Direct Appointment to West Point vs. NAPS

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NHHawk6

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New to the forum. My wife and I are former Naval Officers. Our son has done very well, and since 8th grade has always wanted to receive an appointment to Annapolis. He has dedicated years as a Navy Sea Cadet Corp member, and excelled in the classroom and on the field. Now in his senior year, he has received a Letter of Assurance and a nomination to West Point, and an offer to attend NAPS. He has spent a great deal of time at both Academies, and loves them both, but he is 99.9999% certain he will choose the offer to attend NAPS (simply wants to become a Naval Officer). Only question we all have is this: "Is there an argument to be made for accepting the direct appointment to West Point because it eliminates the risk of not getting into a Service Academy?" Our son has no reservations about his ability to perform well at NAPS, based upon his 5 years of Sea Cadet training, drills, Summer Leadership Experience, etc., but he wonders aloud if there is something inherently wrong with declining an appointment to West Point. All I know is that I have two large piles of sweatshirts/hats/tee shirts/sweatpants in the backyard, one Army, and one Navy... and one of them needs to go! :)
 
First off, it seems pretty early for an offer to NAPS. If he has an LOA from USMA, it seems like he should be competitive at USNA.

Using your percentages, their is a 99.9999% % chance that he will enter USNA with the class of 2023 as long as he does his part while at NAPS.

I would look at it the opposite way. If he truly wants to go to USNA (not sure why anyone would want that) how will he feel in five years when he is an Infantry officer.
 
If he wants to serve in the Navy or Marine Corps and go to USNA, then go to NAPS. It’s only a year. It counts towards retirement if he stays in for a career. It will make Plebe Year a little easier in then long run and allows for a year or maturity.
 
USMA 1994... Agreed, that it is early for an offer to NAPS, and it did not make much sense to me, last evening. We were surprised. He received his West Point LOA on Sept. 21st, and his nomination to West Point immediately following his first interview. He just had his 2nd & 3rd nomination interviews last week, and they went very well. So much so, that we were cautiously optimistic that things would work out well for the USNA, as well. The NAPS offer is a welcome development, but it leaves my son with the dilemma described, above. I did encourage him to view it from the opposite perspective, as you suggest here, except with a slightly accelerated timeline: If he truly wants to go to USNA, how will he feel at any point in time after he closes the window on that opportunity?
 
I look at a NAPS offer as USNA is willing to save a seat for your DS in 2023, and has such faith he will be ready for an appointment, they are willing to invest a year of buffing him up, at their expense, to ensure he is successful.

He gets all the marching, grooming, room inspection, Navy customs and routine stuff handled before he becomes a plebe. He gets the first time away from home stuff dealt with. He develops confidence in his ability to handle USNA. He builds a set of friends who will journey with him as classmates.

NAPSters tend to do just fine - they have a year of maturity and seasoning (salt!!). As noted above, successful completion of NAPS is a near-guarantee of an appointment.

If his goal is Navy Service, then NAPS is a superb option.
 
Congrats! My son has received an offer to NAPS as well! He was in a similar situation. He received a certificate of intent from USAFA and coach indicated he was "highly confident" he would receive a direct entry appointment. A few days later he relieved his offer of appointment to NAPS. Since USNA is his goal, he accepted the appointment to NAPS, and politely declined to sign the certificate of intent with USAFA. It was a hard decision. I don't envy them.
 
Thank you, NavyHoops & Capt. MJ, Congratulations falconchic88! Help me out here: Does the offer to attend NAPS mean that the Senate nomination sources have been explicitly told not to nominate my son, because he has the NAPS offer?? Or does the nomination process "play out" as it normally would? As an aside, my son just emailed his admissions counselor at Annapolis, and he responded that the NAPS offer made no sense, at this point. He is going to look into it...
 
I was in a similar situation. I ended up with a direct appointment to USAFA (c/o 2016) and an offer to NAPS (c/o 2013, USNA c/o 2017). I chose NAPS. If your son chooses NAPS and works hard, he will get an appointment to USNA.
 
NHHawk6 said:
New to the forum. My wife and I are former Naval Officers. Our son has done very well, and since 8th grade has always wanted to receive an appointment to Annapolis. He has dedicated years as a Navy Sea Cadet Corp member, and excelled in the classroom and on the field. Now in his senior year, he has received a Letter of Assurance and a nomination to West Point, and an offer to attend NAPS. He has spent a great deal of time at both Academies, and loves them both, but he is 99.9999% certain he will choose the offer to attend NAPS (simply wants to become a Naval Officer). Only question we all have is this: "Is there an argument to be made for accepting the direct appointment to West Point because it eliminates the risk of not getting into a Service Academy?" Our son has no reservations about his ability to perform well at NAPS, based upon his 5 years of Sea Cadet training, drills, Summer Leadership Experience, etc., but he wonders aloud if there is something inherently wrong with declining an appointment to West Point. All I know is that I have two large piles of sweatshirts/hats/tee shirts/sweatpants in the backyard, one Army, and one Navy... and one of them needs to go! :)
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Is he a recruited athlete that they essentially want to red shirt for a year? Do you see anything in his packet that seems at all sub-par to warrant a NAPS offer and not a direct appointment? Do you live in a highly competitive district? If the answer is no to all of these questions, then I would be puzzled, too.
 
Not a recruited athlete, but will play Sprint Football/run track. Strong in all areas (3Qs). We do, however, live in a small & highly competitive state/district. I imagine we will gain further insight when he hears back from his two remaining nomination sources. If no nomination is awarded to USNA, then they must consider NAPS to be the preferred path for him. The timing of the NAPS offer relative to his nomination interviews just makes no sense...
 
