I received a call today that I was selected for a Naval Academy Foundation Scholarship. Currently I have received a full NROTC Scholarship to SDSU and I am still waiting to here back from the USMMA. Am I out completely for an Appointment to the USNA? Is the foundation a good option or should I go the ROTC route? Any input will help! Thanks
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- Thread starter Kode4
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USNAhopeful88
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Not a bad situation to be in , looks like you have some great options. I believe the foundation route is comparable to a year at NAPS and would probably put you in a good spot to compete for an appointment. Going the foundation school route will (I believe) prepare you better for plebe year better than ROTC. But even ROTC will prepare you a lot of your ultimate goal is to attend USNA. I would say if your absolute dream is to attend USNA go foundation. If you just wanna commission as an officer but don't really care how you get there, ROTC is a fine option. Good luck with your decision
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MJP
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4, Great spot to be in. Out for a direct appointment this year most likely. About 300 appointments come from NAPS/Foundation each year so that is a plus. Doing a year of NROTC at SDSU will give you a taste of both college and military routine(though nothing like academy) AND give you another nomination source as NROTC midshipman. USD is where you'll meet with brigade so consider the drive time back and forth.
Doing a year of SDSU gets you college credits and that much closer to graduation if you decide next year that you don't want to go to academy. If you take course load that mirrors USNA plebe year, you may set yourself up to be able to validate a couple courses should you get an appointment next year. Either way, if you get in, you'll be that much better prepared. If not, you carry on with NROTC and commission that way- with little college debt!
Year of Foundation School work is all about preparing you to be successful at the academy and does not earn you college credits-generally.
Congrats on both accounts. You may want to seek out Foundation Mids and NROTC Mids and get their opinions.
Doing a year of SDSU gets you college credits and that much closer to graduation if you decide next year that you don't want to go to academy. If you take course load that mirrors USNA plebe year, you may set yourself up to be able to validate a couple courses should you get an appointment next year. Either way, if you get in, you'll be that much better prepared. If not, you carry on with NROTC and commission that way- with little college debt!
Year of Foundation School work is all about preparing you to be successful at the academy and does not earn you college credits-generally.
Congrats on both accounts. You may want to seek out Foundation Mids and NROTC Mids and get their opinions.
Kode4...I am assuming since you mentioned SDSU that you live in or near San Diego? Like USNAhopeful88 and MJP have stated...not a bad situation to be in but only you know if the foundation route is the best for you or not. SDSU is a good school and their NROTC program is good also. Congratulations on both and it is a good position to be in.
Thanks everyone for the input! I plan on doing a lot more research on the foundation as well as my options through NROTC. My ultimate goal is to become a pilot, I'm not adamant about going to an academy, but I want to do what will get me to my goal. Will turing 4 years or school into 5 by going the foundation route or reapplying be worth it? Is the academy experience really worth it or would I be better suited to continue with ROCT?
MJP
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Just getting a pilot slot is hard no matter which route you take. Only you can decide if the academy experience is "worth it". You have to define what that "worth" is.
I saw somewhere that a USNA graduate posted the Naval Academy was a "great place to be from, just not a great place to be". Sour grapes? Maybe, but from what my DS and I have read, seen, been told by grads and others, it is the 4 most challenging years of your life and you will learn a great deal about the Navy and yourself.
If the goal is to become a Naval Aviator, you can get there through any number of routes-it's just really difficult. The Academy, or NROTC, or OCS etc are vehicles you use to get there. Not sure of the numbers selected from NROTC, but there are more than a few from the Academy. Anyone with stats will add to the thread.
Ask a naval aviator what route they took, what it took to get selected and what the training was like then go from there-but always have a back-up plan as a career because as an officer, the needs of the navy determine the opportunities that exist. The year you graduate may be a record low number for aviation slots...what then?
I saw somewhere that a USNA graduate posted the Naval Academy was a "great place to be from, just not a great place to be". Sour grapes? Maybe, but from what my DS and I have read, seen, been told by grads and others, it is the 4 most challenging years of your life and you will learn a great deal about the Navy and yourself.
If the goal is to become a Naval Aviator, you can get there through any number of routes-it's just really difficult. The Academy, or NROTC, or OCS etc are vehicles you use to get there. Not sure of the numbers selected from NROTC, but there are more than a few from the Academy. Anyone with stats will add to the thread.
