The best college for NROTC programs who are aspiring to be SEAL officers.

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h.k

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I'm considering to apply for a college that provides an NROTC program. Aside from USNA, Which college prepares competitive applicants for SEAL officers? Does a certain school provide better training than others and make a candidate more competitive? Or will it just be evaluated on the individual to get a billet to the SEAL officer selection(SOAS)? Obviously, at the end of the day, it is the ability and achievement of the individual that makes them a competitive candidate, regardless of where they come from. But that being said, what are the best possible options?

Thanks,
 
All NROTC programs follow the same pre-comm program guidelines.

Much of the preparation will be in your hands. At USNA, there is a special group that does demanding workouts designed to prep them for the required screeners. Logic tells me the larger NROTC units might offer more potential for a similar group that gets together. The GWU unit is a consortium unit, highly regarded, and I’ll page @GWU PNS (emeritus) for his opinion and insights, the immediate past CO of the unit.

You will also want to excel in academics and leadership, as well as be a PT stud. SEALs are agile and strategic thinkers, tactical aces, problem-solvers on the fly, team players/leaders as needed, with an abundance of physical and mental resilience and pure grit. And unbelievable focus.

Some background reading:
www.military.com

How to Become a Navy SEAL

All roads to becoming a Navy SEAL, end at BUD/S, or Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training.
www.military.com www.military.com

www.military.com

Ask Stew: How to Become a SEAL in Seven Steps

Stew Smith, Military.com's tactical fitness expert, offers seven tips that could provide a pathway for teens to make it to SEALs or special ops.
www.military.com www.military.com

In particular, explore Stew Smith’s website and YouTube channel. Stew is a former SEAL, USNA grad and former USNA staff officer, now a fitness professional and still involved with the SEAL aspirants at USNA. Stew has excellent workouts and training material.

If you aren’t a fish in the water, become one.
 
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Not sure what school year you are in, but be sure to examine the first hurdle - eligibility for NROTC and ability to complete a demanding program with minimum academic requirements and the desirable majors for the Navy option. You also have to clear the DoDMERB medical qualification process at some point. That can trip many up. See the link below, read everything in the left-side menu on the DoDMERB home page. No login required.

 
Capt MJ said:
All NROTC programs follow the same pre-comm program guidelines.

Much of the preparation will be in your hands. At USNA, there is a special group that does demanding workouts designed to prep them for the required screeners. Logic tells me the larger NROTC units might offer more potential for a similar group that gets together. The GWU unit is a consortium unit, highly regarded, and I’ll page @GWU PNS (emeritus) for his opinion and insights, the immediate past CO of the unit.

You will also want to excel in academics and leadership, as well as be a PT stud. SEALs are agile and strategic thinkers, tactical aces, problem-solvers on the fly, team players/leaders as needed, with an abundance of physical and mental resilience and pure grit. And unbelievable focus.

Some background reading:
www.military.com

How to Become a Navy SEAL

All roads to becoming a Navy SEAL, end at BUD/S, or Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training.
www.military.com www.military.com

www.military.com

Ask Stew: How to Become a SEAL in Seven Steps

Stew Smith, Military.com's tactical fitness expert, offers seven tips that could provide a pathway for teens to make it to SEALs or special ops.
www.military.com www.military.com

In particular, explore Stew Smith’s website and YouTube channel. Stew is a former SEAL, USNA grad and former USNA staff officer, now a fitness professional and still involved with the SEAL aspirants at USNA. Stew has excellent workouts and training material.

If you aren’t a fish in the water, become one
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Can't emphasize the last sentence enough. I was not a SEAL, however I was in the Force Recon pipeline many moons ago, and as high as the swim demands are for Recon, they will be even tougher for BUDS. If you don't have a swim or water polo background, you are already playing catch up. You're going to be spending a lot of time in cold water with various pieces of gear on, if you are not a very strong swimmer, you need to get there ASAP. Essentially, you will need to be as comfortable in the water as you are walking down the street. Will also add that during our visit to Annapolis they indicated that the highest officer success rate in BUDS are Annapolis grads, and it's by a significant margin over other accession sources.
 
In terms of selecting an NROTC program with the hope of maximizing selection for SPECWAR, you need to keep in mind a couple key factors. One thing is that the NROTC staffs change out about every 2 years. So even if there was a unit which seemed to be above average, that could change by the time you get there.

The next thing to keep in mind is that the selection odds are very low for NROTC compared to USNA. Lots of potential reasons for this but perhaps the biggest factor is that there are no SEALS at the NROTC units but there are at USNA.

If you wanted to hedge your bets based on geography, try getting into one of the San Diego units. That way you could visit the grounds where they train and see what they do first hand.

Shifting gears, I would caution you that during your interview, you should not espouse a view that you only desire to be a SEAL and nothing else.
 
My son's NROTC unit had a club that met on Friday after classes (while everyone else was at Happy Hour) that did some Spec War prep. I watched them go through their evolutions a few times and the workouts were pretty intense. DS was a MO but he participated anyway. That club has since been disbanded but several participants were selected for BUDS. There may be other such units out there. I'd be surprised if the SMCs didn't have something. It's a good question to ask carefully when visiting units, with @GWU PNS (emeritus) final guidance in mind
 
Good point but on the SMCs. For OP, that is the senior military colleges. See link below, unofficial source, but reasonably reliable:
veteran.com

Senior Military Colleges

Senior military colleges (SMCs) are among some of the most prestigious and renowned educational institutions in the Nation. They were established by law to provide a military experience similar to the federal service academies like West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy...
veteran.com veteran.com

And, I’ll pile on with previous posters - do the research to determine what other Navy warfare specialties might appeal to you if you do not get selected for SEAL. You will be under contract by the time you make your choices and selection occurs. That’s not the time to realize you don’t want to go to sea on ships or subs or fly.
 
