Accepting appointment

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fishbowl

5-Year Member
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Jan 22, 2010
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Child so excited to have received blue folder. Also has an NROTC scholarship, so trying to decide between that and USNA. Leaning heavily toward USNA, but uneasy about sending in the acceptance right now when the letter says you have until May 1st. Any sage advice?
 
Congratulations to your son for receiving the Blue Folder, you must be very proud. As for choosing, he basically gets a career all set up for him when he graduates and free tuition, therefore, he should choose the school that he likes most. If you don't mind me asking, what school did he receive an NROTC at?
 
Suggest that child attend a CVW to experience the life at USNA first-hand.
 
CONGRATULATIONS!! Let your child make the choice. It is hard not to interfere but bite your toung and let them decide. Then they can never come back at you and say "you made me". We let our daughter make the decision. It was her life and her choice. Lots of schools and lots of choices. Wait until all the acceptances come in. May 1st is still a long ways away. Going through the acceptance process right now with my son. Accepted to three schools through rolling admissions and still waiting for USNA, USMA and USAFA. If your son got the big blue folder and he wants USNA send in the response. If he is still undecided just wait. CVW is a good choice and he can request it. It helped make the decision for mine.
 
Thank you. Scholarship is to a unit in the northeast. Was invited to CVW but couldn't fit it in due to academic and athletic schedules. Went to summer seminar and really enjoyed it - only talked about going to the Academy for weeks after, but now that acceptances are starting to come, the decision is not as simple as it seemed back in June.
 
He has until May 1. Wait until he is sure. Some doubt and apprehension are normal. But, if he's having serious doubts, he shouldn't ignore them. The #1 reason people leave USNA is b/c it turned out not to be what they wanted/expected and yet they attended b/c "everyone expected me to." There is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to go NROTC or simply to go to a civilian college, even if he's already told everyone he's going to USNA.

For other candidates out there who are having doubts or even are 100% sure USNA is right for them . . . you really should do CVW if at all financially possible. I know academic and athletic commitments are important but I guarantee you that missing one day of classes or competition is less important than the rest of your life. And the decision to choose/not choose USNA will impact the rest of your life. This is not a criticism of the OP, just a comment.
 
a full NROTC scholarship is nothing to sneeze at! Congratulations ... and it could be just the thing for your son. My son and a classmate both applied to USNA, both received Navy ROTC scholarships too ... my son is now at USNA, his classmate at civilian college with the full NROTC ... both great choices, both right for the two individuals. Civilian schools offer much more freedom, much more of the "regular" college experience ... and that is the right mix for many ... Let your kid pick, because if he choses USNA, he has to want it beyond anything. It's too tough to take just because it's offered.
 
Son has been told that he cannot be accommodated at CVW [2Q+nom to USNA, LOA + 2 senators' noms to USMA, waiting for waivers]. I'm trying to give him good enough information to make a choice if offered, so we're heading there for a day visit on Saturday the 20th. Other than the admissions briefing and maybe a snowball fight, any suggestions?
 
Congratulations, Fishbowl!!! There is plenty of time between now and May 1 to consider all the options.
 
AF6872 said:
Let your child make the choice. It is hard not to interfere but bite your toung and let them decide. Then they can never come back at you and say "you made me". We let our daughter make the decision. It was her life and her choice.
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Our son received an ROTC scholarship to two of the schools he really wanted to go to. First thing out of his mouth was, "What school do I choose?". For the first time in 18 years, my husband and I had to look at him and say, "I can't help you with this, this is your decision."---hardest thing I have ever had to do. We helped him make a pro/con list but, in the end, the choice was his and he seems very happy about it.
 
PFC:
It was really tough to tell her that she had to make her own decision. Looks like she made the right one but it was tough not to put in the parents two cents. We are now going through the same thing with her brother. Trying to get him to make a decision is a nightmare.:rolleyes:
 
It is very important that you stand aside on this decision. Helping with pro/con discussions, etc, is an appropriate parental role. Other responders are correct in noting that a prime reason that new midshipmen leave is because it turned out not to be what they expected - a major reason campus visits are so important - even to civilian schools.
While most suspect the dropout rate is where it is because of the discipline aspect, often it is because of the curriculum - some youngsters get caught up in the visibility of going to an academy and neglect their true career objectives.

