I just got my turndown letter

[FrogFly]

Well, thanks for the life lesson, but those benefits you write about can also be derived from smaller private colleges as well. Actually learning the material you study can take place anywhere. I have to admit, getting your education paid for by the government is a great deal. Private universities can be expensive.

Also, there's a difference between being annoyed by arrogance and insecurity. Go feel sorry for someone else.

 

[ONDWATER]

Viv
I agree with most of the guys who have posted their thoughts regarding your unsuccessful attempt to gain an appointment at the USNA.My son had the same result as you.His profile was just like yours and he didn't get in either.Top 15% of his class, Eagle Scout,sports, president, National Honor Society,lots of recommendations, 4.0 average,summer seminar attendee yada yada yada.They had over 21,000 applicants this past year compared to the usual 10,000-11,000. So, they really had the pick of the crop.Surge in patriotism.If those morons hadn't crashed those jets into the twin towers that day in September, you and my son might well have been classmates because you both fit the profile of what the USNA is looking for.But....things happen for a reason in life, and the answer isn't always readily apparent.BUT...don't let it knock you down to the point where you are miserable. GT and ROTC are excellent choices.Reapply again to the USNA if that is where you really want to go, but give GT and ROTC a good effort. My son will attend VMI this summer and start classes in the fall and has reapplied to the USNA.His choice.He may also discover that VMI and Naval ROTC is really the way to go. Vince Lombardi once said..."There is no greater glory than to be knocked to your knees and rise up again..." Good Luck with your dreams and aspirations!
CAPT, USNR

 

[StrikeEagle]

After reading the posts, I decided to put my two cents in:

I went to a prep school that was part of the USNA's foundation. Every year we would recieve 1 or 2 students who were taking an extra year of high school to get into the Academy. I know have eight friends who are at the academy. They love it, but they were perfect for it in my opinion. I applied to the Air Force Academy. I got a nomination but did not get an appointment. I applied again a second time and got the same results. I am in my Jr. year at Embry-Riddle Aero. Univ. I was in the Air Force ROTC program down here for 2 years, they are the largest (over 600 cadets) and are second only to the USAFA. I have talked to over 50 cadets who applied and did not get in, and many who did get in and decided to go here. Sometiomes my mind drifts and I wonder what would have happend had I got in, but, I am happy here. I am in a fraterntiy (same is PatMack) and having a good time. The Col. here once said that the Academy makes great officers, but ROTC makes well rounded officers!

Currently I am not in the AF program anymore and am looking into a Navy. If you want to talk to some current midshipman, let me know, and ill give you there contact info.

ROTC is not a bad option. Best of Both Worlds!

 

[CHawk]

Viv,

 

[Undertow]

You should be proud of the hard work you've put in and all that you've accomplished. Academically your application makes me pissed that I didn't apply myself. I'm now 25 and active duty enlisted. I enlisted under the long shot that I could get picked up for STA-21 so I could go back to school and get an age waiver to go to flight school. If I went back to school tomorrow I wouldn't complete my degree until after my 28th birthday @ the earliest and realistically if I stayed a civilian it would have taken me a couple of years to get financial backing to go back to school regardless and the date of grad. wouldn't be until my 29th or 30th b'day. I'm trying to prove my worth on active duty through my service record to get into the program. I learned that sometimes in life you realize things a little later than you would have liked to have. Luckily you're still persuing your DREAM at a young age and have plenty of opportunity to succeed. I would kill to be in your shoes. Don't be discouraged, the academies although great schools will not allow you to have the same college experience as a normal university. If you're hard core navy all the way then yes, the academy rules.. however, in a normal university you will discover allot of things about yourself and the things that you may or may not have been interrested in, that direction is pretty much chosen for you in USNA or USAFA. I was a professional artist in the gaming industry for a few years and still freelance, it took a forced break (layoff) for me to reevaluate my life goals and realize that I had gone the wrong direction. My father is a retired Air Force Lt. Col. (Navigator B-52, FB-111) and I have quite a few friends of the family still active duty 0-6 and above aviators that have written my letters of rec., although those letters help, my academic background from high school does not.. and my military education that I have done extremely well in doesn't help as much as I'd like it to. I still get grilled over my high school grades 8 YEARS LATER! (it was a 2.6 in a private catholic school, it's not like it was public school underwater basketweaving) But I digress.. I'm trying to tell you to NEVER lose sight of your goals and keep working toward them so you don't have to do things the hard way like I am. You'll do well, just keep your head up.
AEAN Vaillancourt

