USNA/USMA vs Princeton ROTC

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NavyUMO

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Well my DS just found out that he was accepted to Princeton last evening. He has Navy and Army ROTC scholarships and also has appointments to USNA/USMA. As a USNA grad, I completely understand the differences in the experience and pros/cons of one versus the other. I have tried to impart my experiences to him but, at the end of the day, he has to live it and do it. Would love to get others in the forum for additional sage input on factors to consider to put into his calculus and final decision. He would like to decide by Christmas, to put a bow around (pun intended) this long and arduous multi-month process.
 
Congrats to your son. In my mind it comes down to A) Is he 100% he wants to join the military upon graduation, and B) Does he want the distinct service academy experience with all its pros and cons? You know how it is as a grad. If he’s looking for independence and to chart his own college experience then princeton. On the other hand if he’s drawn to the academy traditions and culture then there you go.
 
NavyUMO said:
Well my DS just found out that he was accepted to Princeton last evening. He has Navy and Army ROTC scholarships and also has appointments to USNA/USMA. As a USNA grad, I completely understand the differences in the experience and pros/cons of one versus the other. I have tried to impart my experiences to him but, at the end of the day, he has to live it and do it. Would love to get others in the forum for additional sage input on factors to consider to put into his calculus and final decision. He would like to decide by Christmas, to put a bow around (pun intended) this long and arduous multi-month process.
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Regardless of what he decides, congrats. My goodness. What an incredible problem to have...Naval Academy, West Point, or Princeton.
 
Congrats to your DS on these options and for his willingness to serve. Of course, thank you for your service, as well.

A couple discussion points:
  • What does your DS intend to major in? which SA or Princeton has a strong program in that major.
  • Which college experience would be prefer - civilian college vs SA?
  • Knowing himself, would a SA structure benefit him for growth/ motivation? Or would he benefit from unstructured time where time management and self motivation would come more into play.
  • Which branch of the military has both preferred service selections and preferred backup service selections (in the event he doesn't get his first choice)?
  • What will you as a family do during the Army-Navy game if he goes USMA (I kid on this one).

Good luck - awesome when these young people who worked this hard have all the options in front of them.
 
To add to looking at the decision from a 360 point of view, he can always go to Princeton for grad school later on. The Ivies have a long history of accepting SA veterans, and if he serves the time to earn the Post-9/1 GI Bill educational benefit. This are also many opportunities for grad school while serving. Many among our USNA mid sponsor family have attended Harvard, MIT, etc.

It all comes down to where he thinks he will thrive.
 
jbm2m said:
Love to see it! DD is still navigating the medical waiver process, but was accepted to Cornell Engineering last night. It’s a hell of a conundrum - service academy or Ivy?
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Congrats to your DD! It was an exciting night no doubt!
 
Wow - congrats. What an awesome decision to have to make! I was fortunate to attend an SA and then go to an Ivy league school for grad school. So, while my words mean nothing because it's his decision to make, I would go to Princeton. Politics aside, Mark Milley is a Princeton grad and ended up making it pretty far in the military.... Congrats again. He must be on cloud 9 right now.
 
First of all congrats to your DS. To echo some of the comments already, I think the perfect solution would be to go Annapolis for undergrad and Princeton (or any other Ivy) for grad school. Best of both worlds in my mind. Unless he really wants the traditional college experience, don't know how he can go wrong with this.
 
Understand the desire to choose by Christmas, but . . . if he's not sure, he should take all the time he needs. This is a big decision.

Here's one data point. A son's friend was accepted to a bunch of top civilian schools and also USNA. He received all 3 MOC noms -- and lived in SoCal (so 2 Senator noms from CA). One of the Senators MOC committees said he was the strongest candidate they'd ever seen (take that for what it's worth :) ). He was an avid and experienced sailor and drooled when he saw USNA's racing boats.

In his case, his mother didn't want him to go to USNA for some (to me) strange reasons -- nothing to do with fear of his getting killed, etc. The young man dithered and dithered. Finally, on the very last day, turned down USNA and attended an east coast college. There, he excelled academically and really got into physical fitness.

When he graduated, the desire to serve was still there. He wanted to be a SEAL. However, at one point while he flying home from that civilian school, he suffered an episode of DVT. It killed any chance of a military career, at least in spec ops. He went to various specialists, tried all sorts of options . . . but his dream was over before it even started.

He has gone on to a very successful life but there will always be this empty space. And I always wonder whether, had he gone to USNA, his life would have been different. We'll never know.
 
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Holden100 said:
Congrats to your DD! It was an exciting night no doubt!
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Same to you! Took the sting out getting a call Wednes that West Point docs had recommended not granting a waiver. Working through appeals process now. Either way, these kids have so many amazing options!
 
USMC Crayons said:
First of all congrats to your DS. To echo some of the comments already, I think the perfect solution would be to go Annapolis for undergrad and Princeton (or any other Ivy) for grad school. Best of both worlds in my mind. Unless he really wants the traditional college experience, don't know how he can go wrong with this.
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Honestly, this is how DS#1 chose USAFA. He decided that MIT could wait for grad school.

I just want to say congrats, though! That is a great problem to have.
 
