SA Prep School Question

[Jetbill]

My DS will be a sponsored prep at MMI in the fall. Our senatorial and congressional nominations are all due the first week of September so he'll have to get those applications done before he leaves home.

And thank you to Jetbill who has provided so much valuable prep school information on this forum.

You're welcome! If you only knew how much help we've received from numerous people on here who truly have "servants hearts". I'm far from any kind of expert on these subjects, and any of my advice should be taken with that in mind. I hope to contribute back for others starting out on this journey, in any small way, by sharing my experience, strength and especially HOPE!
It is truly inspiring to see so many exceptional young people who dream of serving our country at the highest levels or otherwise.

 

[FVNY]

My son had the unique experience of self-preping twice, (2 years after HS). Fortunately, he's younger and will still be 19 at West Point on R-day in 6 weeks. So, we feel like 2 yrs of prep was, in his case, an acceptable route. This year while at MMI, he received 3 offers of Appointments. USMA, USAFA, USCGA. All 3 he applied to.
He received ROTC nomination for WP by taking MS-1 ROTC coursework. And Rep nomination for West Point. Senatorial nom and appointment for USAFA. Our other Senator nominated him for USMMA, but he did not follow through with the application there, as he had ruled out that path for himself.
Last year he attended a self-prep program at a school that was not a college. And while he had an incredibly great experience, he did not gain an appointment. Did not get any ROTC class experience, (like he did this year).
Was he "well qualified" enough to have received an appointment last year? In the opinions of many, yes. But the real question should have been, "was he the best qualified in our competitive congressional district"? ....Likely not. And, "did he do absolutely everything as well as he possibly could have"? In all honesty, probably not exactly last year.
This year was different obviously.....
While I wouldn't rule out any of the prep school experiences, you should definitely consider what YOU in particular could benefit most from. Especially as a "self-prep" , you should be carefully considering plan B scenarios. Are you willing to stay and prep a second year, if necessary? Or will you transfer to civilian U and pursue ROTC route? And would you benefit from a year of ROTC classes simultaneous to your preping, to better your ROTC approach at Plan B school later on?
Would Corp of Cadets/military decorum experience benefit you?
MMI was definitely what seemed best answer for my son at this point 1yr ago. We felt he needed to improve militarily speaking. (Corp of Cadets & ROTC while at MMI).
And extracuriculars to show leadership. (Swamp Fox program and Color Guard while at MMI). AND, importantly, college credits earned in "Plebe year like" course work.
He seemingly did not need to improve his test scores, so he did not retest SAT again. (But he certainly could have).
Based purely on results, MMI was absolutely the best choice for him.
Importantly, they did not "over promise" any results in advance. But they ABSOLUTELY delivered on EVERYTHING they said they would, and MORE! Objectively speaking, MMI has some distinct advantages to this pursuit. But be forewarned! As a self-prep, you will have a LOT of "heavy lifting" to do! And you will need to EARN any appointments in your future. There are no "majic bullets" anywhere! And YOUR results will almost certainly vary!
I am always open to anyone who would like to PM me for further insight/questions, as so many people have truly helped us on this forum!

Thank you for sharing your son's prep school experience with me. I am incredibly grateful for the guidance and perspective you have provided. Congratulations to your son! My son will be a sponsored prep at NMMI at the end of July. I did not find anyone sharing their experience with NMMI and I wished my son had chosen MMI instead, but it's his choice.... Nonetheless, I have confidence that the prep school experiences at both institutions will likely be quite similar.

 

[NavyHoops]

Thank you for sharing your son's prep school experience with me. I am incredibly grateful for the guidance and perspective you have provided. Congratulations to your son! My son will be a sponsored prep at NMMI at the end of July. I did not find anyone sharing their experience with NMMI and I wished my son had chosen MMI instead, but it's his choice.... Nonetheless, I have confidence that the prep school experiences at both institutions will likely be quite similar.

I had several friends prep at NMMI and did every well at USNA. Many are still serving many years later and done very well. Your DS selected a good one.

 

[Jetbill]

Thank you for sharing your son's prep school experience with me. I am incredibly grateful for the guidance and perspective you have provided. Congratulations to your son! My son will be a sponsored prep at NMMI at the end of July. I did not find anyone sharing their experience with NMMI and I wished my son had chosen MMI instead, but it's his choice.... Nonetheless, I have confidence that the prep school experiences at both institutions[QUOTE="FVNY
Congratulations to your family and your Son!
NMMI has been hosting sponsored SA preps for quite awhile, with positive feedback/results from many.
We are somewhat ignorant about the school, despite living in N.TX. It just never happened to pop up on our radar at the time. But my ignorance means absolutely nothing.
The far more important concern for you as a parent should be that your son decided to attend, and is excited about the the prospect and outcome to happen.
We have had plenty of "household debates", on this very subject. To include attending Civilian University and re-applying to SA's. During the very last one of these discussions with my Son, 8 hours B4 he got in the car at 6AM and drove to Marion to start, (yes, last minute jitters I guess), I finished by telling him that "It is far more important WHAT you do when you get there, than where 'There' is"! With those words I went to bed, got up at 4:30 and went to work. Later my wife phoned to let me know he had left for MMI on schedule at 6AM, and the rest is History. With plenty more to be made in short order....
I'm sure you're excited for your Son! He is about to launch off on an incredible journey to complete a mission. And the only way he would of qualified for this "mission" is by being entirely ready to handle it successfully in the eyes of many professionals who are experts in determining the best outcomes.
Rest assured that his success is in the best interest of both NMMI and the SA that has sponsored him. Those relationships are mutually beneficial to both institutions. So, no doubt he will blossom as a young Man, and likely become one of almost all successful SA prepers, to look back and exclaim that they were glad they got to prep for a year, instead of entering directly from HS.
As a parent you should find comfort in the statistics that point to far better outcomes and retention rates at SAs for students with prep experience s.
In our experience so far, my son has himself declared that his prep experiences are absolutely the best thing that could have happened to him...even the 2nd year of prep!

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[Jetbill]

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Not sure how I screwed up the formatting? Apologies!

 

[franknd]

My son and I visited Marion recently and were very favorably impressed. He would be a self-prep, but is still deciding between self-prep or ROTC at a civilian school. If he goes self-prep, it will be Marion. I cannot say enough good things about LTC Bowen and the staff there.

 

[WoolSocksinSummer]

This year, 100% of the sponsored USMA candidates at GMC received their appointments.

@GoArmy2027 - when did the last sponsored USMA candidate receive their appointment by? I am curious to know why USMA doesn't 'batch process' the AOG sponsored cadets in handing out appointments. So far this year, for the Class of 2028, the appointments are slowwwwwlllllyyyy trickling in.

 

[Inprogress]

• Georgia Military College
• Marion Military Institute
• New Mexico Military Institute
• Northwestern Preparatory School
• Randolph-Macon Academy

Which preparatory school would best prepare me and improve my chances of an appointment? Also, if anyone knows, which one typically has the highest success rate.

New Mexico military institute may be enjoyable for you! Here we work with around 20-30 other sponsored preps. PT 3x a week, time each week to work on apps and noms, live the true military school life, and more. PM me if interested. I know around 6 sponsored USAFA preps here who all achieved 3.8+ their first semester!

 

[Inprogress]

@GoArmy2027 - when did the last sponsored USMA candidate receive their appointment by? I am curious to know why USMA doesn't 'batch process' the AOG sponsored cadets in handing out appointments. So far this year, for the Class of 2028, the appointments are slowwwwwlllllyyyy trickling in.

late Jan