Which Preparatory School should I choose?

[usafacandidate8]

I am not exactly sure how much better it is, but with all of the prep schools you continue to take the SAT/ACT. Which in most cases is needed by the applicants. They normally have a study class for these tests and I know most students raise their test scores. My congressman's secretary has been sending people to NWP for many years now and would rather us go to a prep school rather than a community college. Do not quote me on any of this, but this is what I have been told.

 

[thealt]

NWP is up in the San Bernardino Mountains at 5400 ft elevation. You do daily running.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Does attending a prep school over community college really seem that much better when reapplying?

If you are sponsored by the academy to attend prep - you must go where they tell you to go.
ALL those sponsored by West Point must attend a Military Junior College. USAFA and USNA use a variety of colleges - MJC's, NWP and prep boarding schools. They all have good acceptable programs and the appointment is the candidates to lose. It's win/win.

If you are NOT sponsored:
No. One is not "better" than the other. I just caution kids who are NOT sponsored to fully understand what they are getting into. Eyes need to be wide open here. It's awful to have a kid say they spent a year at a prep school with the hope they would gain an appointment only to find they still don't have an appointment and have wasted a year.

My advice is - if you have a ROTC scholarship, then accept it and go to college for a year. Take the courses advised by admissions and reapply.
If you have been accepted to a 4 year college, then go there; especially if it's a good school.
If you attend a junior college or community college; then look for articulation agreements for credit transfer.

If you think you might benefit from a post grad year - you need help with study skills and SAT scores - then consider that. Realize that it's expensive and there are no guarantees.

 

[CAmom2015]

I know that West Point does send some with AOG scholarships to non military jr colleges. IMO, Greystone is one of the best kept secrets as far as prep schools go. It is actually a part of Schreiner University, so the kids who attend get a wonderful prep experience along with an excellent college education. This past year there were USMA AOG kids and Navy Foundation kids attending. There were many free agent kids, too. Our son was advised in his TWE letter from USNA last year to attend a 4 year college and take courses similar to the classes the plebes would be taking at USNA. We chose Greystone Prep because it met that requirement. The results for our son, were 2 offers of appointment! He wasn't AOG or Foundation, just a free agent who followed the guidance of the Greystone leadership.