Current M/C at Naval Academy Preparatory School happy to answer any questions!

N

NMcandidate

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Jan 8, 2017
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I am currently attending NAPS with the class of 2018. I know while I was applying and when I got accepted to NAPS I had a lot of questions no one seemed to be able to answer. There's also a lack of information about NAPS on the web. So if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them!
 
How many cadet candidates at NAPS? And is there as much drama there as USAFA Prep? My sister is at Prep and there’s A LOT of stuff going on there. She said it’s like attending a high school in a very small town.
 
Daughters at NAPS, their battalion started with 264. Of that, twenty were Coast Guard. Not a lot of drama, most seem to get along well it seems.
 
There is a lot of drama going on. More than 3/4's of the football team is on academic probation, guys get drunk (especially the priors)while on leave, many of the cadets are not physically in shape enough to pass the physical readiness test. The head of out battalion, failed it the first time. Several kids are leaving- last week a guy went back home to New Mexico, prior to that a guy left cause his girlfriend placed him on the birth certificate as the father. There are so many attitudes with people thinking they are better than everyone else. So yes, it is like high school.
 
My son is not having a good experience there. He told his roommate he wanted to dropout and other students know and they keep telling him to stay. So confused.
 
THIS IS Trackgirl1999's MOTHER. I am using her name since she is not at home and does not have access to this account. This is my account.
 
chinadollUSA said:
My son is not having a good experience there. He told his roommate he wanted to dropout and other students know and they keep telling him to stay. So confused.
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Sorry to hear this.

Much depends on how deeply he wants to go to USNA and become a commissioned officer in the Navy or Marine Corps. If that’s what he wants, he guts it out, makes the grades he needs, manages his own mood, stays sat in military and physical performance, ignores all the background noise and drama and focuses on joining the plebe class next I-Day.

The Naval Academy believed in him enough to demonstrate their desire to have him attend by offering him NAPS to polish up what they felt necessary to future success at USNA. This experience should also clarify his desire to become an officer by this path.

At the SAs, there are also those who indulge in drama, misbehave, fail at various things. The system expects a certain amount of attrition, both voluntary and involuntary.

NAPS is not the same as USNA. USNA is not the same as the Fleet or Corps, at any rank. ALL have their times of absolute non-enjoyment, inanity and frustration. In other words, sometimes it sucks.

NAPSters arrive at USNA having developed maturity by time away from home, familiarity with Navy routine and terminology, a good academic foundation and a set of friends. These advantages help NAPSters have a good track record of success at USNA.

The only thing your son has to worry about is himself and the things he can control. If he wants to go to USNA, all the power is in his hands.
 
This is a shame. My dd was a napster, class of 2016. Although difficult at the time, she appreciates that year now. If you take advantage of it and just get through it, it makes things at USNA so much easier. My dd thought plebe summer was like summer camp compared to indoc. And she was well prepared for classes and the military lifestyle at USNA. It was really a blessing. I don’t know any napster at USNA who regrets that year.
 
Thank you! Everyone is so positive, this is good I know, thank you. We all have good days and bad days. I will encourage the good.
 
Agree with everything Capt MJ stated. If USNA is his path USNA, stay the course. Surround himself with like minded friends, keep the eye on the prize and know it will set him up for success next year. There is not doubt NAPS is a unique place. Take the year of maturity and growth and use to launch a successful Plebe year and foundation for USNA. There are some who go and take it as a year on play or think they will just play their sport and worry about other things. They quickly end up with a wake up call. It all shakes out in the end.
 
Bouchon22 said:
How many cadet candidates at NAPS? And is there as much drama there as USAFA Prep? My sister is at Prep and there’s A LOT of stuff going on there. She said it’s like attending a high school in a very small town.
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Class of 2018 started with 273(this included the 20 Coast Guard Candidates).

As for drama,
I would say it would depend on whose opinion you're asking. I know quite a few NAPsters that now that they've found their groove are enjoying their time at NAPs and take pride in the organization. I suppose it's the attitude and friends you keep and what you choose to focus on or let go. Same goes for the rest of your life. Good luck to you!! Hope you reach out and ask more questions.

Thank you OP for offering to help those with questions about NAPS!
 
chinadollUSA said:
My son is not having a good experience there. He told his roommate he wanted to dropout and other students know and they keep telling him to stay. So confused.
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ChiinaDoll -- I went through those feelings at NAPS (and I bet everyone does to some degree). I was disappointed when I didn't get into USNA, and looked at NAPS as a wasted year going in. Then I got my butt kicked academically, and came close to failing out.

30+ years later , I look at it as the best thing that ever happened to me. First, I learned to study and manage time, and got the military thing down. I would not have made it through Plebe Year if I hadn't gotten the academic boost, and because of NAPS, Plebe Year was relatively easy. As a bonus, met my wife at NAPS and married right after USNA graduation.


Trackgirl1999 said:
guys get drunk (especially the priors)while on leave
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On a lighter note -- Times have sure changed, that was a given during my time ! In fact, if you walked from the old Nimitz Hall directy to the E-Club, there was a rock outcropping , and you could walk down to the water (kinda a steep walk, more of a scramble)-- I wonder if there are still empty bottles of Yukon Jack hidden in the rocks. We just to stop there before heading out into town, since drinking in Newport was expensive !
 
Old Navy, thank you for words of encouragement. My son would do better at a regular college where all he has to worry about is studying. He is a good student, not a athlete.

I called NAPS to discuss the options for my son and the man who answered the phone Mr. M.D. talked about his 4 children and how they all went to college and his navy career. I got no answers to my questions but I know about his children. Wasted phone call I am disappointed.
 
chinadollUSA said:
Old Navy, thank you for words of encouragement. My son would do better at a regular college where all he has to worry about is studying. He is a good student, not a athlete.

I called NAPS to discuss the options for my son and the man who answered the phone Mr. M.D. talked about his 4 children and how they all went to college and his navy career. I got no answers to my questions but I know about his children. Wasted phone call I am disappointed.
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Sounds like you’ve made your decision; has your son? You can offer continued support that he is doing the right thing and how proud you are but of course, only he knows if the military or military schooling is his thing. There are a bunch of kids at NAPS that aren’t athletes(mine being one). I hope he finds his way and is happy with whatever path he continues upon. In the meantime, I hope he takes pride in all he has accomplished so far...3.5 months down 6 to go!
 
Chinado, if all your DS wants to do is study, then a SA or its prep school is not the place to be. The mission is to develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically. It’s tonleand to follow, lead, be challenged, push oneself. That even holds true for NAPS. SAs and their respective prep schools certainly have their faults, but it’s more than developing a student. Yes, there are lots to student athletes at NAPS. The honest truth is maybe a quarter of them will play 4 years at USNA. There are as many former athletes in the Brigade as there are active athletes at USNA. If your DS wants to be an officer he has been offered the golden ticket. NAPS will make his life much easier Plebe Year. And as mentioned above, he has to own these decisions.
 
NMcandidate, I have a concern regarding student military status.

Would you be able to review or provide a sensitized copy [Remove personal information like SSN and name] of your DD Form 4 enlistment contract?


I would like to confirm the paygrade on it and see if it shows any form of "midshipman" on it as a comparison for my situation.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Not sure if questions are still being taken here, but I'm curious as to whether or not NAPS is exclusively for those with low scholastic qualification. My ACT is a 35 and I have a 4.0 but my CFA is below average, potentially failing. I'm retaking, but I'd like to know if NAPS is even an option in the event I wasn't offered an appointment. I've heard USAFA Prep has maximum SAT scores for acceptance...?
 
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