Ask a naval aviator what route they took, what it took to get selected and what the training was like then go from there-but always have a back-up plan as a career because as an officer, the needs of the navy determine the opportunities that exist. The year you graduate may be a record low number for aviation slots...what then?
usna1985
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Here is the only question you need to ask -- do you ultimately want to attend USNA or are you happy pursuing your commission through another source?
If you accept Foundation, you spend a year at a prep school -- generally, you get to select which one. Your family may have to pick up some of the cost, based on their ability to pay. If you complete the Foundation school successfully (academically, no major conduct issues, etc.), pass the PFT (vs. CFA), are still qualified medically, and still want to attend USNA, an appointment is essentially guaranteed. Most (if not all) Foundation students consider it a year very well spent in terms of providing add'l academic prep, learning to be away from home, learning to live w/a roommate, etc. And Foundation students have the highest retention rate at USNA of any accession source.
Or, you can pursue your career through NROTC -- an equally viable option. ROTC is a fine program and SDSU is a terrific school.
It is very unlikely, but not impossible, to be offered a direct appointment to USNA at this point. Accepting a Foundation scholarship does NOT make you less likely to get a direct appointment. Sometimes, they re-evaluate NAPS/Foundation students and decide they will get a direct appointment; however, at this late date, that is less likely than if you've received the offer much earlier.
If you accept Foundation, you spend a year at a prep school -- generally, you get to select which one. Your family may have to pick up some of the cost, based on their ability to pay. If you complete the Foundation school successfully (academically, no major conduct issues, etc.), pass the PFT (vs. CFA), are still qualified medically, and still want to attend USNA, an appointment is essentially guaranteed. Most (if not all) Foundation students consider it a year very well spent in terms of providing add'l academic prep, learning to be away from home, learning to live w/a roommate, etc. And Foundation students have the highest retention rate at USNA of any accession source.
Or, you can pursue your career through NROTC -- an equally viable option. ROTC is a fine program and SDSU is a terrific school.
It is very unlikely, but not impossible, to be offered a direct appointment to USNA at this point. Accepting a Foundation scholarship does NOT make you less likely to get a direct appointment. Sometimes, they re-evaluate NAPS/Foundation students and decide they will get a direct appointment; however, at this late date, that is less likely than if you've received the offer much earlier.
usna1985 is spot on as usual. This is a matter of you wanting to attend USNA or not. Foundation is a great program and is as close to a guarantee as you can get to an appointment for the class of 2020. Foundation students tend to do very well at USNA. There are a variety of schools to choose from, some are military based and others not. You can select what meets your needs the most. If you want to do ROTC, that is great and yes it gives you another nomination source, but no guarantee of an appointment. There are no guarantees for any appointments, but the Foundation route is as close you can get. I have not met anyone who did what was required and did not get in the following year. SDSU is a great school and ROTC program, but their focus is not get you into USNA. So if USNA is ultimately where you want to land, you have to realize ROTC isn't going to give you the personalized attention and mentoring to get you prepped for Plebe Year at USNA. At this point it is purely what source of commissioning is best suited for you? Where will you thrive the most? Where does your gut tell you?
nodiva
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The Foundation sponsorships are an amazing option. It looks like the best of both worlds! A chance to adjust to life away from home, yet with almost certainty that the USNA appointment will happen. DS/DD has 15 months to prepare for Plebe summer instead of 3. If DD/DS is an athlete, they can compete without losing any NCAA eligibility for an extra year. Also, in the big scheme of things, what's 10 years when you are already committing to 9? The list of prep schools is impressive! Some of the best schools in the USA. It's hard to argue with the success rate at USNA of Foundation kids. I'd say jump on it!
d22
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Does anyone know the number of potential (USNA) plebes who attend the Foundation schools annually? Or a best estimate.
From the c/o 2018 portrait:
225 from NAPS
41 from the USNA Foundation program (22 from prep schools and 19 from colleges)
From the c/o 2018 portrait:
225 from NAPS
41 from the USNA Foundation program (22 from prep schools and 19 from colleges)
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For 2015, there were 55 Foundation preps that started the program. According to the 2014 Foundation Athletic and Scholarship Programs Newsletter, 45 preps started the program and 38 received appointments to c/o 2018. The ASP Newsletter is posted on the USNA Foundation website under the header "News."