WestCoastRefugee said:
You're going to be spending a lot of time in cold water with various pieces of gear on, if you are not a very strong swimmer, you need to get there ASAP.
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I have recounted this story several times.

I know two young men, my son's age, who entered the BUD/S pipeline via enlistment. They grew up in the same good neighborhood in solid families. They went to the same high school and graduated one year apart.

Young man #1, the older, had an unremarkable HS career with little or no sports. He hated college and dropped out after Freshman year. He enlisted in the navy, much to his parents’ chagrin. They were disappointed that he was forgoing college and that he was enlisting in any branch of the military. He entered the BUD/S pipeline immediately and is a SEAL still to this day. His parents are proud, but his mother still can't get use to her son carrying a gun.

Young man #2 was a recruited swimmer to an NCAA D1 school, from which he graduated on time. He enlisted, seeing that as the quickest route to doing cool guy stuff. He voluntarily dropped out during Hell Week. He couldn't handle the combination of exhaustion, hunger and the ice cold Pacific Ocean. (Who can?) Fast forward several years and he was a Navy air traffic controller, hating his job and counting the days until he could get out and start his life as a financial planner, not as an air traffic controller.
 
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... saw this post and I tried not to respond. One way to make it is to follow this concept ----> "Im going to die first before quitting."
Or
----> "They have to kill me first before I quit."
 
This is one where I think a SMC can provide some benefits. One of the reasons USNA is successful with SEAL success rates is the ability to train with like minded Mids. It creates accountability, knowledge sharing, and training partners. The SEALs on the yard do provide oversight, but it comes down to will, grit, focus, and ultimately the grind of training. SMCs tend to have larger units and when combined with other services, more seeking the same thing. So more opportunities for training partners and accountability. Ultimately it comes down to where you thrive. Pick the school that is best for you. You thrive where you are planted and the conditions are right.
 
h.k said:
I'm considering to apply for a college that provides an NROTC program. Aside from USNA, Which college prepares competitive applicants for SEAL officers? Does a certain school provide better training than others and make a candidate more competitive? Or will it just be evaluated on the individual to get a billet to the SEAL officer selection(SOAS)? Obviously, at the end of the day, it is the ability and achievement of the individual that makes them a competitive candidate, regardless of where they come from. But that being said, what are the best possible options?

Thanks,
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The program at USNA seems hands-down the most formal structured way to learn about, get mentorship and test oneself while in undergrad while you and that community mutually explore whether you might be a good fit to be a spec war officer. Most who commission Navy do not become spec war officers most who are interested do not end up being spec war officers or Seals. So pursue your dream but plan accordingly.

I would agree the SMCs or larger nrotc units with gunnies/ larger groups training to be marines could be conducive to getting fit physically and mentally. Wondering if interested navy option midn in nrotc can participate with marine weekend field exercises and the more grinding PT with their fraternal/sororital marine option brethren.
 
Another good article by Stew.

www.military.com

Ask Stew: Is Officer or Enlisted the Better SEAL Option?

Though there are several routes to get to BUD/S, there is only one way to become a SEAL, and that is through BUD/S.
www.military.com www.military.com

Note 50-70 officer slots per year out of various commissioning sources, USNA, USMMA, NROTC, OCS, etc. I think it’s about 500 officers total, all ranks, in the SEAL community.

In the annual class profiles for USNA, you can find the stats for classes going back years. Here’s a sample:
www.usna.edu

NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 2023 OBTAIN CAREER ASSIGNMENTS

NAVAL ACADEMY CLASS OF 2023 OBTAIN CAREER ASSIGNMENTS page for USNA News Center at USNA.edu. Updated Tue May 14 05:39:21 EDT 2024.
www.usna.edu

Other pre-Comm sources are more onesie-twosie-handful-none.
 
Congressman Crenshaw has a few great videos on how he was determined to become a SEAL after going to Tufts.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
The program at USNA seems hands-down the most formal structured way to learn about, get mentorship and test oneself while in undergrad while you and that community mutually explore whether you might be a good fit to be a spec war officer. Most who commission Navy do not become spec war officers most who are interested do not end up being spec war officers or Seals. So pursue your dream but plan accordingly.

I would agree the SMCs or larger nrotc units with gunnies/ larger groups training to be marines could be conducive to getting fit physically and mentally. Wondering if interested navy option midn in nrotc can participate with marine weekend field exercises and the more grinding PT with their fraternal/sororital marine option brethren.
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I have seen photos on Facebook of Navy cadets training with Marine Option cadets. Not sure of the exact schools, but probably Big 10/Big 12.
 
My DS is Navy option with San Diego consortium. He says a classmate/friend MID wanted to service select SEAL and did additional training for that with a group his 4 years there. The entire unit does some training on the beaches in SD where BUD/S is.
 
BJD16 said:
I have seen photos on Facebook of Navy cadets training with Marine Option cadets. Not sure of the exact schools, but probably Big 10/Big 12.
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My son’s unit does this - specifically for the Endurance team. It’s a combo of Navy & Marine options & is pretty intense . They also compete together in other various athletic events at drill meets. For fun (less serious than E-Team!), they play flag football - just beating the Army & Air Force ROTC units at their University yesterday. College Game Day was there & filmed them as they were playing in the football stadium….they ended up on National TV - so fun 🤩.
 
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