Minors and Majors

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

USNA 28' Turndown 4/9/24. SA Hopeful CO' 29
Joined
Jan 30, 2024
Messages
79
As I am just waiting for a letter of appointment, I have tried to put more thought into what I might want to major/minor in.

I am currently taking Japanese II and was interested in either learning a new language or continuing my Japanese studies. I am pretty certain that I will end up majoring in either cyber operations or electrical engineering.

My question is would it be possible to minor in a language with my preferred major? If not, are you able to take language classes as an elective?

Note: I should be able to test out of some classes during plebe summer since I am almost graduating high school with a degree. Any information would be much appreciated!
 
I’m a cyber major, and it’s definitely possible, you would just need to validate a few classes to free up your matrix. I can’t speak to double E, but I do know it’s considered a very difficult major on the yard. Even if you don’t minor, you can still take 1-3 courses in Japanese as your HUMM/SS elective.
 
How is the cyber major? I have tried asking people about it but it's so new that a lot of people do not have information on it. When I went to CVW I got to go into the new Hopper Hall and really enjoyed it. I heard that you can get security clearances through that major before even entering the fleet.
 
Do you have to get "accepted" to take a major, i really want to major in mechanical engineering.
 
You have until the end of Plebe year to figure out what you want to major in, so perhaps give it a little bit of time. ;)

My kid went in thinking he wanted to major in History, but after consideration, he wanted something more "challenging" that he might be able to apply to future degree opportunities or employment fields. He looked at EE, then opted not to do THAT much of a challenge! So he chose math instead and is looking at Applied Mathematics as his choice once he hits his 2/C coursework. He had thought about Mathematics and Econ, but likes the idea of the Applied Math stuff more.
 
2nd semester of plebe year, there are majors briefs that you attend. You will be exposed to a wide variety of options, and can meet and speak with department majors. This is a huge difference between USNA and ‘regular college’, in my experience, intentional exposure to different majors/departments. From a parent perspective, USNA does a great job with this, to help you discern your major.

Keep an open mind. An additional piece to all of this that’s different from regular schools, is that you *may* not get the major you want.
 
Generally, if you go for an engineering major (EE, MechE, etc.) there is a high chance you will get it. The trouble is when people want Foreign Area Studies, History, or PolySci. Those are some of the more competitive majors and usually it's a lottery system.
 
Grapefruit said:
My question is would it be possible to minor in a language with my preferred major? If not, are you able to take language classes as an elective?
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Possible, yes. A potentially excessive challenge? Yes. I would personally recommend focusing on depth within your chosen major and increased attention to the various extracurricular activities (leadership and sports) that USNA will expect of you. Regarding my depth comment -- while I don't have the USNA experience (yet), I know that talented undergrads during junior and senior years have opportunities to assist professors with research and even contribute to academic papers. If you can do those things AND get the language minor, go for it, but I wouldn't pursue the minor at the cost of opportunities such as those.

You can always resume language training fairly easily through any number of avenues post USNA as well.
 
+1 to @USNA_STEM_Prof perspective. Pursuing a minor can be a good thing. But it requires trade-offs that you'll need to consider carefully.

DD chose a challenging STEM major, along with a language minor. She validated a few classes, which provided scheduling flexibility. As a plebe, she won a USNA-related scholarship to study in a language immersion program abroad during the summer. It was a fantastic experience.

However, as time passed, it became harder to balance the required language classes with other priorities, such as leadership billets and her club sports team. When tough choices had to be made, she prioritized the billets and team. That got her off the minor track, and she ultimately dropped the minor. In the end, she got what she wanted out of USNA, but it entailed trade-offs. Such is life.
 
My DS minored in a language. He was able to validate the first two years (language minor is a 4 year program). I think it gets very difficult to minor in a language without validating. But, by minoring in the language, it gave him an opportunity to do a semester abroad at a military academy where that language was native.
 
ders_dad said:
My DS minored in a language. He was able to validate the first two years (language minor is a 4 year program). I think it gets very difficult to minor in a language without validating. But, by minoring in the language, it gave him an opportunity to do a semester abroad at a military academy where that language was native.
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Yes, that is something I was interested in doing. I should be able to validate the first two years since I have taken Japanese I and II and have gone on a language immersion trip to Japan as well. I thought the semester abroad would be a great experience. I will go into the Academy with plans on just a major, but if the opportunity arises I will consider a minor in Japanese.
 
Hello everyone,
I am a new member and an international candidate. Most of my application items are marked as "Received" except three: 1) College Transcript, 2) TOEFL or Duolingo test, 3) USNA Mathematics Test. I understand that I don't need a college transcript, because I'm not a college student. Also, the USNA Mathematics Test will be conducted once I get into the Academy.

I really want to see the required checklist items for domestic students. It would be appreciated if someone can volunteer to send me a screenshot of their checklist items, without including their details. Thank you all.
 
A lot also depends on how well you handle the academics. Almost every entering plebe did really, really well in h.s., some without having to put in much effort. Most mids find USNA challenging. It's not just the classes. It's the classes (no easy ones), the number of hours you must take very semester, the other stuff (military, sports, etc.) you must do, and the stuff you want to do in your limited spare time.

The following is 100% true: at the end of each semester, 50% of the class will rank in the bottom half of their class academically. That's a first for probably 100% of plebes.

Plebe year helps you figure out what you're good at and how much you can handle, from an academic standpoint and combined with the other "stuff."
 
Yes, I am sure I will have plenty of hurdles I will have to overcome before I can even start to make this decision. I just wanted to know if it was even possible or not.
 
Apple 🍏 said:
Hello everyone,
I am a new member and an international candidate. Most of my application items are marked as "Received" except three: 1) College Transcript, 2) TOEFL or Duolingo test, 3) USNA Mathematics Test. I understand that I don't need a college transcript, because I'm not a college student. Also, the USNA Mathematics Test will be conducted once I get into the Academy.

I really want to see the required checklist items for domestic students. It would be appreciated if someone can volunteer to send me a screenshot of their checklist items, without including their details. Thank you all.
Click to expand...
I can write everything down for you.

Candidate Academic Information Assessment ✅
BGO Interview ✅
English Evaluation ✅
Candidate Extracurricular Activities Validation ✅
Candidate Fitness Assessment ✅
Math Evaluation ✅
High School Transcript ✅
Medical Examination ✅
Nomination ✅
Official SAT or ACT Score ✅
Personal Statement ✅
Official Test Scores ✅

Also, my nomination applications were almost another USNA application itself. More essays and recommendations were required for that as well.

Hope this helps.
 
Thank you for the information. Now I understand that the domestic candidates' checklist items are slightly different from that of the International candidates.

I have the following information marked:

Candidate Academic Information Assessment ✅
English Evaluation ✅️
Candidate Extracurricular Activities Validation ✅
Candidate Fitness Assessment ✅
Math Evaluation ✅

Attaché Interview ✅
Birth Certificate✅️
High School Transcript ✅
Nomination ✅
Official SAT or ACT Score ✅
Personal Statement ✅
Service Obligation Statement ✅️
Sponsorship Statement✅️

Currently, I wasn't inform to take medical exam. The Academy takes no action on it as at now.
 
ders_dad said:
My DS minored in a language. He was able to validate the first two years (language minor is a 4 year program). I think it gets very difficult to minor in a language without validating. But, by minoring in the language, it gave him an opportunity to do a semester abroad at a military academy where that language was native.
Click to expand...
What a great opportunity!
 
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