Reapplying to USNA (after a turndown)

My perspective on this is as a mom of 4, and all their good buddies, that we have sent to college. I believe it's very important for them to leave the nest and fly their wings. No matter what, that cannot be accomplished living at home. That first year of growth out of the home is so important. Practicing their new adult self. All things equal, that would guide my direction to my child. I also believe that living on campus, with buddies, is important that first year in college. We actually own a rental at our school for our kids (VERY smart), but won't allow them to live there freshman year. As tempting as it is financially, IMO, on campus it the way to go for many reasons.

There is so much emotional benefit, growth, and self-discovery gleened that first year. Cannot even put a dollar value to it, imo!
 
justdoit19 said:
My perspective on this is as a mom of 4, and all their good buddies, that we have sent to college. I believe it's very important for them to leave the nest and fly their wings. No matter what, that cannot be accomplished living at home. That first year of growth out of the home is so important. Practicing their new adult self. All things equal, that would guide my direction to my child. I also believe that living on campus, with buddies, is important that first year in college. We actually own a rental at our school for our kids (VERY smart), but won't allow them to live there freshman year. As tempting as it is financially, IMO, on campus it the way to go for many reasons.

There is so much emotional benefit, growth, and self-discovery gleened that first year. Cannot even put a dollar value to it, imo!
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As a parent, that is another of my worries about this year's HS SRs. If Covid doesnt shake off before August, they may lose out on that all important freshman year on campus. Many schools do not have space for Sophs and above.
 
justdoit19 said:
My perspective on this is as a mom of 4, and all their good buddies, that we have sent to college. I believe it's very important for them to leave the nest and fly their wings. No matter what, that cannot be accomplished living at home. That first year of growth out of the home is so important. Practicing their new adult self. All things equal, that would guide my direction to my child. I also believe that living on campus, with buddies, is important that first year in college. We actually own a rental at our school for our kids (VERY smart), but won't allow them to live there freshman year. As tempting as it is financially, IMO, on campus it the way to go for many reasons.

There is so much emotional benefit, growth, and self-discovery gleened that first year. Cannot even put a dollar value to it, imo!
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Thank you! I can see the value too. This is our oldest, so it is nice to hear from someone who has gone through this.
 
usna1985 said:
As to #1, DS should select the school HE most wants to attend. He should assume he'll be there for 4 years -- either because he ends up loving it and doesn't want to be anywhere else (happens more often than you'd think) or reapplication to USNA is unsuccessful. Also, it's a year of his young life -- he should enjoy it!

Doing ROTC can be a good thing for all sorts of reasons, but it is NOT required for successful admission to USNA. I personally think there are some benefits in living away from home. That said, it can present a greater financial burden for a family and some schools may offer better financial aid packages than others. USNA knows that so they don't take a position on what school you attend or where it is other than that they recommend a 4-year college.

I don't know the answer to your second question, so will defer to someone who does.
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Thank you!
 
justdoit19 is spot on. I was really rankled when my oldest wanted to live on campus when she attended the local University. ("Apparently money grows on tree!" ~Me) But I was not appreciating the "Adulting 101" part of the learning experience, money well spent if a family can afford it. A few years later my DS also went to same local University, lived on campus, was a college programmer NROTC (after a USNA turn down). That year really gave him a lot of maturity and clarified his interest in going to USNA. Having that year of college under his belt has made his Plebe year easier -he'd already left home, he'd already figured out "Colleging 101," he'd already had basic military training,... There are silver linings to being a reapplicant.
 
And I would add to 'DK and '19's commentary (and others), DS also was a successful re-applicant, and is currently waiting out time to commissioning next month. He readily admits that one year in regular college (and NROTC) made a tremendous difference in getting through Plebe summer and the first year. His biggest takeaway was learning time management skills and using that to his advantage. NROTC prepped him well for the military aspect and he had few surprises starting off at USNA. ROTC is a great program - still a little bit surprised he left University, however, he has no regrets and is looking forward to flight school after commissioning. If he can engage with ROTC I would suggest he do it. You never know - some stay at University and some end up in Annapolis; it goes both ways. If he continues to want to serve, both routes get to the same place.
 
MittenMan said:
And I would add to 'DK and '19's commentary (and others), DS also was a successful re-applicant, and is currently waiting out time to commissioning next month. He readily admits that one year in regular college (and NROTC) made a tremendous difference in getting through Plebe summer and the first year. His biggest takeaway was learning time management skills and using that to his advantage. NROTC prepped him well for the military aspect and he had few surprises starting off at USNA. ROTC is a great program - still a little bit surprised he left University, however, he has no regrets and is looking forward to flight school after commissioning. If he can engage with ROTC I would suggest he do it. You never know - some stay at University and some end up in Annapolis; it goes both ways. If he continues to want to serve, both routes get to the same place.
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Thank you! You have all given me such good advice.
 
