Betterdeadthanred

Well I'm currently starting my application process for the USAFA and West Point and I was just wondering if we have anybody around here that graduated from a military academy and could give me some pointers (or how to not get my ass kicked by seniors if nothing else ).

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Dirtboy

Well, I am friends with ALOT of USAFA graduates and I asked them some questions regarding their experiences. This is what I gathered from their responces.

It is much like Basic training for enlisted, but you are getting yelled at by people who are only a few grades higher than you.

The easiest thing you can do is play a sport! My friend played LaCrosse and nobody really messed with him.

Do NOT be an individual! This holds true to both Academy and Enlisted Basic. Be a fly on the wall for at least the first few years there.

Study, Study, Study...especially in the Air Force acadamy. Now they look for any reason to kick you out.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

That is all that I recall at the moment, but if there are any specifics, let me know. I will ask them

Dirt

GO FIGHTING FALCONS

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|TG-6th| Dirtboy
Need an Admin? | Want to help TG? | The 6th Devil's Brigade

Bc2ID

Let your perfomance speak for itself. Do not try and be a billy badass or a know it all. As Dirt stated be a fly on the wall, but not so much that it makes you look as if you are flying under the radar (they can and will pick up on this). Start preparing now....physically! Learn that teamwork and communication really wins over everything else.

Go Black Knights!

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Betterdeadthanred

I haven't heard the whole fly on the wall thing before, but I have been driving myself crazy making sure I can ace the fitness examination. I was surprised to find out that the past few years that I had been working my ass of at school were kind of unnecessary considering how grades are only a small part of the whole application but I feel I have a pretty good chance at getting in at this point.

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Pfeil22

I attended The Citadel and went on to serve in the US Army. If you have any specific questions about preparing for the academies or military colleges, please let me know.

Good luck with your applications, Betterdeadthanred!

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Tarenth

Closest I came to it was a stint in NJROTC (good years and fun) in highschool with an offer to go to the Naval Academy because of my grade or into an ROTC program. It was just too bad the offer arrived 1 week after the deadline and they wouldn't take yes as an answer.

Fly on the wall is a pretty good concept. If you stand out then it gives them all the more reason to hammer you back into place and make an example because the very fact that you stand out means the example would get more attention. Individualism has its place and you can express it on your own time.

Oh yeah. Never question a superior officer or instructor in public. NEVER. If you bring it up in private they might apologize for the mistake and make the problem go away quietly. If you bring it up in public you are questioning their authority and right to instruct/lead you and they will knock you back into place if they can or try their hardest to make your life difficult if they can't.

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My sanity is not in question...
It was a confirmed casualty some time ago.

aculle01

while its probably a cleaner more PG version, try to keep an eye on the military channel. Every so often they run their 4 part series covering each year/summer at the 4 main academies (Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard).

As Tarenth mentioned, AROTC and AFROTC scholarships are great (some may find better) alternatives to the academies. With the exception of Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, life in ROTC is nowhere near as severe/strict as it is at the Academies and yet you still receive a commission as an O-1 upon graduation. You are just a regular student who happens to take an extra course each semester, gets up early to PT a couple times a week and wears a uniform once a week. You're also a student, who from freshman year, already has a job that pays at least $30,000 upon graduation. Now it certainly comes down to preference but either way its a great back up plan if you are committed to becoming an officer in the military and don't mind having you college paid for.

Sarcoma

Ive seen that and its a pretty good watch (im a civvy). Taped it for my niece who is looking to apply to Navy.

Sarcoma

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Sarcoma.

Betterdeadthanred

Wooo! I got accepted to the West Point summer program! Waiting for a response from the USAFA now.

From what the liaison officer told me, more people actually get accepted to West Point than the summer program.

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Ferris Bueller

I was in NROTC before my knee blew out and I was medically dropped from my scholarship. I have lots of friends that went to service academies and lots that went into ROTC. From everything that I've gathered, the difference is how you want to spend your college experience. In ROTC programs, you still get the full "college experience". You can go to parties, stay up as late as you want, eat hot pockets, etc. Most programs require you to be dressed in full uniform one or two days a week in addition to attending your military science classes and some other additional duties (for example, I had to stand watch 4 hours a week in the battalion spaces, flag duty once every 2 months and twice a semester had to participate in the joint navy-army-airforce ROTC cleaning of the stadium the day after a football game.) In exchange, I had a full ride scholarship, 300 bucks/month stipend, full book allowance, and full medical coverage. Not a bad gig. In also got to party and socialize a lot more than I would have if I had chosen to take my acceptance to Annapolis (USNA) instead.

My dad always said that service academies are a million dollar education shoved up your butt a nickel at a time. He had a lot of bad experience with glory-hungry academy graduates in his 25 years in the navy.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

Bc2ID

That is Fantastic. Go Black Knights! Congrats to you and all your hard work! You will have a BLAST.

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