Rejected from USNA

hannah8042

New Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2020
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2
Hello. This is my first post here and I’m just looking for advice. So beginning my sophomore year of high school, I really took an interest in USNA. I attended NASS and loved every moment of it. It was everything I thought I wanted in my life and I felt truly at home on USNA’s beautiful campus. I made so many amazing memories and learned so much. I then decided to pursue the application process, putting hours into each essay, training for my CFA, preparing for interviews, etc. After the longest wait ever (and truly a test of patience), with constant refreshing of my portal and browsing of this forum, I received my rejection notice two days ago. It didn’t really sink in at first and I thought I was over it. However, as time has passed, the thought really has sunken in. I’m devastated. I found myself not knowing what to do anymore. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this, but I spent all my time thinking about USNA that I didn’t even consider a second option or what my life would be like at a civilian college. Whenever I would workout, take tests, complete my academic work, USNA was my motivation. Now, after being rejected, I almost feel as if I don’t have a purpose. I have nothing to work for. I went from thinking I had the next 9+ years later out for me to not even knowing where I’m going to go when the May 1st deposit deadline comes around. My number one goal in life is to give back to the world. I thought that’s what I would do in the military. Now, I have no idea how to feel. I guess all I’m asking is, “what now”? What do I do from here? How do I decide what to do with my life? Reapplying sounds so daunting... is it worth it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Hello. This is my first post here and I’m just looking for advice. So beginning my sophomore year of high school, I really took an interest in USNA. I attended NASS and loved every moment of it. It was everything I thought I wanted in my life and I felt truly at home on USNA’s beautiful campus. I made so many amazing memories and learned so much. I then decided to pursue the application process, putting hours into each essay, training for my CFA, preparing for interviews, etc. After the longest wait ever (and truly a test of patience), with constant refreshing of my portal and browsing of this forum, I received my rejection notice two days ago. It didn’t really sink in at first and I thought I was over it. However, as time has passed, the thought really has sunken in. I’m devastated. I found myself not knowing what to do anymore. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this, but I spent all my time thinking about USNA that I didn’t even consider a second option or what my life would be like at a civilian college. Whenever I would workout, take tests, complete my academic work, USNA was my motivation. Now, after being rejected, I almost feel as if I don’t have a purpose. I have nothing to work for. I went from thinking I had the next 9+ years later out for me to not even knowing where I’m going to go when the May 1st deposit deadline comes around. My number one goal in life is to give back to the world. I thought that’s what I would do in the military. Now, I have no idea how to feel. I guess all I’m asking is, “what now”? What do I do from here? How do I decide what to do with my life? Reapplying sounds so daunting... is it worth it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hannah I can feel the heartbreak in your words. You will get some great advice on here, so certainly listen to those experienced hands. I will just say this: this is just one of many speed bumps you’re going to experience in life. When you get to my age - it won’t even be viewed as a big one. Give yourself some time to decompress about the situation, and then think long and hard about what you want to do. If it is a military career then great - get organized, solicit feedback, identify weaknesses and make a plan. Set backs happen constantly - it’s your reaction to them and how you respond that defines you. Take some time, move on with your plan. It’ll be ok.
 
@hannah8042
Tough news. You’re allowed to feel numb, grieve, feel sad, feel angry, take a break from the pain, then you coach yourself out of it and get your butt in gear if USNA is what you truly want. This experience is also a great lesson on the importance of developing alternative plans, a life skill for every adult and particularly military officers.

Re-application seems like a daunting task, but break it down. You did it once, you can do it again. All elephants are consumed one bite at a time.

Write it all down, break it into doable action pieces.

Get feedback on your application from Admissions counselors. Listen and ask questions. Tailor your plan to deficiencies.

Review the re-applicant advice on USNA.edu

Get yourself into college somewhere. There are places you can look to see what schools are taking applications. Ideally, find one with NROTC you can at least be a college programmer with. NROTC is another nom source. Discuss money options with your parents. If it has to be community college, then take the hardest courses you can find and ace them.

DODMERB. Good for 2 years from date of exam. You just have to update with anything new.

