Service Academy vs. Princeton

Service Academy or Princeton?

  • West Point

  • Naval Academy

  • Air Force Academy

  • Princeton University

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mik2030

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Hi everyone, I was blessed to receive appointments to the 3 major service academies (West Point, Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy) as well as Princeton.

I've always dreamed of going to a service academy my entire life and "over excelled" in typical academy applicant standards that led me to get early admission at Princeton which was a surprise. I plan to study some sort of biology as premed. I know the service academies is not a conventional pathway for medical school but it is possible if I keep myself a competitive applicant (someone from USAFA even got into Harvard Medical school). Additionally I would like add that if I go to Princeton I will likely (not required) commit to Air Force or Army ROTC. For me, it's more about the environment I can be most successful in and have many opportunities.

Wanted to post this to see if I could get any guidance in choosing.

Additional information: I am not waiting for any more decision because I only applied to these 4 schools plus UW Seattle which I got in but don't plan to go there. The cost of attendance doesn't really matter as I am basically getting full aid.

Thanks.
 
That’s an awesome problem to have, congrats.

My honest take: if your heart has always been set on a service academy, I would be very careful about walking away from that just because Princeton has the bigger civilian name. Princeton is obviously incredible, but the academies are also elite in their own way, and the experience/lifestyle/career path is completely different.

A few things I’d think about:
  1. Do you actually want the military commitment?
    Not just the idea of it, but the day-to-day reality. Because at a service academy, military service is not a side option or something you figure out later. It is the whole point. If you know you want to serve and would regret not taking that path, I’d lean academy.
  2. Do you want the academy environment, or just the prestige?
    Big difference. The academies give you structure, leadership development, guaranteed employment, and a very specific kind of peer group. Princeton gives you much more freedom, probably more academic flexibility, and an easier path if you later decide medicine or something else is the priority.
  3. For premed specifically, Princeton is the cleaner path.
    Can you go med school from an academy? Yes. Does it happen? Yes. But it is definitely less straightforward and depends on service needs, your performance, timing, etc. If being a doctor is the main goal and serving is secondary, Princeton + ROTC probably makes more sense.
  4. ROTC is not the same as an academy.
    A lot of people say, “I’ll just do ROTC,” but that’s still a different experience culturally and developmentally. Great path, but not the same thing. So don’t treat Princeton + ROTC as automatically equivalent to USNA/USAFA/USMA.
My personal opinion:
  • If your deepest goal is to serve as an officer and you’ve dreamed about the academies for years, choose the academy you fit best.
  • If your deepest goal is premed/medicine, and military service is more of an interest than a calling, Princeton is probably the smarter move.
At this point, I’d stop thinking in terms of “best school” and start thinking in terms of best life for the next 10 years.

Because this decision is really:

Service academy = military first, profession second
Princeton = profession first, military optional through ROTC

Neither is wrong. Just depends on which one you’d regret not choosing.

If I were you, I’d ask yourself one question:
If Princeton disappeared tomorrow, would you still be excited to attend a service academy?
And the reverse:
If the academies disappeared tomorrow, would you be thrilled about Princeton?

Your gut reaction to those two questions will probably tell you a lot.

Huge congrats again. You really can’t make a bad choice here.
 
RandomThings2187 said:
That’s an awesome problem to have, congrats.

My honest take: if your heart has always been set on a service academy, I would be very careful about walking away from that just because Princeton has the bigger civilian name. Princeton is obviously incredible, but the academies are also elite in their own way, and the experience/lifestyle/career path is completely different.

A few things I’d think about:
  1. Do you actually want the military commitment?
    Not just the idea of it, but the day-to-day reality. Because at a service academy, military service is not a side option or something you figure out later. It is the whole point. If you know you want to serve and would regret not taking that path, I’d lean academy.
  2. Do you want the academy environment, or just the prestige?
    Big difference. The academies give you structure, leadership development, guaranteed employment, and a very specific kind of peer group. Princeton gives you much more freedom, probably more academic flexibility, and an easier path if you later decide medicine or something else is the priority.
  3. For premed specifically, Princeton is the cleaner path.
    Can you go med school from an academy? Yes. Does it happen? Yes. But it is definitely less straightforward and depends on service needs, your performance, timing, etc. If being a doctor is the main goal and serving is secondary, Princeton + ROTC probably makes more sense.
  4. ROTC is not the same as an academy.
    A lot of people say, “I’ll just do ROTC,” but that’s still a different experience culturally and developmentally. Great path, but not the same thing. So don’t treat Princeton + ROTC as automatically equivalent to USNA/USAFA/USMA.
My personal opinion:
  • If your deepest goal is to serve as an officer and you’ve dreamed about the academies for years, choose the academy you fit best.
  • If your deepest goal is premed/medicine, and military service is more of an interest than a calling, Princeton is probably the smarter move.
At this point, I’d stop thinking in terms of “best school” and start thinking in terms of best life for the next 10 years.

