Summer Seminar or SLE or Both?

D

DeepWaters

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My goal is to serve and I have worked hard to make sure I am a strong candidate for a service academy. I have completed by application for the AF Summer Seminar. In part because I know how competitive it is to get accepted, and in part because I am still not sure which academy would be the best fit for me, I am applying to the USNA Summer Seminar and West Point's SLE as well. If I am lucky enough to get in more than one (and again, I am humbled by the fact that the odds are stacked against this), I am curious: 1) Do people regularly do more than one summer session with different academies, or is this too much physically, etc.; 2) If I do get into the AF Summer Seminar, but choose to go to West Point's, mainly because it's closer to home and it will be less of a financial burden on my family to get me to Colorado, will this hurt my chances with AF if I ultimately decide to make it my first choice?; 3) For those with experience at more than one summer session, could you compare/contrast the sessions at the different academies? On paper they sound pretty much alike. I've looked at Youtube videos for whatever that may be worth, and it does seem like the ones at West Point and Navy seem more physically rigorous, which I would welcome, but the academic portion at AF seems very appealing to me.

I know this is a lot to cover. Sorry for the long post. Would welcome any insights folks out there may have.

Thank you.
 
The SAs know and expect candidates will be attending various SA summer programs. First and foremost, they want you to make an informed choice. These programs are designed to give you a glimpse. There is no downside in any SA’s eyes if you attend summer programs/apply to another school. You’re interviewing them; they are interviewing you - in a general way.

Please look past which SA will be the best fit for you to which service. The SAs are a 4-year way station and gateway to a minimum 5 years of obligated service in a branch, MOS or warfare specialty. Do your due diligence there to understand what’s available on the other side of 4 years.
 
When I was at the USAFASS, I was in an element with a girl who had attended the summer programs for USAFA, USNA, USMA, and USCGA. You can definitely choose to go to more than one.

In terms of benefits/drawbacks (from an admissions standpoint) of attending/not attending any given summer program, there aren't many. Admissions repeatedly asserts that acceptance to a summer program has no bearing on your eventual appointment/rejection to any given service academy. Really, getting into a summer program does nothing for your file except for one thing: in your nomination interviews and ALO evaluation, mentioning that you attended a summer seminar and was convinced to prioritize attending a service academy shows Admissions that you are more likely to commit to and succeed in the overall 12 year service commitment (minimum 4 years at the school, 5 active duty, 3 reserves). But even then, it's not a huge thing in terms of your whole file.

Basically, attending a summer seminar helps you decide whether or not you'd like to actually attend said academy. There's almost nothing about attending the summer seminar that will affect your application.
 
Whatever you do, don’t attend SS or SLE because you think it will improve your chances of winning appointment. It won’t. Don’t confuse coincidence with causation. It’s been clearly stated by SAs that attending a summer session confers no advantage. However, if your goal is to learn more about the respective services to help you make a final decision, by all means attend as many as you can.

DD wangled an invitation to all three and worked with a particular one to ensure she could attend three in a row. It was eye-opening, as her assumptions and perceptions were challenged. Made for a better decision when the time came.
 
I was in the same boat as u last year. I applied to Usafa, NASS and SLE. I was accepted to Nass and SLE— both same week. I chose NASS as I knew more about USMA and wanted to learn more about Navy. Loved every single minute of it.
Currently, I have an LOA to both West Point and USAFA. I have a nomination to USNA. Don’t stress the summer piece of it— obviously in my situation, it has no bearing whatsoever. Do what works best for you and your schedule/budget. As u will read from all of the advisors on this site, most recommend Boys State over SLE/NASS if you must choose.
 
If the dates work out then you can surely do all 3. My DS decided to do Boys State and then SLE as he was also debating on USMA. Then fast forward to this time last year and he accepted his appointment to USAFA for the class of 2023. Use it for what it is designed for as it really does not have any bearing on appointment. Actually one of his friends from SLE is in the squadron just around the corner from him at USAFA. I believe the best advice is take all that you can get on each academy and then make an informed decision on which branch of the service you would like to serve your country.
 
To all the future candidates that may be lurking, please do not think that everyone attends all three and you need to hit them all to have a chance at admission or to determine the best path. There are a few candidates each year that are blessed with the means and ability to attend multiple programs but more than half the appointed candidates did not attend at all. If you are selected and have the ability to attend have fun but if you are not selected just keep working hard to put forward the best application possible.
 