CFA. Plenty of time now to practice practice practice and deliver killer scores when you take it again. Channel your anger and pain into that basketball throw and pull-ups.

Essays. You will be able to update them with the growth and insight you will experience during this period of your life.

Noms. You know the drill, presumably you got nom(s) last time. Apply for for all for which eligible. Impress interview panels with your determination, maturity, personal growth and 100% commitment to re-application.

Shake it off and get back out there. IF you want it.

Presumably you wanted to serve as a Navy or Marine Officer. NROTC moves you along that path without losing a year, and you might find a new tribe that feels just right.
 
Hannah, as a successful college reapplicant to the USAFA, I was in the exact same shoes as you last year, except I had applied to USAFA. I was devastated and had 0 motivation, but I realized the academy was what I really wanted and I picked my head up and asked myself what am I going to do to get there. I attended a local community college And took almost the same classes as a plebe. You might think it’s over, and it is, for now. The door is still open you just have to pick yourself up and get there. I strongly encourage you to reapply if becoming an officer in the navy. Attend a community college if you didn’t apply to any university’s, I applied to tough ones because I really wanted the Air Force academy, but after not getting in there or any of the universities, community college was my only option. I believe in you and I’m sure others will be able to give you some good advice. Also, I’d saying July- August time Contact your admissions counselor and ask them what was wrong with your application, I did that and they gave me advice on how to better my application and it helped big time! Good luck Hannah
 
Only you can determine whether reapplying is worth it. Ask yourself whether the real prize is USNA or an officer’s commission. Hopefully it’s the latter. And if so, then USNA is only one of the paths there. NROTC and OCS are two other ways — different in scope and approach, the same in end result.

Like you, DD was obsessed with USNA from an early age. Had she not won offer of appointment, she would’ve been devastated. But she would’ve risen up and executed Plan B, which was to attend prestigious out-of-state U on an ROTC scholarship, and then reapply to USNA. Either way, I knew — and she knew — that she would be in a very good place: A top-tier college degree and butter bars to go with it.

As others here have said: Bloom where you’re planted.

Cross-posted with @Capt MJ and @Aldo.dector. Hard to top their advice.
 
Hello. This is my first post here and I’m just looking for advice. So beginning my sophomore year of high school, I really took an interest in USNA. I attended NASS and loved every moment of it. It was everything I thought I wanted in my life and I felt truly at home on USNA’s beautiful campus. I made so many amazing memories and learned so much. I then decided to pursue the application process, putting hours into each essay, training for my CFA, preparing for interviews, etc. After the longest wait ever (and truly a test of patience), with constant refreshing of my portal and browsing of this forum, I received my rejection notice two days ago. It didn’t really sink in at first and I thought I was over it. However, as time has passed, the thought really has sunken in. I’m devastated. I found myself not knowing what to do anymore. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this, but I spent all my time thinking about USNA that I didn’t even consider a second option or what my life would be like at a civilian college. Whenever I would workout, take tests, complete my academic work, USNA was my motivation. Now, after being rejected, I almost feel as if I don’t have a purpose. I have nothing to work for. I went from thinking I had the next 9+ years later out for me to not even knowing where I’m going to go when the May 1st deposit deadline comes around. My number one goal in life is to give back to the world. I thought that’s what I would do in the military. Now, I have no idea how to feel. I guess all I’m asking is, “what now”? What do I do from here? How do I decide what to do with my life? Reapplying sounds so daunting... is it worth it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Hello Hannah, I received my rejection letter yesterday as well. And honestly, I feel the same way as you. It hit me hard today, especially realizing that I am turning 21 in a month and I am a third-year community college student. It's refreshing to see somebody on here going through the same emotion as I am.

I want to tell you that you have a lot of time left to strengthen your application! It will take some time for us to digest what happened, but I trust that you will continue to stay motivated towards the goal of admittance because I can tell by your words that this is something you really want. Re-apply. This might sound cheesy, but before every calc, physics exam in college, I would pump myself up by watching 'Naptown Funck" on youtube, a Naval Academy video haha. In college, take each exam, lab, etc. for the Naval Academy, because once again you have plenty of time and it is important to stay motivated. You have what it takes Hannah, you got this far in the application process. Please don't give up! We will get through this; maybe we will see each other on campus one day!
 
