I know the most ever, near 40. the goal is soon for gender to play no role in selection, as in there are enough fleet spots it no longer matters!
Hmm... Favorite: being around exceptional people, being a part of history (I am a nerd for military/geopolitics), and the opportunity to commission (not a common thing many military kids take for granted).
Definitely. I was also a nuke so not necessarily a "real" enlisted with ship time. USNA is much more 'white collar'.... they have people that come take your trash ... that's all I will say about that. On the other hand, it is super academically rigorous and you are held to a high standard. Someone told me USNA will treat you like a child and expect you to act like an Officer. Very true.
Being a former enlisted Nuke, NAPS and now First Class MIDN, says a lot. You're very accomplished. Good luck on subs. I don't know much about subs...I only spent 2 weeks on the Nautilus as a USNR Midshipman. Go Navy!
This link provides info on NAPS Academcs. If you select the link in each main section, more details will pop up, including the option to dive even deeper into course links.
Thanks. It looks like a set curriculum geared toward STEM, so probably not good choice for a political science major, for example.
It’s a great choice for anyone hoping to get a B.S. from USNA, including Poli Sci majors, who have to survive plebe Chem and Calc and 3/c Physics, and all the other mando STEM courses. USNA is a STEM-centric school, regardless of major.
Political Science majors at USNA are required to get through semesters of Electrical Engineering, Cyber, Mechanical
We have a sponsor daughter alum, B.S. in English, went Marine logistics, did 7 years AD and two combat zone deployments, was hired by an internationally known tire company initially into a supervisory systems engineer role, and is now an executive with them. She had enough engineering knowledge to easily handle STEM-related tech issues, but it was her leadership experience and understanding of logistics she was hired for. The company knows what it is getting when it hires JMOs (junior military officers) into its exec training pipeline.
I think this sums it up perfectly. A non-STEM major may never need the math or physics in their job in the Navy, but it makes them a more well-rounded and well educated person.
One thing not mentioned yet is writing. My plebe is getting an unexpected hard press from the History department (Plebes choose their majors soon). He never dreamed he would major in anything other than physics or engineering. A faculty member told him in a 1:1 session just prior to start of this semester that the Navy needs officers who have a gift for writing--who understand complicated STEM issues and can explain them to non STEM people. The Navy has to get funding from Congress!
The history department seems to be doing that sort of recruitment. It could be true that they need such folk or it could be a way of recruiting history majors in a sea of STEM. I call it “blowing smoke up your ...” and my guard hairs stick up. Similar pitch given to my DS last year (and it worked!) - my two older sons are Chem Eng and I am an Eng so he’s definitely the odd duck. I sure hope his gambit pans out.