The major difference between the SAs and ROTC normally is a matter of degree and intensity (unless the ROTC school is VMI, the Citadel, Norwich, etc), and this is not to impugn the ROTC programs. In most cases, the ROTC training is a small portion of the average weekly course loading.

There are some extremely fine ROTC programs that graduate some very fine officers. You do tend to get out of a program in proportion to what you put into it.
 
AF6872 said:
PFC:
It was really tough to tell her that she had to make her own decision. :rolleyes:
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It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But, he seems (as weird as it sounds) more grown up since he was able to make his own decision. I think he feels more grown up.
 
Hmmm....the inevitable question. "NROTC or USNA?" :confused: *dun dun dun*

I myself was a NROTC scholarship recipient to the Citadel and had an appointment to USNA September of '08 (that seems SO long ago :frown:).

It depends on what your child is looking for. If it's academics, I advise USNA. If it's the combination of wanting to become a military officer but wanting normal college experiences too, then NROTC is the way to go. Often times here, there are debates on whether NROTC mids or USNA mids become better Naval or USMC officers. Most say USNA mids because we're immersed into the military way of life and are focused upon becoming the best officer we can be from day one. I admit USNA is a wonderful place to develop one's self, but it is not the place for everyone. Your child may succeed better in an NROTC environment and excel as an officer through that program. It depends on the person.

Personally, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had taken the scholarship instead of coming here. This reminds me of plebe summer where I had almost quit several times. My mom sent me a list that I had written prior to I-day, containing the list of reasons why I would rather come here than quit and do NROTC. My main reason was that in order to become a true leader, I needed a place that would stand by me 100% if I showed effort. I hope that makes sense. The academy will help you through whatever comes your way as long as you show you WANT to be here and that you TRY.

I really hope this help somes. It sounds more like a ramble than anything. :frown: But, best of luck with your kid. If they talked nothing about nothing but the academy for weeks after summer seminar, I would take that as a hint/sign. :smile:
 
That is good information xrunmariarunx. My son was so animated about the experience when he returned from NASS that I barely recognized him. (He's usually not very chatty, but he talked for hours.) He still talks about it on and off. It was the icing on the cake for him when it came to deciding if the academy was what he wanted.

Of course, we are still one of the "waiters", but we are hopeful.

Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to give info to this year's candidates and appointees.

Go Navy!
 
MomoftheMagik said:
That is good information xrunmariarunx. My son was so animated about the experience when he returned from NASS that I barely recognized him. (He's usually not very chatty, but he talked for hours.) He still talks about it on and off. It was the icing on the cake for him when it came to deciding if the academy was what he wanted.

Of course, we are still one of the "waiters", but we are hopeful.

Thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to give info to this year's candidates and appointees.

Go Navy!
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Haha, that sounds EXACTLY how I was when I got back from Summer Seminar. My mom told me that I was a lot more confident and that she had never heard me talk so much about something before. :rolleyes: Moms. (joking)

But if you have any questions, feel free to shoot them my way. :smile:
 
Summer Seminar

My son received his loa to USMMA in October. His first choice is USNA. He attended NASS & SEAL Intense Wrestling Camp. Someone said NASS puts you in a different category. Is this true? Is there a significant advantage having attended NASS?
 
No significant advantage to attending NASS. I believe USNA will get kids in to NASS who are from under represented areas and areas where maybe there isn't much naval or sea type activities. Like us, we live in dry, dusty west Texas! Kids in Maryland have a harder time getting into NASS.

NASS is a recruiting tool. Sure the squad leaders evaluate the kids. Probably more "weed out" some who complain, etc constantly. My son had a couple of those in his squad.

Many kids get in to USNA who were denied NASS. No reason to panic.
 
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