What it takes
What to expect
A growing number of students are applying to the US service academies, particularly the Military Academy (www.usma.edu) (West Point), the Naval Academy (Annapolis) (www.usna.edu), and the Air Force Academy (www.usafa.edu). As the cost of private and public schools escalates, expect this to be an ever increasing trend; consequently, now is a good time, before the 2009 application process gets underway, to gain a better understanding of these schools, and a better sense of what's involved in gaining admissions to them.
Though a lot of people are familiar with the three schools mentioned above, there are a total of five service academies. The others are the US Coast Guard Academy (www.uscga.edu) in New London, CT, and the US Merchant Marine Academy (www.usmma.edu) in Kings Point, New York. The Coast Guard Academy is one of the most selective institutions in the country: it accepts less than 8% of its applicants. Further, getting into any of these academies is no mean feat: the acceptance rate at West Point, Annapolis, and Air Force ranges between 10-13%, equivalent to the most competitive of the Ivy League schools.
Before applying, it's extremely important to ask if the service academies fit your temperament. You better like a focused curriculum, with a heavy preponderance of mathematics and engineering. West Point, for example, has a requisite five-course engineering sequence and a total of 31 required classes. All grads receive a BS degree.
Second, make sure your goal is to become an officer with a strong penchant to lead; that's what you'll be doing for at least five years after graduation-so be honest with yourself.
Third, there is a strong emphasis on physical fitness. You'll need to pass a physical fitness test, 'candidate fitness assessment', and the requirements are rigorous (75 push ups in 5 minutes, 5:20 mile-I've never done that in my life, and 18 pull ups in 2 minutes); details can be found at: http://www.usmma.edu/admissions/PDFs/CFA_Instructions05.pdf
Appealing? Then go for it. Assuming that you're interested in West Point, you'll need to contact the admissions office, where they'll open a file on you. Next, you'll need to set up an interview with your congressman or senator; one of them must nominate you. Then, you'll need the usual array of a solid transcript, good recommendations, good standardized test
scores, and, if possible, a letter in a varsity sport. In the naval academy alone, virtually every midshipman has lettered.
Naturally you'll need to also pass a thorough medical exam and the aforementioned fitness exam. Assuming you get accepted, look forward to attending boot camp soon after your high school graduation. Usually about 5-7% of the cadets don't make it past this stage. Should you be the right material, however, you'll be on course to make your one time deposit of $2,400, while gaining free medical and dental care, and room and board. Further, at West Point, you become an active duty soldier, which means you'll also be earning approximately $6,700 a year.
However, it's the quality of the education that is most impressive. At West Point, for example, the average class size is 15, and the instructors, 90% of whom have PhDs, are strictly focused on teaching. The real value of such an education has to be in the $250,000 range. The key to getting in is never giving up. 30% of West Point's incoming class are 2nd time candidates. Should you want a fuller description of the service academy admission process read How to Get into the Top Colleges by Richard Montauk, Prentice Hall, 2006, pages 465-498; though slightly dated, it's comprehensive. Getting into a service academy is no easy task, but then you should expect challenges before joining the company of such spirits as Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur, or Dwight Eisenhower.