Service academies are not antiquated. It is an extremely unique and personalized endeavor that has been happening for generations. Civilian colleges can use numbers, algorithms, etc to fill their seats. They are looking for students in programs, bodies in dorms, diversity on campus, and payees into their budgets. Service academies are choosing the future military officers to lead our armed forces in a variety of very specialized fields. They are looking for honor, duty, ethic, and excellence. Appointees raise their right hand and take the oath to serve their country on active duty from day one. It is not regular college.
So many posts on this forum are trying to reduce admissions chances to a numbers and rankings game. And while some of those metrics can be indicators, they are not deciding factors. The numbers just give some insight into what you know, how you learn, and what you’re ready for. It’s the interviews, recommendation letters, personal statements, and life experiences that flesh out the candidate. These are the things that help determine the leader they are and will be. Graduates of SAs leave their academies, commission, complete brief specialized schooling, and are immediately in leadership roles responsible for young lives, multi-million dollar equipment, and mission completion.
I think back to a young USNA grad who commissioned USMC. After OCS and moving to her first duty station, she immediately found herself deployed to Iraq in charge of a platoon of young Marines. On her very first mission they were hit by an IED and in an instant she was calling for cover, evacuating her wounded, recovering victims, and completing her mission. USNA and USMC were confident in the leader they chose, molded, and entrusted in that position. Her abilities depended on so much more than her GPA and ACT score. And USNA understands that and takes great care in creating each unique class every year. They honestly don’t care how civilian colleges do things.