Second Time on the Roller Coaster

My heart breaks for you mdn18. I've been following your journey since last year. You know as well as anybody that there are multiple paths to commissioning.

Personally, I think you have your head in the right place and they're missing out on an excellent candidate. Major props for applying a second time, and I hope we see each other in the fleet in a few years, either way.
 
mdn18 said:
Well, the TWE arrived today. Saw a white envelope through my mailbox door and I was fairly sure I knew what it was. I can't say that I was surprised, my 1st semester grades for Chem and Physics 1 weren't that great. Other than that, I though I had a pretty good record -- nearly everything from last cycle was improved. The good news is that I'm doing really great academically this 2nd semester.

So, at this point, I'm on the fence about applying for a 3rd time. I know others have done it, but if I were to arrive at I-Day for c/o 2020, I'd be 21 years old and have completed 2 years of a Mechanical Engineering major. I don't know if I'd want to start over as a Plebe, even if I did manage to validate some classes. Wouldn't it be kind of weird being put with 17 and 18-year-olds? Even at this point, I already feel as if I've distanced myself/grown so much since high school, physically, mentally and academically. Not trying to sound like an elitist, but he majority of Plebes are straight out of high school.

I am definitely going to miss, and be thinking about, I-Day induction this summer. I so wish I could be there and it seems like going through this process for another year would take an eternity. My Congressman must think I'm an idiot if I ask to be nominated for a 3rd time (I was nominated by him for c/o 2018 and 2019). I'll still be hanging around on the forums though. Good luck to everyone entering the Academy this summer.
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Sorry to hear about the TWE. At the end of the day, if you gave it your all, that is all you can do in this whole process. It sounds like things are going well at your current university. Only you can decide if you want to apply for a third time. Yes, that would set you back from graduation by a year or two, depending if you were on a 4 or 5 your plan at your current school. Yes, you might be older, but you won't be older than most priors. Also there will be plenty of those from college, NAPS, other prep programs, etc that will be a year removed from high school. It is all how you approach it. if you make it an issue or have a mentality of "I am as old as this guy and he is yelling at me" attitude then I recommend you do not apply. I had a Navy SEAL (yes a real SEAL with a Trident and all) in my platoon Plebe Summer. He was a year older than me and definitely had the "been there got the t shirt" award the moment he stepped foot at USNA. But, he had an amazing attitude and never once made an issue of age or where anyone came from an issue. He was a great guy. I honestly had no clue who were our direct high school kids vs college, prep programs until a few weeks into plebe summer. We knew the NAPS guys and priors, but to be honest within 2 months of the academic year things all evened out. If you really want USNA, then I say go for it. If not, there is no shame in that either. You gave it your all twice. That is definitely respectable. Heck maybe your MOC on the third try will give a principle just out of your pure perseverance! Best of luck in your journey!
 
mb1395 said:
My heart breaks for you mdn18. I've been following your journey since last year. You know as well as anybody that there are multiple paths to commissioning.

Personally, I think you have your head in the right place and they're missing out on an excellent candidate. Major props for applying a second time, and I hope we see each other in the fleet in a few years, either way.
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Ditto this X 10 and wishing you all the best of everything! You kinda grabbed us this year MDN18.
 
Sorry mdn18. DS is a reapplicant I am fearing that will be the news soon, as it is getting late in the process. Best of luck to you. Have enjoyed reading your posts.
 
Mdn18 I am tearing up reading your post. My heart goes out to you. You are destined to be a great leader! You are mature beyond your age and I salute your commitment to serve your country. You possess the drive and fortitude that a successful officer must have. I too have followed your posts since last year. We are all here to cheer you on no matter which path you choose to follow. Thank you for your service!
 
Mdn18, I am so sorry you have received the TWE again. There are a lot of us who have been hanging in here reading your posts, hoping for that BFE. My DD had one bad semester (long story) decided to try again and turned it around. If you decide to try again, I along with many others will be cheering you on. I have to say I know 2 current mids who made it in on their third try. So what if you're older. The mids will more than likely respect your maturity!
 
