US Service Academies

courtesy+of+Google+Images

courtesy of Google Images

John Hsu, Staff Writer

The United States Service Academies are federal academies designed to give undergraduate educations to future commissioned officers in the US Armed Forces. The three major service academies, the Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado), The Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland), and the Military Academy, or West Point (West Point, New York), all require a minimum five years of service towards their particular branch of military upon graduation. However, aside from duty commitments, students will receive a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as graduate as second lieutenants. In athletics, all three are Division 1 schools, competing annually  to be awarded the Commander in Chief’s Trophy. In education, all three have been consistently ranked top 15 on Forbes, and each three offer up to 27 different majors.

All three academies offer free tuition, as cadets compensate with their five years of service. Written below is a breakdown of what is required to get into one of these academies.

 

  1. Focus on Grades: Maintain solid GPA, as grades are vital to acceptance. 90 percent of all admitted cadets are ranked in the top 20% of their class. However, service academies seek well rounded people, meaning grades are a strong starting point, but not quite the finish line. The average Army GPA is 3.8.
  2. Practice Standardized Testing (SAT or ACT): Strong ACT and SAT scores are critical to acceptance. Keep testing until scores are above the required average. For example, Army’s average SAT and ACT are 2010 and 30, as of 2014.
  3. Have an athletic background. While you do not necessarily have to be competitive at a recruiting level, 87% of all accepted students have a varsity letter, which is good preparation for the strenuous physical training required of all students.
  4. Assert yourself as a leader, especially throughout application and interviews (*There will be many interviews throughout the application process, whether it be applying for a nomination from a Congressman, or simply meeting with your Liaison Officer (counselor). You can do this by becoming an athletic captain, officer of a club like National Honor Society, or being a class officer. Keep in mind the goal of the academies is to produce leaders in your allotted branch of military.
  5. Start, and finish early. An early application started in junior year will help gauge whether or not the applicant is meeting most requirements.
  6. Seek networks with Congressmen, State Senators, and the Vice President, the only three members of Congress capable of nominating you.

 

– When completed, you will receive one of these three responses:

– An offered spot at the Academy of your choice

– An offered spot in the prep school (applicants who meet all requirements  other than GPA/SAT/ACT)

 – A rejection

In closing, no matter what grade, whatever your GPA or athletic ability, it is never too late to begin preparing to apply.