Foundation students including my DS.

As far as the classes he took, for Foundation he is required to take math (preferably calculus), physics and/or chemistry, and English. The rest of the classes are up to you and the school to round out your schedule.

This was basically just another senior high school year.

For the USNA application, we did not have to re-apply. There were some forms for foundation but that is it.

DS did have to take the NAVY PRT which was administered by one of the athletic coaches.

Since Salisbury is not a military school or academy, there was really nothing that he felt especially prepared him for being at the USNA, other than that it is a boarding school. DS does feel though more prepared academically because he was weak in calculus and chemistry but having taken another year of each he is very confident.

A few notes....

You will be assigned a new BG officer specifically for Foundation students. We had a lot more communication with this BG officer than we had with our previous one.

There are 16 schools on the Foundation list with vast price differences and geographic locations. As was explained to us, choose based on geographic location and financial ability. No one school will "get you in" any more than another.

There is a needs based financial split calculation that is done and even then there is some wiggle room. You BG officer will explain it all.

The main points that were impressed on us many times by our BG officer are: 1. Get all As and Bs in your classes. 2. Pass the PRT. 3. Keep your medical status the same, so much as it is in your control (don't to stupid things and get hurt). 4. Don't get in ANY trouble (school, law, anywhere!) Do these things and appointment to the USNA is as sure as you can possibly make it.

Last point is the nomination. You do have to apply to all possible sources (MOC, Senators, VP) and provide proof (screenshots or emails work). If you receive a nomination that is great. If you don't you will be provided one. My DS received a nom from our MOC, and he received his appointment a week earlier than his fellow foundation students that had to wait to receive one. This is a datapoint of 1 so it may not mean anything. Bottom line, if you can get a nom, get it and it saves you 5 additional minutes of handwringing.
 
Ouftidjuti said:
My son is just finishing his year of prep school at Kiski ( near Pittsburgh). He chose a school that had hockey. Kiski wasn’t his first choice but I am glad he went there because it was only 4 hours away so he was able to come home a bunch and had a few of his hockey games near us. There was nothing military about this particular school… we figured he would get plenty of it in his future. There are 2 other foundation kids there and they are all roommates which is great because they all have the same goal and kept each other motivated.
The idea of him doing a year of prep school was though to swallow at first, because in our mind our son’s application was perfect… superscores, tons of volunteering and Captain of a couple teams… but he came from a very competitive are ( Maryland) and he knew that foundation was a golden ticket for the following year. His dream was always USNA, so he turned down Westpoint and NROTC. I think this year was a great way for him to mature and live away from home… (the Naval Academy is literally in our backyard… well, we can see it from our front yard 😂).
If you have any questions, you can also message me.
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My firstie was a foundation kid (also went to Kiski). During I-day weekend, they had a luncheon for foundationers and their parents/family and at our table, we had 5 other foundationers and I asked them "How did you like foundation?" They all said "It was nice", "It was good", etc. Then I said "Really...my kid hated that he had to do an extra year". Every single one of them said "me too" and they all felt like they should've gone straight to the Academy. I just thought that was funny.
 
ProudDad2022 said:
My firstie was a foundation kid (also went to Kiski). During I-day weekend, they had a luncheon for foundationers and their parents/family and at our table, we had 5 other foundationers and I asked them "How did you like foundation?" They all said "It was nice", "It was good", etc. Then I said "Really...my kid hated that he had to do an extra year". Every single one of them said "me too" and they all felt like they should've gone straight to the Academy. I just thought that was funny.
Click to expand...
Small price to pay. Many candidates as good or better than your DD/DS did not even get the golden ticket offer.
 
This is all very helpful information! I appreciate your willingness to share. I only wish I was offered Foundation or NAPS! I am waitlisted for NAPS. For me personally, I am only 17 so an extra year of developing morally, mentally and physically in order to prepare for the USNA in not a deterrent at all. I am self aware that the USNA has found some great qualities in me in order to have offered me a waitlisted NAPS opportunity but obviously they also see I need some developing. I want to be in the NAVY and commission as an officer through the USNA. All I can do is pray that it all works out at the end and when I am given the option to push the accept button, I will not hesitate!
 
What is Foundation? and how does someone get offered Foundation or NAPS?
 
You will be assigned a new BG officer specifically for Foundation students. We had a lot more communication with this BG officer than we had with our previous one.
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That's because the "BG" responsible for Foundation students is a full-time paid employee of the Foundation. Handling Foundation students IS HIS JOB, vs. "regular" BGOs, many of whom have full-time jobs and all of whom are volunteers.

Here's the thing about Foundation being a "wasted" year. In some cases, USNA believes you need more academic prep. Could be that you did great but your h.s. wasn't very strong. Could be that you did well in class but not on SAT/ACT or the converse. There are other reasons, including maybe really wanting you but your losing out to a slightly better candidate.

Foundation students graduate USNA at a higher percentage than any other admission source. In the end, you will never know how well or poorly you would have done without that Foundation year. But it certainly doesn't hurt and likely helps.
 
What is Foundation? and how does someone get offered Foundation or NAPS?
Click to expand...
NAPS: https://www.usna.edu/NAPS/

Foundation: https://www.usna.com/asp

Why or how someone is offered Foundation or NAPS is somewhat of a black hole. Generally speaking, USNA believes that person needs additional academic prep to be successful at USNA. You don't apply to either program. If you apply to USNA, you are automatically potentially under consideration for either program. Suggest you search both this thread and also the Service Academy Preparatory Programs forum for more info.
 
Admittedly, at the outset, my DS was not thrilled about doing another senior year. Fast forward to today, he sees the value, he is proficient in his two weak subjects, getting A's in both, calculus and AP chemistry, and he is excited with his appointment.
 
melcar said:
how does someone get offered Foundation or NAPS?
Click to expand...
usna1985 said:
You don't apply to either program. If you apply to USNA, you are automatically potentially under consideration for either program.
Click to expand...
^ Foot stomp for emphasis -- we often see comments on SAF saying someone wants to apply to NAPS or Foundation. THERE IS NO SEPARATE APPLICATION. There is no bright line between who gets the NAPS/Foundation offer and who gets the TWE. About the best explanation I can give is that Admissions Board sees an applicant with good potential as a Naval Officer, but there is something (often academic background) that gives them pause to wonder whether they can make it through USNA.
 
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