Mdn18, so sorry to hear your news. I understand your concern about being older than your classmates if you reapply next year. I recall reading a thread where someone started USNA at the top age (23?); classmates called him "Grampa" or something like that. If I recall, he was very happy with his decision. I have heard that older Plebes are often able to apply the experiences that have to the leadership training at USNA. Only you can decide. Blessings to you.
 
Hello everyone,

Logged in today to see how all my friends from the last year are doing. Congratulations to all those who reapplied and got appointment! Mdn18, I am so sorry you have received the TWE. If you feel that USNA is what you really really want REAPPLY again. My son closest friend is a third time applicant.
Best of luck to you.
 
For all of you have gone through the process of reapplying can any of you tell me if the SAT/ACT scores are still as important? For example if a student has A's and B's in 1st semester college classes couple with success in a cadet program and NROTC how important are those scores? Can they still keep you out? My DS does not have great success on the SAT or ACT. Thoughts???
 
jml1717 said:
For all of you have gone through the process of reapplying can any of you tell me if the SAT/ACT scores are still as important? For example if a student has A's and B's in 1st semester college classes couple with success in a cadet program and NROTC how important are those scores? Can they still keep you out? My DS does not have great success on the SAT or ACT. Thoughts???
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jml1717 - My DS is in the same boat. Did well in college first semester and doing even better this semester. He is a re-applicant who was waitlisted for NAPS last year......we assume because of his lower SAT scores. His RD told him to retake SAT/ACT and do good in calculus. Looking at some of the posts from those who got a TWE stating that they should try to get SAT to 1300, makes me nervous as to whether or not he will make it in even with a good college GPA. He did not get 1300, but he did well his first semester in college. Is that ok? We will find out soon. We have not heard anything on his status. I had read on other posts that they tend to be a little more lenient on the SAT scores if you can prove that you can do the college work. Lets hope that is the case. The next few weeks will tell. He did better on the ACT, but I think got the "minimum" score he needed.
 
The day has come. After over two years of stressful waiting, I received a call from my BGO who stated that I should be receiving a conditional offer of appointment in the mail soon. Good luck to all of the second timers that are still on the roller coaster and stalking the mailbox!
 
JML1717--My DD went far away for college to a competitive prestigious school in Virginia. Took plebe courses including calc, chem with lab which counted for I & II, English with writing, a war reporting class, and one other small humanities class. This was the maximum load her university would allow her to take as a freshman.
She ended up getting an A in chem, B in calc, B in English, A in both war reporting and the other humanities class. Not 4.0 but solid. In high school she was #1 in her class of 350 taking all the AP courses they offered. Varsity athlete. Stuco. Art awards etc. Pretty much like all the other 3Q candidates. Her ACT was a composite of 32 with a 30 in English and 32 in math. The TWE was a surprise last spring yet humbling in a good way. The one thing she did at college that I believe made a huge impact on her candidancy was she got a job at a local eatery working 20-22 hours a week (basically friday eve, Saturday day, Sunday day and Monday evenings). She also tried out and made it on the club volleyball team as her school which competes D1 does not have varsity womens VB. She was constantly busy. She did not retake the ACT. I repeat she did not retake the ACT. I strongly believe her work experience and fortitude to get involved outside of the classroom is what produced her BFE. In her case the Job and club volleyball coupled with a solid gpa was the difference IMO. However if her ACT scores would of not been in the thirty's she most likely would of taken it again AND I certainly would recommend anyone keep trying to break that threshold.
That's one DD's experience hope it was informative.
 
This is my son's 3rd year to apply to USNA, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. We are still waiting to hear from Navy, Merchant Marine offered him a slot but he was denied a medical waiver, Coast Guard offered him a slot last week and the waiver decision is pending. So from NO offers at all right out of H.S. to 2 offers and one we still don't know about, all I know is, don't give up. My son didn't and now only a medical barrier will keep him out.
 
Congrats to you and your DS Nollie! Celebrate and have one for us still waiting!
 
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