Greystone Prep vs. ROTC and other prep programs
I tried to attach the following as a Word document but couldn't figure it out. So, following is MOST of the text from a letter Commander Bailey at Greystone is sending to imterested students. It addresses why doing NROTC and reapplying to USNA is not the best way to gain academy acceptance...
Keep in mind, from the time you received that Academy rejection letter, a countdown clock has been ticking as you move toward your Induction Day, 2008. As a college-level candidate, you have this summer and the fall semester to demonstrate to an academy admissions board that you have the “right stuff” to be considered as a scholar, athlete and leader. Everything boils down to one question – how will you spend these precious few months between now and the time when the admissions board makes their decision regarding your appointment to the Class of 2012? For those considering Greystone, know that we make every moment count by providing a challenging 3-prong approach to academy preparation: college-level academics that are in-sync with academy academics, rigorous PT and sports program designed by academy athletic departments to increase your overall strength and conditioning and most importantly, exposure to real leaders who are academy graduates and career officers who will present you with character and leadership training. Our intent is to keep you focused in order to maximize every minute – we will not waste your time with “busy” work or unchallenging, repetitive high-school academics!
For those considering Greystone at Schreiner University, let me offer a look at the big picture. There are plenty of programs around the country that offer to “prepare” you for the rigors of the academies. As you evaluate your options, consider each prep program from the standpoint of its parent institution to ensure the program is fully capable of meeting your individual academic, athletic and leadership development needs. Any program must be able to raise you up from the high school level to the college/university level if you are going to make a smooth lateral transition from that prep program to the academy – very few programs are designed to do that!. Ask about the prep program staff qualifications – are there any academy graduates in their prep program staff and does the staff have real academy/military experience that would enable them to deliver a true “academy prep” experience. The answers may surprise you!
If you are considering a civilian or military private school, know that these institutions are in business of providing younger students (typically grades 6-12) with a highly structured and supervised middle and high school education. Post high school academy prep is typically a low-cost “add-on” program (glorified grade 13) utilizing their existing high school level courses (hence the low-or-no-cost) to overcome your academic weaknesses. Most of these programs do not offer college-level academics. Candidates who do not receive an appointment again will have wasted a year academically (they still have not started their college education) and have spent a great deal of time and money for basically no gain. There is very little in terms of “return” provided for such an investment and I do not recommend this course of action.
If you are considering going to a civilian college or university, in my opinion, you are on the right track (it is the level of course work the academies recommend for those candidates reapplying)! Real college level courses will expose you to the right level of academic expectation, but keep in mind that while you are engaged in 18 credit hours of college courses, the entire academy application process will be up to you to complete without specialized assistance and coaching. This also includes all administrative work needed to earn your nomination. There are very few institutions with academy experience or political expertise that can effectively assist you in either task. The Greystone team becomes your personal advocate with the Academy admissions and Congressional staffs. Achieving your maximum potential academically is challenging enough without the added load of reapplying for your nomination or appointment to the academy!
If you are considering prepping through an ROTC program, know that they are not in the business of prepping candidates for academies. ROTC programs are not funded to support academy prep programs nor are they staffed or trained to meet your very specific needs – they are in the business of preparing college students over a 4-year period to become reserve officers upon graduation and they do that task very well. Due to the additional time requirements of the introduction into the ROTC college-military lifestyle and introductory military academic courses, there is little time to dedicate to your application for academy appointment. With the added initiation and academic burden, it is not unusual for freshman ROTC students to perform below standard (2.0 GPA) which will have a negative impact on your application to the academy admissions board, (as a reminder, you will be competing with other college level candidates who have not incurred the added service obligation). I know some of you are attracted to the ROTC option because of the potential for lower cost education, but ask yourself what is the value of your dream to attend the academy? From that perspective, the low-cost ROTC option becomes a very expensive alternative dream – especially considering that this option has only a 2% success rate toward academy admission!
Given all options, consider what you will be doing to maximize this year (actually only nine short months) of prep. Will you be enjoying another year of high school or will you be alone on a college campus, perhaps burdened by ROTC initiation and basic military science classes? The academies recommend that candidates interested in reapplication enroll in a 4-year, fully accredited college or university and take math, science and English courses. Not one academy recommends another year of high school nor do they recommend using the ROTC as a prep institution.
As a Greystone student, you will be guided through a structured and organized program designed to meet your specific needs – for your academy appointment and to maximize your 4-year academy experience. As a member of the Greystone team, you will follow the recommendation of the academies and be enrolled in a 4-year, fully accredited institution – Schreiner University. Over 9-months, you will take 36 credit hours worth of Calculus, Chemistry/lab, English Composition, U.S. History, Economics – the exact courses you take as first-year cadets or midshipmen.
Greystone will also challenge you physically unlike any other academy prep program. The PT program employs exercises designed by LT Stew Smith, former Navy SEAL and currently the USNA Plebe Physical Education Program coordinator, to significantly improve your overall strength and conditioning. On average, Greystone students improve their CFA scores by 24%.
Most importantly, the academies are looking for candidates with proven leadership experience. As freshmen on a college campus, in an ROTC program or as “prepsters” at a military or civilian school, you will not assume leadership roles nor will you comprehend the true meaning of responsibility and accountability. At Greystone, you can experience assignments as a class officer, student senate representative, or one of many special projects coordinators. You will also receive leadership and character development training from career military officers who know the meaning of leadership, honor, integrity and courage.
Unlike any other program in the country, Greystone was designed by faculty and staff from all five of the service academies specifically for candidates who want to reapply for an appointment. What this means is that Greystone is the answer to what the academies want in true preparatory education and training.
As a Greystone student and member of the Schreiner community, you will be part of a close-knit team of highly motivated academy candidates who will become your friends, study and workout buddies, and eventually, academy classmates. The Greystone team also includes our staff, Board of Directors and Executive Steering Committee – all of whom have extensive academy experience (grads or faculty members) and/or are career military officers. Greystone delivers what the academies have asked for in academy preparatory education and training - university level education, specialized athletic/physical fitness development, professional academy leadership training and individual character development. Greystone candidates perform at a higher level while remaining completely focused on the goal of earning an academy appointment. Clearly, Greystone has set the new standard for academy preparatory education. The proof of our claim lies in the fact that 100% of all Greystone graduates have earned at least one nomination and over 90% of our graduates have earned at least one appointment. Unlike other institutions, Greystone listened to what the academies wanted in academy preparatory education and delivered a program that completely exceeded their expectations.
As a “post high school candidate”, you will not be competing against next year’s high school candidates; you will be competing against others like yourself who are recent high school graduates and about to go on to college. For the big three academies – West Point, Annapolis and Air Force – that means for each academy, you will be in a pool of approximately 400 candidates. Through your performance, you must stand out from this select group academically, athletically and as a leader because each academy will only accept approximately 100 candidates from this pool. The question you should be asking yourself is how can you best stand out as a college-level candidate?