Rejection from USNA 2022

I have read many threads and understand the sentiments of disappointment and heart broken stories from excellent well prepared candidates. I can’t compare DS to them because from the time knowing and preparing for USNA was less than a year. DS was lucky enough to have academic and most of the leadership under his belt while preparing for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program. However we had to pull out due to terrorist problems in Europe in 2016. We did not have time to do research about USNA and relied mostly on this informative forum. After DS status became CPR in 1/2018 and the waiting was long until 4/6 it became TWE. I am not disappointed since it just proved my suspicion was correct about his BGO. BGO kept dropping hints but we did not get it. Here are the hints have hidden in his stories which BGO shared with us since DS does not play team sports:
1. Riffle as single sport (son does varsity golf)
2. Enlisted or ROTC
3. CFA until max out the worst score.

While waiting for status change I did some math and comparison from USNA class statistics from 2018-2021 the theme is very consistent (numbers are estimated):
- Appointments: 1300-1400
- Class size: 1150-1200
- Navy Prep school: 200-225
- Foundation and other prep school: 40-60
- At least 6 months of study at colleges or others: 69-102( most likely are reapplicant).

-Assuming most of the appointments are from principle nominations: 640 (congressional/senatorial/presidential/vice)
-appointments from prep schools and colleges: 335(estimated)
Total: 975

There is about 1300-975= 325 slots left for LOA and national pool. However, I feel strongly that the slots for National pool is less than 200 spots for at least 4000 CPR candidates. At this point all bets are off the table. Personal statement will not be read again because if it did not give a good impression for LOA the first time it is not significant. I doubt GPA, class valedictorian, high SAT/ACT scores do not play an important role at this time. I put everything on the sports and CFA along with geography, and ethnicity subgroup comparison.


For future class 2023: thinking about riffle shooting for single sport. Repeat CFA as many as you can to get better scores each time. Taking as many SAT/ACT scores while in high school if your school pays for it and you must prepare prior taking the exams. Of course you still have to meet other requirements and always think that you can do better. May the force on your side.

As for my DS, he will have more chance as reapplicant. He will go to UW and join NROTC. He won’t apply for NROTC scholarships since we have college planing for him long ago plus other merit scholarships that will be enough. If he would apply and receive appointment for class 2023 at USNA, our relatives will be heart broken but he will follow his dream. If no appointment then, DS will finish up undergrad then move on to medical school. After finishing up residency training DS can perform his active duties as a physician. if he would like to try surface warfare, he could try for couple years before going to medical school then resume active duties after residency training. DS would have the best of both world if he does NROTC than USNA. My doc friend’s hubby was NROTC then SEAL and now English professor. So to all TWE is probably a blessing.

Sorry for a very long thread but my goal is to provide option: Medical School. All these kids have the tenacity in their DNAs. We need more of you, the nation needs more of you as medical doctors. Don’t let the 4 years of medical school deter you, every day it is different and changes requiring solutions and innovation. Parents should be proud of DD/DS achievement and do please planting the medical school seed in their mind now as an option for them. Best wishes to all TWE candidates.

That post hurt my brain.
 
My DD loved the tour of Va Tech last week. We saw Texas A and M, University of Texas-Austin, University of New Orleans and Va. Tech. Next month, We are seeing Va. Tech for a 2nd time and also seeing Ga. Tech for the 2nd time, plus touring Purdue, University of Michigan and Univ. of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. DD's NROTC scholarship has been placed at Ga. Tech (and DD is an Early Action admit there already). DD has been admitted to all the mentioned schools (except Va. Tech who will release decisions 3/5). Her #1 still remains USNA, of course! But she has a lot of great choices!

Ann Arbor is a dump, in spite of the University's academics being top shelf. Take it from a long-time resident of southeast Michigan.

We are back from our 2nd college tour and we actually liked the are around UMich and the facilities of UMich very much. The thing DD did not like was the overwhelming number of undergrads and the North Campus (where engineering is) being "far" from Central Campus. The tours we went on, did not really highlight engineering in any way, which we felt was odd since the tours that day were specifically set up for engineering majors--and most of our questions and those asked by others went largely unanswered. Unfortunately, even the ROTC people we spoke with, seemed unaware of how ROTC integrates into UMich culture and philosophy. We really felt that you would be just a number there unless you worked hard at differentiating yourself. My other DD (who is in middle school) loved it because she loved Zingermans!

