USNA - Questions about NOLS

P

Proudmama1103

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2018
Messages
68
My DS will be attending NOLS this summer. The information suggests that there is a possibility NOLS could not be selected as the outdoor leadership training provider to receive funding from the Center for Experimental Leadership Development. My question, if NOLS is not selected as the provider, do the Mids get leadership credit? Or does he get credit for his leadership block (I think that is what they call it) regardless of NOLS being selected?

And to anyone who wants to say he will FIO, I get it. But I am footing the tab. Which is the price of an in-state tuition for the year so I really want to make sure money is not going to waste.

Any insight on if the CLED approval is fairly automatic?

Thanks!
 
The primary purpose of NOLS is to provide a leadership experience for mids. It's an excellent opportunity for (primarily) 3/C and 2/C mids to lead their peers in challenging situations. USNA is a leadership lab and this is a way to lead outside of the normal USNA environment. Over the last several years, I've spoken to numerous mids who've participated in NOLS and, to a person, they have said it was an invaluable leadership experience.

NOLS is not intended to be, or to take the place of, an academic course. It may be that some mids are able to obtain some sort of credit (never heard of this, but possible) but this should not be the reason for participating in the program or for funding it.

For students who cannot afford NOLS, there is a process to apply for a scholarship (privately funded) to pay for some or all of the tuition. They should consult the relevant Instruction or contact their company officer.

One other comment: There are NOLS courses specifically designed for USNA/ROTC mids (there is also an "accredited" program run by another company that is very similar to NOLS but operates in the mid-Atlantic region). Obviously, "civilians" can and do participate in NOLS but the programs for mids are not offered to civilians. If the question is whether a mid who participates a regular civilian NOLS program (not affiliated/associated in any way with USNA and not specifically designed for mids) gets credit for a "block" of his/her summer, I would assume the answer is No. It would be treated as anything else you do during your vacation -- and still could be a valuable experience. I would, however, suggest the mid confirm this with USNA.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. All new to this as our Mid is a Plebe. For some reason I thought they do a service block and leadership block over the summer and NOLS was what he chose to do for the leadership block, this my question. From my questions you can probably tell how little I am involved or even know what he does at USNA. The email he forwarded with information after being selected on the costs, etc talked about NOLS not yet being selected as a provider. I didn’t know if that was only for the CELD funding or something else.

Appreciate your insight. Am I correct they do a leadership block and another block doing something with some service line?
 
Proudmama1103 said:
My DS will be attending NOLS this summer. The information suggests that there is a possibility NOLS could not be selected as the outdoor leadership training provider to receive funding from the Center for Experimental Leadership Development. My question, if NOLS is not selected as the provider, do the Mids get leadership credit? Or does he get credit for his leadership block (I think that is what they call it) regardless of NOLS being selected?

And to anyone who wants to say he will FIO, I get it. But I am footing the tab. Which is the price of an in-state tuition for the year so I really want to make sure money is not going to waste.

Any insight on if the CLED approval is fairly automatic?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Have some fun browsing at the link below. I am traveling today, so don’t have time to pinpoint info.

https://www.usna.edu/Training/SummerTraining.php

One of the ways to think about summer training is a series of guided shopping trips. There are mandatory and elective blocks. Mids are exposed to a wide array of professional fields both broadly (the first two years) and more deeply (the last two years) to develop them as future officers and help them with their service and warfare community choices.

100% of the NOLS attendee mids we have sponsored since 1996 have loved their experience and said it was worth every penny. Memorably, one of our mids who is now serving as an EOD Officer, said working with others to get themselves out of an ice crevasse in Alaska, a real no-poop situation, have him the confidence boost to know he could remain calm and functional in dangerous and stressful situations.
 
Typically, 3/C do 2-3 activities over the summer. This will usually include one cruise (ship or submarine) that lasts 2-4 weeks and then a leadership activity, which lasts 3-4 weeks. The latter can be NASS, NOLS, sailing and maybe some other options. Mids can participate in other activities that may count toward one or both, such as jump school, a USMC school (forget the title), foreign travel/exchange, academic/professional internships, etc. In some cases, mids may need to give up some of their leave to do these "extra" things, but they are typically happy to do so because of the great experiences they have.
 