Because this decision is really:

Service academy = military first, profession second
Princeton = profession first, military optional through ROTC

Neither is wrong. Just depends on which one you’d regret not choosing.

If I were you, I’d ask yourself one question:
If Princeton disappeared tomorrow, would you still be excited to attend a service academy?
And the reverse:
If the academies disappeared tomorrow, would you be thrilled about Princeton?

Your gut reaction to those two questions will probably tell you a lot.

Huge congrats again. You really can’t make a bad choice here.
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Some deep thinking for me to reflect on!
Thank you so much for your advice and congratulatory remarks.
 
Not the exact same situation but an equally difficult choice. Read through this thread for some good insight.

M

Thread 'USNA or MIT'

Hello,

Since decision day is right around the corner, I am seeking advice for a very important decision. I am seeking input from experienced people as to which school would be better for me: USNA or AFROTC at MIT. Let me start by describing my situation, career goals, and potential options.

I have always wanted to serve my country and ever since 7th grade I have wanted to attend USNA. Coming into high school, I worked tirelessly towards achieving this goal. I received an LOA in September and an appointment in February. I also applied early action to MIT. I was accepted. To give you...
 
Honestly can't really go wrong here. I chose USNA over Ivy League NROTC last year and don't regret it that much. Make a choice and don't look back. I would visit both and see which population of students do you see yourself with the most? I saw going to USNA as pushing myself academically, physically, and mentally (and it's definitely been a mental challenge without a doubt but it's changed me so much). I will say though for premed, Princeton is a good choice.

Another thing I considered was you can always go to Princeton for grad school, but a service academy is a once in a lifetime experience.
 
I chose Ivy League ROTC over service academies and still don’t regret it 8 years later.

Undergrad at an Ivy is a unique experience, yes they have grad school but it’s different.

At the end of the day, both ROTC and service academies will graduate as an O-1 with the same pay. The military will be there once you graduate, but this will be the only chance in your life to be a college student.

The services need ROTC and OCS grads just as much as they need service academy grads, and it’s helpful to have warfighters from different backgrounds
 
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EA129 said:
Go to an SA to be an officer, go to Princeton to be an M.D. What's your priority? There is no wrong answer: It''s your long term goal that matters.
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Haha would love to do that but they don't have a medical school because they are all focused on undergraduate studies. I get your point though and a good one at that.
 
mik2030 said:
Haha would love to do that but they don't have a medical school because they are all focused on undergraduate studies. I get your point though and a good one at that.
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It is true that the individual Service Academies don't have a medical school but they JOINTLY have the USUHS which is where many/most SA grads who do get a medical billet will get their Med School education.
 
OldRetSWO said:
It is true that the individual Service Academies don't have a medical school but they JOINTLY have the USUHS which is where many/most SA grads who do get a medical billet will get their Med School education.
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Sorry should have been more specific. I meant Princeton doesn't have a business, law, or medical school due to them focusing on undergraduate studies. Yes, that is also something to consider as the Uniform Medical School is outstanding and will be covered by the military.
 
mik2030 said:
Sorry should have been more specific. I meant Princeton doesn't have a business, law, or medical school due to them focusing on undergraduate studies. Yes, that is also something to consider as the Uniform Medical School is outstanding and will be covered by the military.
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Yes, neither USNA nor Princeton themselves have "medical schools." The point being that USNA is a sub optimal choice for your undergraduate studies if your goal primarily centers around becoming a doctor; in that case, Princeton is a better choice.
 
2030GoNavy said:
Not the exact same situation but an equally difficult choice. Read through this thread for some good insight.

M

Thread 'USNA or MIT'

Hello,

Since decision day is right around the corner, I am seeking advice for a very important decision. I am seeking input from experienced people as to which school would be better for me: USNA or AFROTC at MIT. Let me start by describing my situation, career goals, and potential options.

