Only applying to one Academy

In hindsight, applying only to one would have been the smart thing to do. In our state/district, the MOCs coordinate noms, so a person is not going to get multiple noms. As a result, there can be a lot of wasted work to apply to all of the academies. Frankly, I think one should initially decide how they want to serve and apply to that academy - not apply to several academies and then decide how they want to serve.

As far as ROTC, some don't want that experience - it's the SA or reapply. I see nothing wrong with that.
 
DS only applied for USNA nom and to USNA (not other SAs). When he was asked why at his interview (from Westpoint grad) his reply was (to the effective of): "The other SAs are excellent schools, and be shouldn't be anyone's 2nd choice." He also said his goal was to be a Naval officer specifically, he wanted to serve in the USN. There was never any push back.
 
As an aside, the approach may need to be different depending on where you live. As other posters have noted, in some jurisdictions, MOCs will only give one nom to one candidate. Often 2 or 3 of the MOCs get together so that a candidate only gets one nom among all three. So, you really have to choose early. Sometimes, there will be an exception for USMMA applicants (not b/c it's not as good but b/c it's not as well known so there are usually fewer applications and MOCs have more flexibility with those noms). Also, keep in mind that USCGA does not require noms.
 
I know attending the recruitment programs at the various academies provided DS insight into each branch.

If he didn't apply to multiple academies he wouldn't had the opportunity to participate in SLE, CVW, and CFD.

He found each institution and it's students to be unique.
 
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