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How difficult is it to get your kid into a military service academy

Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:13 pm
Posted by TDcline
American Gardens building 11th flor
Member since Aug 2015
9281 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:13 pm
Primarily West Point or the U.S. Naval Academy?

How soon do you need to start the application process, and what is that process like?
Posted by TennesseeFan25
Honolulu
Member since May 2016
8391 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:16 pm to
Have to have a letter of endorsement from a U.S. congressman, think thats honestly the only different or hard part apart from applying to any other school

LINK

Additionally under 23, and limitation on your number of dependents
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 12:19 pm
Posted by DeafJam73
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2010
18380 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:17 pm to
I believe you need a letter of reccomendation or some sort of document.

Thanks, Tennessee
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 12:18 pm
Posted by upgrayedd
Lifting at Tobin's house
Member since Mar 2013
134835 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:17 pm to
You better know a politician
Posted by TheFonz
Somewhere in Louisiana
Member since Jul 2016
20345 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:18 pm to
Gotta start the process when they’re in kindergarten, baw.
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 12:18 pm
Posted by TheHarahanian
Actually not Harahan as of 6/2023
Member since May 2017
19490 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:19 pm to
I wanted to go to one. Didn’t have the political connection.
Posted by ksayetiger
Centenary Gents
Member since Jul 2007
68258 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:19 pm to
I think the kid needs to grow up and do it himself and not have daddy do it for him
Posted by Cowboyfan89
Member since Sep 2015
12701 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:19 pm to
Make sure your kid writes an essay about how much they hate the rival academies.

That's what Tim Allen's kid did on Last Man Standing to get into the Air Force Academy.
Posted by CoachChappy
Member since May 2013
32501 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:25 pm to
It’s not that hard if you have good grades, good ACT/SAT, and no discipline record. I got offers from all of them for sports. The coaches said they could arrange the Congressman’s letter of recommendation if I wanted to go
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
65485 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:25 pm to
quote:

West Point
They let this fellow in-

Posted by Teufelhunden
Galvez, LA
Member since Feb 2005
5569 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:26 pm to
Really need to start by your Soph year so you have time to get the congressional endorsement. Also helps if you have someone who's a graduate in the family. It's extremely competitive so have a backup plan. There are other avenues to a commission but the service academies are great.
Posted by Jim Rockford
Member since May 2011
98111 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:27 pm to
As far as academics and test scores, it's basically on par with getting into an Ivy. They look at other things too, like athletics and leadership, and like other schools, varsity sports have some leeway for people they want.

One thing to your advantage is it's broken down geographically, so you're only competing against others in your Congressional District instead of the whole country. Of course that can also work against you. If your district has two kids applying who made a 36 ACT score, only one of them can get the appointment.

The Catholic High starting QB from two years ago got accepted to WP. IIRC he chose to go elsewhere.

ETA: Don't leave out the Coast Guard Academy, which has admissions completely by competitive exam, not by Congressional appointment. And you get to spend your summers on a tall ship.
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 12:30 pm
Posted by Jim Rockford
Member since May 2011
98111 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:32 pm to
quote:

There are other avenues to a commission but the service academies are great.


It takes a special kind to want to spend four years there. It's not for everyone. You can go the ROTC route, have a normal college experience, and your commission is just as good as theirs, although Academy grads do tend to look out for one another.
Posted by athenslife101
Member since Feb 2013
18551 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:35 pm to
Knew a guy who went to the Coast Guard Academy.

He was about as laid back a person as you can be and I think all he did was write a letter.

Knew another guy who lived down the street who had an offer to play football for the Naval Academy. And he turned it down. To go to fricking Georgia Southern. Because his girlfriend went to fricking Ga Southern
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 2:55 pm
Posted by blueridgeTiger
Granbury, TX
Member since Jun 2004
20193 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 12:50 pm to
I won admission into the Air Force Academy when I was a senior in high school. Started with a friend of my dad's who was in party politics and knew our local Congressman well. The Congressman nominated me. I took a battery of tests and next thing I knew I was accepted.
Posted by YipSkiddlyDooo
Member since Apr 2013
3632 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 1:09 pm to
quote:

If your district has two kids applying who made a 36 ACT score, only one of them can get the appointment.


Well this isn't true. Each congressman has a certain number constituents that can be enrolled at each academy at any given time. For the Air Force academy it is 5. So if your congressman doesn't have any of their previous nominations enrolled at a certain academy, multiple graduating seniors from the same district could not only get nominated (they usually get to nominate like 10 people for EACH vacant spot they have at an academy) but both of you could attend the same service academy. I hope nobody listens to your advice.

I went through the process and I didn't start until halfway through my Junior year of HS. I had good grades and SAT which I think would have gotten me in on my own, but I was also a football recruit so DeBerry may or may not have pulled some strings at the Air Force Academy. I got the nomination (along with 6 other kids in our congressional district to the various academies) and was accepted but didn't end up attending.
Posted by al_cajun
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2017
2442 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 1:14 pm to
One of my good friends graduated from the Naval Academy from what I remember the process was lengthy. I know he had to get the letter like everyone was saying. Good grades and test scores are probably most important definitely not easy to get into.
Posted by doublecutter
Hear & Their
Member since Oct 2003
6570 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 1:19 pm to
A guy I used to work with was telling me that since his father was a MOH recipient in WW2, he could have gone to a service academy without a Congressional nomination . As long as he met some minimal academic standards.
Is this true or was he BSing?
Posted by Napoleon
Kenna
Member since Dec 2007
69047 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 1:21 pm to
The best thing you can to is start correspondence with a senator.
They have the most pull.

JBE may be a help too.

A guy I graduated with
Went to the naval academy.
Mary Landrieu wrote a recommendation letter for him.
This post was edited on 5/25/18 at 1:22 pm
Posted by Wally Sparks
Atlanta
Member since Feb 2013
29095 posts
Posted on 5/25/18 at 1:22 pm to
quote:

A guy I used to work with was telling me that since his father was a MOH recipient in WW2, he could have gone to a service academy without a Congressional nomination . As long as he met some minimal academic standards.
Is this true or was he BSing?




It's true.
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