Top Gun affecting applications

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GuitarDude637

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Do you all think that the new Top Gun movie will dramatically raise the number of applications to service academies, especially as the numbers were so much lower for CO26 (-26% from CO25)? Also, do you think an increase would come only to USNA and USAFA where applicants want to fly, or will an increase come to USMA as well?
 
Applications are at an all time low, I personally think rather than applications going down or up, Top Gun will have somewhat of a neutralizing effect on applicants because of all the troubles going on in the world.
 
Who knows. Unfortunately you can’t decide your age and what happens in the world when you’re young. (If you could, I’d have picked to turn 21 when the world wasn’t shut down due to a respiratory virus).

My advice is to just put your best foot forward. If you want to go to an Academy then now’s the time to bust your ass and work on your application. Sounds like you’re exploring your options. I strongly encourage you to apply to ROTC as well as an Academy. ROTC is not “second place”, it’s the real deal. Navy is now even sending new ROTC plebes to Great Lakes to get their rumps shown what’s what for 2 or 3 weeks. You’ll be a midshipmen in the reserves instead of active duty, and be a regular college student making friends who are on that path as well as who aren’t. Cool stuff.

On the other hand if you want to be a part of an elite fraternal community where you can throw a rock and hit 3 valedictorian varsity captains, a place that pushes you very hard from day one and each day after that up to day 1,400 then come to the Naval Academy or one of our sister schools.

Do the hard work, even when you don’t feel like it.

Cheers.
 
@Kierkegaard thank you for your encouragement, though I wasn’t necessarily asking because it’s affecting my resolve. I just read through the thread on applications being down among all of the academies and had a phone call with my navy liaison several weeks ago where he said that top gun would dramatically increase the number of applications. I was wondering what everyone’s take on the situation would be. Again, thanks anyway for the encouragement.
 
Morey8525 said:
@Kierkegaard thank you for your encouragement, though I wasn’t necessarily asking because it’s affecting my resolve. I just read through the thread on applications being down among all of the academies and had a phone call with my navy liaison several weeks ago where he said that top gun would dramatically increase the number of applications. I was wondering what everyone’s take on the situation would be. Again, thanks anyway for the encouragement.
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I've been doing Service Academy admissions for a very long time and I seriously doubt that the new Topgun movie will "dramatically" affect the number of admissions and have not seen any signs that it has done so in the high schools that I cover.
 
Tangentially related, there are rumors that the buzz of the film has increased interest in aviation among the Brigade, thus making service assignment more competitive. Not sure how true that is. Class of ‘23 will be entering their preferences in a few weeks, I’d be curious to see if there is an unusually higher interest in flying. Real mid @Skipper07 any idea?
 
Skipper07 said:
@Kierkegaard I believe you saw our final preliminary survey results. We were actually ~50 spots short for first choice pilot. This was before Top Gun came out. I will update when final results are released.
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Slight diversion, but I’ve personally been curious about 1st choice sub select, absent protramid, since a training I attended. The number used, from the person in charge of service assignment (BTW… thats a fascinating process!) was ‘about 85 pct of our 1st choice sub selects come from first hand experience in a sub’. And then further discussion about not getting all the Mids in them during protramid, for ‘24 and ‘25. Is there any initial/final analysis available for ‘22 targeted numbers?
 
I agree with OldRetSWO that no movie will "drastically" change Service Academy applications. The original TOP GUN did have positive impact on Navy awareness and recruiting overall, and I would expect the new one will as well. That may lead to some additional Candidates for USNA, and there will always be that person that says I applied because I saw TOP GUN, but but I wouldn't expect it to change the Admissions landscape this year.

Interesting comments about Service Assignment -- I do think the PROTRAMID experience is important to help Midshipmen identify what community appeals to them most, and it will be interesting to see how Officer Retention is impacted if Midshipmen don't get a chance to ride a sub before assignment.
 
Skipper07 said:
@Kierkegaard I believe you saw our final preliminary survey results. We were actually ~50 spots short for first choice pilot. This was before Top Gun came out. I will update when final results are released.
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Does this mean there were 50 extra slots that weren't filled or 50 mids did not get their first choice of pilot?
 
Old Navy BGO said:
I agree with OldRetSWO that no movie will "drastically" change Service Academy applications. The original TOP GUN did have positive impact on Navy awareness and recruiting overall, and I would expect the new one will as well. That may lead to some additional Candidates for USNA, and there will always be that person that says I applied because I saw TOP GUN, but but I wouldn't expect it to change the Admissions landscape this year.

Interesting comments about Service Assignment -- I do think the PROTRAMID experience is important to help Midshipmen identify what community appeals to them most, and it will be interesting to see how Officer Retention is impacted if Midshipmen don't get a chance to ride a sub before assignment.
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Another slight diversion, but somewhat on point…

www.navytimes.com

Navy offers future sailors, veterans up to $115,000 in enlistment, loan repayment incentives

Future sailors and veterans must either enlist or reassess into active duty and ship out before the end of September to qualify.
www.navytimes.com www.navytimes.com
 
@Skipper07 and @Kierkegaard, what is the perception of aviation at USNA like now/recently? My suspicion is that a fair amount of people are turned off by the longer service commitment. What is/was the recruiting environment like regarding other communities? I remember subs were working pretty hard at getting people on the fence and the SWOs were up and coming.
 
kchamp27 said:
Does this mean there were 50 extra slots that weren't filled or 50 mids did not get their first choice of pilot?
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Extra spots isn't entirely correct. It means the amount of mids who put pilot as their first choice is 50 less than USNA's goal. USNA will draft/voluntell people to a specific community to meet manning. Needs of the service. Pilot drafts were a thing back before laser eye surgery.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
@Skipper07 and @Kierkegaard, what is the perception of aviation at USNA like now/recently? My suspicion is that a fair amount of people are turned off by the longer service commitment. What is/was the recruiting environment like regarding other communities? I remember subs were working pretty hard at getting people on the fence and the SWOs were up and coming.
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Definitely a lot of people are dissuaded by the long service commitment, especially with how long it seems to be taking for people to earn their wings now. That said there are plenty of people who are passionately into naval aviation. What’s hot these days is the Marine Corps. They do a ton of recruitment with MOS mixers, Semper Fi Society activities, displays of aircraft and vehicles on the Yard every semester. There are also several Marine officers that have devoted followings in the Brigade. When I was a mid it was Major Thom Schueman, he was teaching English literature, and notably this month he released an outstanding memoir of his time in Afghanistan.
 
Son still wants pilot. Didn't change with the movie, only reinforced it.

But, he has a long way to go before he gets a shot. :p
 
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