How hard is enlisted to USNA?

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TheMochiKid

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Hey yall,

I tried searching around but couldn't really find anything about how hard it is to apply from the fleet compared to being a HS Senior. If there's any threads or other resources you think could help me out, please link them below.

So for context, I applied for the Class of 2025 but no luck. My backup plan was a Marine Option scholarship but that fell through too, so I decided to enlist. Right now I'm going in as an Aviation Tech but I'm hoping to get my contract switched to Corpsman before I ship out.

I'm planning to apply again for the Class of 2027 or 28. For anyone who's prior enlisted (or knows someone who was) what was the process like? Was it harder than applying straight out of high school? What was the main difficulty in getting your application in? Is getting your chain of command recommendations entirely dependent on your command and your relationship with your LPO and Skipper, or do you have a pretty good chance of being recommended even if they don't know you that well? Would I have a higher chance of being appointed to NAPS rather than USNA, or are most active-duty sailors appointed directly to USNA? And finally, is the oft-cited myth that USNA has the majority of active-duty slots go empty every year true, or is it just a myth?

Thank you in advance.
 
TheMochiKid said:
Hey yall,

I tried searching around but couldn't really find anything about how hard it is to apply from the fleet compared to being a HS Senior. If there's any threads or other resources you think could help me out, please link them below.

So for context, I applied for the Class of 2025 but no luck. My backup plan was a Marine Option scholarship but that fell through too, so I decided to enlist. Right now I'm going in as an Aviation Tech but I'm hoping to get my contract switched to Corpsman before I ship out.

I'm planning to apply again for the Class of 2027 or 28. For anyone who's prior enlisted (or knows someone who was) what was the process like? Was it harder than applying straight out of high school? What was the main difficulty in getting your application in? Is getting your chain of command recommendations entirely dependent on your command and your relationship with your LPO and Skipper, or do you have a pretty good chance of being recommended even if they don't know you that well? Would I have a higher chance of being appointed to NAPS rather than USNA, or are most active-duty sailors appointed directly to USNA? And finally, is the oft-cited myth that USNA has the majority of active-duty slots go empty every year true, or is it just a myth?

Thank you in advance.
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I am going down the same road as you if I am rejected this year (currently on the waitlist) but enlisting in the USMC. I recently spoke to a current mid who was prior enlisted in the Marines for 3 years, so he gave me a lot of info. He said that most slots do go unused every year for prior-enlisted, and those slots get used transferred over to the waitlist. He said that standing out, having good PT scores, and being the best sailor/marine you can be will bring you a long way. Also, the only person that you will really know from the recommendations is your CO, and everyone above him/her you probably won't even know but will probably get recommendations from. What I'm saying is that the initial recommendation will start a chain reaction and you will most likely get all the recommendations you need after you receive the first one.
 
I actually had a packet for this process, called LEAD. I passed it along to someone doing this last year. Point is, you can ask for information about it. My oldest had received it at a Service Academy Open House, from the Air National Guard recruiter in attendance. Perhaps you could check with recruiters if they have any info on the program? I would tell mine, to do it from a phone as they will try and hook you in. But there is a printed process for doing this!
 
It also might be good to attend college for a year while you reapply. You could take a ton of courses which you would in turn validate at USNA. This would open up graduate school opportunities such as the VGEP.
 
For me, it was just like when I applied from high school. But I was also enlisted in the Army, not Navy, and this was back in 1990. I was also stationed in Germany at the time ....... So, perhaps I'm the wrong prior to ask. ;)

I did not even bother to go for any nomination because my unit was shipped out to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Storm right after I submitted the completed USNA application and I figured I would be playing in the sand for quite a while. So, I got a (surprise) NAPS appointment.

But I can tell you that while at NAPS, there were quite a few priors, mostly Navy, a few Marines (and me as prior Army). And quite a few of the Navy were from the Nuke school. If I had to guess, maybe 50 - 75% of the Navy priors were from that??
 