I have always wanted to serve my country and ever since 7th grade I have wanted to attend USNA. Coming into high school, I worked tirelessly towards achieving this goal. I received an LOA in September and an appointment in February. I also applied early action to MIT. I was accepted. To give you...
Click to expand...
MIT is a no brainer for anyone who gets in, unless you are a legacy from some other school. There is a reason they have the highest yield rate of accepted students. Junior number one got waitlisted at MIT and went to USAFA.
 
AA787DRIVER said:
MIT is a no brainer for anyone who gets in, unless you are a legacy from some other school. There is a reason they have the highest yield rate of accepted students. Junior number one got waitlisted at MIT and went to USAFA.
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Why would you say it’s a no brainer - especially for someone who plans to serve.
Also, why would someone turn down MIT just because they are legacy at another school?
 
I was in a similar boat with a T5 and a T20 versus all 3 academies. I feel called to lead soldiers at the highest capacity I am capable. West Point will best train me to do exactly that. Using this logic, turning down even a full ride at a top ivy league university was easy for me. I'll be going to West Point this June.

Meditate and pray over this: what it is you feel called to do, who you want to become, and what university will best prepare you for this.
 
mik2030 said:
Sorry should have been more specific. I meant Princeton doesn't have a business, law, or medical school due to them focusing on undergraduate studies. Yes, that is also something to consider as the Uniform Medical School is outstanding and will be covered by the military.
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Look at your long term goal. Going to a service academy will more likely than not delay medical school by years. There's no guarantee of medical school either as a cadet/midshipman. I have a couple of classmates who've gone onto medical school post-service utilizing their Post 9/11 GI Bill.

For USCGA grads who graduated in or before 2014 (or were CGAS prep students who entered in 2014), we got our GI Bill at our 3rd year anniversary of graduation.
One is an orthopedic surgery resident, the other just matched into pediatrics last week (she went to NYU). My classmate who went onto NYU medical school was offered a medical school slot from the Coast Guard after leaving the service while she was doing her post-bacc at Fordham. She turned it down. Her husband is a civilian tech worker, and she didn't want to be subject to whatever residency the military would choose for her.

My recommendation: If your long term goal is medical school, go to Princeton and do the non-scholarship ROTC route if you desire to serve in the military. You'll be able to "try out" if you want to serve/commission after graduation without the commitment, unlike those who go the Officer Candidate School (OCS) route. That's up until your junior year where you "contract" with a branch and commit to commissioning and serving upon graduation.

More significantly, unlike Service Academy graduates & ROTC Scholarship recipients, you'll immediately start building time towards the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The Post 9/11 GI Bill will cover all your tuition at a public university's medical school. Many private universities participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program as well, which will more often than not cover all the medical school tuition.

Several reasons for this:

  • Non-scholarship ROTC accessions build time towards the Post 9/11 GI Bill during their early years. Service Academy graduates and ROTC Scholarship recipients need to fulfill their Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO) before they accrue time towards Post 9/11 GI Bill.
  • Per the VA: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/

  • Does VA consider some periods of service to be “non-qualifying”?​

    Yes. Some periods of service are non-qualifying. If you have non-qualifying service, it means that period of service doesn’t count toward your Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility requirements. We also consider any period of service that counts toward one of these Department of Defense (DoD) programs to be non-qualifying
    • Loan Repayment Program (LRP)
    • Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Scholarship
    • Service Academy Graduation
  • This comment from Reddit spells it out pretty nicely as well:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/ROTC/comments/1pyes55/rotc_without_scholarship_worth_it
  • The financial benefit of non-scholarship ROTC in your situation is gaining full Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility after 3 yrs active duty. The Post-9/11 will pay 100% of your tuition and fees (plus a living stipend) at any public school in America for 36 calendar months. Most private schools offer Yellow Ribbon matching funds that TL;DR also make them free to attend.

    The practical benefit of ROTC over OCS is you figure out earlier if you don’t wanna do this — and you might be able to get out before signing papers.

Princeton has Army, Air Force, and Navy ROTC participation. You can participate as a non-scholarship recipient: https://rotc.princeton.edu/

You'll need to look it up further, but it seems that USAF/USSF requires a 4 year service obligation even if you are non-scholarship. Navy seems to only require a 3 year service obligation if you are non-scholarship.

