Earning admission to a Service Academy or winning an ROTC scholarship is as much about the process as it is the attributes of the candidate. It is complex-and involves several qualifications which make it far more rigorous than the traditional college application. The creators of Gain Service Academy Admission and ROTC Consulting are here to help you to navigate the process successfully in order or to gain a coveted appointment or scholarship. Count on us to help you reach this goal!
Hello Sir, I have a question that even the academy has been vague in answering. My son is a cadet candidate at the prep school at West Point this year. They said it is a full reapplication year for him. He needs another congressional nomination or I also understand the commendant has a large number of nominations for the prep schoolers. I have no doubt that he will pass this year and qualify out of prep school. What is the actual process for getting nominations and moving from USMAPS to USMA? Thank you.
You'll definitely want to re-apply for the Congressional nomination, as you should apply for any nomination you are eligible for. Most likely your son will occupy one of the 85 nomination slots for the prep school, which is technically from the Army Reserves. His biggest concern is not where the nomination will come from, but making sure his performance this year is excellent (think Scholar, Athlete, Leader), the rest will take care of itself.
Do recruited athletes to Service Academy have any advantages in obtaining waivers? Are they more likely to get medical waivers if a coach has recruited and committed to them?
Helpful video! But what about Army National Guard as an alternative to active duty? Our kid is starting AROTC in the fall most likely and is planning on a guard commissioning to fulfill scholarship requirements.
Do the academies give equal credit to scouting groups other than Boy Scouts? Let’s say the candidate achieves an award equivalent to Eagle Scout, but it’s in one of the religious scouting groups?
Question. If a student can take the same class either AP online or onsite at a local state university which looks better? For example, if he can take AP calculus online versus calculus 1 at university, is one viewed better than the other?
It depends! Can you get a letter of recommendation from the college professor, or is the class so large that the students blends into the background? Can you get to know the online instructor well enough for them to evaluate you fairly? The important thing is not AP online versus in-person college classes, the important thing is that the student is pushing themselves and also achieving within the class.
This is a really helpful video. She nailed it. Another big thing they're looking for is Time Management. How many balls do you have in the air? How well do you keep them in the air -- are you dropping any? If you are only really good at one thing, get easily stressed when you're asked to do too much you might re-think applying to a service academy.
I'm having trouble getting a good answer on how the academies count weighted vs unweighted GPA's. I was told that they use a weighted GPA but don't modify the transcript - meaning that if it was weighted they would use that. Any insight on that?
As a homeschooled highschooler enrolled in college for this fall, your videos are a tremendous help to me as I explore and seek the path of becoming a Naval Officer from USNA. If you could spare a moment of time, I would greatly appreciate your opinions on what I should do next... as I mentioned, I am a homeschooled. I am currently filling out the USNA application, and I have set myself up with many graduates from the academy, as well as personal active on the academy grounds. Unfortunately, I had no plans up until about a year ago to pursue a career and education through the Military (I know you both also frowned upon the idea of making a decision like this after only a year or so), and as such I never involved myself in any major team sports (I know the academies weigh this heavily). However, I am SPL of my Scout troop, Eagle Scout, and the founder of two companies, as well as large RU-vid channels. Regrettably, I don't have the team sports roles that all the academies like to see. However, as I will be going to college this fall, I enrolled in Cross Country as I am an avid runner and mountain biker. Do you have any other suggestions as to what I should do with my year at college?
Hi there, great thinking. I would make sure your candidate fitness assessment score is as high as possible. Athletics and leadership are both a big deal, so make sure you communicate your scope of leadership throughout your application. We will plan on a podcast for homeschoolers soon!
i dont know how to take this to be honest, on one hand it may affect me negatively but on the other i am in Nebraska district three which is generally considered "less competitive" than others. i also have two more years to work on everything before i submit so i dont know if this is actually that terrible.
How much does this apply to NROTC Collegiate Mids? My daughter did not apply for NROTC scholarship, but was approached to apply for the NPP scholarship (which she did not get) but was accepted to join the NROTC program as a Collegiate member. She is now very interested in participating, and hopefully being considered for a 3-year scholarship next year.
We highly encourage joining NROTC and competing for a side-load scholarship. If she blooms where she is planted, she has a great chance of earning a scholarship.
So this means MD, NY, NJ, CA, Wash DC and other super competitive districts get more admissions. This is good because we want the most qualified cadets and midshipmen at these academies!!
Hi is the change to the number of congressional nominations been confirmed? I cant seem to see any changes to the information being communicated by the academies or the congressional websites. Thank you
My son has received Type I scholarship from ROTC from Airforce but his medical condition waiver is under review for his eczema. He saw his dermatologist that said it was under control and he strongly supports his service, on April 9. His eczema medicine was prescribed on Nov 2021. The deadline to accept the scholarship along with the waiver is May 31 and he has not heard. The website simply says under review. The case manager has been non-responsive. Should we assume that he won’t be able to accept the scholarship?
Im 31 and about to enlist in air force. Id like to be an officer one day. Ive been told i could complete my 4 year contract, then use my gi bill to do college at a graduate level, and join rotc then, at age 35. Can i have yout insight into this method? Would i need to use gi bill in this case? I was told that i would not be eligible for the rotc scholarship do to age
Whether or not the academies desire the change from 10 to 15 nominees and 200 qualified alternates instead of 150 is unknown. From our experience, the academies would prefer to have 150 QAs and 50 additional appointments they can pull to meet class composition goals. 200 QAs is more restrictive on admissions, assuming they are ranking candidates objectively using the whole candidate score.