DD did not like Univ of Illinois at all, so that's off her list and she liked Purdue's facilities (a lot), but felt it was a bit remote for her taste, so that's off her list, too--No offense to anyone!! GaTech and VaTech both remain on her list...GaTech felt more inclusive than UMich and VaTech has the CofC. We tour MIT this week and other Ivy's that she was accepted to at the end of the month. She has been waitlisted to USNA...so we are aggressively developing plan B!
 
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We are back from our 2nd college tour and we actually liked the are around UMich and the facilities of UMich very much. The thing DD did not like was the overwhelming number of undergrads and the North Campus (where engineering is) being "far" from Central Campus. The tours we went on, did not really highlight engineering in any way, which we felt was odd since the tours that day were specifically set up for engineering majors--and most of our questions and those asked by others went largely unanswered. Unfortunately, even the ROTC people we spoke with, seemed unaware of how ROTC integrates into UMich culture and philosophy. We really felt that you would be just a number there unless you worked hard at differentiating yourself. My other DD (who is in middle school) loved it because she loved Zingermans!

DD did not like Univ of Illinois at all, so that's off her list and she liked Purdue's facilities (a lot), but felt it was a bit remote for her taste, so that's off her list, too--No offense to anyone!! GaTech and VaTech both remain on her list...GaTech felt more inclusive than UMich and VaTech has the CofC. We tour MIT this week and other Ivy's that she was accepted to at the end of the month. She has been waitlisted to USNA...so we are aggressively developing plan B!
University of Michigan Ann Arbor has 40 Army ROTC cadets, and total of 90 NROTC cadets, including both Navy option and MO. That's at a BIG10 school with 40,000 total students. Not surprising the people you talked to had no info on how ROTC integrates with the rest of the school. Comparatively, the ROTC units don't really exist on the big radar there.
 
We are back from our 2nd college tour and we actually liked the are around UMich and the facilities of UMich very much. The thing DD did not like was the overwhelming number of undergrads and the North Campus (where engineering is) being "far" from Central Campus. The tours we went on, did not really highlight engineering in any way, which we felt was odd since the tours that day were specifically set up for engineering majors--and most of our questions and those asked by others went largely unanswered. Unfortunately, even the ROTC people we spoke with, seemed unaware of how ROTC integrates into UMich culture and philosophy. We really felt that you would be just a number there unless you worked hard at differentiating yourself. My other DD (who is in middle school) loved it because she loved Zingermans!

DD did not like Univ of Illinois at all, so that's off her list and she liked Purdue's facilities (a lot), but felt it was a bit remote for her taste, so that's off her list, too--No offense to anyone!! GaTech and VaTech both remain on her list...GaTech felt more inclusive than UMich and VaTech has the CofC. We tour MIT this week and other Ivy's that she was accepted to at the end of the month. She has been waitlisted to USNA...so we are aggressively developing plan B!
University of Michigan Ann Arbor has 40 Army ROTC cadets, and total of 90 NROTC cadets, including both Navy option and MO. That's at a BIG10 school with 40,000 total students. Not surprising the people you talked to had no info on how ROTC integrates with the rest of the school. Comparatively, the ROTC units don't really exist on the big radar there.

To the point made by @MichUSNA2021hopefulparent - this is one of the reasons my DD went with VT and the Corp of Cadets. She toured some great schools (UVA, U Md, Ga Tech, and more) but in the end, she kept having to ask the admissions people about ROTC because she wanted to see how integrated into the campuses they were. At three of those schools, the tour guides literally knew nothing. At all of them, there was not a single sign of a person in uniform in any admissions materials or in posters or any images. Plus, with the NROTC units being between 70-80 in size, she was worried about having enough leadership opportunities (whether or not this is true I do not debate, only that - fair or not - this was her personal perception and concern so please don't take that wrong from those that made that choice). I reiterate and realize this is a personal decision and it is not a reflection on the quality of those schools (clearly), but for HER, she wanted a more engaged and integrated campus with her unit and she wanted 24/7 military lifestyle in college. VT has 1100 cadets living in the same dorms out of 8,000 on campus students - so you see a lot of them all the time. Plus, her Navy battalion is more than 300 midshipmen and she has additional opportunities in the Regiment to learn to follow and to lead. Every class she goes to there is a good smattering of uniforms in the room - and the civilian students are very welcoming and respectful of the Cadets. She did learn that there are some civilian ROTC programs that are more engaged than others and Ga Tech was in this category and that is why she kept it on the list for so long (met more often, more PT, more drills, slightly larger units, etc.) so there are some differences between those college units - you are doing the right thing to visit and talk to the units. Good luck to you! It is an exciting time and she is fortunate to have so many wonderful choices among a great list of fantastic schools!
 