The formula for being 3Q including the WCS process does differ among each of the SA's. Each year there are examples of those who receive an appointment to one SA who either get the TWE or something such as NAPS discussed here, so this is not unusual. Part of the reason is it not good to speculate on those 'chance me' threads is that none of us know the exact formulas currently used by the SA's. USNA uses NAPS for those who they believe could benefit from additional year of academic work and therefore lack the scholastic Q of their formula. NAPS is not just a place for recruited athletes to spend an additional year.
 
I guess one more question to the OP; Did you serve long enough to qualify for a service connected nomination?
 
Son received his first nomination to USNA, today, despite the NAPS offer, which he accepted. Not certain what's going on, but he is fine with it either way. USNA... via Newport, or directly; doesn't matter to him. We'll keep checking the mail... ;)
 
There is time, and now (with a nomination) there is more than a hint that he may still have a shot at USNA.
I do not envy him the wait.
 
A couple of additional thoughts. It sometimes happens that those who accept NAPS/Foundation are later offered a direct appointment. That can come as a result of new SAT scores or 7th semester grades or because, after looking at much more of the entering class, USNA reevaluates the competitiveness of a NAPS appointee. So there's no downside. And, if you complete NAPS successfully, don't do something stupid (i.e., drugs, alcohol offenses), and still want to attend USNA, you are guaranteed a slot. If you change your mind, you can simply walk away.

Admissions for each SA is somewhat different -- thus, just b/c you are or are not accepted to SA #1 has no bearing on whether you will or won't be accepted to SA #2. Also, it is my impression that USMA is a bit more "aggressive" with their LOAs than USNA, in that they offer more and earlier in the process.

Finally, if your DS is not hung-ho about USMA/serving in the Army, he should NOT go there even if they escort him in a guided carriage (and I would say the same if the SAs were reversed). I've known/corresponded with more than a few young men and women who decided to attend a SA that they weren't too excited about because (pick your reason): they were accepted there and not to their first choice; they wanted to serve and figured they'd learn to like this SA/service; they could go there directly without a year at a prep school; they weren't thoughtful about their nominations and ended up with noms only to their second/third choice SA; and probably a host of other reasons.

Every single one has been miserable. One person tried to apply to USNA from USMA (didn't work). I got a letter from the father of another telling me how unhappy his DD was. And on and on. Most stick it out and some maybe even learn to like their new home/service. But why go through that?

In my view, there is not a "better" or "worse" SA or military branch. However, one is usually better or worse than another for each individual, based on his/her strengths, needs, and desires/goals. Go with your gut on that -- don't assume that you will magically "learn to love" someplace that isn't attractive to you know. You might, but the odds are that you won't.
 
Thank you, and I agree. My son simply wants USNA. Straightforward, in his mind, and I am proud of him for it. He has great respect for USMA, no doubt, but decided quickly to accept the NAPS offer. If he subsequently receives a direct nomination, he will be pleased to accept that, as well! Thanks, again!
 
Take NAPS and don't look back. You can see my comments the other day in the USNA Forum..but long story short, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

THParent said:
There is time, and now (with a nomination) there is more than a hint that he may still have a shot at USNA. I do not envy him the wait.
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The nomination really doesn't impact the NAPS offer, or vice versa. The Admissions Board saw something in OP application that gave them some concern that the applicant was not fully qualified, but saw enough in him that they thought he would be a Midshipman and Naval Officer. This is usually academic qualification, ie.. lack of advance math, AP course, or SAT/ACT. USNA1985 did identify a scenario where Admissions Board could change their mind, ie. increase in ACT/SAT, but I suspect is rare.
 
Certainly agree with your position and your comments. Nominations and appointments are separate streams, to be certain, but the prerequisite relationship between the two still has relevance in the rare event of a NAPS offer being considered for conversion to a direct appointment. I have less firsthand knowledge of the inner-workings of the USNA Admissions Board than perhaps anyone on the planet, but I doubt the next USNA class is both full and finalized, at this point. If additional appointments are needed over the next several months to fill the class, it would seem that candidates with nominations are better positioned to receive them, than those without. And, as I mentioned previously, I am the only one in our family who still gives this any thought; my son is "all in" on NAPS! He has done two summer trainings in Newport, and I was a squadron medical officer there. We love the place, and he welcomes the opportunity.
 
NHHawk6 said:
New to the forum. My wife and I are former Naval Officers. Our son has done very well, and since 8th grade has always wanted to receive an appointment to Annapolis. He has dedicated years as a Navy Sea Cadet Corp member, and excelled in the classroom and on the field. Now in his senior year, he has received a Letter of Assurance and a nomination to West Point, and an offer to attend NAPS. He has spent a great deal of time at both Academies, and loves them both, but he is 99.9999% certain he will choose the offer to attend NAPS (simply wants to become a Naval Officer). Only question we all have is this: "Is there an argument to be made for accepting the direct appointment to West Point because it eliminates the risk of not getting into a Service Academy?" Our son has no reservations about his ability to perform well at NAPS, based upon his 5 years of Sea Cadet training, drills, Summer Leadership Experience, etc., but he wonders aloud if there is something inherently wrong with declining an appointment to West Point. All I know is that I have two large piles of sweatshirts/hats/tee shirts/sweatpants in the backyard, one Army, and one Navy... and one of them needs to go! :)
Click to expand...

My daughter was a CPO from Cleveland Div and received a NAPS offer (not a recruited athlete), Merchant Marine, and NROTC. She wanted Navy and even met the Supe trying to convince him to upgrade her NAPS offer for a full appointment. Long story short: NAPS works. If I can assist with anything, feel free to message me.

Doug
 
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