This is probably a stale posting at this point. But -- so many parents on this site have no military background and are looking for answers as to what it will mean for their son or daughter to go to an Academy. We are not a military family. Our daughter, a C1C, at Air Force is not (by any means) the first person in our family to serve -- I have an ancestor who served in the Revolutionary War at Yorktown. But our daughter is the first in our families to attend an Academy. She, and we, put alot of thought into what career options might be available to her when she had nominations to both USAFA and West Point. In the end, she (not we) choose Air Force. Though it was her choice, we discussed her options, we helped her find men and women who had served in both the Air Force and the Army to talk to about what her options might be during her career. Her major: Business Management -- is not as flashy as some of the others. Her job assignment (received yesterday) was her first choice: Financial Management. She has her eyes on an MBA, maybe a PhD and a career in the Air Force. I don't think it is a bad idea at all for an applicant and their family to look at the different branches of the service and what might be available to them in the future. Of course, a young person's ideas might change over the period they are at an Academy.Or their situation may change -- they may discover that although physically qualified for service they can't be a pilot because of their eye sight, etc. But they can and should think about what they may want in the future -- for some being on a ship for long periods may cut against a Naval career. For others, that might be a good fit. As a non-military parent, if I have any decent advice on this -- it is -- see if you can help your son or daughter find someone to discuss their options with. Maybe that is their ALO, maybe it is someone at your church who went to an Academy -- maybe a friend of a friend is an officer. Or make an appointment with the head of ROTC at your closest university and have that person talk to your son or daughter. There are ways to get this information even if you do not come from a military family and do not have any active duty friends.