Your input is needed to help my step-son get his head on straight...

[matronlisa]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I have a 15 year old step-son, sophomore in High School, who eats, breathes and sleeps Naval Aviation, or so he thinks. He is a bright young man, but his priorities are very askew. He is taking Honors classes, he finished his Freshman year with a 3.3 (including a high D, low C in English) and is currently making low C's in Chemistry 1 and Algebra 2. His current GPA is a 3.2. The problem is that he is excelling in his NJROTC course, with a 98 average. He is being promoted above other classmen because most of them are taking it for the PE credit. His Senior Chief consistently asks him to participate in extra events, and guilts us when we say no. Our opinion is that Senior Chief cares about placement at the District Field Meets more than creating a military candidate. My son honestly thinks he is a Junior Officer. He only talks about the Naval Academy, being an officer and Naval Aviation and believes that rocking an A in JROTC is his ticket there. He participates in no additional extra curricular activities, no clubs, no sports, no community service…nothing. Our general rule is above a "C" for extra stuff. Considering that it takes 5-6 hours of babysitting a night to get him to do his homework, then he gets Fs for not turning it in, he has no time to be a well rounded student. We want him to succeed, My husband was an NCO in the Army and was a Crew Chief, his dad is a West Point graduate and I went thru college on a full Army ROTC scholarship. He thinks everything we say is BS. Can some of you guys please reply with your MOS and let him know what a difficult road it is to half-ass it?

Thank you all in advance and thanks very much for your service.

 

[Uncle Fester]

If it helps, I'm a USNA grad and a NFO, and you can tell him in no uncertain terms that his current performance will absolutely not make him competitive for admission to any of the service academies. Navy admissions looks for what they call the "whole person," with good performance in academics, athletics and ECAs. JROTC is fine, but it's hardly everything, and it's certainly no compensation for middling academic performance.

Put it this way: he'll be competing for admission against kids who've also done as well or better in JROTC or some extra-curricular like it...and also have A+ averages in honors courses, done well as varsity athletes, and excel in other areas as well. Why should they pick your stepson over them?

It's a common mistake that hopeful candidates make. "I want to be in the military, so I should excel in military stuff, and the rest doesn't matter." That is completely, utterly untrue. USNA is a military academy, yes, but it's also a college with a tough academic program and students who are expected to be in good physical condition. The marching and starching bullshit doesn't really matter after the first six weeks.

 

[BackOrdered]

I would have a group meeting with an NROTC freshman instructor, give them a heads up about your son's grades beforehand and tell them to give him the "straight dope." Nothing mean, just the truth. When he sees that the USNA and NROTC aren't busting the door open to let him in with subpar high school grades, he will get his act together or learn being an Officer isn't for him. Uncle Fester is 100% right about this common mistake young kids make about being an Officer. It is important to perform in ALL things, not just the military stuff.

That said, no, his dream isn't dead. OCS after college is always an answer later, but competition is very stiff and it's too early to have him thinking that way.

 

[matronlisa]

Than

If it helps, I'm a USNA grad and a NFO, and you can tell him in no uncertain terms that his current performance will absolutely not make him competitive for admission to any of the service academies. Navy admissions looks for what they call the "whole person," with good performance in academics, athletics and ECAs. JROTC is fine, but it's hardly everything, and it's certainly no compensation for middling academic performance.

Put it this way: he'll be competing for admission against kids who've also done as well or better in JROTC or some extra-curricular like it...and also have A+ averages in honors courses, done well as varsity athletes, and excel in other areas as well. Why should they pick your stepson over them?

It's a common mistake that hopeful candidates make. "I want to be in the military, so I should excel in military stuff, and the rest doesn't matter." That is completely, utterly untrue. USNA is a military academy, yes, but it's also a college with a tough academic program and students who are expected to be in good physical condition. The marching and starching bullshit doesn't really matter after the first six weeks.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and your great information. It is more than appreciated!

 

[matronlisa]

I would have a group meeting with an NROTC freshman instructor, give them a heads up about your son's grades beforehand and tell them to give him the "straight dope." Nothing mean, just the truth. When he sees that the USNA and NROTC aren't busting the door open to let him in with subpar high school grades, he will get his act together or learn being an Officer isn't for him. Uncle Fester is 100% right about this common mistake young kids make about being an Officer. It is important to perform in ALL things, not just the military stuff.

