United States Naval Academy - Part 3

As I mentioned yesterday, attending the Naval Academy is a huge opportunity, but it comes with great responsibility.

It is incredibly competitive to be accepted to the USNA, but it is not impossible.  For example, last year there were 17,000 applications initiated, but only 3300 of them ended up fulfilling all the steps (including receiving a nomination) and then of that number just 1,350 students were offered an appointment (the chance to attend).  They consider applicants holistically.  In applicants, they are seeking those with excellent moral character who are mentally and physically fit, are interested in becoming a Professional Officer in the Naval Service and who demonstrate the potential for leadership.  Essentially, they are looking for students who excel in the classroom, are leaders, are driven and competitive, are involved, and who have a desire to serve.  Students interested in applying should start the process during their junior year so that you can complete the process as early as possible during your senior year.  Applications are looked at every week on a rolling basis.  Prep School is an option that some students will be offered for a year prior to being accepted to the USNA.  The Naval Academy Prep School (also known as NAPS) is in Rhode Island.

Nominations are a unique aspect of the admissions process to the USNA.  In addition to submitting the actual application to the Naval Academy, students must simultaneously apply to senators and congressmen for a nomination.  This process typically includes an application and an interview to have the chance to be nominated.  All students who attend the Naval Academy MUST receive a nomination.

There are opportunities for high school students to check out the USNA to see if it would be a potential fit.  Summer Seminar is for students in the summer between their junior and senior years.  It is a competitive process that opens for application in January of the junior year.  It will give attendees a chance to spend a week living the life of a typical Midshipman.  For younger students, there are other summer experiences including participating in USNA sports camps or STEM academic camps.

The Midshipmen are from all 50 states and so it can be a challenge to be in such a demanding circumstance while being so far away from home.  As a result, one cool thing that the Naval Academy does to help the students is that they have Host Families that “adopt” the Midshipmen.  These families are from the greater Annapolis area and they provide a place of normalcy and comfort for the students on the limited times when they are able to leave the campus.  Additionally, another unique aspect of the Naval Academy in comparison to the other academies is the fact that there is a town just outside of the gates of the campus. 

Athletics is an essential component of life for all Midshipmen.  All of the students are expected to participate in sports in some capacity.  The Naval Academy is an NCAA Division 1 school featuring 32 varisty sports – 18 men’s, 11 women’s and 3 co-ed.  They also have 16 club sports and 10 intramural sports.  In addition to participating in sports, the students are all still required to take PE classes each year.  (So, unlike in high school where you might be able to be exempted from PE if you are an athlete, they do not allow that at the Naval Academy.)  27% of the men and 35% of the women who attend the USNA are varsity athletes competing in Division 1 sports.

I really enjoyed learning about how they approach teaching leadership and character development.  In part, all athletics, activities and classes help toward this, but there are also specific classes focused on teaching leadership and character.  For example, we learned that they typically think of the first 2 years as being when they teach students immediate obedience and then the next two years are spent teaching the students to think and make decisions on their own.  The ultimate goal is for the students to be servant leaders and they have classes and a capstone project that students complete to help develop their leadership.  The honor code is also very important at the USNA, but if students struggle they are focused on remediation rather than just kicking the students out.  While the Midshipmen have barely any free time (at all) in their week, I was also impressed by the fact that many of the students are still committed to clubs and community service opportunities which is a reflection of their character.

In addition to talking with Hannah and Micah, I had the chance to meet several other Midshipmen during the week. 

Julia is a freshman who showed me the sample dorm room.  Bancroft Hall is the largest dorm on any college campus – in fact all 4400 students at the USNA all live in that 1 dorm.  It is gigantic!  We didn’t get to see any of the actual student dorm rooms, but they did allow us to see this mock-up sample dorm room.  It was interesting that all student rooms and closets must be EXACTLY like this!  No papers, pencils, or other materials are allowed to be left out on the desk at ANY point in time.  And, in their closet, clothes must be together and go from light to dark.  Additionally, socks must be folded in a very particular manner so that they were “smiling.”  It was explained to us that this is all because of the importance of attention to details.  

At dinner I was able to pepper one of the juniors, Jackie (pictured here on left with her friend and fellow Midshipman Miriam) with tons of questions.  She was amazing and I really enjoyed being able to talk 

with her as well as all of the other students that I met randomly throughout the week.  Whether it was talking to someone like Jackie at length or the students we were able to meet in the engineering labs, everyone was polite, respectful, kind and ready to answer any questions and I appreciated it very much not only for what they shared, but also for the hope that they gave me for the future because they are outstanding (like all of you) and they are dedicating their lives to service which strikes me as amazing!

When we had the opportunity to ask a panel of students what they would recommend for high schoolers to do if they are interested in attending the Naval Academy the number one answer that we heard and was reiterated by all of the students (and applies not only for attending an Academy) is that students should not be afraid of working hard and going after anything you want.  They encouraged students to picture where they want to be in the future and work for that rather than just working for tomorrow.  I loved that sentiment!  Remember, what you are learning and doing is not just to check off a box or to earn a grade in your class – it is to help develop yourself, push your own development and excel in every area because it is for your own good and not because of some outside goal or objective.

The chapel is a central point on the college campus.  There is a ship that hangs from the top of the back of the church – it looks small from the ground, but is actually quite large.  An interesting feature of the chapel is that there is a pew completely blocked off that features a candle which is lit in memory of POW’s and those missing in action.  Beneath the chapel is a crypt of John Paul Jones.

There were other neat traditions that we heard about/ saw… The noon formation prior to lunch was very impressive.  The statue of Tecumseh was typically covered by a tarp, but the bottom portion is painted at particular times in honor of major events on campus – in this case for the Marine Corps birthday and the Navy vs. Tulsa football game.  And we learned that this statue is used as a ritual to mark the end of the freshman (plebe) year when the freshmen students must try to work together to get the Naval hat perched at the top… and, to make it more difficult the seniors coat the entire statue with a great deal of oil, lard, and other slippery material.  Plus, the views out the windows were amazing... like this classroom ship that the Midshipmen learn on.

And yesterday, I neglected to include pictures of the concrete canoe or the human-powered submarine... how amazing?!?

It was a great trip and I learned so much.  I wish time and space would allow me to share more, but the reality is that nothing I write here can fully capture the experience of being there.  So, if attending the United States Naval Academy is at all of interest to you, I hope you will stop to see me so we can discuss it more in depth!