We are back from our 2nd college tour and we actually liked the are around UMich and the facilities of UMich very much. The thing DD did not like was the overwhelming number of undergrads and the North Campus (where engineering is) being "far" from Central Campus. The tours we went on, did not really highlight engineering in any way, which we felt was odd since the tours that day were specifically set up for engineering majors--and most of our questions and those asked by others went largely unanswered. Unfortunately, even the ROTC people we spoke with, seemed unaware of how ROTC integrates into UMich culture and philosophy. We really felt that you would be just a number there unless you worked hard at differentiating yourself. My other DD (who is in middle school) loved it because she loved Zingermans!

DD did not like Univ of Illinois at all, so that's off her list and she liked Purdue's facilities (a lot), but felt it was a bit remote for her taste, so that's off her list, too--No offense to anyone!! GaTech and VaTech both remain on her list...GaTech felt more inclusive than UMich and VaTech has the CofC. We tour MIT this week and other Ivy's that she was accepted to at the end of the month. She has been waitlisted to USNA...so we are aggressively developing plan B!
University of Michigan Ann Arbor has 40 Army ROTC cadets, and total of 90 NROTC cadets, including both Navy option and MO. That's at a BIG10 school with 40,000 total students. Not surprising the people you talked to had no info on how ROTC integrates with the rest of the school. Comparatively, the ROTC units don't really exist on the big radar there.

To the point made by @MichUSNA2021hopefulparent - this is one of the reasons my DD went with VT and the Corp of Cadets. She toured some great schools (UVA, U Md, Ga Tech, and more) but in the end, she kept having to ask the admissions people about ROTC because she wanted to see how integrated into the campuses they were. At three of those schools, the tour guides literally knew nothing. At all of them, there was not a single sign of a person in uniform in any admissions materials or in posters or any images. Plus, with the NROTC units being between 70-80 in size, she was worried about having enough leadership opportunities (whether or not this is true I do not debate, only that - fair or not - this was her personal perception and concern so please don't take that wrong from those that made that choice). I reiterate and realize this is a personal decision and it is not a reflection on the quality of those schools (clearly), but for HER, she wanted a more engaged and integrated campus with her unit and she wanted 24/7 military lifestyle in college. VT has 1100 cadets living in the same dorms out of 8,000 on campus students - so you see a lot of them all the time. Plus, her Navy battalion is more than 300 midshipmen and she has additional opportunities in the Regiment to learn to follow and to lead. Every class she goes to there is a good smattering of uniforms in the room - and the civilian students are very welcoming and respectful of the Cadets. She did learn that there are some civilian ROTC programs that are more engaged than others and Ga Tech was in this category and that is why she kept it on the list for so long (met more often, more PT, more drills, slightly larger units, etc.) so there are some differences between those college units - you are doing the right thing to visit and talk to the units. Good luck to you! It is an exciting time and she is fortunate to have so many wonderful choices among a great list of fantastic schools!

Yes, GaTech is very integrated and made the decision to keep it high on DDs list very easy. Your thoughts and process is exactly the same thoughts and processes we are thinking right now. VaTech does not have the same high ranking engineering programs as some of the other choices DD has, but that CofC is so special....it's going to be hard to choose between her top 3!
 
Interesting query ..despite the efforts of some on the forum to understand or quantify every aspect of the Admissions process, I don't think there is any single, "exact" formula which guarantees admission. I

I have created a very basic formula that I continue to tweak-

a. You are medically fit
b. You are a state level athlete
c. You have average or better test score- SAT/ACT 1400/30
d. There are no disciplinary actions against you

If you check a box then assign a value of 1 to the variable else assign a value of 0. E.g

if you are medically fit
then a = 1
else a = 0

Chances of being appointed (in percent) =
a(60b + 25c + 10d)
 
Interesting query ..despite the efforts of some on the forum to understand or quantify every aspect of the Admissions process, I don't think there is any single, "exact" formula which guarantees admission. I

I have created a very basic formula that I continue to tweak-

a. You are medically fit
b. You are a state level athlete
c. You have average or better test score- SAT/ACT 1400/30
d. There are no disciplinary actions against you

If you check a box then assign a value of 1 to the variable else assign a value of 0. E.g

if you are medically fit
then a = 1
else a = 0

Chances of being appointed (in percent) =
a(60b + 25c + 10d)
Keep tweaking cuz this is way off. Testing=36, GPA=4.0, two sport athlete not state level, received LOA. The
Medical coefficient makes sense!
 
