US Naval Sea Cadet Corps

faststreet

faststreet

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My 11th grade DD is a little weak in the leadership area. She won't be able to be a sports captain until her senior year and does not have a lot of other leadership opportunities. At the armed forces tent area tonight at our states fair, we learned about the Sea Cadet program. Does anyone have any prior experience with this program and how is it looked apon by the various service academies?
 
From what I have heard it is viewed by admissions as being similar to scouting/Eagle Scout depending on what rank you might be. I also think that it would be hard to gain a leadership position in just one year since many sea cadets have been in the program for more than all of high school. I was thinking about starting during my freshman year but it was too far away to travel to every week.
 
Hi :) I'm a candidate for the class of 2020 and I would recommend Civil Air Patrol. I've been in for nearly 5 years and I've found that they have a broader span of opportunities for leadership as well as leadership programs.

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McG46 said:
Hi :) I'm a candidate for the class of 2020 and I would recommend Civil Air Patrol. I've been in for nearly 5 years and I've found that they have a broader span of opportunities for leadership as well as leadership programs.

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About how long would I need to be in the program for to access one of these leadership programs?
 
Well, each squadron is a little different. In my squadron, I was interviewing cadets as new as 6 months for certain positions (mostly supply, admin, public affairs, or PT officers) Check out gocivilairpatrol.com to find a unit near you. You can sit in on a few meetings and ask questions.

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I believe USMA gives points to those who attend Boys/Girls State. USNA may as well. It's a great program and fairly easy to get into.
 
My DS is a current plebe at USNA. He joined a local US Naval Sea Cadet unit at the end of his sophomore year of high school. It gave him the chance to participate in some really exciting programs (CyberPatriot, Robotics). There are many opportunities for leadership positions. And I think it probably looked good on his application to USNA as well.
 
I'm in sea cadets, and I think that it's one of the best programs. Of course, I've never done civil air patrol so I can't say which is better but it gave me a lot of exposure to military and a similar experience to plebe summer/basic training at recruit training for the program. It has a lot of different trainings like medical, firefighting, aviation, leadership academy, culinary and so much more. I also joined in my junior year (I wish I could have joined earlier) and never regret it.

I think you can go to pola (leadership academy) after about 9 months or so considering you do all the work and get promoted on time
And after pola you can staff trainings
 
My DD is a candidate for the class of 2020. She's a senior in high school, and she joined the Sea Cadets around the end of her sophomore year, when we first discovered the program. She went to RT training/boot camp during Christmas break of her junior year. She has been able to achieve the rank of E3, and has done a variety of trainings such as scuba, field ops, and recon for the Sea Bees. She's hoping to do another training over Christmas break. There's still time for your DD to accomplish a lot during the next year.

I cannot say if it's helped getting into USNA (my DD is still waiting to hear!). But I cannot say enough great things about the US Naval Sea Cadet program! Two of my younger kids have also joined. It gives a great idea of what to expect from military life, builds confidence, and it offers opportunities that are just not found elsewhere, from firearm safety to touring a nuclear plant.

If you have a Sea Cadet program near you, I highly recommend joining!
 
I'm a LCDR in the Sea Cadets and a BGO. Admissions looks highly on the program, but your daughter's experience will vary by unit. I strongly suggest contacting the local unit for a better intro to the program and have an honest conversation about her intentions. With about a year left before graduating, I surmise she could learn general military knowledge, etc, but I question if she'll gain significant leadership opportunities. Again, this depends on the unit and she would need to see for herself.
 
Awesome program, but it also depends on the unit you join. Been in it since the age of 11, when I joined the Navy League Cadets (for kids under 13), then moved up to the Sea Cadets when I hit 13 1/2. Had tons of leadership roles, attended Petty Officer Leadership Academy (POLA), participated as a staff cadet during summer trainings, and eventually was selected for several top leadership positions. However, to get the most of the program, you really need to join earlier than junior year to get promoted and get the opportunity to be selected for leadership positions. Those leadership positions and the leadership positions I obtained in Boy Scouts, right up to Eagle Scout were a tremendous experience for me and will help me to build my future on no matter where I go. Recently I received an LOA to the USNA, so I am guessing this all helped me, but it's the whole person view that they say is important.

Do it because you want to, not because you have to. I enjoyed, and still enjoy going to drills for the comradery and the activities, and the opportunity to volunteer. Joining at this late stage will not really help, but it will not hurt. The later you join, the less time you have to build up your leadership skills and be selected for leadership positions.

Good luck to everyone.
 
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