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Not so bright
If you don't like the military stay away.
Education Quality: A+, Friendliness: F
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Jan 28 2009 1st Year Female -- Class 2012  
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Bright
About this school: it is very hard to get into and very hard to stay in. I left a little before the first semester was over. If you want a life, do not come here, you will be deprived of it for not only your time at school, but also after school and well after you graduate. If you are open-minded and question things, you will hate it here. Before attending, ask yourself why you are doing this and look at all other programs, such as NROTC, or even enlisting (I am prior enlisted Marine Corps) before coming here. The school work is hard, and you have hardly any time to do it without sacrificing precious sleep time. Often times you do pointless activities that get in the way of your study period, especially freshman year, and all of them are pretty much mandatory. The upperclassmen lord over you, and most of them are very adolescent in attitude. The staff (military and civilian teachers) are alright however, but you won't have time really to seek their help, nor really the inclination. If you mess up, such as a conduct or honor offense and you are not a part of the good ol' boy system, everyone turns against you and instead of helping you out, they make you life hell. All of this is actually encouraged by the staff and often times your classmates (especially upperclass) will seek to stab you in the back. If you decide to drop out, everyone turns against you yet again, and especially the staff will make your life absolutely miserable. This place encourages conservativism, conformity, and a hive-mind mentality, coupled with a huge dose of propaganda.

As officers, you are encouraged to think for yourself and become leaders of character (this is preached at the academy, yet never practiced). Coming here after high school does not prepare you to lead men into battle. It does not teach you to be an effective leader. It does not prepare you to deal with people in a social setting. It does not help you deal with real life scenarios. Many people are absolute geniuses that do not have a shred of common sense. If you do have common sense, you will hate it here because you will question everything.

If you are in really good shape, made super good grades in high school (taking the hard classes of course), got really high SAT/ACT scores, are uber-motivated about the military, and lack general common sense (ask your friends and family how you act in public and how you are able to deal with real life scenarios to get a picture of your relative common sense), you will absolutely thrive here. If you are a non-conformist, a person who questions authority, a person who bends the rules or even breaks them intentionally, a person who has great street smarts, a person who values individual liberties, and a person who enjoys life in general, you will hate it here.

Academically, this place places huge value on engineering and science, not humanities and social studies. Athletically, recruited athletes get all the special treatment, non-athletes are pretty much nobodies. Socially, the upperclass rule the lives of the lowerclassmen. Most of the men are very immature themselves, and are unapproachable in a social setting. A lot of contempt is bred here between classes, and I felt uncomfortable here. Everyone is in your business and rumors spread like plague. There is nothing really to do on campus except study and work out. Off campus, the town is okay the first few weekends, then it gets boring and is a waste of money. You can't drink your first year, even if you are of age.

Overall, this school is not for people who have common sense. ROTC, OCS, USNA, they all make the same thing: officers in the naval service. And of the three, none of them produce either better or worse officers. There are bad from all three, and there are great from all three equally. However, if you want a huge challenge, and want connections for your future and want to deprive your self of life, liberty, sleep, and happiness, come to the Naval Academy. If you want a social life (such as getting laid), want to take charge of your college experience, and be independent, do not come here.

Finally, I had more freedom as an enlisted person than being here. I had more freedom to think and do things than I did here during my stay. I made way more money, and I was better accepted as a man and as a leader than I ever did here. If you are a prior-enlisted reading this and are considering going... I strongly do not recommend it. And for everybody, ask yourself what you really want and research as much as possible. There is a startling lack of information about USNA on the web, which is all of it's propaganda efforts masking what really happens there.Good luck!!
Campus Aesthetics: A+, Social Life: F
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Nov 21 2008 1st Year Male -- Class 2008  
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Bright
The Naval Academy is not easy place to get into, attend, or graduate from, but the education you receive is top-notch and training opportunities are unparalleled. Class sizes are small, and all classes are taught by professors, not teachers' assistants. Though I would highly recommend the Academy and would even like my own kids to one day attend, it is definitely not your typical college experience. I would encourage anyone considering it to carefully research the school and ensure that his/her motivation for attending is the right one. If you really want to graduate and become a naval or Marine Corps officer, than you will do fine.
Starting Job: Intelligence officer, Preparedness: B+, Reputation: A+
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Mar 16 2008 Alumnus Male -- Class 2000 
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