enlisted to usna risks

[mdsu]

i guess i would like some advice,
I told my parents that if i dont get accepted into USNA this year, that I dont want to give up my dream of usna and i want to enlist maybe go to dive school or buds and follow family tradition for a year and then apply to usna again.
but my parents are saying they dont think i should enlist because there are so many things that could go wrong, like al it takes is a bad fit rep from ur CO and then im stuck in a hole of just trying to get a commision. But i tell them that i will try hard and stand out as enlisted at my command.

Pretty much they really want me to go to USNA but if i dont i should go to rotc, but ive wanted usna for years but if you guys could give me some feedback on if going enlisted first is to much of a risk that would be appreciated.

 

[Mom1315]

mom advice

i guess i would like some advice,
I told my parents that if i dont get accepted into USNA this year, that I dont want to give up my dream of usna and i want to enlist maybe go to dive school or buds and follow family tradition for a year and then apply to usna again.
but my parents are saying they dont think i should enlist because there are so many things that could go wrong, like al it takes is a bad fit rep from ur CO and then im stuck in a hole of just trying to get a commision. But i tell them that i will try hard and stand out as enlisted at my command.

Pretty much they really want me to go to USNA but if i dont i should go to rotc, but ive wanted usna for years but if you guys could give me some feedback on if going enlisted first is to much of a risk that would be appreciated.

Hi, I am no expert by any means. However, I think from experience, I would say listen to your parents. If you have an NROTC offer, take that. Go to college on an NROTC scholarship and re-apply to USNA for 2014. If you don't have a scholarship. Go to a college that has an NROTC unit and join it, even without the scholarship, you can joing the program and then apply for USNA 2014. Enlisting in order to gain an appointment could tie you down to a path you did not intend. The Academy looks favorably on committed candidates who reapply and who are doing what they can to prepare themselves: take classes that mirror those taken by plebes at USNA and join an NROTC unit would be a good place to start. All the best to you, and I hope you get what you want!! Keep the faith!

 

[kaullman]

Risks Everywhere

i guess i would like some advice,
I told my parents that if i dont get accepted into USNA this year, that I dont want to give up my dream of usna and i want to enlist maybe go to dive school or buds and follow family tradition for a year and then apply to usna again.
but my parents are saying they dont think i should enlist because there are so many things that could go wrong, like al it takes is a bad fit rep from ur CO and then im stuck in a hole of just trying to get a commision. But i tell them that i will try hard and stand out as enlisted at my command.

Pretty much they really want me to go to USNA but if i dont i should go to rotc, but ive wanted usna for years but if you guys could give me some feedback on if going enlisted first is to much of a risk that would be appreciated.

Good, general advice for life...listen to your parents.

There are many good routes to a commission in the USN or USMC; USNA is one of them.

If it is your dream to attend USNA and be commissioned in USN or USMC then pursue that dream.

Recognize that there are risks everywhere, and the risks increase to you as you know less of the situation. BUDS, EOD etc are great and difficult programs which require dedication on the part of all enrolled. Some may question the dedication of someone who wishes to leave the program so soon after entering.

Enrolling in the toughest college you can and enrolling in ROTC while there serves some good purposes:
#1. By mirroring the plebe year academics (as close as possible, Calc, Chem w/lab, Hist and Eng Comp) you prove you can do college level academics, therefore trumping any academic issues you may have had in HS. Remember you want these complete before Dec '09.
#2. By enrolling in ROTC you gain an additional nomination source. Each Professor of Naval Science (Navy ROTC unit CO) gets three nominations each year, many go unused. Nationwide, twenty of these are appointed annually.
#3. You've been a student for a while, you know how to be successful at that. BUDS, EOD will be a whole new world with challenges that you may not now understand or foresee.

What is best for you? You know best your strengths and "areas for growth." There are many routes to success. Go for it!