Received and offer of Foundation and have questions?

palaudiver said:
Thank you NavyHoops!

Our DS ended up going to Salisbury School in Connecticut which is a boarding school as are most of the schools. A little background here, DS is a coxswain and was recruited by the USNA lightweight rowing. Being recruited does not help much with admissions though.... But to keep up with rowing we wanted to pick a Foundation school that had a rowing program which limited us to only a few schools, Salisbury being one of them. At Salisbury there were 3 Foundation students including my DS.

As far as the classes he took, for Foundation he is required to take math (preferably calculus), physics and/or chemistry, and English. The rest of the classes are up to you and the school to round out your schedule.

This was basically just another senior high school year.

For the USNA application, we did not have to re-apply. There were some forms for foundation but that is it.

DS did have to take the NAVY PRT which was administered by one of the athletic coaches.

Since Salisbury is not a military school or academy, there was really nothing that he felt especially prepared him for being at the USNA, other than that it is a boarding school. DS does feel though more prepared academically because he was weak in calculus and chemistry but having taken another year of each he is very confident.

A few notes....

You will be assigned a new BG officer specifically for Foundation students. We had a lot more communication with this BG officer than we had with our previous one.

There are 16 schools on the Foundation list with vast price differences and geographic locations. As was explained to us, choose based on geographic location and financial ability. No one school will "get you in" any more than another.

There is a needs based financial split calculation that is done and even then there is some wiggle room. You BG officer will explain it all.

The main points that were impressed on us many times by our BG officer are: 1. Get all As and Bs in your classes. 2. Pass the PRT. 3. Keep your medical status the same, so much as it is in your control (don't to stupid things and get hurt). 4. Don't get in ANY trouble (school, law, anywhere!) Do these things and appointment to the USNA is as sure as you can possibly make it.

Last point is the nomination. You do have to apply to all possible sources (MOC, Senators, VP) and provide proof (screenshots or emails work). If you receive a nomination that is great. If you don't you will be provided one. My DS received a nom from our MOC, and he received his appointment a week earlier than his fellow foundation students that had to wait to receive one. This is a datapoint of 1 so it may not mean anything. Bottom line, if you can get a nom, get it and it saves you 5 additional minutes of handwringing.
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im super late here lol-but I just got an offer to the foundation program last week. I'm worried about adjusting to the new environment without my friends from high school. How did your son get along with the other foundation students?
 
mols.cast8 said:
im super late here lol-but I just got an offer to the foundation program last week. I'm worried about adjusting to the new environment without my friends from high school. How did your son get along with the other foundation students?
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If you think about it, this is a commonality for your freshman year WHEREVER you go. And everyone is in the same boat.

Be a good friend. Humble. And get involved. You will fit in wherever you go.

Plus, you wouldn’t have been selected for foundation if you didn’t have the ability to get along with others. I’m sure your resume reflects that!!

Go and have a great year!!

(OP has been gone a while. But any freshman can answer this question).
 
mols.cast8 said:
im super late here lol-but I just got an offer to the foundation program last week. I'm worried about adjusting to the new environment without my friends from high school. How did your son get along with the other foundation students?
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I am a child of the 60's so I have some wisdom to impart.

Embrace change.

Here is your chance. You worked hard and you earned a spot. Don't squander it. Keep working hard and you will succeed and make lifelong friends along the way.

I am excited for you. Go and get it.
 
I had friends in High School too. I left town when I was 18 and never looked back. Coming up on 48 years and I can't tell you a single name, but the people I served with I will never forget and I have a friend in every single person I meet who has served. That's a fact.
 
THParent said:
I had friends in High School too. I left town when I was 18 and never looked back. Coming up on 48 years and I can't tell you a single name, but the people I served with I will never forget and I have a friend in every single person I meet who has served. That's a fact.
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So much this.
In over 30 yrs of USNA and the Navy, I never once served with anyone from my high school. I finally encountered my first grads from my high school after that in my civilian job and neither were anyone who I'd known in High School.
Its just really not an obstacle to life unless you make it one.
 
I do not even talk with anyone I knew in high school other than a few that I have as FB friends. Even then, it is super casual and we rarely ever mention school. More about what our kids are doing.
 
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