a hard decision.. ND or Navy?

Colleges & Universities United States Naval Academy (USNA)
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<p>So I have been faced with this decision since the beginning of high school and now the time has come for me to make a choice… the Naval Academy or Notre Dame?</p>

<p>I love both schools despite that they are very different (yet somewhat the same…) but obviously, I can only pick one. I’m being recruited by both schools for the crew team. I’m interested in majoring in Engineering and Navy has a much stronger program. However, I am still unsure if I want to sacrifice “the normal college experience” like I would have to at Navy. I am aware that ND has a Navy ROTC program but I do not want to do ROTC… I feel if I want a carreer as a Naval Officer then I want to do it through the Naval Academy. They are both great schools and I know that I can’t go wrong either place. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any advice?!</p>

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<p>ok, you only get a once in a lifetime chance to attend the Naval Academy. You can still have sort of a college experience if you go to a post graduate school perhaps. but that’s just my point of view. It all depends on what you think is best though.</p>

<p>Rosa</p>

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<p>Sparrow: As I read your message, the choice you are trying to make is clear. Naval Officer as a career or Not Naval Officer as a career.</p>

<p>I hope no one feels the need to dive into the “NROTC is a great path to naval officer” dialog – we all know that this is true. But Sparrow has already decided that if “I want a carreer as a Naval Officer then I want to do it through the Naval Academy”. I’ll take that statement on face value. </p>

<p>And because I take that statement on face value my advice to you is this: don’t muddy the waters with the whole “unsure if I want to sacrifice ‘the normal college experience’” You know darn well you could become a naval officer without sacrificing the normal college experience. So stay focused: based on what you’ve said above, for YOU:</p>

<p>Question #1 is: do I want a career as a naval officer?<br>
Question #2 is: do I want a career as a naval officer ENOUGH to make the sacrifices necessary to be successful at USNA.</p>

<p>It’s OK to want something, but not enough to pay the price. USNA might not charge tuition, but I guarentee you it isn’t free :)</p>

<p>PS: I’m totally not sure what you mean by “different yet somewhat the same.”</p>

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<p>^^ I think he or she means that notre dame and the naval academy are both great schools and have great programs, making them similar. However, one provides a normal college experience while the other provides a career in the Navy, sacraficing this experience. I’m in the same position, whether I want to just go to a regular college (notre dame, vandy, ect) and not do rotc or go to usma/usna and sacrafice this experience. </p>

<p>Be wary of advice, as people are not you and don’t know what it is you want. Its gonna be hard, I know as Im trying to do the same thing. Visit both, talk to people from both, get as much info as possible on both, and then decide. This is your future, don’t make a rash decision.</p>

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<p>Sparrow, why don’t you want to do NROTC at Notre Dame?</p>

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<p>i agree with jq722 view, b/c i am in a simliar spot. </p>

<p>i have my loa and med done, and pretty much garunteed a nomination, so i’m set. and same for AFA, even have a nomination already. so done there</p>

<p>But i’ve also applied elsewhere, and i haven’t heard yet, b/c most are early decisions schools (binding) and i did early action to Georgetown, which is where kids rejected Ivy Leagues go (75% of incoming freshman class are valedictorians! adn avg SAT score: 1570 old scale)</p>

<p>anyways, i am in a tight spot much like Sparrow. I am Ivy League material, i have all the basic stats + some major extr. activities; as i believe i will get into Columbia University, and decided not to apply to Harvard (didn’t like the campus), and others. have</p>

<p>I just don’t know, all schools i am applying/accepted to are excellent, but i just don’t know which i want more, i feel very caught in the middle. </p>

<p>all the advice i can give thus far is to pray. I have been praying to God that he will lead me to where he knows i need to be.</p>

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<p>same here – waiting to hear from harvard, got nrotc-marines scholarship, and for usna have LOA/nom…i understand exactly what you guys are feeling. of course, i have to see if i even get into harvard; if i don’t, my decision will be so much easier!</p>

<p>good luck guys; i know you’ll make the right choice in the end.</p>

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<p>Same exact situation here Boston USMC (waiting to hear on ROTC scholarship though). Applied EA to Harvard.</p>

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<p>I’m in the opposite position…USNA is my first choice. I’m waiting for acceptance now (LOA + Nomination in hand), and my mom keeps saying, “Just make sure you really want to do this.” Yes, the Naval Academy will be incredibly hard and everyone will hate it at some point, but for me, right now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. Harvard Army ROTC called trying to convince me to apply, but…I guess that’s now where I want to be.</p>

