How do SAs know if an applicant has accommodations for testing?

Note USNA requests certain information, along with transcripts, from school officials. Assume the other SAs do the same.

www.usna.edu

High School Transcript Application

High School Transcript Application page for Admissions at USNA.edu. Updated Mon Sep 30 04:44:47 EDT 2024.
www.usna.edu
 
Not saying this is the OP's motivation as this post is more for all applicants who might be checking out SAF for information, but I get a vibe from this thread. I HIGHLY recommend a applicant not try to hide testing accommodations or other special programs a applicant might use thinking that the SA won't find out about them and think they have a better chance to get a appointment by not disclosing. There is a very likely chance that they will find out. If it is found that you lied on your application (yes failing to disclose something is lying) then even if you are attending the SA later in life you will be in trouble.

It is better to be truthful about your accomplishments and limitations and deal with them head on rather than trying to hide them and dealing with the consequences when caught. Ye be warned!
 
For general readership, this is the military medical standard used for accession:


People applying for military service must disclose all kinds of information as part of the medical qualification process. There is also a waiver process.

A good foundational step for candidates is to go to the DoDMERB website and read the landing page and go through every item in the left-side menu, including Contacts.

 
Does this include provisional application? We didn’t think it was a big deal until we read through the terms. The question was ambiguous. “Did you take the SAT?” One would answer, yes. Then the scores pop up. No option for opting out. My daughter is a senior with a 504. Should she just drop this effort? It’s all too complex coming from a world of “inclusion”. Most of her life, she’s had accommodations and thrived with them. Someone should have warned us in big bold red letters: EXCEPT
FOR MILITARY LEADERSHIP OR SERVICE ACADEMY APPLICATION. Too bad, otherwise, she’s a good student and maybe candidate.
 
MidCakePa said:
The SAs' mission is to develop commissioned officers who will lead soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Into combat, if necessary. Sadly, the enemy does not offer accommodations.
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True. But everyone has adhd these days. Could be environmental factors. It is precluding many would be leaders who could develop over time.
 
Mountain14 said:
Does this include provisional application? We didn’t think it was a big deal until we read through the terms. The question was ambiguous. “Did you take the SAT?” One would answer, yes. Then the scores pop up. No option for opting out. My daughter is a senior with a 504. Should she just drop this effort? It’s all too complex coming from a world of “inclusion”. Most of her life, she’s had accommodations and thrived with them. Someone should have warned us in big bold red letters: EXCEPT
FOR MILITARY LEADERSHIP OR SERVICE ACADEMY APPLICATION. Too bad, otherwise, she’s a good student and maybe candidate.
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Your daughter will need to take the SAT or ACT without accommodations by the deadline in order to give herself a chance. As for whether the 504 itself is disqualifying, it might be. But, I believe there are instances where a 504 candidate can receive a waiver from the waiver authority, whether that is a Service Academy or ROTC. Of course, the reason for the accommodations will make a difference.

This is third-hand information - so it would make sense for your daughter to reach out to the Service Academies at issue or ROTC program for guidance. First hand information, primary source, is always best.
 
Mountain14 said:
True. But everyone has adhd these days. Could be environmental factors. It is precluding many would be leaders who could develop over time.
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That’s a very unfair statement. Everyone certainly does NOT have adhd these days.

My mom hat would agree that it’s over diagnosed, perhaps. Especially from parents wanting their kiddo to conform. NOT saying this is what’s going on here, but as the mom of three rambunctious boys, I have dealt with pressure to medicate and diagnose.

There’s a published list of medical situations that preclude military service and for good reason. There are lots of them beyond ADHD. It is what it is.

Adding: dump this query/question into the search function and you will find tons of past discussion about this.

Good luck!
 
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There are cases where waivers are offered. Review the links I provided. It can be a challenging road.

The military makes many decisions from a utilitarian perspective, good of the many over the good of the one. It’s not personal. Military members work in harsh, remote operating environments - dangerous - where everyone contributes to unit safety and readiness. The military looks for people the least vulnerable to prior illness, injury or conditions.

There are ways to serve the country as a federal civilian. Two examples, and there are several other programs for college students:

DoD STEM Scholarships & Grants - SMART Scholarship

The SMART Scholarship Program provides STEM students with full tuition, annual stipends, & employment with the Department of Defense (DoD) after graduation.
www.smartscholarship.org

SFS

Start your cybersecurity career with the U.S. government
sfs.opm.gov

Try google strings with:
College student programs NSA (swap out with CIA, DoD, DoS, DHS, FBI, etc.). Not everyone can be a door-kicker, but there are federal civilians who work in intel, cyber, analysis, logistics, operations planning, forensics, finance, etc., who are part of the team that has the door-kicker’s back.