You are getting some good insights here.

One thing you do have control over is your own performance and conduct. Be the best, most willing, can-do, team player, team leader, good shipmate, impeccable in uniform, squared-away Sailor you can be. There will be temptations to break rules or have a little too much fun. Do not risk going to Captain’s Mast. You will be extraordinarily busy at times, making it hard to get things done, especially at sea. You will get negative vibes from some on “why do you want to go be one of THEM,” or, “are you too good to be one of us.” Be sure to read the Fleet applicant info on USNA.edu. Keep your eye on the prize.

Speaking as someone who was a DivO, Dept Head, XO and CO, I saw many a pre-comm package (don’t forget to research all STA-21 “Seaman to Admiral” paths) come through, needing my endorsement or recommendation. I sat on many command review boards where we interviewed those who had put in a package. Make it easy for your command to get behind you. Pro tip: When asked, “tell me your reasons for wanting to be an officer,” “to make more money” will not carry the day. Know your “why,” and be able to express it in a way that highlights the complementary and mutually respectful roles of officers and enlisted personnel.

I would say most enlisted go via NAPS, especially if they are a few years out from HS, to refresh academic skills. Yes, I don’t think all of the Fleet and Corps seats get filled each year. Take advantage of the Navy’s many after-hours or remote educational programs. Your command career counselor is someone to get to know.

I have said “keep your eye on the prize.” You must also be present in the moment, giving your best effort in the schoolhouse and Fleet, whether Aviation Tech or Corpsman. Your shipmates deserve no less. Balance your desire to go to something else with a dedicated approach to your here and now.

Finally, since you mentioned Corpsman, I’ve known several Navy docs who got their college degree with appropriate courses while serving as Corpsmen, self-prepped for MCAT and applied to USUHS and the joint military medical school. They were commissioned as Ensigns at the start, and emerged as LTs with their MD, ready to start their next stage of medical training on their way to serve the Fleet. Be open to all paths.
 
justdoit19 said:
I actually had a packet for this process, called LEAD. I passed it along to someone doing this last year. Point is, you can ask for information about it. My oldest had received it at a Service Academy Open House, from the Air National Guard recruiter in attendance. Perhaps you could check with recruiters if they have any info on the program? I would tell mine, to do it from a phone as they will try and hook you in. But there is a printed process for doing this!
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I think this is solely an AF program.

The Navy has the Seaman to Admiral program, or STA-21.
www.navycs.com

Seaman To Admiral-21 Program

Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) is a full-time undergraduate education and commissioning program open to enlisted personnel of all paygrades and ratings who meet the eligibility requirements.
www.navycs.com
 
Yes sorry about that! There are programs specific to each service.

Another presenter we listened to was Army. Don’t know that ones name, but he said slots go empty every year.

It’s for sure not an easy route. Pretty risky IMO. As you may not receive an appointment. If you are fine with serving your contact? No biggie.
 
I don't know enough about USNA and the Navy but a friend's son went from Army enlisted to West Point. He had a near perfect SAT and said that was the ticket in and that getting an appt from enlisted is much, much easier than directly from high school and that not all the slots even get filled. He doubts he would have made it from HS directly as his application wasn't as stellar in the other areas (sports, leadership, physical fitness). He also said it was very challenging adjusting to WP which was so very, very different from his unit. He said in hindsight he wished he would have stayed enlisted and done something like the Green to Gold program. Or gone thru ROTC and had a civilian college life and then still go on to be an officer. He pointed out that branching is done as a national competition and that WP is so hard that his GPA there will probably be an entire grade point lower than that of his ROTC competition so he will unlikely even get to branch where he truly wants to go. He is sticking it out and knows that the graduating from WP will open other doors later (3 letter agencies and private sector) but told our DS to not be too discouraged about the TWE he received because there are other honorable routes to becoming an officer and being successful after the military. Good luck to you!

