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Admissions Summary So a quick summary of steps and tips for Service Academy Admissions.
SERVICE- Understand and display.
You are signing up for a minimum of 9 years Service (4 years of school plus 5 years duty). You should ACT as if this service is something that is of interest. For the next decade you will have little control over where you live, with whom you live, when you take vacations, and -in some respects- the clothes you wear. Is this something you can do? Have you ever before volunteered and had less-than-pleasant duties? Working in a food bank or church group soup kitchen may SEEM unlike what a Service Academy is looking for, but you may be looking at it all wrong. If you do something that is difficult for a cause benefiting others you will be displaying the qualities that will serve you well.
EXAMPLES
Boy Scouts
Church Volunteer Events
Working after school to help support your family
If you have accepted SERVICE as a part of your life, your odds of completing your respective Service Academy is greatly increased. Show the quality that is most important.
YOU- Improvise, Overcome, Adapt.
Let us be honest about the goals and the reality of a Service Academy Applicant. Very few people are ideal candidates for a Service Academy.
Let's make a list. How many scholar-athletes do you have at your school right now? From that group, subtract the ones that like to party with, how do they say it... recreational drugs. Trouble? Fighting? Police Record? Also off the list. Further reduce the number by eliminating those who are not above getting someone else to do a term paper or look at someone else's exam answers. Now, of that remaining small group, cross out the individuals who did not focus or excel in math and science. For the really outstanding athletes, make sure they understand that there is a very limited possibility of going professional. And they are willing to Serve their country for the next 9 plus years. How are you doing on that list?
The fact is that there are VERY FEW individuals who can meet the ideal without trying. It is hard for a reason. That is the point. So if YOU don't meet every requirement, you have a lot of good company!
The point is you can WORK towards the ideal. You don't have to be a track star or weight lifter to score well on the physical fitness exam. You will have to practice to improve your score. Speak with your academic counselor to take the appropriate classes. Volunteer and show leadership in projects that benefit others. You can MAKE yourself competetive. This is not something Mommy or Daddy can buy for you.
The ACADEMY- Where did you say you wanted to go?
An UNBELIEVABLE number of Applicants and Candidates completely bomb the interview because they believe that the best chance lies in applying to ALL the Academies. They show up to the interviews knowing something about all the Academies but a LOT about none. This is not an approach that is going to work. This is not to say that you may not apply to ALL the Academies. By all means, go ahead! You must understand, however that you will be interviewed. The Interviewer WILL know about the respective Academy and will know when you make a mistake. And by mistake, although there are many that will lower your chances, I am talking about not knowing about the Academy. You can recite the words of the Honor Code for West Point, but you display your hard earned knowledge for an interview to the Naval Academy. The Blue and Gold Officer is going to rightly understand where you have spent your time and effort.
Other examples...
You are asking for what amounts to a 4 year scholarship, but you don't know what majors are offered.
You don't know the sports offered, or the team name.
You don't know what professions are offered after graduation.
There are more examples, but you get the idea.
SERVICE, YOU, and THE ACADEMY. Understanding this will make you very competetive in the Service Academy Application Process. |
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Service Academy Admissions- Part III This is Part III of the Admissions breakdown.
The Admissions Application Process for any of the 5 Federal Service Academy can be broken down in many ways. While unique, the Academies have many similarities and many generalities that can be (and have been) drawn. While the technical similarities are many, writing about "getting your Social Security Number" -for example- doesn't really address what is going on in the Admissions Process. A different but perhaps more helpful way would be to divide the Admissions Process into SERVICE, YOU, and THE ACADEMY.
The Academy
While it seems obvious and not particularly helpful to mention "The Academy" as a part of the Application process, it would surprise many Candidates and Applicants to discover how many rejections come from lack of understanding of this part of the Application.
Assume you have read and understand the previous steps presented in this blog. You believe in SERVICE and you are willing to make an effort to present YOU in the best light. So what does the particular Academy matter since they are all about serving the same country? They are basically the same in the Engineering/Academic orientation. They have (almost) identical service obligations (number of years, types of jobs, you can be a pilot, etc). You have to take the same fitness and medical exams. Does it not make sense to apply to all the Service Academies and increase you odds at getting admitted to at least one of them?