Thank you for the replies. Will I find out about whether I get accepted to a summer seminar all at the same time, or will it depend on each academy? If the latter, will I have some time to decide whether to accept or not (i.e., can I wait until I hear from everyone else), or is there a pretty quick deadline for acceptance?
 
They do not coordinate and the offers are "rolling". You may have a few weeks to decide but it all just depends. My DD was always set on USMA but had an offer to NASS. On the final day to accept, she got an offer to SLE. She said it was a no brainer now; "Beat Navy".
 
1) I just attended USAFA's Summer Seminar this past summer but one of my roommates attended AF, Navy, and Coast Guard summer seminars, each the week after another and he did just fine. Other people in my element also went to the Naval Academy Summer Seminar the week before AF and handled it pretty well.
2) They told us while at AF summer seminar that attending it did not affect our chances of getting accepted, however we had the opportunity to learn many tips that help chances of receiving an appointment.
3) Like I said, I only attended USAFA's summer seminar, but I can attempt to explain from what my element members explained to me. USAFA's was split up into different days with a specific focus (Military, Athletics, and Academics) while at the others they focused on all three every day the whole week. It seemed like the others were a "taste" of BCT for a small week and super toned down.
I had a great time at USAFA summer seminar. It's good for those considering but don't exactly know whether or not they'd like to attend the academy. Good luck with the rest of the process!
 
Statistically, cadets/plebes who attended summer seminars have lower drop rates (I saw these statistics somewhere in SAF). It means that the attendees would get a certain level of opportunity/sense to feel what their real lives will be at each SA.

At USCGA AIM, I saw several AIMsters who couldn't control their emotions and....cried. Probably, they had never experienced (?) that harsh environment such as being yelled, criticized, and blamed for so small things. I knew that it was just part of the training, and the cadres intentionally did yell or scream to help the future swabs.

I believe it worked well!

Some AIMsters told that they won't apply to USCGA after finishing the great program. These would save other candidates' spots!
Those who changed their minds even though USCGA used to be their goals for several years would be the group of candidates who will quit just a few weeks/months after I or R-day.

We all know that the summer seminars/programs are designed for marketing each organization's purpose. However, those programs would be still very beneficial to those who are categorized in a specific group in terms of each SA's viewpoint over statistics/probability.

If you already have a great experience on CAP, Sea Cadet, JROTC, etc. and understand cadets' and plebes' lives at SAs, then you would not need to attend the programs but focus on ACT, SAT or other extracurricular activities.

Just FYI - my "personal" opinion:
I attended three summer seminars/programs. I truly enjoyed all and developed confidence over SA. This allowed me to provide my goals and visions to the interviewers with a high level of confidence.

Was it really worth attending more than one program? It depends....but YES for me.

PS: For me, AIM is the best out of the three programs because it's harsher and more rigorous than other programs, e.g., reflecting a more realistic SA environment. I really enjoyed and loved it but, again, some AIMsters cried.... 😢😭
 
MidCakePa said:
Whatever you do, don’t attend SS or SLE because you think it will improve your chances of winning appointment. It won’t. Don’t confuse coincidence with causation. It’s been clearly stated by SAs that attending a summer session confers no advantage. However, if your goal is to learn more about the respective services to help you make a final decision, by all means attend as many as you can.

DD wangled an invitation to all three and worked with a particular one to ensure she could attend three in a row. It was eye-opening, as her assumptions and perceptions were challenged. Made for a better decision when the time came.
Click to expand...
Wondering how physically taxing it was to do back to back for two SAs. How did you DD handle 3 in a row? Is it doable?
 
charger_babe said:
Wondering how physically taxing it was to do back to back for two SAs. How did you DD handle 3 in a row? Is it doable?
Click to expand...
It's do-able, because while each session is full of activity, they're not particularly physically grueling if the candidate is in good shape. It helps too if the kid does a good job eating well and sleeping well while away from home.

Something that worked in DD's favor: She flew home from one SA and slept in her bed for a night. We drove her to the next SA and then picked her up. After sleeping another night in her bed, she flew to the next SA. Helps also that DD is a world-class plane sleeper.

To be sure, she was exhausted after that whirlwind. But the exhilaration of experiencing all three kept her on cloud nine for several days after.
 
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