NAPS - What % of Invitations to NAPS Are Given to Recruited Athletes

[NJROTC-CC]

I am new to learning about requirements for the Naval Academy. My DS is only a high school freshman. He is in NJROTC at the current reigning National Champion Academic/Drill/Athletic NJOTC unit. He is off the scale in leadership, and a good student, but we will see how his grades turn out to be by time he applies to the Academy.

I am curious to know how many students are invited to attend NAPS who are not potential varsity athletes. My son has elected not to go out for baseball, although he could probably make his high school team. However, he is very fit and wants to be the captain of the NJROTC Orienteering team, if not overall cadet commander of the NJROTC unit.

QUESTION: If his grades maybe just barely miss the mark, does he have any chance at being invited to NAPS if everything else in his package is great? He has great leadership and extra curriculars, but is not a potential NCAA varsity athlete.

 

[NavyHoops]

The simple answer is yes. He had a chance as long as he applies to USNA. Exact percent of those that are recruited athlete, not sure. USNA does not publish that data.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

QUESTION: If his grades maybe just barely miss the mark, does he have any chance at being invited to NAPS if everything else in his package is great? He has great leadership and extra curriculars, but is not a potential NCAA varsity athlete.

The answer is yes, but I would suggest that you are already pondering issues that neither you or DS have any control over. You shouldn't be thinking about NAPS as an alternative. It's way to earlier to be thinking whether NAPS is an option .

 

[NJROTC-CC]

You shouldn't be thinking about NAPS as an alternative

I am really just trying to gain an understanding of what NAPS is for. I am new to this and am just trying to learn everything there is to know about applying to and, hopefully, gaining an appointment to, the USNA. I read about NAPS and just got curious.

Is NAPS just for varsity athletes who don't have the grades to otherwise gain an appointment? Because that is what is sort of what it sounds like to me. I am certainly not focusing on NAPS. What I AM focusing on is coaching my DS to excel in all areas that will make him a good candidate and use the next two years to build himself up to be the best he can be.

 

[NavyHoops]

There were lots of threads over the last 2-6 weeks on this in the USNA forum. There are plenty of Mid Candidates who are not recruited athletes. There are lots of athletes and priors too.

 

[justdoit19]

I am really just trying to gain an understanding of what NAPS is for. I am new to this and am just trying to learn everything there is to know about applying to and, hopefully, gaining an appointment to, the USNA. I read about NAPS and just got curious.

Is NAPS just for varsity athletes who don't have the grades to otherwise gain an appointment? Because that is what is sort of what it sounds like to me. I am certainly not focusing on NAPS. What I AM focusing on is coaching my DS to excel in all areas that will make him a good candidate and use the next two years to build himself up to be the best he can be.

TONS of discussion about this very question. Look through different USNA threads if you are interested in reading. The gist is, in a nutshell, USNA can do whatever they want and there is no formal published info about it. Which leads to all the speculation and deducing that happens.

Additionally, you will never have a good grasp on where you sit competitively, since there are so many different moving pieces. Too many variables. So all a person can do, is work to have their BEST resume to present to MOC’s, SA’s and ROTC’s. Do all you can, and that is all you can do.

Sometimes I think people wonder “is it worth even trying”. That is something that cannot be answered here, and a decision only the applicant can make. But you WONT receive an offer if you don’t try. That’s the only known outcome.

It’s daunting! But its do-able. And it’s worth it , IMO, whether an appointment is received or not.

 

[FMHS-79]

You shouldn't be thinking about NAPS as an alternative

I am really just trying to gain an understanding of what NAPS is for. I am new to this and am just trying to learn everything there is to know about applying to and, hopefully, gaining an appointment to, the USNA. I read about NAPS and just got curious.

Is NAPS just for varsity athletes who don't have the grades to otherwise gain an appointment? Because that is what is sort of what it sounds like to me. I am certainly not focusing on NAPS. What I AM focusing on is coaching my DS to excel in all areas that will make him a good candidate and use the next two years to build himself up to be the best he can be.

From https://www.usna.edu/NAPS/:

The mission of the Naval Academy Preparatory School is to enhance midshipman candidates' moral, mental, and physical foundations to prepare them for success at the U.S. Naval Academy.​

In my own simple terms, when the USNA sees potential in a candidate, but feels that there is a weak area in their package (e.g. academically, physically) that could be enhanced by ten months at NAPS, then they may opt to select the candidate for NAPS instead of direct entry into the USNA. +1 @Old Navy BGO - at this stage, the focus needs to be on building an application that merits an offer of appointment to the USNA.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

Is NAPS just for varsity athletes who don't have the grades to otherwise gain an appointment?

The short answer is no. NAPS was originally established as a pathway for promising enlisted sailors to prepare for admission to USNA. It certainly has a contingent of recruited athletes each year, but by no means all. There are alot of threads here on the subject, and much is speculation on what the criteria for NAPS selection is. I really don't think anyone here can really tell you for certain why one candidate gets NAPS, and one gets the TWE. The explanation I give my candidates is that it the program exists to give Admissions a pathway for admitting highly qualified candidates who are missing something in their application. That "missing something" is often, but not always, academic preparation.

 

[NJROTC-CC]

TONS of discussion about this very question. Look through different USNA threads if you are interested in reading. The gist is, in a nutshell, USNA can do whatever they want and there is no formal published info about it. Which leads to all the speculation and deducing that happens.

Additionally, you will never have a good grasp on where you sit competitively, since there are so many different moving pieces. Too many variables. So all a person can do, is work to have their BEST resume to present to MOC’s, SA’s and ROTC’s. Do all you can, and that is all you can do.

Sometimes I think people wonder “is it worth even trying”. That is something that cannot be answered here, and a decision only the applicant can make. But you WONT receive an offer if you don’t try. That’s the only known outcome.

It’s daunting! But its do-able. And it’s worth it , IMO, whether an appointment is received or not.

Well said. My philosophy exactly. I like to think: “Aim high, miss high.” Meaning, not that you want to miss, But your second best option may still be pretty great if you aim high.

 

[Jackflerp]

I'll be going to NAPS next year. I had solid extracurricular involvement and a ton of leadership, but I didn't have all of the classes/grades I needed to be a direct appointee. That seems to be the case with a good portion of other NAPS 2020 people I have talked to. I know about 40 people that will be in my class, and probably half are recruited athletes.