Hello. This is my first post here and I’m just looking for advice. So beginning my sophomore year of high school, I really took an interest in USNA. I attended NASS and loved every moment of it. It was everything I thought I wanted in my life and I felt truly at home on USNA’s beautiful campus. I made so many amazing memories and learned so much. I then decided to pursue the application process, putting hours into each essay, training for my CFA, preparing for interviews, etc. After the longest wait ever (and truly a test of patience), with constant refreshing of my portal and browsing of this forum, I received my rejection notice two days ago. It didn’t really sink in at first and I thought I was over it. However, as time has passed, the thought really has sunken in. I’m devastated. I found myself not knowing what to do anymore. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this, but I spent all my time thinking about USNA that I didn’t even consider a second option or what my life would be like at a civilian college. Whenever I would workout, take tests, complete my academic work, USNA was my motivation. Now, after being rejected, I almost feel as if I don’t have a purpose. I have nothing to work for. I went from thinking I had the next 9+ years later out for me to not even knowing where I’m going to go when the May 1st deposit deadline comes around. My number one goal in life is to give back to the world. I thought that’s what I would do in the military. Now, I have no idea how to feel. I guess all I’m asking is, “what now”? What do I do from here? How do I decide what to do with my life? Reapplying sounds so daunting... is it worth it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
So sorry about this rather bitter experience. Here are my advice and forgive me if I say the wrong thing.

First, when a door shuts, windows will open!

So, take a deep breath and start rethinking your strategy what to do next. You have numerous choices and options. This is America!

Look up and look at these choices: Re-apply to USNA, Apply to NROTC and colleges of your choice that has NROTC, Attend college and go OCS afterwards. Enlist in USN with guarantee to attend Naval Academy Preparatory School.

The most essential thing is to re-group and keep up with your strong mental and physical being because you need to be in great shape anyway. I just heard that "the body listens to everything the mind says", therefore, think positive and consider all the options that you have at your finger tips. Consider Mark Twain when he says that we worry so much on things that will never happen. Yes, start reviewing all your Plan B! and Good Luck, All the BEST to you.
 
Great advice above. I suggest you first focus on which of your civilian options (it sounds as if you have some) is most appealing. I realize none is USNA, but I've no doubt there are some great schools in your mix. Get ready for a great year! If you can do NROTC, so much the better but it's not necessary.

Take a little time to decide about reapplying. If you do, it's critical to determine whether there was a "weakness" in your package or you were simply the victim of the numbers game. You need to be honest with yourself. Reapplying with essentially the same package -- just adding a year at college -- won't change anything. Look at your courses and grades. Look at sports and the CFA. Look at your ECAs/leadership. Think about whether your teachers gave you great recommendations or not so great. Look at your SAT/ACT scores -- how close to the max were they?

Your BGO can provide some help -- however, he/she does NOT see your application package due to privacy issues. And your BGO has a very limited scope in terms of the applicants he/she sees. But, if you provide details about your package, an experienced BGO may be able to offer some insight. You can also check with USNA Admissions but, as noted, that should be in the late June/July timeframe.

Then consider how much you can improve. I don't want to be defeatist, but if you've been a "C" student in math/science for 4 years in high school, even an A in a college course may not overcome that. If you are close -- mostly As and Bs, then getting As in college chem and physics could make the difference. The CFA is always an area for improvement unless you maxed everything. Think about talking to your profs in advance this year to help ensure they understand how important USNA is for you. And on and on.

All the above said, sometimes what happens is what is meant to be. When I was in the USN, there was a particular job I really wanted and was the most qualified for of anyone in my community. Due to some weird circumstances not involving me and beyond my control, I didn't get it. My USN career turned out fine and my life after the USN turned out fine. I look back and realize it may have been a blessing in disguise, even though I certainly didn't see it that way at the time. Thus, give whatever you do next the same effort you would have given to USNA -- you won't be disappointed in the long run!
 
