Category Archives: USNA
The Basiscs of Service Academy Requirements and Applications
Service Academy Worksheet:
Applying to a Federal Service Academy is a daunting endeavor. Those who do it will only do it once in their life, and it’s important to get it right the first time.
I have put together the following worksheet for your use in the Congressional Nomination Process, and the Service Academy Application Process. The document is in a pdf format, I encourage you to download it, convert it to Word, and make it your own.
GOOD LUCK!
My List of US Navy Surface Warfare Books
I was recently asked to supply my list of the best US Navy Surface Warfare (SWO) books. This is not an easy task because some of my favorite USN books are about subs, some are about the time of sail and some are fiction, nonetheless here’s my list:
Alfred Thayer Mahan
“The Influence of Sea Power Upon History” by Alfred Thayer Mahan. this book is considered a classic in the field of naval history. Mahan argues that the key to a nation’s power and prosperity lies in its navy. he examines the role of sea power in shaping world events in the 17th and 18th centuries. This book is a the top of my list for a reason, a navy not only protects its nation’s shores but it projects power abroad.
“The Surface Warfare Officers Guide”**. This book is a comprehensive guide for officers in the US Navy who are responsible for surface warfare (SWO’s). It covers a wide range of topics, including principles of war, leadership, and navigation. It’s a must-read for every SWO and anyone interested in naval warfare. This book is number two (2) on my list for a reason. Mahan’s book above gives you the why this book opens the door to the how…. ** This book is out of print but can be picked up online used.
“The Plebe Trilogy” by Hank Turowski. The three novels that make up the trilogy develop the concepts of “Plebe Summer'” when the plebe group bonds as a unit through the painful reality of their new lives; “The Brigade”, when the plebes become part of a much great whole and fight to be accepted; and “The Hundredth Night”, when they must put into practice the lessons they have hopefully learned are published in this trilogy set”. This book is number three (3) because it gives a glimpse into life at a service academy, in this case, USNA.
“Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans” by Admiral James Stavridis – This book provides a comprehensive history of the US Navy and its role in global politics, as well as an analysis of the challenges and opportunities facing naval power in the 21st century.
“Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage” by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew – This book is a fascinating look at the US Navy’s submarine espionage program during the Cold War, and the dangerous missions undertaken by submariners to gather intelligence on Soviet naval activities.
“The Naval War of 1812” by Theodore Roosevelt – This classic work of history was written by the future President of the United States and focuses on the US Navy’s role in the War of 1812 against Great Britain. This is a very comprehensive book and a tough read but give it a try.
“The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour” by James D. Hornfischer – This book chronicles the Battle off Samar during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in which a small group of US Navy destroyers and escort carriers successfully fended off a much larger Japanese force.
Any of the early books written by Tom Clancy. He did extensive research that sometimes questioned how he found out, it was open source.
I would be remiss in not recommending the U.S. Naval Institute as the premier source of Naval publications. I highly recommend that anyone interested in naval topics or considering a naval career to subscribe to Proceedings. The subscription is expensive but consider it part of your naval education.
The top 3 questions that I’m asked are………..
I get asked a lot of questions while at events where I’m giving a presentation about applying to a Federal Service Academy. I put together a list of the most asked questions with my answers, I hope you will find them useful. Please note that these are my opinions from my experience, I do not represent any academy or congressional office.
1. What’s the difference between a nomination and an appointment?
This is probably the most asked question of all, that’s why it’s #1.
A nomination is awarded to a candidate that the Vice President, Senator, or Congressman has deemed qualified to enter one of the four (4) federal service academies that require a Congressional nomination (USCGA doesn’t). The VP and each member of congress typically conduct interviews and have established criteria that a potential candidate must meet in order for that candidate to be awarded a nomination.
A nomination is required in order for a service academy to award an appointment. An appointment is awarded by the service academy to a candidate that they have to determined to be; academically and physically qualified to be successful at the academy and go on to military service.
2. What are the service obligations for each service academy.
Every service academy has a “service obligation”. The obligation is typically five (5) years of active duty and three(3) years of reserve duty after graduation.* The Coast Guard Academy is five (5) years of active duty after graduation. The Merchant Marine Academy has differing obligations dependent on the career path chosen after graduation. Please use this link for exact details on USMMA. http://bit.ly/3lS4Wer
* Certain career tracts such as; pilot, nuclear school, etc… will extend the service obligation because of the long training period required.