You can join ROTC on campus. Talk to the detachment to see if they require scores. SAT/ACT requirements we discuss here are for high school scholarship winners.
Hello, my name is Samuel Jenkins. I am a sixteen-year old homeschooled student, Eagle Scout [served/serving for a full year as SPL - highest leadership position in BSA], avid mountain-biker, and active community service-member, who recently got accepted into a well-esteemed college [set to attend this fall]. I have strong familial roots in the Navy and strongly feel it is my duty to serve. Furthermore I believe the U.S. Military has a great deal to offer me in many aspects of work, education, and personal growth. This summer I visited the Naval Academy for CVW [Candidate Visit Weekend] and I fell in love with the Academy as a whole. I had previously spoken to many USNA Flight School students [I stay in Pensacola, FL every winter] and they encouraged me to apply. My preliminary application is submitted and I am waiting to receive my full application. In the meantime, I have been doing all I can to find information on every avenue and path I can take to better suit myself for the Academy and for a Congressional Nomination... or any nomination I am eligible for. All advice from any who are reading this would be extremely welcome, and thank you in advance. Because of my situation of attending college in the fall, I am not sure what I should be doing right now to better prepare myself for the Academies. Furthermore, I know that homeschooled students make up a small percentage of academy attendees. Does this mean that my overall candidate grading will be weighted differently than that of an average candidate?
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.)??
DS is a 3yr rotc recipient in the waiver process now. DoDMERB provided authority contacts for updates. Are we able to contact for AMI clarification? Or just provide records as we understand and wait for feedback? Hate to be denied for simply needing clarification on what we should provide.
Reach out to the technician if you have questions on what is being requested in the request for Additional Medical Information. Otherwise, only provide what is being requested in the AMI.
Im not in JROTC at my high school, do I have to be to get a scholarship? I wanna go into the air force, and i have a 4.0 gpa with alot of APs, does that increase my chances any?
You do not need to be in JROTC at your high school. However, AFROTC scholarships are incredibly competitive. Your interview and SAT/ACT scores make up a large component of whether or not you will earn the scholarship. The scholar, athlete, leader profile is important.
Hello, I have a question on the DD Form 2807-2. My son had a sprained ankle and saw a doctor in 2019. Do I have to say "Yes" on the question #63? (Any pain, swelling, weakness, numbness, or stiffness of the hip, knee, ankle, foot, or toes) My son also visited multiple times to the Urgent Care when he had a strep throat or flu. Do I have to say "Yes" on the question #109 (Any medical treatment/surgery from a Hospital, Emergency Room, Surgical Center or Urgent Care). Any advice would be really appreciated.
You should answer all medical questions based on the question truthfully. Refer to DoDI6130.03 for any concerns as to whether or not an issue is disqualifying, it's linked in the description below.
Thank you Sir for these. We're in the up and down emotional roller coaster of all this now. Son has a couple more weeks in the 11th grade. STELLAR resume (Private Pilot/Learning Russian/Good GPA/Boys State/Foreign exchange student last year/JROTC Raider Challenge team captain/command position in military prep school/and on and on...), BUT sub 1000 SAT. We'd pretty much decided to not bother even working on a package. Your videos provide a small glimmer of hope. Guess we'll keep driving until we're told to sit down and go away. Keep doing these for the parents and students still in the fight!
Your son still has time to keep improving his SATs! Don't give up. Even if you are turned down the first year, applying the first year paves the road to the reapplication. Watch our video on USNA reapplicants
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.
Hello! I got a 4 year Navy scholarship and I was wondering if it is possible to switch to air force rotc while during the navy rotc to serve in the air force instead of the navy?
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.
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.
This was great, thank you! I'm very interested to see what types of responses would get a score of 8 or 9 and also interested to see your video on the AFA interviews. Thank you!
I've heard a lot of people sort of roll their eyes when someone mentions any special forces group, even though that's what I truly want to do, so should I tell them about my plan B so they don't think I'm just some adrenaline chasing teen? my plan B is to study physics and do some sort of engineering science (still looking into this). I really do want to at least attempt the assessment and selection for a special forces group, it's something I've thought a lot about, the dangers, the commitment, all the hard to think about things too. I just don't want them to think I'm like those kids who play one game of call of duty or some other first person shooter and decide they want to go out and kill people cause that's really not it. So, essentially, should I be honest about what I really want to do, or should I tell them the "safer" option?
Great question! Be very clear in your response as to why you are pursuing a special forces role. Back this up with steps you've taken to prepare for that role. Discuss additional career interests if special forces doesn't work out. (Your top back up) Acknowledging that selection is a long ways off and although that's your goal, you are an officer and leader first and will serve the needs of the service.
@@ServiceAcademyROTCInsiders Thanks so much! I'll be sure to write this down somewhere to keep in mind when writing my essays and thinking about what I'll say when it comes to the interviews. Your channel has helped me a lot so far in the application process. :D
"mild symptoms" is vague. It will be up to your allergist to determine whether they are willing to continue on with the food challenge. It's also up to the waiver authority, each service varies year to year.
How do I get in contact with a prior service recruiter? It has become impossible to get any answers without being thrown the whole "IST" b.s. that doesn't shed ANY light for those trying to ask other questions.
Practice makes perfect. Remember to learn as much as you can about each branch and your desired career, memorize the core values, and tell your story. Ace Your West Point Interview: bit.ly/west-point-interview Ace Your Army ROTC Interview: bit.ly/army-rotc-interview