Hannah, I'm truly sorry to read the news. I've had three of my kids go through the the USNA application process (DD2 was rejected 2 days ago as well), and I've seen the same excitement, motivation, and then disappointment when all three didn't get in. But then I saw them rebound and build on what they accomplished over their entire high school and college careers. Like many others on this forum, I'm a career Naval Officer, and you sound EXACTLY like the the type of individual I would want to serve with! Your written analysis of how you feel is detailed and interospective. It doesn't sound entitled or cast any blame. Refreshingly, it asks very important questions. Great officers search for the answers when they don't quite have them. They rely on talented people around them. They are never satisfied with the status quo. They look to better themselves through education, experience, and mentorship, and they help others achieve the same. They are critical thinkers. They are resilient.

I wouldn't even consider the USNA turn down as a loss, but instead a strategic advantage. You are now a veteran of the process. Get tactical about next year! Keep in touch with your BGO. Listen to the outstanding advice from all those who replied above. Get stronger and never quit!

So, from this senior Naval Officer's perspective, I hope you will continue to pursue a career as a Naval Officer if it's your dream. Everything is possible. Our Country needs you!
 
There is a lot of good advice above about picking yourself up off the ground, shaking off and moving forward, so I won't repeat. By all means, read and heed the sticky about reapplying above. There is alot of good gouge there.

More important...think about what attracted you to Annapolis--if your desire is to serve as an officer in the Navy /Marine Corps, you should understand there are multiple paths to achieve that objective. Look into ROTC/OCS -- in 4 years no one really cares if your Commissioning Source is USNA or other .
 
Old Navy BGO is 100% correct. Once you get to the fleet, nobody cares about your commissioning source; they care about your performance. I was commissioned through NROTC and loved it. Clearly, it's not USNA, but I would argue that USNA & NROTC each have unique positives & negatives - one is not better than the other, they are just different. So, if you end goal is to become a Naval Officer, then NROTC is a great way to get there. And if you didn't apply for an NROTC scholarship, join as a non-scholarship student (i.e.,college program); work hard, do well, and you will probably get a scholarship.
 
Great advice as always from very experienced members above. The disappointment you're feeling right now will not ultimately define you. What you do from here forward will. I was also rejected back when I applied a long time ago. I remember everyone coming up to me asking me "have you heard word yet?" And then having to explain each time how I got turned down. Nothing written in this thread will take away the sting right now. But as time passes, you will pick yourself up and dust yourself off, regroup and become again focused on your future. During this time of reflection, think about all of the awesome things people said and did for you to get to this point. Your teachers' recommendations, your guidance counselor recommendations, and all of the people who supported you along the way. When looking to write another essay on what helped build your character - let this moment in time and what you're going to do over the coming year be the narrative of how your character was developed as a result of being rejected.

There are lots of discussions about whether to go to college or do self prep at a prep school. As usna1985 details in his comprehensive re-application thread (in the sticky section of the USNA forum), most folks agree (and USNA Admissions actually recommends) that if you have an offer to attend a four year university - then you should do that. Even better if you can attend NROTC or ROTC. But ROTC is not necessary if the school you're looking at doesn't offer it. As discussed above, if you were primarily a "C" student in HS, getting all As in college may not necessarily overcome the type of student you were. But if you were a solid A/B student and took challenging courses in HS, getting As in college with plebe level classes will go a long way in your re-application.