<p>How do you guys deal with having two such differing dreams? (like Ivy v. Navy) That has got to be really tough, because you can see your life going in such different directions depending on which college choice you make - even if you do some form of ROTC…</p>

<p>Ha, btw, just to share, this made me laugh: I’ve been looking for the Navy recruiting posters that say, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who Threaten It,” because my dad really liked it when he saw one in my brother’s dorm (Norwich Army, arg). So I was near the recruiters today and stopped in and asked if they had that poster and they were like, “Yeah, you want a mouse pad too?” I said sure and the guy brought the stuff out and then they were like, “You know what we’re going to ask now, right?” So I told them I’m waiting for a decision from the Naval Academy and they asked me about NROTC and then were like, “Hey, you’ve gotta come raid our stockroom then! You need some Navy stuff!” There was a closet with mugs, water bottles, travel mugs, key chains, frisbees, pamphlets, sunglasses, can cozies, bumper stickers, posters…Lots of stuff. The guy opened a bag and just started tossing stuff in. I now feel appropriately adorned given that I have all the goodies I can handle - not to mention my dad’s Christmas present!</p>

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<p>“How do you guys deal with having two such differing dreams? (like Ivy v. Navy) That has got to be really tough, because you can see your life going in such different directions depending on which college choice you make - even if you do some form of ROTC…”</p>

<p>I’m not sure how they are really that different in the long run. Agreed, the four year experience of college will be different, but once that is over, a ROTC or OCS officer receives the same salutes a USNA grad does. Besides the class ring, a Navy grad has no markings denoting he graduated from the Academy.</p>

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<p>Yea, sorry not sure what I was thinking…something more along the lines of … idk I can’t put it into words. but i agree Archie. I guess it’s something about having the experience of a “normal” college as opposed to the academies (or any military school). some of the ppl I know considering the acadmies aren’t even thinking about ROTC…which seems kinda odd to me but I think that was part of what I was thinking in the last post.</p>

<p>I know some of my friends in college are out drinking every weekend and don’t return to the dorm between friday and Monday because they pass out at someone’s house…at least as a plebe and probably a third class that doesn’t really happen at the academy…Just hazarding a guess!!
as a parent pointed out somewhere on one of these message boards, it’s not that academy kids don’t party</p>

<p>I think I figured out another way to say what I was thinking. If I went to a regular college, I know my summers would be spent lazing around the house, going to the pool or the movies and goofing off with friends. however, with ROTC or the academies you have some summer committments. Is this making any sense? Probably not since I’m having a difficult time making sense to myself…TGIF</p>

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<p>No, I understand what you are saying.</p>

<p>One of the things that attracts me to the Academy is the bonding that takes place. </p>

<p>I did an overnight at Harvard (and Notre Dame). At Harvard, the guys I was staying with didn’t even know the people across the hall. Pathetic; I guess that’s why they had to hire a “fun czar.”</p>

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<p>marmadillo- i understand what you’re asking.</p>

<p>my school has a very strong connection to harvard; we usually get about 20-30 in a year. therefore, i always assumed harvard was where i should go. it’s 20 minutes away from me, and i could be a Classics major (i’ve taken latin and ancient greek for 6 years). i would have more oppotunities when it came to course selection, and i would be one of VERY FEW marine corps option students on campus. that’s something in itself; being in the military while also being in Cambridge. i always figured that i could get the best of both worlds, college and military. i’m not a party-er by any means, but i’d be able to study what i love, the Classics, and i would have an alumni network that would help me throughout my life for the goals i have. </p>

<p>then i “discovered” the naval academy. i loved it. for the first time in my life, i didn’t have to defend why i want to serve or what i want to do with my life, because everyone already knows – we’re there for the same reasons. i love what the academy stands for, and i love almost everything i hear about it. and when i think about NOT going, i almost feel like i’d be taking an easy way out (yes, i know, ROTC isnt easy, but you know what i mean). i’d say i’m maybe 90-95% set on USNA right now, but who knows if that’ll change if i get an acceptance letter to harvard. either way, i want to end up in the Marines, and if i go to USNA i can always go to harvard for law school. </p>

<p>i just don’t know if i can deal with the politics in Cambridge for four years; it’s tough enough in Boston…not too many military fans, at least not in my school, which is in the city. i have daily debates with teachers, and even math class turns political…but i won’t get into that. that’s part of what turns me away from harvard. </p>