While there is no penalty for applying to more than one Academy, there IS problem that is most often seen in the Liaison Oficer interview and Congessional Nomination Interview, but is (sadly) sometimes found written in the application-notably the essays. What is the problem???
You can't use the same answers for all the Academies! As obvious as this sounds, it happens every year!
Again, I would like you to mentally reverse roles and become the interviewer and not the applicant. You are about to be a vital link between YOUR Service Academy and the pool of Applicants in your geographical area. You will make recommendations for one or perhaps several $400,000 scholarships. Much like a job recommendation, you will be linked to the individual. If they wildly succeed or quit on the first day, your recommendation will be on file and your endorsement proof of your ability to match students with relevance.
As a interviewer, there are some core beliefs that are almost universal. So what does an interviewer believe?
Desire to attend the particular Academy is a HUGE indicator of completion, and desire is best displayed by action.
Matching a desired Academic major to the student's interest is important.
Matching Extra Curricular Activities (ECA's) and Sports to Applicant interest is important.
The Student's understanding of the Service Obligation following Graduation from the respective Academy is VERY important.
The interviewer's job is to learn something that cannot be seen in a test score or transcript, and report that in a standardized form that can be graded at the Academy.
And a final tenet that may not be publicized but is quite true. The interviewers have an overriding loyalty to the Service Academy and may recommend ZERO students from their geographic area if they are obviously unfit and/or not compatable.
So how likely are you to give a positive recommendation to a student who...
Wants to major in a speciality that is not offered?
Has a sports background not offered at the Academy?
Does not know what Jobs are offered after graduation?
Wants a career or job that is NOT available?
Answer-NOT LIKELY!
So the "Academy" part of the Application is a VERY important. While you may well apply to more than one Academy, you should be warned that there is much detail work that you need to do. Your interview will investigate how much you know about your Academy. It is quite easy to confuse the Academies, and your interest in one over another can easily come out. If you do not have a REAL DESIRE to attend a particular Service Academy, your odds of completing the first year are fairly low.
Desire in the application process is most often judged by ACTION. If you take the time and effort to learn about the Service Academy of interest and you can credibly show how you are a great match to THAT Academy, your chances of getting a great interview will go up dramatically. A display of competence about each ACADEMY where you will apply is a vital part of every application. |
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Service Academy Admissions- Part II The following is PART II of a three part series breaking down the Service Academy Application in a way that reveals some of the difficulties and common mistakes of the typical Service Academy Online Application.
In following the Service Academy Admissions outline previously stated, the Admissions might be divided into 3 parts. The "SERVICE" section was covered, so in this section let us talk about "YOU" and your importance to the Service Academy Application!
YOU are a very important part of the Admissions package, but few applicants seem to understand their contribution to the process. Admittedly, the process for attending one of the Toughests Schools in the World is, well, tough. In addition to the typical biographical data (School Grades, sports, activities), the Service Academies have extensive requirements not found in other school applications. There is...
A Fitness exam
A Medical Exam
An interview (often more than one)
A requirement to receive a Nomination from a Member of Congress or other Nominating Source
Most people consider these hurdles to be endured. If you are particulary athletic, healthy, politically savy, or have an ease with interviews you may skate through this process. Unfortunately YOU are missing the point. These steps are designed to be somewhat difficult. The fact that YOU found it easy does not give overwhelming evidence that you will succeed in the future at your respective Academy. Sometimes just the opposite conclusion can be drawn. Think of it this way...You are attempting to attend a school that will increase the difficulty level until you are tested and even broken. What does the fact that you scored well in the fitness test reveal if you are already fit?
EXAMPLE
Let us say you are a track star, and your fitness exam scores very high, especially the run. What can you do?
Answer 1- Do Nothing, you have a high score!
Answer 2- Do nothing and spend the extra time working on something else
Answer 3- Find your weakest fitness event and design a program to improve it.
ROLE REVERSAL
Instead of an applicant, you are now evaluating applicants and you are grading 2 of them.
Student "A" is a sports star, and submits a high score
Student "B" is a sports star, and shows you a graph where he/she took and scored on preliminary exam on his/her own. Student "B" then took the weakest event (or events), designed a program and over the weeks-months-whatever, improved the fitness score(s) x amount. "B" can show a workout logbook displaying workout schedule. When improved a certain amount, "B" tests and submit scores. "B" score is above average but (in this example) less than Student "A" score.
