BGO Here, this video is spot on. I've seen a few "reapplicants" not take the right courses in College and therefore not get admitted. Take the toughest courses at your college. No problem doing AROTC then applying at USNA, it's the leadership training/experience that matters.
I'm a retired officer living next to USNA and am a long term sponsor parent. I was initially surprised by the high number of college experienced midshipmen. One of the Brigade Commanders during my time in Annapolis had three years at USC, were he was President of his fraternity, and was able to complete the credits for his USC degree while at USNA. My theory as to why USNA has a high percentage of college applicants and midshipmen is access access to NROTC programs. There are more Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs around the country (often with robust cross enrollment programs) the kids who are interested in becoming an Army or Air Force officer have access to these programs and quickly get committed, so the cost of exiting and delaying a commissioning date is high. There are fewer NROTC programs by design, so not as many applicants face the same type of opportunity cost with a later entry to Annapolis.
Interesting insights. My son is a high school senior and learned this past week he's been waitlisted by the USNA. He's super disappointed - especially since he received a principal nomination (and a non-p-nom from another MOC). He says he intends to reapply next year, but as you covered in your video, going through that process again is quite a burden. I suspect one big factor in his decision to reapply will be how much he enjoys "normal" university life in the fall.
I thought they were legally required to offer admission to a principal nominee as long as they met the minimum requirements. Did you reach out to the Blue and Gold officer for an explanation?
@@cirquemagic The USNA is not legally obligated to accept fully-qualified principal nominees like some (if not all) other service academies. My son contacted both his BGO and USNA to verify that his p-nom was at least considered. He was essentially told (in a respectful and professional way) too bad and good luck with the waitlist.
If an applicant doesn't get in to an academy, what are your thoughts on a "gap" year as opposed to starting college in the fall? Of course, it would depend on what the applicant did in the gap year but would it be an absolute "no" or just riskier? Thanks for the great videos!
Great question! Taking a gap year is not an absolute no, it completely depends on what the student is planning to do with that time. However, whatever the student does, they should prove that they will be able to manage plebe year academically. For most students we highly recommend mirroring plebe classes during that year.
We understand that if you reapply and you are enrolled in a university, you will be a freshman in the academy on the year you are accepted, but can you confirm the classes taken in university will be count on the academy and we won't need to retake those courses (i.e calculus, chemistry, history, etc.)??
Any previously-taken college courses will be evaluated and it's possible to have a number of courses validated. This can allow you: - to take ligher loads during some semesters (though a minimum number of credits per semester is still required, - to have some flexibility in your academic schedule due to the validated courses, & - take extra courses for either personal or professional enrichment or credits toward a future advanced degree. Note though that you will still need to go through the whole 4-year academy experience no matter how many courses you are able to get out of the way initially.
On the one hand, our government continues to protect the failing public education system. On the other hand, they don’t trust it when it comes to their needs for quality officer candidates.
What government? The Federal Government only pays ~10% of K-12 education. The quality of education in the US is largely based on the incomes in the area (state/county/city) the K-12 school resides in. Richer states will have better quality SA candidates on average per capita than poorer states.
@@dustinaldridge6200 the U.S. Department of Education has a budget of approximately $50B annually. It not only supports the current public education model in the United States, it also creates grants and other initiatives to help drive academic standards in the k-12 public education system. But if your point is that this department is generally ineffective and could easily be eliminated, then we agree. In regard to education funding, the U.S. spends more per pupil than all but 4 other developed countries, yet the student performance is one of the lowest of any 1st world nation.
@@cirquemagic No just pointing out the states pay 90% of the K-12 education, so if you want to blame the quality of education, blame the states. I'm also not in the camp of blaming the government for all the worlds woes. I took personal responsibility and made sure my kid could read before kindergarten and excelled at every grade after that. The quality education is there for the taking unless you are stuck in an area without significant tax income to support good quality schools. No worries, AI is going to flip the whole education world in the next ten years. Everyone will have access to a personal tutor in all subjects that is smarter and more personal than any teacher. I will be interesting to see how quickly the SAs integrate that capability.
BGO Here, this video is spot on. I've seen a few "reapplicants" not take the right courses in College and therefore not get admitted. Take the toughest courses at your college. No problem doing AROTC then applying at USNA, it's the leadership training/experience that matters.