I apologize to anyone I offended about prep school. I think it is an amazing opportunity and I wish I would had the opportunity to go.

But when I emailed my admissions counselor at USAFA in regards to it, I was told "You will not be looked at for the prep school. You don't have an academic need. Look at your application there is not a need. You can attend any college you want. You will only be looked at for Direct entry." So this is why I thought I was ineligible. I assume this same concept applies at USNA.

So that is why I said that, I did not mean it as an attack at prep school or prep students.
 
No harm, no foul! I guess it's true that every case is different. I can't speak for NAPS. I can only speak for the Foundation prep experience which changed the life of our family dramatically. Mid sip now attends the prep school my DD chose for her gap year. Prior to Foundation offer we didn't know anything about prep schools--not a big deal in the Midwest. Youngest sib, now a junior, is in 7th heaven.
 
I apologize to anyone I offended about prep school. I think it is an amazing opportunity and I wish I would had the opportunity to go.

But when I emailed my admissions counselor at USAFA in regards to it, I was told "You will not be looked at for the prep school. You don't have an academic need. Look at your application there is not a need. You can attend any college you want. You will only be looked at for Direct entry." So this is why I thought I was ineligible. I assume this same concept applies at USNA.

So that is why I said that, I did not mean it as an attack at prep school or prep students.
At USNA, it’s been said that they consider everyone for NAPS once they decide they can’t be a direct appointee. I know there’s some sort of middle ground where you can’t get in directly but you aren’t eligible for NAPS, but with competition rising I feel like that middle ground is shrinking w/ the amount of hyper qualified people turned down due to class size. If an academy wants you, they’ll do what it takes to get you there. If an academy wants a valedictorian volleyball state champ who didn’t get a nomination for whatever reason, they can send them to NAPS. For situations like this, I feel like no candidate is “too good” for a NAPS appointment. But that’s just my two cents. Sorry to hear about TWE, just keep chugging and apply next year!
 
I agree, my DS received an appointment to USMAPS already while his classmate received a direct appointment and my DS's stats are all around much better than his classmate. But I personally would prefer that my DS have this year at prep to make the transition easier next year. Still waiting to hear from USNA, but actually hoping for a NAPS appointment.

I'm with you on that. It can be overwhelming for some that are not accustomed to change....

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Being Accustomed to change isn't really the issue, he's a military brat so he's good at that. He's just messy and very disorganized. In everything else he's a rock star, academics (except math which is why he is going to prep), leadership, athletics, JROTC, public speaking, etc. Very charming kid.....he's talked me into agreeing to things without me even realizing it...but I am afraid of going into his room for fear I will not find my way out. LOL! I am hoping prep will help him get organized before he gets to the big leagues and gets a major beat down for being messy and disorganized.
 
Foundation and Prep is very different. My Son went to a school where they had Foundation fifth year students and I got to know some of the Foundation kids. Their rooms were just as messy as his was. All military Prep schools like NAPS might be a big wake up. Just because they have all A's does not mean they will get Med School. An admission officer at Yale once told me they could fill the freshman class with 4.0 or better but they have to choose. Med School was the same.
 
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I some times wonder what is exactly USNA looking for in the candidate? Does USNA compare candidates in the same region or to different regions in the country?

Interesting query ..despite the efforts of some on the forum to understand or quantify every aspect of the Admissions process, I don't think there is any single, "exact" formula which guarantees admission. I've been doing this for over 15 years now...and I still surprised to see how the admissions cycle plays out sometimes. Despite putting all the qualifications into a computer , running it through some algorithm, and coming up with a Whole Person Multiple , or whatever its called these days, there has to be some degree of subjective evaluation. This is a competitive process, and an awful lot of very good candidates get passed over.

There are geographical differences.. By its nature (and law), USNA has to consider by region. I am not suggesting that a kid from North Dakota is less qualified, but the chances of Admission are better if there are fewer candidates. The exceptional kid in North Dakota stands out head and shoulders above his peers, while the similar qualified candidate from Virginia that is surrounded by a dozen peers who are virtually indistinguishable.