Federal civil service does not have the same high bar as military medical accessions.
 
The general advice here is to apply and go through the process, but as with every candidate, alternate plans should be developed in parallel. Standardized test scores taken with accommodations will not be used, I believe.
 
justdoit19 said:
That’s a very unfair statement. Everyone certainly does NOT have adhd these days.

My mom hat would agree that it’s over diagnosed, perhaps. Especially from parents wanting their kiddo to conform. NOT saying this is what’s going on here, but as the mom of three rambunctious boys, I have dealt with pressure to medicate and diagnose.

There’s a published list of medical situations that preclude military service and for good reason. There are lots of them beyond ADHD. It is what it is.
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Agreed. Every year the SAs have hundreds more fully qualified applicants with nominations than they have seats in the class.
 
I attended a service academy open house where the Army National Guard presenter said a statistic: only (about) 30 pct (IIRC) of the population is fully qualified to serve.
 
justdoit19 said:
I attended a service academy open house where the Army National Guard presenter said a statistic: only (about) 30 pct (IIRC) of the population is fully qualified to serve.
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Surprising issues with high blood pressure, not so surprising with obesity and fitness, plus the vast array of other medical DQ conditions in the DoD accession standard.
 
Mountain14 said:
True. But everyone has adhd these days. Could be environmental factors. It is precluding many would be leaders who could develop over time.
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That is not true. I'm in a classroom of juniors and seniors as I keyboard this. There are only five who are bouncing off the wall,10 who are flipping through their phones, six who are drooling and there are two who are actually paying attention to me. So not all have ADHD.
 
Mountain14 said:
True. But everyone has adhd these days. Could be environmental factors. It is precluding many would be leaders who could develop over time.
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They are not being precluded. All they have to do is stop using the accommodations and medication and show that they can continue to excel without these benefits. 2 years free seems to be about the consensus for the time needed for the military to then willing to give a waiver for the ADHD diagnoses. This might limit a SA as two years in college is a big commitment to then start over at a SA. Though several applicants do it with no problem. Another option is going for ROTC as a college programmer for two years and then going for a sideload scholarship. Another option is OCS after college.

My point is that there is opportunities for a person with ADHD to show that they can compete and excel with the diagnose. They just have to do it without benefits of accommodations or medication. It a applicant can't do that. There is nothing wrong with it. They just have to find a different path.
 
Most of her life, she’s had accommodations and thrived with them. Someone should have warned us in big bold red letters: EXCEPT
FOR MILITARY LEADERSHIP OR SERVICE ACADEMY APPLICATION. Too bad, otherwise, she’s a good student and maybe candidate.
Click to expand...

First, of all, you should be thrilled that your DD has thrived with accommodations. That may mean that she needs them to thrive -- nothing wrong with that; that's why they exist.

Second, as Mr. Mullen (Dept. Director of DODMBEB) preached: doctors and other health-care providers do what is best for their patients (in this case, your child) for overall development. Sometimes, that ends up presenting a challenge when applying for the military, especially a SA. But in the long run, it's better to do what's best from a medical perspective even if ends up having unintended consequences.

Third, as others above have pointed out, there are reasons for DODMERB standards, even though they may not always make sense to us. I recall in BGO training the Medical Officer discussing a few. He talked about someone who has asthma being sent to a place that's very dusty (think Afghanistan or Iraq). They need an inhaler but they lost it, it ran out, whatever. Now not only are they at risk, but they have put at risk their comrades, who have to take care of them due to a pre-existing condition that could have been avoided. He also mentioned accommodations. He noted that the military can't guarantee you'll always be able to sit in the front of the class. In an emergency situation, you may not have extra time to make decisions that can affect many lives.

The fact is that most people with conditions that are disqualifying for the military have incredible lives in the civilian sector. Many serve their country as civilians. A door MIGHT close, but many windows remain open.

You sound somewhat bitter. Please don't be. The folks here are trying to be realistic. DD can go through the process but, based on what you've described, most of us think it will be an uphill battle. Doesn't mean she shouldn't go forward -- she should just have realistic expectations.
 
Devil Doc said:
That is not true. I'm in a classroom of juniors and seniors as I keyboard this. There are only five who are bouncing off the wall,10 who are flipping through their phones, six who are drooling and there are two who are actually paying attention to me. So not all have ADHD.
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:D Which one(s) are you diagnosing with ADHD?
 
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