Hello from MN

[Athena]

Alert: this will be a long first post.

My dad and I have been long time lurkers to this site. I recently joined and I’ve read a lot of posts in all forums and have many questions. I will only ask some today.

I am a high school junior at a very competitive, top rated private college prep school in Minnesota. I currently have a 3.8 GPA (very good for our school), I am a three sport female varsity athlete (with several state competition appearances),I have a 30 on my ACT, I take very rigorous academic classes but I have minimal volunteering hours so far (not an excuse, it’s a fact that I know needs to change). I have been contacted several times by USMA and USNA to play lacrosse for them. I have not committed, therefore recruited, to either. Also, I have multiple civilian college options (offers) to play lacrosse and soccer. My dream is to attend a Service Academy for the education and service. If I play sports at an academy that would be ok but if I don’t play Varsity sports I would be ok with that decision. My parents and I have been to USNA, USMA and USAFA plus several service academy nights locally. At the local events the BGO’s and Field Force tell me they can’t really speak with me as I am being “looked at and talked to” by their respective academies. The ALO’s will talk with me because I am not being looked at by the USAFA.

My questions are:

1. I want to go to an academy and I am leaning towards the USAFA. I have been called a “blue chip” and a “one chip” by USNA and USMA. I have been told that admission into an academy is less stressful (not really sure how to phrase this) as a recruited athlete. Is this accurate?

2. I have read that the “medical school” route is a very small percentage of cadets at all academies. However, I have also read that USAFA and USMA have “medical spaces” that do not get filled. I know that placement into these disciplines is very competitive but I want to be a doctor. Are there substantiated facts or empirical data that backs up my reading of “spaces going unused?”

3. Any opinions about being “sought” by one or two academies but really want to go to a different academy? Is it worth the “risk” of trying to get an appointment at your first choice academy rather than possible “admission/appointment help” into another academy?

4. I haven’t been able to find many threads/posts that touch on my scenario. Is what I’m asking somewhat common?

I'm looking forward to your thoughts and opinions.

 

[Spud]

I think you will get a better response if you post your questions in one of the Academy discussion forums. I would also recommend you take any advice that a poster named "Navy Hoops" gives as she is a retired Marine Officer who played Varsity Basketball at USNA.

I don't understand the response of the BGOs at the local events not wanting to talk to you. They can talk to you all day about the Navy, being a junior officer, the Academy, and the general admissions process. They cannot talk or address any topics that pertain to being recruited as athlete nor your particular status along that line. NCAA rules are very complex and exacting and BGOs are not schooled in that area but the coaches are. Everything else is fair game. If your questions were about sports and your recruited status to them, I understand their not getting into a conversation.

I also do think you definitely need to think about your long term desires as far as being a doctor. The mission of USNA is to turn out junior officers, trained and educated, to lead sailors and Marines in combat (operative word, there) and perhaps that is your goal but "being a doctor" is not it. Investigate all the threads here on going to medical school and I think you will find that that is very unique career and the service academies are not the best route, if that is your true and only goal.

The last thing before you launch off to the other forums is that if you don't want to go to USNA or USMA, and become a junior officer in those services, then for Pete's sake, don't consider them no matter what is supposedly offered.

 

[Athena]

Thank you for your reply. It's not that the BGO's did not want to talk to me, we were told by them that if a recruited athlete (I don't like using that word since I haven't committed) approached them at a local event, they are told to be careful to not cross the NCAA lines. You are correct that the NCAA lines are complex. Both programs (USNA and USMA) are able to talk with women's lacrosse potentials after September 1st of their Junior year of High School. That's not their rule, it's the NCAA's rule. I'm not sure if it's a NCAA lacrosse rule or a NCAA "all D1 sports" rule.

We have read numerous times "don't go to an academy to be a doctor, there are better routes out there." I know that I need to keep all career options on the table. An academy is where I want to be. An officer is what I want to be. A good, stable, compassionate, caring person is who I want to be. A top tier education is what I seek. A D1 athlete, that would be "icing on the cake."

I appreciate your response and we (my parents and me) agree with not applying to somewhere I don't want to be. Be it a civilian college or an academy. My dad says "going to a place where you don't want to be, is still a place you don't want to be."

It's not that I don't want to go to USNA or USMA, it's that they are not my first choice. Honestly, my mom isn't a huge fan of me going to USMA (no real reason, she just has a mom sense) and she loves Annapolis and Colorado. But she's not going, I am.

I have read a lot of Navy Hoops posts. I will pay more attention to them. I appreciate your comments.