Overall path would be as follows for you, as I would recommend:

  • Go To Princeton Undergrad
  • Non-Scholarship Air Force or Navy ROTC
  • Commission active duty for 3 years Navy (or 4 years USAF/USSF)
  • Apply for & Matriculate at a Civilian Medical School using the Post 9/11 GI Bill to cover tuition & get a housing stipend
  • Choose the residency you want not the one the military wants you to have

You'll want to time the MCAT appropriately. My understanding is that MCAT score is good for 3 years. That puts you at entering medical school around the 24-26 year mark depending on your age upon graduation from Princeton. Graduate medical school at 28-30. Residency for 3-5 years depending on residency.

You'll be 31-35 at that point as a fully trained physician with no undergraduate nor medical school student debt, and a veteran with all the privileges that come with that.

I'm in my mid-30s now and getting my MBA part time on top of working in tech. Very happy I went and served for a few years. Way happier being out of the service and independent at this point in my life.

Many of my classmates who moved onto working in medicine, law, finance, or tech and earned advanced degrees with their GI Bills feel the same way.
 
mik2030 said:
I know the service academies is not a conventional pathway for medical school but it is possible if I keep myself a competitive applicant (someone from USAFA even got into Harvard Medical school).
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I know the cadet from USAFA who was admitted to Harvard Medical School this year. Extremely intelligent, a very high leadership position within the wing, and a very nice person. They will not be attending Harvard Medical School next year. Pete Hegseth's ban on Ivy League grad schools has ended that dream. They will attend another top medical school and will become a Doctor in the USAF...they just won't be doing it at Harvard. I suspect you may have the same issue if you enroll in the ROTC program at Princeton...then again, all of these rules could get overturned after the next election.

Keep in mind that there are 15-20 medical school slots available at USAFA each year (and I believe a similar number at the other SAs you are considering). Those slots don't automatically go to the top 15-20 graduates. At USAFA, many of the top graduates want to be pilots, not doctors. (I can't speak to USNA or USMA, but I suspect the dynamic is similar at those institutions). The competition for medical school slots at the SAs is tough but certainly achievable for someone with grades and test scores good enough to get admitted to Princeton.

You must be a pretty good athlete to get admitted to all 3 SAs. If that's the case, you have a great shot at becoming a distinguished graduate at USAFA (and whatever the equivalent recognition is at USNA and USMA). I would recommend you go to the school that feels right for you. Don't make the decision based on college rankings, perceived prestige, or likelihood of gaining admission to medical school. Your chances of medical school admission are going to be very strong at any of those schools, I suspect.

Good luck!
 
For what it’s worth I graduated from Princeton and my son graduated from West Point and I envy his experience. Different flavors of prestige, but if I compare 23 year old me and my 2LT…? I was not even in the same category for experience, resilience, “wisdom”, worldview, fitness level and so much more
 
ALF648 said:
For what it’s worth I graduated from Princeton and my son graduated from West Point and I envy his experience. Different flavors of prestige, but if I compare 23 year old me and my 2LT…? I was not even in the same category for experience, resilience, “wisdom”, worldview, fitness level and so much more
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Did you want to be a physician though? I think that is more important for OPs long term goal. Attending a service academy is a unique experience. Being an alumni has its own perks.

If OP wants to ultimately go on to medical school, going to Princeton and doing the non-scholarship ROTC option is the way to go to get medical school tuition covered. Military medicine is a respectable path, but it also comes with its downsides.

One of my friends is currently an anesthesia resident at Walter Reed. He did HPSP and was an E5 prior to going to medical school. He'll be at the 15-16 year mark once his commitment is up for HPSP, and even he is considering leaving before 20 due to the amount he can make on the outside.

Yes, this is years away for OP. I have classmates who attended medical school post service as well. It's different in your 30s though and many people who you thought would do twenty left.
 
2030GoNavy said:
Why would you say it’s a no brainer - especially for someone who plans to serve.
Also, why would someone turn down MIT just because they are legacy at another school?
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MIT is a very small school and if you are lucky enough to get accepted, the yield is about 88 percent right now. My youngest got into both MIT and AFROTC Type 1, he gave ROTC a year and could not handle the possibility of not getting his first job pick and left ROTC. Lots of wealthy and powerful families have certain schools that family members are expected to attend ( Think Harvard). Just get accepted first, a great problem to have to deal with.
 
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