<p>I speak from experience when I say that the door is never completely closed at USNA. Our Mid got the dreaded thin envelope in April only to get a call a week later. I have had several wonderful and incredibly bright Mids over to our house. I was amazed at how many of them were denied an appointment on their first attempt. They got in easily the second time around. The extra year in college has been a huge advantage for them as they have wonderful GPAs and have struggled much less than those directly out of high school. If USNA is your dream, don’t give up hope and work hard next year to make that happen. Good luck to you! Either route to becoming an officer is an admirable ambition.</p>