3. Is the SAT/ACT still important?
In my opinion and experience doing well on the SAT/ACT is extremely important! The members of congress and the academies make their decisions based on a few different criteria, academics being one of them. If there is one thing that is consistent across any congressional district, state, or this nation is the SAT/ACT test. These tests allow an academy to compare a student from Portland Maine to a student from Portland Oregon. I strongly suggest that a candidate takes the SAT/ACT as many times as possible in order to get the highest super score possible.
Is the Academy Liaison Officer your best friend?
Each of the five federal service academies has a liaison officer, Blue & Gold Officer, Information Representative, Field Force, Liaison Officer, etc… If you’re applying to one of the service academies, you probably will interact at some time with one of these academy representatives.
So, what does a Liaison Officer do:
- They promote the academy.
- Interact with High Schools
- Attend college fairs/career nights.
- Provide information to guidance counselors.
- Provide information to athletic coaches.
- They support local congressional offices and US Senators
- Sit on Academy Selection Boards
- Attend Service Academy Day presentations.
- Interface with District Constituent Services
- They provide information to interested students and their parents.
- They are the eyes and the ears for their academy’s admissions office.
- They help interested students through the process, and in some cases champion top candidates.
Not every academy Liaison Officer does all these things, but I can assure you the good ones do many of them, plus more.
So, is the Liaison Officer your best friend?
Yes, they are! These individuals have deep institutional knowledge and update to date knowledge of exactly what their respective admissions offices are looking for and what the latest standards are. They know what the competitive landscape is in your area and what you need to score on the SAT/ACT to be competitive. Some may also have direct contact with the academy’s athletic staff which is priceless for athletes.
While you most likely will only go through the admissions process once in your life the Liaison Officers have been doing this for many years. They know the timeline, the hurdles, and what has to be completed. They are indispensable because of their depth of knowledge.
I strongly encourage anyone who is applying to a service academy to reach out and introduce themselves to the Liaison Officer that covers their area. You can find out who your Liaison Officer is from your target academy’s website or by contacting the admissions office directly. Take advantage of their knowledge and willingness to help.
https://www.westpoint.edu/admissions
https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/
USAFA http://www.academyadmissions.com
US Merchant Marine Academy https://www.usmma.edu/admissions
The Top Twenty Questions You Can Expect at your Service Academy Nomination Interview
You want to go to a service academy. So, What are you doing with your Summer?
School’s out and summer is finally here. You’ve made the decision to compete for a slot at one of our nation’s five (5) service academies. So, what do you so with your free time over the summer break? Hopefully you have a summer job or some other activity that provides you with satisfaction and maybe even some fun, but there’s a lot to do to get ready for your service academy application and other requirements. Let’s break them down by where you are in your high school career.
Sophomores & Juniors:
- Do your research on the different service academies and ROTC programs.
- If you can, visit at least one of the academies.
- If you live in the North East, USMA, USCGA and USMMA are relatively close together with USNA a bit of ride.
- Start making a list or a tracker;
- What are due dates for applications?
- What qualifications do you need for each academy?
- Who do you have to contact?
- Plan out your classes for the coming year.
- What is your academy of choice looking for?
- Consider taking advance Calculus, Physics, Chemistry.
- Prepare for the SAT/ACT & Take the SAT/ACT
- Take a SAT/ACT prep classes. If you can’t afford a tutor there are plenty of free online programs and resources. It’s all about putting the time in to practice for the test.
- Open up a file (online) with the academy or academies of your choice and ROTC.
- Do a personal assessment
- What areas do you need work in?
- Academics
- Activities
- Athletics
- SAT/ACT
- Leadership
- Volunteer & Community Service
- What areas do you need work in?
Seniors:
- If you didn’t open up a file with the academy now is the time!
- Start the formal application
- Contact your Member of Congress and both US Senators
- Open up a file with them
- Complete their application for a Congressional Nomination
- Once your application is started you will be notifying you to schedule a DoDMerb physical.
- Get that physical scheduled ASAP.
- Take the SAT/ACT
- Take it as many times as possible to get your score as high as possible
- Open up your tracker and determine who needs to get/give what?
- Example: Give you application to the Member of Congress
- Get: A letter of recommendation from your math teacher
- Schedule your physical fitness evaluation.
- Look at your class load. Are you taking the classes that are going to prepare you the best for your first year at the academy?
- What can I do over the summer to get;
- Leadership experience.
- Volunteer.
- Physically fit.
These items only scratch the surface of what you need to do over the summer. I know that there’s a lot of fun things to do, work things to do but if you’re serious about attending a service academy you need to take advantage of any time that you have to get things done.
So, You want to go to a Federal Service Academy? 