That said, no, his dream isn't dead. OCS after college is always an answer later, but competition is very stiff and it's too early to have him thinking that way.

Thank you so much! I knew you guys would be able to help. Well, help may be a little bit early…at least give him a taste that we aren't bs'ing him.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Forget the academies. If he keeps performing the way he is now, he won't even be getting into a decent four year college either.

 

[Flash]

........I have a 15 year old step-son, sophomore in High School, who eats, breathes and sleeps Naval Aviation, or so he thinks. He is a bright young man, but his priorities are very askew. He is taking Honors classes, he finished his Freshman year with a 3.3 (including a high D, low C in English) and is currently making low C's in Chemistry 1 and Algebra 2. His current GPA is a 3.2. The problem is that he is excelling in his NJROTC course, with a 98 average.......He only talks about the Naval Academy, being an officer and Naval Aviation and believes that rocking an A in JROTC is his ticket there. He participates in no additional extra curricular activities, no clubs, no sports, no community service…nothing. Our general rule is above a "C" for extra stuff. Considering that it takes 5-6 hours of babysitting a night to get him to do his homework, then he gets Fs for not turning it in, he has no time to be a well rounded student......

I feel for the kid since his current situation sounds an awful lot like mine at his age except his grades are better, I am not kidding. My grades did not get me into an academy or get an ROTC scholoarship but were fortunately okay enough to get me into college, my mother was generous enough to take a chance with me and pay for me to go to a military college where I did well enough to get commissioned.

If his heart is set on Annapolis then his grades and lack of extra-curricular activities aren't going to help him get in, they like 'well rounded' folks who are strong in academics, athletics and after-school/community activities and have demonstrated leadership in some fo those areas. You can find folks who are strong in one area or another but generally cadets/midshipmen have a foundation in all of them. It is the same story with an ROTC scholarship.

If he continues on the same path he probably won't be competitive to get into the academies or getting an ROTC scholarship. That doesn't mean he won't have a chance of getting commissioned, just the the road might be longer and harder than if he had to start from scratch in college.

......Navy admissions looks for what they call the "whole person," with good performance in academics, athletics and ECAs.......Put it this way: he'll be competing for admission against kids who've also done as well or better in JROTC or some extra-curricular like it...and also have A+ averages in honors courses, done well as varsity athletes, and excel in other areas as well. Why should they pick your stepson over them?.....

What Fester said too.

........Can some of you guys please reply with your MOS......

Just a small note, the wings you see under some folks usernames means we have earned them in real life to include Naval Aviators (pilot), Naval Flight Officers and even some Army aviators so we usually know what we are talking about. Usually.

 

[PhrogLoop]

I can't improve on what the other guys said, because they are spot on. But I can offer one more bit of advice. Summer after his junior year, he should attend the Naval Academy Summer Science Seminar:
http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/nass.htm
I am a 1998 Naval Academy grad and Navy Pilot. 2 of my younger cousins attended the Summer Science Seminar 2/3 years ago when they were considering colleges. The high achiever (academics/athletics/community service) loved the whole experience, including the demanding week of classes on top of the Midshipman experience. My other cousin was a JROTC rock star with middling grades and not on a varsity athletic squad. She hated the entire experience because she felt completely over her head academically even though the military part was cake for her. Cousin #1 is now a Plebe at USNA doing well. Best of luck to you and your son!

 

[JackyB]

Have your stepson read the portrait of the USNA class of 2017. This is what it takes to be admitted. Many ROTC college program scholarships have similar requirements. Ask him if he would be included in any of the categories.
Print him out a copy. You won't have to say more.
Good luck hope this helps.
http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/documents/ClassPortrait.pdf

 

[LFCFan]

He sounds a lot like how my brother was at that age (who eventually went USAFA). If he pulls himself together like mine did, you can look into one or two year prep programs to make him more competitive for an academy spot.

Also, ask him "which congressman or senator would nominate you with grades like that?"