About Eric Shangle Expertise I am able to answer any questions you have concerning the United States Naval Academy
(USNA). I graduated from USNA and have served as an officer in the US Navy. My experience
at the academy, as a student-athlete, and as a naval officer will help me answer your
questions.
Experience
Graduate of the Naval Academy.
Education/Credentials B.S. Ocean Engineering, US Naval Academy, 1997
M.A. Human Relations, University of Oklahoma, 2002
MBA, Naval Postgraduate School, 2005
Expert: Eric Shangle Date: 7/5/2007 Subject: Naval acadamy experiences
Question QUESTION: Because I realize the Naval academy admissions is so much alike all the other admissions, I was wondering, I have had poor grades in the past, in 9th grade i had an 1.8 weighted GPA, but in the 10th grade I watched an Air Force commercial, (please no steriotism in the response i know you'll be tempted) and I feel the call to duty if you will, My 10th grade year GPA was an 3.75, only because it was mid way 1st semester before I pulled my grades up and decided to do anything, now my GPA is 2.8 weighted, I'm taking the most advanced classes next year (11th grade year) and I run track, I try to volunteer regularly, and on top of that I organized my high school into a huge donation fund for the troops in Iraq, and managed to send them over 35 care packages, I had to use over 300$ of my own money to fund this, and were not exactly rich so it really killed me, My act is 28, what else can i do to increase my chances to get into the AFAC or the Naval academy (i will apply for both, i don't care where but i wish to serve my country, but want the best collage opportunities.) and what are my chances now?
ANSWER: Christopher,
I commend you on your call to duty. That is great to hear from young adults in high school today! I am not sure I can truly tell you about your chances for a nomination to the Academy. This is a very complex process that only the Admissions office knows very well. They keep their algorithms and formulas very secret so that the general public will not know their secrets to admission.
That being said, I will say that the Academies (all of them) look for potential leaders. They are not looking for the smartest, strongest, or nicest person. Instead, they are looking for someone who can excel in ALL areas.
GPA does come into play with admissions. So does SAT/ACT. However, I would say that being able to show you are a future leader is most important. This doesn't mean that you need to be a class president or president of your after-school club. It just means that you need to show that you are involved. Be sure that you can tell your story in your essay. Grades and ACT/SAT are metrics and speak for themselves. Make sure your essay tells the story YOU want to tell. Yes, they will read this. Talk about how you have been preparing for leadership and want to be a part of something greater than yourself. Talk about the USAF commercial you saw on TV. Talk about your will and desire to better yourself knowing that you can achieve more!
This all being said, still concentrate on your grades. They aren't going to look at your GPA in terms of a 4.0 scale. They are going to look at your grades in specific classes. Concentrate on your math and science classes. I don't know about the other academies, but the Naval Academy only awards Bachelor of Science degrees. Even if you major in English, you are still getting a BS not a BA. Everyone has to take calculus I, II, and III. Everyone has to take some form of electrical and naval engineering!
I wish you the best of luck. Concentrate on your grades. If you can get a 4.0 this next semester, that will be a step in the right direction. Set that as a goal for yourself.
Eric
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QUESTION: Bieng in the military is compleatly diffrent from the normal life we live now, Obviously, and the acadamy is utmost transition from one life style to another, and taking the diffrences in ROTC and the acadamy, im wondering what is it like to go to an acadamy? What is daily life like, the classes, educational experience, teachers, and above all military training?
Answer Christopher,
I would suggest that you go to the Naval Academy's home page (http://www.usna.edu). They really do have a lot of great information there. Specifically, go to the "About USNA" section (http://www.usna.edu/about.htm). I found that their information is pretty spot-on.
If you are looking for a more personal look at the academy, I would get on myspace. Do a search for Naval Academy. You can talk to midshipmen who are attending right now. I think that they can give a better view of what life is like. It's been 10 years since I graduated. A lot has changed. Sure, the basics are constant, but the daily life is evolving.
