Hello, I am reapplying to USNA for the class of 2025. Last year I was 3Qed and even received an LOA, but I didnt get a nomination. I live I'm MD04 so it is pretty competitive. I have already read the "Advice for Reapplicants" page on the USNA website. I have modeled my freshman schedule after a plebe's to the best of my ability. I am going to UMD in the fall and will (hopefully) be doing NROTC (without scholarship) and I will also be in the honors college. I plan to take Calculus 3 ( if the AP test goes well), Chemistry for engineers, English 101, aerospace engineering 100, engineering science 102, Intro to Naval History, and Navy Leadership Lab, and a course for the honors college. I was pretty dead set on USNA, and I'm also not guaranteed to commission since I don't have a scholarship, so those are the two main reasons I want to reapply. I would really appreciate any advice that anybody sound give me! Thanks in advance!
Reapplying to USNA
- Thread starter sphsw
- Start date
- Joined
- May 22, 2018
- Messages
- 5,503
Looks like you're doing all the right things academically, i.e. a plebe-like schedule. Throw in a rigorous history class for good measure. Stay fit. Seek a leadership role. And work toward an ROTC scholarship. So whether USNA works out or not, with an ROTC scholarship you'd be in good shape. Either way, you'd end up with butter bars.
arizonapride
Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2019
- Messages
- 83
I was in pretty much your same situation last year. Right now I'm in the honors college at a university for aerospace engineering as well taking pretty much the exact same classes you will be minus the NROTC ones. This year I have an LOA dependent on a medical waiver, so I assume I did something right this past year. My advice is to do something worthwhile with your summer (if possible with the pandemic) that you can attribute to character growth. Show that even with getting an LOA one time around you're still dedicated to improving yourself. Stay in peak shape - I can't imagine this being very difficult especially now where everyone seems to have a lot of time on their hands.
It's good to take challenging courses your first year but I would be hesitant about throwing yourself into Calc III after taking Calc BC (I assume that's what you are taking). I started out with AB my senior year and ended up taking the BC test, and got a 4. Even though I could have gone straight into Calc III in college, I opted to take Calc II for engineers instead. Definitely a smart move because the AP curriculum did not cover everything that I learned in Calc II in college. In Calc III now, I am confident I made the right choice. If you think you could handle it, great, but your first semester college GPA will have a big effect on your application. If your honors class is like mine (some kind of seminar-based discussion class), then it'll be a fine substitute for a history class.
As was said above, find a leadership role on campus. I wasn't in any ROTC program, instead, I helped run a club my first semester and started one this semester (which is kind of a bummer since everything is online). Make it clear to the Academy in your application that you are committed to becoming a better leader.
Get good grades, be involved, and stay in the best shape you can.
It's good to take challenging courses your first year but I would be hesitant about throwing yourself into Calc III after taking Calc BC (I assume that's what you are taking). I started out with AB my senior year and ended up taking the BC test, and got a 4. Even though I could have gone straight into Calc III in college, I opted to take Calc II for engineers instead. Definitely a smart move because the AP curriculum did not cover everything that I learned in Calc II in college. In Calc III now, I am confident I made the right choice. If you think you could handle it, great, but your first semester college GPA will have a big effect on your application. If your honors class is like mine (some kind of seminar-based discussion class), then it'll be a fine substitute for a history class.
As was said above, find a leadership role on campus. I wasn't in any ROTC program, instead, I helped run a club my first semester and started one this semester (which is kind of a bummer since everything is online). Make it clear to the Academy in your application that you are committed to becoming a better leader.
Get good grades, be involved, and stay in the best shape you can.
If you are successful in NROTC you can apply for a three year scholarship. If you can’t make that happen then wouldn’t bother reapplying to USNA. My son was 3Q, had a Nomination in highly competitive South Brooklyn/Staten Island NY region, he was recently denied admission via his portal. I wish he had been denied earlier as the anticipation was brutal. DS has a backup plan he’s going to TX A&M on 4 year NROTC MO. If he didn’t have that he was ready to enlist with a SEAL contract. Obviously the Service Academies are Elite but many believe ROTC officers are more well rounded, and former Enlisted are most grounded and respected. Good luck with your plan but I think you should think it over. UMCP is a fine school get into that NROTC unit and give it your all. All the best
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2008
- Messages
- 20,607
Outstanding, excellent, good, average and poor officers come out of all sources. Figure out where you are the best fit, and thrive there. If USNA is still your dream, go for it. This is YOUR journey. It’s also okay to realize you are happy where you are, and dreams can change as you change.
Performance is EVERYTHING in the Fleet or Corps. SA officers are the most professionally prepared. ROTC and OCS are well-prepared and usually have a few more real-world life skills because they have not been immersed in the SA environment. All that wears off in the first 1-2 years. All sources catch up, because you have equally bright, talented, hard-driving officers coming out of all sources.
Prior enlisted are indeed respected for their past experience and unique insights, but an officer earns respect from his or her people by how well he or she leads them and looks after them, and how well he or she develops professionally. There are poor prior enlisted officers just as much as from other sources.
Thrive where you are planted, listen to your heart and mind as you contemplate changing, and hit the deck running when you get to the Fleet or Corps. That is all that matters.
Performance is EVERYTHING in the Fleet or Corps. SA officers are the most professionally prepared. ROTC and OCS are well-prepared and usually have a few more real-world life skills because they have not been immersed in the SA environment. All that wears off in the first 1-2 years. All sources catch up, because you have equally bright, talented, hard-driving officers coming out of all sources.
Prior enlisted are indeed respected for their past experience and unique insights, but an officer earns respect from his or her people by how well he or she leads them and looks after them, and how well he or she develops professionally. There are poor prior enlisted officers just as much as from other sources.
Thrive where you are planted, listen to your heart and mind as you contemplate changing, and hit the deck running when you get to the Fleet or Corps. That is all that matters.
Thank you for sharing. Who did you use for Math & English teacher recommendations?
arizonapride
Member
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2019
- Messages
- 83
College calc professor and my high school English teacher, who I asked before the school year ended.