<p>Wstcoastmom: Glad to hear of your Iowa roots. No, I’m not biased against minorities or women. I respect anyone who considers themselves an American, understands the threats we are facing, and is willing to put themselves on the line in combat (more likely in Army than Navy). I’m not even concerned about grade point/SAT averages - someone who comes from a rural area or a bad school (mostly due to wasted, inefficient schools systems, not lack of money) may certainly be as bright as a someone from a privileged background. I am concerned about physical requirements being dropped. If the original physical requirement had any meaning, why lower it for women. What really concerns me is the difference in graduation rates between men and women. See below. It costs a fortune to educate an individual at West Point and Annapolis. Can we really afford such a large difference between men and women - and it’s really larger than it appears since women typically graduate at a higher rate at civilian colleges. I think the academies need to tighten up their physical requirements for women and somehow measure psychological toughness in order to only take those women (and men) who can succeed. No system will be perfect but I’m afraid that we’re “wasting” officer resources now. I lost a number of friends on 9/11 - we’re at war and PC needs to take a backseat right now.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ceousa.org/service.html[/url]”>http://www.ceousa.org/service.html</a></p>
<p>“At both academies, women are less likely to graduate in four years than are men. This finding, unusual in that women are normally more likely to graduate from college on time than are men, suggests the possibility that admissions preferences for women are used with regard to non-academic admissions factors.”</p>
<p>"Four-Year Graduation Rates</p>
<pre><code> * 69.5 percent of women
- 76.6 percent of men
</code></pre>
<p>Like the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy graduates a smaller proportion of women compared to men. Women are less likely to finish, despite their higher verbal scores and higher high school rank (and only a 15-point gap in median math scores compared to men)."</p>