 

[McNamara]

Viv, I just got out of the place in May. My advice is this: if you honestly enjoy your first year of Georgia Tech and NROTC, don't go to the Academy. I have to admit that my favorite part about the Academy was an Irish pub out in town (okay, so the summer training at a Hornet squadron was really cool too). I don't knock my own or anyone else's achievements there, but you will get an excellent education at Tech as well. I visited it a couple of times (it was my second choice and my dad went there), so I know a bit about it. Don't feel like you HAVE to go to the USNA. Dreams and goals can change, and there's no shame in changing your mind about the USNA if you find that Tech is a good place for you. In my limited experience it's your character that makes you a good officer, not your commissioning program. Focus on becoming a naval officer and getting a solid education and don't worry too much about where you go.

By the way, Undertow, I want to thank you for pursuing your goal. My best friends are mustang officers, and I'm convinced that the military will always need prior enlisted personnel in the officer ranks. Good luck to both of you.

 

[Undertow]

thank you McNamara that means a hell of allot to me. Sometimes it's nice to know that my wife isn't my only cheerleader. Sometimes I doubt my decision but I look out the window and see 18's running flight ops and keep telling myself "That should be me damnit, no belay that, that will be me!"
-Mike

 

[acenavy]

I am a 2/c midshipman at the academy and I am telling you ROTC is the way to go. The academy is nothing like its reputation. The commission at the end of the four years is the same. Enjoy the best years of your life.

 

[McNamara]

Keep at it, Mike. I had the privelege of flying in the backseat of an F-18D a couple of times last summer (knew the squadron CO of 106) and it was a great source of motivation. I have a little roadblock in my way before I start API - waiting on a medical waiver since my hearing isn't quite up to standards. I have faith it'll work out, though.

Acenavy, don't worry about the B.S. at the Boat School. It gets much better in the "real" Navy, even in a training command like Pensacola. When you're anguishing in your room in Bancroft, it's real easy to forget the light at the end of the tunnel: sitting in your apartment drinking beer two years from now. Also, don't tell people that the Academy doesn't deserve its reputation. I'd like to use my diploma to get a good job when I get out! Just kidding.

IHTFP

 

[Birdman]

I think alot of you are forgetting that in the absense of USNA, You could go to Norwich(which i know commissions naval officers) , or the citadel, VMI, or Texas A&M.(which im not sure of) They are all pretty much regarded as the same experience as the academies, in the sense that "your chances of being a flag officer" are still on the same page as USNA grads

 

[Enishi1983]

i heard this from two doctors who:
1. who graduated from Carnegie Mellon, one of the tops in his class, with a dual ME/Pre-Med degree, who decided to get $ for the med school from the navy by going to OCS in RI, and now a Capt. in NNMC Bethesda... (made capt in like 17 years) and
2. who graduated from weslyn biochem degree, one of the tops in her class, about to get a PhD in biochem until some sex discrimination (some dudes that hated smart women) stopped her by not giving her the recommendations-she went to RI OCS and became a naval doc also (made cdr in 10 years, but had other things she had to do, so she left the navy.)

i told them that i was desperate to get into the usna, and they both said that ~20% or so actually stay long enough to become admirals in the navy. i mean, i heard from ppl that they main goal for going to the usna is to become admirals, but then again, i heard from a lot of ppl that they're just doing the service and getting out after five years...

anyway, them two folks told me that i should just stick to nrotc, b/c it's less stressful, and you practically learn the samething as academy kids, but that you had a life, unlike the usna.

stay with nrotc, i loved it. seeing those two doctors, i'm now thinking about becoming a naval diving-doctor... sounds so tempting... btw, where can i ask about the diving school, b/c i hear it's very hard...

