In the hopes of setting the record straight for those with lingering questions about service selection:
Rest assured the sub community does not want ANYONE that is not interested in them. They consider themselves, rightly so, a premire service community, and want the best of the best.
That they actively recruit for the best of the best should come as no surprise. The seals do it, the Marines do it, the air community does it, and I am sure there are others that do it as well. As such, there were a good number of male midshipmen that were strongly encouraged to consider subs, and the majority came from the top third of the class. HOWEVER- they COULD [and in many cases DID] select other communities. Which is not to say that SOME did reorder their wish list and move Subs to the top, especially when that "bonus" carrot was dangled in front of them. The ones I know personally [and I know several] quickly climbed aboard, even though their initial steps were a bit tentative. Happy now they are.
As for the female side of the equation, the brief was an informational meeting for all female mids, as this was a new service option opening up to them. What they were briefed on was the qualifications being sought: first, that candidates be pre-qualified for nuclear [which means nuc-SWO, already narrowing the pool] and secondly, that they were looking to pull from the the top-100 ranks [an even smaller pool amongst the "all" in attendance]. There were "more than enough" that tossed their cover into the ring for the 9 slots available, and many that were turned away as they did not have the OOM to make the cut.
In ALL cases if the MIDSHIPMAN [emphasis on "man"] made a case for not going SUB, they did not get selected. That is the reality. It did not require a gunney to have one's back. It did require a MidshipMAN to [1] consider the offer, [2] state, in clear terms, as to why the offer was not a good fit, and [3] make clear their reasons for selecting another service community. Those in the end who wanted-out-got-out..... one is headed to medical school as we speak....and another to graduate school.....and some had their arms twisted enough that they said, "what the heck- dolphins- it's all good, and I will get paid most handsomely! Thank you very much!"
[Just so happens I am scheduled to have dinner with one of the latter down in Annapolis this weekend- now that he is getting paid the big bucks, I will let you know if he offers to pick up the tab!!! LOL!
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Trust that the academy goes out of their way to make your service selection a good fit- for you and for the Navy. Key is doing well so that you have all of the different service communities open to YOU to pick from!
If it is Marines-or Bust, then you have 2 options: enlist, or put your nose to the grindstone and earn your spot. Same holds true for Air, subs, seals, DOD, and ANY community YOU put first on YOUR wish list!