Is the prep school recruited athletes only?

Cadet35

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is it only recruited athletes and minorities with potential? Or is it open to ALL candidates regardless? I’ve heard rumors.
 
We met a family during I-Day. We shared different floors of a duplex, so got to talk a few times. The parents said that their son was admitted last year to USNA, but the coach told him he could go to NAPS if he chose to gain an extra year of experience. The Plebe had several teammate friends that were going to NAPS, so he decided to do the same. Of course they could have been BS'ing with me, but if true, this story did bother me.
 
A NY Times article gave this number: "...… of the 300 students in the 2011 class of the Naval Academy Prep School, 110 are recruited athletes — typical for the other service academies." Seems low. I'm not that familiar with Navy's prep school, but I've seen other estimates of 40% - 50% for USMAPS.

USMAPS is open to all candidates that were found academically unqualified during the admissions process to USMA. There is no separate application process. With the limited number of spaces almost all selected for USMAPS will be recruited athletes, enlisted soldiers, and minorities who can fulfill diversity goals. If a candidate wants to be considered they should talk to their RC.
 
My son said the NAPS students in his plebe class - he doesn’t notice a difference in D1 athletes or minorities in that group vs. everyone else.

We know several recruited lacrosse players that are in prep school for USMA - they all needed academic help (low SATs).
 
On all USMA NCAA rosters there are 185 players that attended USMAPS for all class years - averages about 47 per class year. Since USMAPS enrollment is about 250, the percentage of athletes is well below 50% even accounting for attrition.

The demographics of athletes at USMA, USNA, and USAFA are similar. Some of the athletes are outstanding students and some are well below the norm. No college can compete at the D-1 level without sacrificing academic standards.
 
Since many USMAPS athletes played 4 years of varsity sports at USMA, I'd say yes.

While I'm not familiar enough with NCAA regulations to provide an authoritative answer, my guess is that because the academy prep schools are not colleges, sports played there do not count against NCAA eligibility.
 
At USAFAPS, there are 75 slots reserved for enlisted members of the USAF/USAFR/ANG. That leaves 150 slots to fill. Of those, perhaps 50% are filled by recruited athletes.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
What would be an SAT score that would fall into prep school consideration, generally speaking?
 
For recruited athletes, Prep School is the Service Academy equivalent of a Red Shirt Freshman year at a traditional college. You retain your 4 years of eligibility and still have some interaction with the SA coaching staff throughout the year. Each prep school has their own teams, coaches, and facilities - but there is still some interaction with the coach that recruited you.

Historically, the prep school route is reserved for students deemed desirable for the Academy, but need extra instruction to boost their grades to a level that would enable them to be successful under the full Academy experience and work load. Athlete, under represented minority, and prior enlisted tend to make up the vast vast vast majority of the slots. I do not have hard percentages, but having worked at USAFA for one tour and having been a student, I would say it was at 50% or higher for recruited athlete.

In my experience, a 3Q student on the NWL who just did not make the cut for an appointment would not be considered for a Prep School slot.

Students who are not selected for direct admission or prep can still opt to self-prep at their own expense at any of the schools serving the niche field of SA Prep, and then simply re-apply in the next admissions cycle.
 
For recruited athletes, Prep School is the Service Academy equivalent of a Red Shirt Freshman year at a traditional college. You retain your 4 years of eligibility and still have some interaction with the SA coaching staff throughout the year. Each prep school has their own teams, coaches, and facilities - but there is still some interaction with the coach that recruited you.

Historically, the prep school route is reserved for students deemed desirable for the Academy, but need extra instruction to boost their grades to a level that would enable them to be successful under the full Academy experience and work load. Athlete, under represented minority, and prior enlisted tend to make up the vast vast vast majority of the slots. I do not have hard percentages, but having worked at USAFA for one tour and having been a student, I would say it was at 50% or higher for recruited athlete.

In my experience, a 3Q student on the NWL who just did not make the cut for an appointment would not be considered for a Prep School slot.

Students who are not selected for direct admission or prep can still opt to self-prep at their own expense at any of the schools serving the niche field of SA Prep, and then simply re-apply in the next admissions cycle.
Interesting, so a candidate can be "over-qualified" for prep school but "under-qualified" for an appointment?
 
That is correct. Rack and stack based on overall composite, then draw a line. There are just not enough seats on the bus for "qualified" students and prep does not necessarily mean the next 250 students off of the NWL. Needs of the branch dictate needs and that includes athletic and diversity to include the prior enlisted perspective. The next 250 on the NWL are likely to get into almost any college they want based on their resume and do not require the 1 year at junior college (so to speak). From a financial perspective, it is not a good choice to invest the funds into someone who does not require the academic booster shot.

Earlier this week, I was at USCGA and their admissions team was describing that they have roughly 25-30% of each class go through a prep school. I was really surprised about that stat -- it felt high considering their total number of slots @~230/year for the entering class. However, if the numbers shown above are correct with ~250 for USAFA... then that remains consistent. Their data suggested that ~25-30% was a good mix for the class and it "seeded" the class with experience that the others would anchor around to learn the ropes from their peers. I had not considered that previously and it makes sense to me.
 
from a 2016 New York Times article:

McKinney says that recruited athletes made up only 35 percent of the current NAPS class. But their effect on Navy athletics is huge. Seventy-five percent of the current football team got into the Naval Academy through NAPS, according to the Midshipmen football media guide. More than half the men’s basketball team went to NAPS, and 60 percent of the women’s basketball team. There have been years when 80 percent of the lacrosse team’s players were NAPS graduates.
 
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