 

[NavyNCSU]

Viv,
I am so sorry to hear about your disappointment. You are probably tired of everyone's two cents, but here are mine anyway.

I saw first-hand VMI and OCS, and my roommates were in NROTC in college. It is important to remember that the different commissioning programs are simply a BRIDGE to get to where you want to go. They are simply a means to an end. Your career will be what you make of it and it doesn't matter how you get those gold bars.

I was in the process of transferring to VMI with 80 college credits, found out that only 35 were transferable so for money reasons, I returned to my civilian university and graduated and went on to OCS a year later. I could not have afforded to pay for three additional years of college loans. I was devastated. To make a long story short, after seeing the different commissioning sources, I came to the conclusion that the commission is what matters. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and you have to have faith that everything will work out in the end.

In my time in the Navy, I met both admirable and frustrating officers from ROTC, USNA, and OCS. I tried to learn good and bad traits from all of them. This reaffirmed my belief that it doesn't matter what program you go through. Just keep your chin up, keep working toward your goals, and make the most of any opportunity you are given. It's an honor to be in the United States Navy, no matter what bridge you cross to get there.

 

[bch]

WELL SAID!!!
I was in the same situation VIV. not going to bore you with the academics and so on

I went NROTC at CU was not to happy about it initially and was determined to reapply to USNA.

NEVER has a greater gift fallen into my lap than not getting into USNA. I LOVED NROTC, loved the big college experience and would not trade those things for anything.

I am not bashing the academy, great institution and great output to the fleet. Just don't be so set on it that you do not enjoy GT or give NROTC a fair shot. you might find that you are happier where you are.

 

[mccormick_ted]

Viv-

I'm probably just piling on at this point, but like acenavy, I'm currently a mid at Canoe U., and I'm going to have to second what everyone else has said. You determine whether you will be a good officer, not where you got your degree from. I've really enjoyed a lot about the Academy, and I think that my classmates are some of the highest caliber people I've ever had the privledge of being associated with, but you have to remember that most of us have blinders on. I'm one of the few midshipmen that actually went to a civilian university before coming the USNA; you learn the same things, you just learn them differently here, and I can't say that it is always for the better. I came here because I wanted to be immersed in a naval environment, but honestly, nothing short of actually being aboard ship will accomplish that. And if you really want to accomplish your dream of being an officer in the navy, you can do it in four years at GT or (assuming you are accepted for '08) five years from USNA. Is that wasted year really worth it? Just something to think about if/when you start thinking about reapplying to the Academy.

Fair winds and following seas, and I'll see you in a few years, either in the fleet or in Bancroft.

 

[Patrick Daly]

Viv,

I'm right with ya buddy. I had three congressional nominations and still got rejected for the class of '06. I'm currently a 3/c mid - Marine Option - at Boston University. I can't tell you how happy I am to have been rejected. I'm living it up here, running cross country and track, partying on the weekends, getting to know the fine Boston ladies, all the while getting a top-notch education and not dealing with a regimented schedule and a bunch of upperclass pricks making me turn corners at ninety degree angles. My advice to you, go to Tech, completely immerse yourself in ROTC/social groups, all the school has to offer, and reevaluate your situation after first semester. I went to CORTRAMID this summer and pretty much every Acad grad I talked to said ROTC was the way to go. They told me it doesn't matter what commissioning program you come from, as long as you're motivated and locked on, you will succeed. Best of luck buddy, I hope ROTC works out for you!

~Pat