EDIT: I am also married to a former Marine who was only in for four years and is kicking himself that he didn't stay in longer and move up the ladder through OCS.
 
FrauTeufelshund said:
I don't know enough about USNA and the Navy but a friend's son went from Army enlisted to West Point. He had a near perfect SAT and said that was the ticket in and that getting an appt from enlisted is much, much easier than directly from high school and that not all the slots even get filled. He doubts he would have made it from HS directly as his application wasn't as stellar in the other areas (sports, leadership, physical fitness). He also said it was very challenging adjusting to WP which was so very, very different from his unit. He said in hindsight he wished he would have stayed enlisted and done something like the Green to Gold program. Or gone thru ROTC and had a civilian college life and then still go on to be an officer. He pointed out that branching is done as a national competition and that WP is so hard that his GPA there will probably be an entire grade point lower than that of his ROTC competition so he will unlikely even get to branch where he truly wants to go. He is sticking it out and knows that the graduating from WP will open other doors later (3 letter agencies and private sector) but told our DS to not be too discouraged about the TWE he received because there are other honorable routes to becoming an officer and being successful after the military. Good luck to you!

EDIT: I am also married to a former Marine who was only in for four years and is kicking himself that he didn't stay in longer and move up the ladder through OCS.
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DD was enlisted to WP. She wasn’t aware enlisted to SA was a path until she visited West Point.
Branching (in the Army at least) is no longer solely based upon GPA. That changed to encourage Cadets to take the difficult majors.
DD had a semester in college prior to enlisting so she knew what she was giving up. Looking back at four years (well, 30 days and a wake up left) giving up the “college life” was worth the experiences she had at West Point. Just the speakers she has been able to listen to and meet. Heck, I think the Army spent more money on her Beast than they spent on me over my entire time in ROTC. It will be especially interesting to see how the ROTC class of 2021 performs with no Advanced Camp. Of course, all of that is wasted if someone doesn’t take advantage of those opportunities.
But all the advice above is very good. Going enlisted is a path to the SAs. Yes, there are many unfilled slots, but there are many who stumble on the way to that path. Go in assuming you will fulfill your enlistment.
 
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There have been prior discussions on this subject. The general consensus is that you should not enlist with the expectation that it is a viable pathway to attend USNA. You should enlist because you want to serve as an enlisted sailor / Marine and expect to spend your 4+ years in that role.

Many (if not most) of the enlisted USN folks who end up at USNA come from the nuclear power program. For others, your ability even to apply may well vary depending on where you are assigned -- it's obviously easier to manage an application if you're not deployed. Some commands are very supportive of applications to USNA -- others not so much.

If your primary desire is to attend USNA and you weren't successful on your first try, much better to attend civilian college and reapply.
 
I think you should get extra points for just trying to be a corpsman :)

it’s a great rate. So even if your dreams for the USNA don’t materialize you will have one of the best enlisted jobs in the navy.

and if you go green side with the Marines it’s a no brainer you will have the absolute best enlisted job within the Marine Corps.

Good Luck
 
Kjohnson21 said:
I am going down the same road as you if I am rejected this year (currently on the waitlist) but enlisting in the USMC. I recently spoke to a current mid who was prior enlisted in the Marines for 3 years, so he gave me a lot of info. He said that most slots do go unused every year for prior-enlisted, and those slots get used transferred over to the waitlist. He said that standing out, having good PT scores, and being the best sailor/marine you can be will bring you a long way. Also, the only person that you will really know from the recommendations is your CO, and everyone above him/her you probably won't even know but will probably get recommendations from. What I'm saying is that the initial recommendation will start a chain reaction and you will most likely get all the recommendations you need after you receive the first one.
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Thanks!! That's by plan B if my application falls through for 2026, glad to hear it's not all "gloom and doom" fleet side. That really helps me motivation wise.
 