Princeton has a fantastic Army ROTC program. I think they were the only Ivy to not kick ROTC off campus during the Vietnam War campus protests in the 1970s. As mentioned by another commenter above, Mark Milley is a Princeton grad. Their NROTC program is hosted at Rutgers, I've heard good things about it too.

I would definitely go to admitted students days for Princeton in April (I think it used to be called Tiger Tuesday?) before turning down a Princeton acceptance. You have until May 1 to decide on it I think. Those programs give a really good view on what life is like as an undergrad at that college, and you can do events with the Army ROTC (or NROTC unit) during your visit too. They'll probably have you shadow a cadet or midshipman during your time there too.

Yes, you can go to Princeton for grad school, but it's not nearly the same as the Princeton Undergrad experience. Being founded in the 18th century, they also have a ton of traditions to go along with it. Their alumni network is fantastic, top-notch, probably the best in the Ivy League. That being said, if you're looking for the Service Academy experience, you definitely won't get that at Princeton, so choose USMA or USNA if that's the goal.

3 great choices for schools, don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Congrats on the acceptances!
 
I can warn you about the 40-minute commute (without traffic) to Navy ROTC (Rutgers). So difficult to schedule with classes! If he will be an engineering major, even worse. The best advice is to pick the Service, not the college/academy, for a long-term view. My DD did Ivy AFROTC scholarship over USAFA, but after 2 yrs. she lost said full scholarship due to Obama's sequestration cut to all non-tech ROTC majors. Looking back, "$&!% happens," and she had a great alumni network to secure a fantastic career.
 
Just for fun, my buddy was a member of Butler college of Princeton and graduated in 1992. He would often lament about this classmate Ted who just always, always wanted to debate him - he would joke about jumping into a fountain (not sure - maybe the fountain of freedom?) to avoid contact with said person - said the guy was very intelligent and yet just relentless and energized by spirited debate- that he'd debate anyone, at any time, and ended up going to Harvard Law. Just not his cup of tea - that "ted" was/ turned out to be the honorable Senator Ted Cruz. Also, Mackenzie Scott was in their graduating class and they would see both Ms. Scott and Jeff Bezos who graduated a bit earlier, at Reunions. I got some funny "selfies" with Mr. Bezos in the background.

I spent a lot of time at the firestone library doing research (I had reciprocity to go there because of my association with another ivy) -back when going to a library in-person provided greater access to materials. Buddies who went there, who were pretty phenomenal students, would marvel at the talent around them and some have gone on to do amazing things. Just one more data point for the OP as their talented HS Senior weighs the many options before them.
 
NavyUMO said:
Well my DS just found out that he was accepted to Princeton last evening. He has Navy and Army ROTC scholarships and also has appointments to USNA/USMA. As a USNA grad, I completely understand the differences in the experience and pros/cons of one versus the other. I have tried to impart my experiences to him but, at the end of the day, he has to live it and do it. Would love to get others in the forum for additional sage input on factors to consider to put into his calculus and final decision. He would like to decide by Christmas, to put a bow around (pun intended) this long and arduous multi-month process.
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Say a lot about your DS high school career - and to quote The Honorable Judge Scmails, “you’re no slouch yourself”..:). Of course a lot depends on his major, etc but a few things to consider:

1. Ivy League schools rep has taken a hit over the years. Doesn’t have the same clout it used to have.

2. As a corporate exec who has hired hundreds of people, I can say I have NEVER hired or even interviewed someone simply based on where they attended school… except when It comes to service academies. I will almost always add them to the “in person” interview slate..

3. After college, then what?

4. Do you think he has the stuff for the service academy? Do you think he will thrive and flourish there? The combination of “other responsibilities” has bruised even the best academic HS student.

It’s a nice result of your DS obviously kicking butt and taking names during HS. Now comes the next chapter of his life..
 
Daughter USNA. Captain USMC Current IVY Law School (one SEAL and amazingly quite a few veterans from every service in her program). Another chapter and many pages left.
 
AF6872 said:
Daughter USNA. Captain USMC Current IVY Law School (one SEAL and amazingly quite a few veterans from every service in her program). Another chapter and many pages left.
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Our USNA mid alumni sponsor family have gone on to Stanford Business School, U Penn Wharton, UVA Law, Harvard Kennedy School, Mt. Sinai Medical School, Duke Medical School, Georgetown Foreign Affairs, MIT, other Ivies and “glow-on-wall” schools with their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit. Welcomed as veterans. Yellow Ribbon Funds available to pick up the delta between GI Bill cap tied to in-state tuition and private school tuition.

True across all SAs, commissioning programs, services.

And then there is always Jonny Kim, who started out enlisted and took advantage of every opportunity along the way. Wears a Silver Star too. Read every item at the link below.

I know LCDR Kim is neither an SA grad nor an undergrad Ivy grad, but there is more than one path to a glittering career.

www.nasa.gov

Jonny Kim - NASA

Lieutenant Commander (LCDR, U.S. Navy) Jonny Kim was selected by NASA in 2017. Kim is a dual designated Naval Aviator and Flight Surgeon, and as a former Navy
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
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