You, as the interviewer, are allowed to give your highest recommendation to only one of these students. Who do you think will be most likely to succeed the rigors of a Service Academy? Who gets your vote? Although there are many factors, in this one instance Candidate "B" displayed an effort and took action that is easily translated into overcoming adversity. It is logical that the lower score would get a higher evaluation.
This is just one example of how YOU are part of the application process and how presenting yourself in the most complimentary way to the goals and direction of the Service Acacdemies can give you an advantage over someone who is stronger, faster, and higher scoring. If the score was all that was important, there would be no interview. Understanding the process and making sure to take advantage of the YOU in the admissions steps are seldom understood and rarely explained. YOU can be the strongest part of the application if you take the time to develop this incredibly important asset! |
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Service Academy Admissions- Part I Service Academy Admissions- A Summary of all the Parts
The 5 federal Service Academies are among the Toughest Schools In The World, and the application process shows it. It is by far the most difficult of all schools, colleges, universities, etc. The Service Academies are hard for a reason, and the Application reflects this program by being possibly even MORE difficult. In my own unique way, I'd break this Admissions Process down into 3 parts...
Service
You
The Academy
The Application Process is normally broken down by the parts of both the written and online forms and there is some logic to that process. Name, Social Security number, Academic Transcript are all requirements for the Application. But the Academies are different, and that difference is hard to explain. This alternative look at the application process may clarify some differences...
Service
The Service Academies are all about SERVICE, and there are many students who eliminate themselves early in the process by a complete lack of understanding about this basic fact. Where every other High School student dreams the same dream: getting into college, studying something fun, and getting a good job. A Service Academy Applicant needs to "Dream In Reverse".
Apon Graduation, the Academy Grad WILL HAVE A JOB. Usually in the Armed Forces, Coast Guard or Merchant Marine service and that respective service will require 5-9 years of comittment after Graduation. The list of duties is long and different from other civilian possibilies. When you apply to a Service Academy, or better yet, when you are accepted (offered an appointment) your options become limited to what is offered.
This sense of unlimited options after graduation often trip up the wide-eyed applicant. They want it both ways. I'm not saying that the so called "FREE" education is not a consideration. It surely is a factor. But during the interviews there is often a time for the applicants to ask some questions of their own. So for the sake of simplicty, my example will be an interview for the Naval Academy, and the jobs available are Navy Pilot, Navy Submarine Driver, and Navy Ship Driver (important disclaimer, the Naval Academy offers the most options of the military service academies when you include all the options of the US Marine Corps). Those are the jobs you can expect. What impression are you making when you ask the following question. "Is it true that you can go to Med School after Graduation?". Answer. Well, there IS a program where up to 2% of each graduating class might qualify. Is that where your interest is focused? Do you think it is a good plan to apply to a school that only allows a Maximum of 2% of its graduates to continue on to Medical School if that is your goal?
So the "Service" part of the Service Academy becomes a bit of a problem. There is an enormous obligation that comes with this education. How do you explain it to a 16 or 17 year old High Schools Student?
The short answer is that you don't explain it, you let the student explain it through direct and indirect questions.
So instead of telling the "right" and "wrong" answers, let us look at an analogy.
Let us pretend that YOU are conducting interviews for a student group to climb Mount Everest.
Only there are 5 schools, some climb mountains, some explore the Amazon, or the Antarctic, you get the idea. The learning process is 4 years, and then a minimum of 5 years field work. The school is $400,000 but is free in exchange for the exploration work later. Who will you choose? Which students will be most likely to succeed.
Let me tell you who you will NOT choose. You will not choose someone who has never heard of Everest. You will also NOT choose someone who lists as a reason is that they "really, REALLY want to attend...". Almost everybody would like a free ride. These are exactly the people who will not complete the school or the work that follows.
So understanding SERVICE will be a huge help in the Application process. It may also stop you from even beginning the application process if you know and understand the ending (where the process will lead) and it is not in line with your goals.
I'll continue with the other parts shortly. Any questions or comments are welcome.
Good Luck! |
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