<p>at least i don’t have to decide for a few months, (that is assuming i even get IN to harvard). i hope this explains the “two different paths” situation, marmadillo. im sure that with Archie44 and Sparrow137, it’s very similar–you can totally see yourself at both places, and totally see yourself as a student at either place. two different paths to the same goal, and all of them good schools. classics major vs. poli-sci major. marine corps uniform vs. navy uniform in college. plebe summer vs. ROTC indoc. etc etc…</p>

<p>but honestly, i probably WILL end up at USNA…just keeping my options open!</p>

<p>-shawna</p>

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<p>We sound very much alike, Shawna. I wouldn’t be a Marine option ROTC initially (thinking of making the switch). </p>

<p>It’s not so much the the debating that turns me off, I look forward to that, actually, but Harvard is definitely missing a “Espirit de Corps.” Ever look around at the students? All of them look so unhappy. While midshipmen have their “down” days, the majority of them look happy to be there.</p>

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<p>“for the first time in my life, i didn’t have to defend why i want to serve or what i want to do with my life, because everyone already knows – we’re there for the same reasons. i love what the academy stands for, and i love almost everything i hear about it.”</p>

<p>I couldn’t have said it better myself - I realize, as I’m sure you do, that this is the idealized view of what the Academy would be like, but STILL - the idea that the people are there to defend the exact same thing that you feel so strongly for. While I don’t think I have to defend myself QUITE as much as it sounds like you do (college towns in the Midwest tend to be balanced pretty well between liberal and conservative), but one thing I heard in particular made me angry at the people who “just don’t understand” - that was when someone asked why I would want to “waste my life in the military when I could have so much potential elsewhere.” Honestly, I think the military is where so many of us will actually be able to reach our potential - I’m willing to bet I wouldn’t stretch myself nearly so hard at a civilian school.</p>

<p><em>little rant for the day</em> So, I’ve kinda sorta gotten off the thread topic, but I’m just thankful to talk with some other people who understand what it feels like and can compare to. Going to watch Numb3rs now :)</p>

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<p>Hah. A friend recently asked, “You realize that nations use the less intelligent members of society to fight wars, right?”</p>

<p>Should have seen the look on his face when I informed USNA had more Rhodes Scholars than any other schools this year.</p>

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<p>Yes! Go Archie!!!</p>

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<p>haha yeah; i say, if i have so much “potential”, then the military is where i need to be! it’s where i feel i can best serve my country; if we don’t use our gifts to serve, then aren’t we being selfish? :slight_smile: i tell people who question me that it’s my DUTY to serve…but again, some just have no concept of service and have no idea why i’m going to “waste my time” in the Marines when i could “do so much more with my life”. in my class of 400, i know of maybe only 2 other people who are even CONSIDERING the military at some point. very frustrating. i love boston, but sometimes the politics aren’t easy. at least our football team is called the PATRIOTS! lol.</p>

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<p>Hey there.</p>

<p>I have/had this same decision to make too.</p>

<p>Except USAFA vs ND.</p>

<p>I chose USAFA</p>

<p>I feel I can’t get the military education at ND that I will get at USAFA. And theres a much higher chance of getting a pilot slot at USAFA.</p>

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<p>Shawna, Archie, Marm- Im right there with you guys. Totally agree with this post about the bonding and camaraderie. The thing that attracts me to the USNA is all of that and the challenge it provides you. I’m 17 and I have a plan for life that Im thrilled about…which is more than I can say for most of my friends. Some don’t even know where to apply yet (nothing against that, I just like being all set.)</p>

<p>Recently, I went to ND (to see the ND vs. Navy football game). My friend just moved out there because her father is the ND QB Coach. We did the whole nine yards- tailgater, pep rally, game. I got an insiders tour of the campus and met a lot of the students (her sister is a sophomore there). The campus was great and the students were nice. I applied there as my second choice. Havent heard back yet. The point of this story is the difference between my visits to campus. When I stepped onto the Yard for the first time, I was absolutely positive thats where I belonged. It was just one of those feelings. No question in my mind. </p>

<p>Sparrow Fam- Having a ton of options open for college is a good thing. You get to pick! In my case, I guess I was lucky because I stepped on the Yard and from there on the future was clear. The more I learned about the Academy, the more I loved it. I guess in order to make such a tough decision, you gotta do some soul searching and try and picture yourself at each institution. ND was a great campus, the students were very nice, the classes are tough, and they have an ROTC. USNA- I wont start talking about why it’s great because I’ll be here for a long time. If you want to be an Officer, you can do it both ways. Just try to picture yourself at each place and see which one you can picture clearer. </p>

<p>That is just my opinion and outlook. Hopefully it was at least a little helpful/insightful. Good Luck!!</p>