I hate to say it...there is some degree of luck. For example, luck in who you are competing with in your pool in any given year. If you have 700/700 SAT's in a given year,. and an otherwise identical candidate has 800/800 , you won't win that slate. However, its often been said that you make your own luck -- be the candidate with the 800/800, you don't have to worry about the guy with 700/700. I'm not saying you need 800/800 to get in -- USNA is looking for a well rounded candidate, with a mix of brains, leadership and athletics. I


It's great that the USNA and other academies require by law to consider other kids from other regions. The USCGA is not and is allowed to draw from anywhere in the country they please. As a result, the USCGA does a poor job and is heavily dominated by men and women from the eastern seaboard states. We visited the USCGA and they stated that they wanted regional representation. We were thinking this is great as we assumed not very many kids may apply from here in AZ by looking at the rosters of every sports team at the USCGA. We attended a congressional SA event in Laveen, AZ one week before the April 1 notification date. A rep from the USCGA told us that only one person from AZ (the 14th largest state by population) was awarded an appointment to the USCGA at that time. ONE!!!!!!! We then met an impressive young man from Laveen, AZ who was awarded an appointment to the USNA. He spoke at the event. Laveen is essentially a small dusty outpost in AZ on the edge of the Gila River Indian reservation. A place that can easily be forgotten. Not much opportunity there. He has an opportunity to have a far greater long term impact on his community than some kid from a well to do eastern state with established pipeline to the USCGA or other service acadenies. I wonder if a kid from Laveen would have ever had a chance getting an appointment to the USNA or other academies without required regional representation? The politically correct answer is yes of course everyone has an equal chance, but connections and where you are from matters in this world especially when you have an indistinguishable pool of candidates that all are driven, have great grades and accomplishments. Kudos to the USNA for awarding an appointment to this young man from Laveen! (Disclaimer: yes I am upset my son did not get an appt to the USCGA, he had great grades, test scores, eagle scout, captain of club and HS teams, all state athlete, MVP of team, fluent in Spanish and English, DODMERB qualified, etc etc like so many others who apply. My son has taken the rejection harder than his parents would have imagined.).
 
Being Accustomed to change isn't really the issue, he's a military brat so he's good at that. He's just messy and very disorganized. In everything else he's a rock star, academics (except math which is why he is going to prep), leadership, athletics, JROTC, public speaking, etc. Very charming kid.....he's talked me into agreeing to things without me even realizing it...but I am afraid of going into his room for fear I will not find my way out. LOL! I am hoping prep will help him get organized before he gets to the big leagues and gets a major beat down for being messy and disorganized.

We can totally relate to that!

I was thinking in the lines of individuals who are not accustomed to being yelled at, especially talented athletes with huge egos. And then, there are others that changed their minds. The responsibility of leading young and old sailors/aviators/soldiers with families into the sea/air/field of battle can be overwhelming.

With that in mind, in addition to participating CVW and NASS, DS knows the expectations of the USNA. Despite DS non-competitive SAT/ACT scores, his HS curriculum, lettering 4 years state level, 2 years team captain and volunteering, I believe DS has the maturity, heart and confidence to become a great leader. He's adamant on becoming a naval officer - it's just a matter of how he'll get there.
 
Being Accustomed to change isn't really the issue, he's a military brat so he's good at that. He's just messy and very disorganized. In everything else he's a rock star, academics (except math which is why he is going to prep), leadership, athletics, JROTC, public speaking, etc. Very charming kid.....he's talked me into agreeing to things without me even realizing it...but I am afraid of going into his room for fear I will not find my way out. LOL! I am hoping prep will help him get organized before he gets to the big leagues and gets a major beat down for being messy and disorganized.

We can totally relate to that!

I was thinking in the lines of individuals who are not accustomed to being yelled at, especially talented athletes with huge egos. And then, there are others that changed their minds. The responsibility of leading young and old sailors/aviators/soldiers with families into the sea/air/field of battle can be overwhelming.

With that in mind, in addition to participating CVW and NASS, DS knows the expectations of the USNA. Despite DS non-competitive SAT/ACT scores, his HS curriculum, lettering 4 years state level, 2 years team captain and volunteering, I believe DS has the maturity, heart and confidence to become a great leader. He's adamant on becoming a naval officer - it's just a matter of how he'll get there.