Is there a certain time reapplicants need to serve before they are eligible to apply to the Academy again? I am still waiting for a decision, but if I happen to get a TWE, I plan to take a personal gap year and reapply for the class of 2026. I was thinking, though, that it may be helpful to enlist and learn as much as I can before applying to the Academy again. I have heard of many prior-enlisted people who make great officers, as they have a lot of experience under their belt.
 
Gap years are very popular but are not encouraged by USNA for reapplicants. They want to see students attend a civilian college, excel in the plebe courses, and maintain their fitness / sports and ECAs / leadership. There is very little that you could do gap year -- especially in a COVID environment -- that will strengthen your USNA application. If you want to do it for yourself, go for it. Just don't kid yourself that USNA will value it in the same way that a civilian school might.

If you enlist, keep in mind that enlistments run for a set number of years (typically 4). If you wait until the enlistment is over before reapplying, you'll be butting up against the age limit which is NOT waiverable, so keep that in mind. As noted above, applying as an enlisted (let alone being appointed) is certainly doable but a long shot. I'm not aware of any set amount of time you need to be in the enlisted ranks before applying to USNA, but someone else probably has more information.

There is a senior enlisted in USNA Admissions dedicated to fleet admissions. If you are thinking of going that route, it might be worth talking to him / her about process, chances, etc.
 
There is not set amount of time to reapply.
But, figure basic training and military skill training, then time to go through the process. Probably 1.5 years of the stars align.
However, even if you go to a recruiter tomorrow you probably won’t get a basic training slot until early fall.
As pointed out above, traditional “gap years” are normally frowned upon.
 
UHBlackhawk said:
Going enlisted is a path to the SAs. Yes, there are many unfilled slots, but there are many who stumble on the way to that path. Go in assuming you will fulfill your enlistment.
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Specifically to the OP and others thinking about doing this in the Navy, many of the Navy nukes who manage to do this come straight from nuclear power school or other pipeline schools but the vast majority of others do come from the fleet. The difference is that once you report to a fleet unit, there are many duties and responsibilities outside of your what you expect to be doing and can (generally will) include 90 days working as a "mess cook" and many other not so fun things such as Working Parties, Fire Watch and many other unglamorous things. A potential Service Academy applicant needs to do their absolute best at these. Slacking or otherwise not doing your best will be noticed by people who may have a say in your application within your command.
 
I do not believe you will find anywhere on USNA.edu where they specifically say “do not do a gap year.” They do devote detailed guidance to re-applicants and what they should be focusing on in college while they are re-applying. Interpret that how you will. If you did NROTC as a college programmer, you would be well on your way to a commission and learning about the Navy and Marine Corps, become eligible for a ROTC nom and get the desired college courses under your belt, in case you decide to re-apply. That shows unwavering commitment to a path toward a commission, looks good when you have to update essays with new personal growth insights, and assures your elected official nom panels you weren’t goofing off for a year.

If you do a gap year, make it worthwhile in terms of weight and personal growth, so it can counter-balance not taking the un-gapped path.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Specifically to the OP and others thinking about doing this in the Navy, many of the Navy nukes who manage to do this come straight from nuclear power school or other pipeline schools but the vast majority of others do come from the fleet. The difference is that once you report to a fleet unit, there are many duties and responsibilities outside of your what you expect to be doing and can (generally will) include 90 days working as a "mess cook" and many other not so fun things such as Working Parties, Fire Watch and many other unglamorous things. A potential Service Academy applicant needs to do their absolute best at these. Slacking or otherwise not doing your best will be noticed by people who may have a say in your application within your command.
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Yup. DD had KP, parachute detail, “police call” (picking up trash), digging latrines, filling sandbags, washing vehicles, and, her all time favorite, forming a line and checking the ground for unexploded ordinance/IEDs in Iraq. You know, glamorous stuff. The Navy has its equivalent.
But it does give you perspective.
 
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