Enlisting to USNA, pros cons and any alternatives?

[TheMochiKid]

Hey yall,

I didn't finish the application for the c/o 2025, and my ROTC application was rejected (I can't pay for college without it). So now I'm on my third plan, which is to enlist in the Navy and then reapply in a couple years. I've gone up and down this forum for a couple years now and I've been trying to learn as much as I can from other sources (Youtube, Reddit, Quora, etc), so I'd like to think that I'm making an informed decision.

What are the pros and cons of this route? If I was rejected from ROTC, do you really think I have a shot at USNA? What are some common problems enlisted reapplicants (or enlisted applicants in general) face? And probably most importantly, how can I keep myself competitive, or preferably get my package to be more competitive?

I wouldn't mind staying enlisted as a career, however my goal is to commission into the Marines. Thank you all in advance!

 

[WolfPackGrunt]

If you were accepted to a university could you use financial aid for the first year (in regard to your statement about affordance) and re-apply to USNA and or NROTC the next cycle, and in that year improve any weaknesses in your application?

 

[Kierkegaard]

If you want to be a Marine, why not enlist in the Marine Corps? USMC has the highest percentage of officers who were prior enlisted. If you don’t get into USNA there would be other commissioning programs you could pursue. And if you do get into USNA (They do accept enlisted marines), being a prior enlisted Marine makes you very likely to be selected to be a Marine officer (It can be competitive to service select Marine Corps at the Academy, but this varies year to year).