My son got in on his third try! They are spot on. If you are determined that the USNA is where you need to be, keep trying!!! Go Navy, Beat Army!!!
Congratulations to your son!
I'm a retired officer living next to USNA and am a long term sponsor parent. I was initially surprised by the high number of college experienced midshipmen. One of the Brigade Commanders during my time in Annapolis had three years at USC, were he was President of his fraternity, and was able to complete the credits for his USC degree while at USNA.
My theory as to why USNA has a high percentage of college applicants and midshipmen is access access to NROTC programs. There are more Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs around the country (often with robust cross enrollment programs) the kids who are interested in becoming an Army or Air Force officer have access to these programs and quickly get committed, so the cost of exiting and delaying a commissioning date is high. There are fewer NROTC programs by design, so not as many applicants face the same type of opportunity cost with a later entry to Annapolis.
Interesting insights. My son is a high school senior and learned this past week he's been waitlisted by the USNA. He's super disappointed - especially since he received a principal nomination (and a non-p-nom from another MOC). He says he intends to reapply next year, but as you covered in your video, going through that process again is quite a burden. I suspect one big factor in his decision to reapply will be how much he enjoys "normal" university life in the fall.
I thought they were legally required to offer admission to a principal nominee as long as they met the minimum requirements. Did you reach out to the Blue and Gold officer for an explanation?
@@cirquemagic The USNA is not legally obligated to accept fully-qualified principal nominees like some (if not all) other service academies. My son contacted both his BGO and USNA to verify that his p-nom was at least considered. He was essentially told (in a respectful and professional way) too bad and good luck with the waitlist.
Would you say it is a good idea to enlist, then re-apply
If an applicant doesn't get in to an academy, what are your thoughts on a "gap" year as opposed to starting college in the fall? Of course, it would depend on what the applicant did in the gap year but would it be an absolute "no" or just riskier? Thanks for the great videos!
Great question! Taking a gap year is not an absolute no, it completely depends on what the student is planning to do with that time. However, whatever the student does, they should prove that they will be able to manage plebe year academically. For most students we highly recommend mirroring plebe classes during that year.
We understand that if you reapply and you are enrolled in a university, you will be a freshman in the academy on the year you are accepted, but can you confirm the classes taken in university will be count on the academy and we won't need to retake those courses (i.e calculus, chemistry, history, etc.)??
The Academies will validate you out of these courses for the most part.
Any previously-taken college courses will be evaluated and it's possible to have a number of courses validated. This can allow you:
- to take ligher loads during some semesters (though a minimum number of credits per semester is still required,
- to have some flexibility in your academic schedule due to the validated courses, &
- take extra courses for either personal or professional enrichment or credits toward a future advanced degree.
Note though that you will still need to go through the whole 4-year academy experience no matter how many courses you are able to get out of the way initially.
On the one hand, our government continues to protect the failing public education system. On the other hand, they don’t trust it when it comes to their needs for quality officer candidates.
What government? The Federal Government only pays ~10% of K-12 education. The quality of education in the US is largely based on the incomes in the area (state/county/city) the K-12 school resides in. Richer states will have better quality SA candidates on average per capita than poorer states.
@@dustinaldridge6200 the U.S. Department of Education has a budget of approximately $50B annually. It not only supports the current public education model in the United States, it also creates grants and other initiatives to help drive academic standards in the k-12 public education system. But if your point is that this department is generally ineffective and could easily be eliminated, then we agree. In regard to education funding, the U.S. spends more per pupil than all but 4 other developed countries, yet the student performance is one of the lowest of any 1st world nation.
@@cirquemagic No just pointing out the states pay 90% of the K-12 education, so if you want to blame the quality of education, blame the states. I'm also not in the camp of blaming the government for all the worlds woes. I took personal responsibility and made sure my kid could read before kindergarten and excelled at every grade after that. The quality education is there for the taking unless you are stuck in an area without significant tax income to support good quality schools. No worries, AI is going to flip the whole education world in the next ten years. Everyone will have access to a personal tutor in all subjects that is smarter and more personal than any teacher. I will be interesting to see how quickly the SAs integrate that capability.