So if I reapply and take Plebe level courses with straight A's (Calc I, Chem w/ Lab, Comp Sci Class, English, NROTC, Gov), retake the SAT, play a college sport, and get involved with clubs / participating in leadership programs, Maxing out the CFA, and getting atleast 2 noms, will I be competitive enough for an LOA?
 
Is this a nonsense post to get up to the magic number of 10, so you can send a PM?

I ask, because LOAs are few and far between and no one can tell you if you are or ever will be, "competitive for an LOA".
 
USNA will wait until it sees your first semester grades as a college re-applicant, and by that time the flow of appointment offers should be well underway.
The SAs use LOAs in a variety of situations, and relatively infrequently, however they want to. The goal is an offer of appointment. Focus your energies on that, while also being a fully committed and contributing member of your NROTC unit.
 
spencermc said:
So if I reapply and take Plebe level courses with straight A's (Calc I, Chem w/ Lab, Comp Sci Class, English, NROTC, Gov), retake the SAT, play a college sport, and get involved with clubs / participating in leadership programs, Maxing out the CFA, and getting atleast 2 noms, will I be competitive enough for an LOA?
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The goal is admission. Not LOA. It’s a competitive environment ... do the best you can - that’s what you have control over.
 
THParent said:
Is this a nonsense post to get up to the magic number of 10, so you can send a PM?

I ask, because LOAs are few and far between and no one can tell you if you are or ever will be, "competitive for an LOA".
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No it was a genuine question, reason I ask is because I knew a bunch of people around the September-December time frame that were getting LOA's
 
THParent said:
Is this a nonsense post to get up to the magic number of 10, so you can send a PM?

I ask, because LOAs are few and far between and no one can tell you if you are or ever will be, "competitive for an LOA".
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A1Janitor said:
The goal is admission. Not LOA. It’s a competitive environment ... do the best you can - that’s what you have control over.
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Also I apologize, I was thinking LOA was the same thing as getting offered an appointment
 
spencermc said:
No it was a genuine question, reason I ask is because I knew a bunch of people around the September-December time frame that were getting LOA's
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But they were high school applicants, yeah? From the USNA website: "Send in your college transcript as soon as it becomes available in January. College candidates cannot be reviewed until their first semester grades have been received." So it sounds like no LOAs for re-applicants before January. (LOAs do happen for re-applicants; my DS had one due to medical, a small confusion about DODMERB form for verifying continued good health.)
 
Given that MOC noms are due by the end of January -- around the time the Board considers re-applicants or first time college applicants, they can simply offer a direct appointment. If LOAs are given to these applicants, it's almost always for a medical issue.
 
The Class of 2024 includes 337 (28%) from college and post high school preparatory programs, which include:

  • 198 from Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in Newport, R.I.
  • 46 from the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Program/Civilian Prep Program
  • 82 students have completed at least six months of study at a college or university, and 11 at a post-secondary prep school
www.usna.edu

CLASS OF 2024 STATS

CLASS OF 2024 STATS page for USNA News Center at USNA.edu. Updated Wed Mar 27 09:05:45 EDT 2024.
www.usna.edu
 
Worked for my oldest...applied to the big 3 academies, didn't get in to any, awarded a 4-year national AROTC scholarship to a private university, made sure he aced classes that first year, re-applied to USMA & USNA, got accepted to both...but USNA was always his first choice.

Now he's back in class for a few more years...with the delays that have happened already with the current pandemic I tease him that he'll be O-3 before he gets his wings.
 
ncbill said:
Worked for my oldest...applied to the big 3 academies, didn't get in to any, awarded a 4-year national AROTC scholarship to a private university, made sure he aced classes that first year, re-applied to USMA & USNA, got accepted to both...but USNA was always his first choice.

Now he's back in class for a few more years...with the delays that have happened already with the current pandemic I tease him that he'll be O-3 before he gets his wings.
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Congrats - great to see the tenacity
 
usna1985 said:
A few other notes:

You do NOT need to redo your medical (DODMERB exam is good for 2 years) unless something in your medical situation has changed.
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Lesson learned from my DS and passing this on to all reapplicants for this and future years: If your medical examination status still shows as "Not Received" on your portal, be sure to check your DODMERB account for requests to complete two short questionnaires - one general, one COVID (as well as any other potential items that may pertain to you individually).

DS was puzzled over the last two months as the items on his application portal were submitted and checked off, but medical never flipped to "received" - which he thought would happen automatically. He emailed his AO, who basically told DS that USNA would request his medical if he were competitive. After a few weeks, DS decided to check his DODMERB account (surprisingly, AO did not suggest this) and saw a request for him to complete the two questionnaires. Turns out that he had received an email from DODMERB last fall on this, but he missed it. :oops:

The questionnaires are simple and do not require an office visit etc., so DS completed and submitted them to DODMERB, who promptly cleared his status as qualified for USNA. Be sure to do this promptly if you haven't done so already - and good luck to all!
 
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