Life at the Service Academies
Pursuing a professional military education means sacrificing much of your personal freedom for nine years — you’ll spend four in the academy and five in the service. And in all probability, you will be deployed to conflict zones.
Every year hopefuls report for class at the United States Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy. Additionally, several other institutions offer similar education experiences, including the Citadel in Virginia, Norwich in Vermont, and VMI in Virginia. But we will limit our discussion to the four established national service academies.
Many apply for the limited number of slots available, but few are chosen. The acceptance rate is typically less than twenty percent (20%). Upon reporting after acceptance, in exchange for their commitment to active military after graduation, the plebes, midshipmen and cadets receive a monthly stipend, tuition, rooms, books, and meals.
Competition is extremely tough, but once accepted and with hard work both academically and socially, the rewards of a military career are many. Preparation for the entrance competition should begin as early as possible in elementary, middle, and high school. Simply making good grades in what I refer to as “basket weaving,” those soft and easy to pass classes will not cut it. The applicant will want to have a well-rounded academic achievement, including mathematics and sciences as well as the humanities. Take as many advanced placement courses as you can because they will help when you begin your studies at the academy of your choice.
You should begin your application as early as your junior year in high school by collecting as much documentation as you can. This documentation includes transcripts of your academic work, letters from teachers and administrators in your school, church and community leaders. Also, begin writing an essay – it may never be read by anyone but YOU – outlining your goals and aspirations, and how you feel you would fit into a branch of the military as a career officer. And do not forget your state congressional Representative and both Senators. This may be a place where your essay may be the difference between acceptance and failure. Remember, each Representative and Senator may directly appoint an individual to the academies.
The military academies provide a balanced education in the arts and sciences., and cadets graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree that meets the intellectual needs of an officer. The physical program consists of physical education and competitive sports to keep the mental and physical fitness of an officer. Military skills are developed through active military training combined with classroom military science instruction. The moral-ethical growth is developed through the cadet’s experiences and activities while in the military academy.
Having said these things, it is important that you consider long and hard if the military is the life is for you. Following graduation from the academy you will enter activity duty as a second lieutenant which brings with it heavy responsibility to your country, your unit, your fellow officers – and especially the enlisted men assigned under you – and, above all else to yourself.
Let us hear your experiences in the army by filling out the comment section. You can get in touch with me via my Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads accounts. You can also check my blog for more articles or read my book, Ol’ Shakey: Memories of a Flight Engineer, for more aviation stories.
References
Dao, James. “Survival of the Fittest.” The New York Times, July 24, 2010. Accessed January 23, 2018. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/education/edlife/25guidance-t.html.
Powers, Rod. “Is Military School the Perfect University?” The Balance. October 14, 2016. Accessed January 23, 2018. https://www.thebalance.com/the-perfect-university-3353968.
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