He has definitely lived in a bubble being in DoD schools his whole life. I don't think he's ever been yelled so that will be a challenge. The one thing that I do admire about him is that he is very athletic and talented in many areas, but is very humble at the same time. Your DS sounds alot like mine. He has 4 Vasity letters in track and was captain Junior/Senior year, School Vice President, JROTC company commander, etc. A high GPA or SAT score isn't the best indicator of who will be a good leader. Our kiddos will do great where ever path they choose or is chosen for them. My DS's childhood friend who has lived his entire life on the grounds of West Point declined his appointment so that he could take a year in prep school before reapplying next year. I really admire him for understanding his limits at such a young age.
 
He has definitely lived in a bubble being in DoD schools his whole life. I don't think he's ever been yelled so that will be a challenge. The one thing that I do admire about him is that he is very athletic and talented in many areas, but is very humble at the same time. Your DS sounds alot like mine. He has 4 Vasity letters in track and was captain Junior/Senior year, School Vice President, JROTC company commander, etc. A high GPA or SAT score isn't the best indicator of who will be a good leader. Our kiddos will do great where ever path they choose or is chosen for them. My DS's childhood friend who has lived his entire life on the grounds of West Point declined his appointment so that he could take a year in prep school before reapplying next year. I really admire him for understanding his limits at such a young age.

GPA 3.75 Weighted (2 years calculus, physics, chemistry, computer science)
4 years, year-round travel wrestling (team captain and state qualifier 2 consecutive years)
Volunteer mediator and counselor for troubled/distressed youths

So DS has been battle-tested in the classroom and on the mat, and has championed youths/teenagers in the battle against domestic abuse, drug addiction and bullying.

"A high GPA or SAT score isn't the best indicator of who will be a good leader"
Strongly agreed - ie. Tailhook Scandal, Fat Leonard Scandal and the recent drug ring bust at USNA .......
 
To start off, I am actually not in NROTC or the corps of cadets. My major is National Security and Foreign Affairs, a tier 3 major. Being a tier three major at a technical school (engineers everywhere), I felt as if my best interest would be to go to OCS after graduation if the USNA doesn't work out. With that being said, about half of my classes are cadets, and I am friends with plenty of them. They love having a mixture of a strict military regiment and a large scale university that just so happens to have the best sports teams in Virginia :D (not UVA). In comparison to the other senior military colleges, I would say that it is definitely a lot less strict and not quite as harsh. As for why I love it, the campus is the second most beautiful in the country (behind USNA of course), the students have an amazing sense of school pride, that really makes you feel at home with one another, and of course the sports teams are just the icing on the cake. If your DS ends up here, I promise he'll love it (and so will you). If you want more specific answers about the corps, DM me and I can explain in further detail. Good luck!
How can you possibly comment on the VTCC when you are not a member? My DS is a member of the VTCC and is an MS1 on a 4 yr Army ROTC scholarship, General Engineering major. He also was denied by both USNA and USMA last year. He absolutely loves VT and being in the Corps. He did not reapply to NA or WP, and personally has regrets. I would urge your child to do an overnight visit at VT and he/she will be paired with a freshman in the Corps. That way your kid can make an informed decision.
Some of my best friends are members of the VTCC and I spend a lot of time with them both inside and out of the corps dorms. I don't have personal experience in the corps but I know quite a bit about it.
 
Never thought Foundation paid scholarship toward first year College only fifth year high school?
 
"A high GPA or SAT score isn't the best indicator of who will be a good leader"
Strongly agreed - ie. Tailhook Scandal, Fat Leonard Scandal and the recent drug ring bust at USNA .......

USNA uses a Whole Person analysis, combining academics, athletics, leadership, community service and other factors. While there is an awful lot of emphasis on SAT/ACT on this forum, they are not the end all. College Boards were never intended as predictor of leadership, but rather a predictor of academic potential, and that is necessarily part of the admissions equation.

SDSUAlum's back handed slap at USNA with references to Tailhook, Fat Leonard and drug busts is unwarranted. I will be the last to argue that USNA Admissions is perfect, and that USNA grads are perfect leaders. USNA midshipmen and graduates have flaws - just like every other college. I do think it is fair to set high standards and expectations at USNA, but nobody is perfect and we will step up and take the lumps when deserved, but I don't think anyone here can tie Tailhook, Fat Leonard or drug busts to USNA's admission process.
 
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