I believe in years past being a Philmont Ranger or a guide at Northern Tier in Minnesota were also options. Our Philmont Ranger 2 years ago was a USNA midshipman.
 
I called and spoke with a nice gentleman at NOLS. Was NOT going to call USNA (never have and never will - don’t want to be one of those Parents). Was told this is an odd year for them as they are having to go through your typical government contracting and to approved as a provider. So there is a chance (hopefully small) that NOLS won’t count for one of your leadership blocks. It sounds like even USNA CELD is anxious to hear. My DS was able to change his election to conditional upon NOLS getting selected. This is a $7,000-8,000 nugget for two weeks so I really want to be sure before we 100% commit. I am hoping they do get picked since it does sound like a fabulous experience.
 
My son is planning to go this summer , the info I got was $5200 for 3 weeks in the field, plus a 500 deposit for gear. Add to that the round trip travel to Alaska.
If/when the program is renewed/approved by USNA, the expectation is that the cost might be lower, USNA could cover about 1200 or so, but no guarantee of that.
There is also a scholarship program where NOLS will cover a portion of the cost based on need.
Some pretty cool videos of last summer:
This was a group of all USNA Mids
 
Actually, NOLS doesn't cover the scholarship. Scholarships are funded by private donations to USNA, most of which (not all) come from alumni.
 
I'm only going on what I've seen this year, but it sure looks like two separate sources of scholarships.
The first one is the NOLS scholarship, that appears to be provided by NOLS. According to the website, they grant almost $2M each year and are funded by donations to NOLS.
https://info.nols.edu/us-service-academy-leadership-expeditions-scholarship-application
Applications were due in Jan, submitted to NOLS (not USNA), and mids have already been notified that they've received them.

The other source of funding is from Center for Experiential Leadership Development (CELD) at USNA and that contribution, according to NOLS, has not been finalized for this year. I'm guessing that is the funding that comes from the Foundation?
 
NOLS is back this year! The academy is to send 84 mids this coming summer and PAY FOR EVERYTHING (tuition, travel, and a small amount of per diem)! How cool is that?
 
As a former plebe and a former NOLS instructor, I have to think this is some of the best training for the extremes of Navy and Marine Corps life. USNA has the PROTRAMID aboard ships, subs, and NASs down cold. This is an outstanding opportunity to build resilience and that "grit" everyone's talking about these days. In addition, though, almost every young person (and quite a few older) really have no earthly idea how they will actually respond and behave when they are cold, bone-tired, hungry, thirsty, wet, and/or sun-blind. This is a chance to confront your smaller Self, acknowledge it exists, and learn what it takes for you to keep going. There is no way to predict this before it happens - none. I saw 18-year-old physically strong young men and women give up in sobbing heaps. I also saw a 62-year-old woman breast cancer survivor with a replaced knee keep going past when everyone else, all younger than her, gave up. This is also why the big strong guys DOR during BUD/s while the smaller guys just Energizer bunny. Seek out these experiences to test your mettle, and do a little more every time!
 
As a two-time NOLS grad, it's definitely worth it no matter what. Interestingly enough, I had my two instructors over this past summer tell me USNA has pulled NOLS from their summer training due to budget restrictions last year. Never followed up to see if this was 100% accurate but it might be. Looks like it was put back based on info from this thread. Make the ends meet to go on one - it'll change your life.
 
ALL of the above is spot on! My DS was a NOLS grad (got a full outside scholarship, and yes, you can do that) and to this day says it was indeed the most meaningful and life changing experience he had at USNA, and that's saying a lot with the things he was able to experience while at canoe U.
 
Update: 2021 NOLS was fully paid by USNA including travel. DS USNA 2023 attending NOLS Alaska with a Navy team.
 
I just got back from a Philmont trek with DS #4 (and youngest). We ran into several mids doing a Ranger stint (including a 2/C who was shotgunned into the same company as my mid). Also ran into a few USNA grad-dads. The mids seemed to be getting a very worthwhile leadership experience. (DS 4 was trolling for mids by wearing a “BEAT ARMY” t-shirt his brother gave him).
 
My DS (MIDN & Eagle) applied for the Philmont MIDN program but got NOLS instead. Both great programs! DS attended 3 High Adventure camps during his Eagle Track. Go Navy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top