It's important to identify what your weaknesses were in your application and come up with a plan to address them over the coming year. If, for example, your SAT/ACT needs improvement, come up with a plan to improve your SAT/ACT. Simply taking more practice tests doesn't necessarily work. You need to identify exactly what you need to improve upon for the SAT. If you need to improve the math section, you can take a couple of practice tests under timed conditions - marking the problems you got incorrect AND ALSO guessed at with a "?" and then go over the entire test to figure out WHY you missed various problems. It could be a conceptional problem like absolute value inequalities, where a review of the rules of absolute value inequalities could clear it up, OR, it could be that you're having trouble with long word problems, where you need to come up with a "system" to quickly sketch and attack that type of problem. A good math book I would recommend is The College Panda for SAT Math. It covers most SAT math sections in detail. If you need to improve your SAT reading or writing (grammar) sections, then you need to identify how and why you're not getting various questions correct. If you're running out of time on the reading section, I would recommend a program called Ace Reader. Ace Reader helps you become a faster and stronger reader by having you "see" the words instead of subvocalizing the syllables of the words. Also, if you're missing problems like the "paired questions" in the reading section and don't have a strategy to tackle them, then you need to come up with a system to address them. A great resource that's helped my kids is called 1600.io. This website has some free content on the first few released SATs and then also has a pay option for the later released SATs. What's useful with this program is that he goes over every released SAT question - both math and verbal. He has various strategies on how to tackle difficult problems, like the paired questions in the reading section of the SAT. Khan Academy also has free content as well. We found a lot of success with the 1600.io course. If you're missing items on the grammar section, then a thorough review of all grammar is necessary. I would focus on a grammar book that's designed to test items on the SAT. We found success with Erica Meltzer's book SAT Grammar. She also has an excellent SAT Reading book that's helped our kids too. I know what I've written above is a lot to take in right now, but hopefully you (and anyone else reading this) will see that you need to come up with and create a learning plan to improve on the SAT. I will be writing a longer and more detailed SAT Improvement thread in the near future. But I hope these ideas above will get the creative juices flowing for SAT improvement.

Lots of good content in this thread in the USMA section. I discussed various items that helped our DS to apply from college:

It's normal to be upset. If USNA is really your goal, then now's the time to start planning your re-application starting with the school you will attend in the fall. You had your goals set high and came up short. What your Plan B was before USNA's decision is now your Plan A. It's time to embrace it. Realize, where you plan to go to school in the fall should be somewhere you could continue to attend should you not get into USNA next year. But if you start planning your future now to make an improvement in every aspect of your application, you're going to be a better person and future leader regardless where you end up in the future. You can do this Hannah!
 
It's also important to ask yourself what your goals are. I applied to USNA and USAFA because they are both excellent means of meeting my goals. I want to serve my country, receive a higher level of education, and fly. To me the service academies were an obvious choice, but there were plenty of options for me, just like there are plenty of options for you. Try to remember, USNA is not the end of the road, it is only a stepping stone. Ask yourself what your goals are and go from there.
 
I'm a big believer that when a door shuts, you can open it again. That's how doors work. If this is your dream, focus on the reapplication process. In the meantime, look at a Plan B or even Plan C school. Best of luck to you.
 
Hello. This is my first post here and I’m just looking for advice. So beginning my sophomore year of high school, I really took an interest in USNA. I attended NASS and loved every moment of it. It was everything I thought I wanted in my life and I felt truly at home on USNA’s beautiful campus. I made so many amazing memories and learned so much. I then decided to pursue the application process, putting hours into each essay, training for my CFA, preparing for interviews, etc. After the longest wait ever (and truly a test of patience), with constant refreshing of my portal and browsing of this forum, I received my rejection notice two days ago. It didn’t really sink in at first and I thought I was over it. However, as time has passed, the thought really has sunken in. I’m devastated. I found myself not knowing what to do anymore. I don’t know if any of you have experienced this, but I spent all my time thinking about USNA that I didn’t even consider a second option or what my life would be like at a civilian college. Whenever I would workout, take tests, complete my academic work, USNA was my motivation. Now, after being rejected, I almost feel as if I don’t have a purpose. I have nothing to work for. I went from thinking I had the next 9+ years later out for me to not even knowing where I’m going to go when the May 1st deposit deadline comes around. My number one goal in life is to give back to the world. I thought that’s what I would do in the military. Now, I have no idea how to feel. I guess all I’m asking is, “what now”? What do I do from here? How do I decide what to do with my life? Reapplying sounds so daunting... is it worth it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I'm sorry for your disappointment but your goal in attending the Naval Academy should have been to eventually become a naval officer. You can still achieve that through college NROTC programs. Also, you can also re-apply as the Naval Academy is far from a "one strike, you're out" type of institution. Many re-applicants are successful. Good luck.
 
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