For many WHS students, the next step after graduation is a traditional four-year college, followed by a career in a field that aligns with their interests. However, some seniors are considering a different path: pursuing a career in the United States military through service academies.
“Military academies are looking for students who show leadership, service, and good character,” said guidance counselor Chris Shanahan.
Service academies such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy provide a fully funded education in exchange for several years of military service after graduation.
Applying to a military academy is a long and selective process, one involving multiple hurdles.
“Students have to get a nomination from a congressman,” said Shanahan. “In this district, we’re talking about Senator Ed Markey, Representative Katherine Clark, and Senator Elizabeth Warren.”
Members of Congress typically are given at least one open spot at each service academy for which they can nominate candidates from their state or district, but depending on previous years’ graduation and appointment numbers, they can have as many as five. For every open spot, they may nominate up to fifteen qualified students.
In addition to obtaining a nomination, those interested have to maintain competitive grades, meet medical standards, and pass a physical fitness test called the Candidate’s Fitness Assessment (CFA).
“The CFA consists of six physical and motor fitness events [basketball throw, pull-ups, shuttle run, crunches, pushups, one-mile run] that are designed to measure muscular strength and endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, power, balance, and agility,” according to usna.edu.
Due to the lengthy application process, only the truly motivated students pursue it, and therefore the number applying from WHS varies from year to year.
“I have a few students applying for [military academies] this year,” said Shanahan. “I had none last year, but there were four years in a row where I had a couple.”
For those interested, early exposure to academy life can be critical in deciding whether this path is the right fit. One program that is helpful for students to experience academy life is called the Summer Leaders Experience at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
“Summer Leaders Experience is a weeklong immersion into a West Point cadet’s academic, military, and social life,” according to westpoint.edu. “[It] gives you a taste of the character, determination, commitment to excellence, and leadership skills required to become a cadet at West Point.”
The reality of cadet life became very clear to one WHS student who attended SLE.
“[The cadets] wake you up at 5:00, then you go to breakfast formation, and then go to breakfast. [During] the day, we had physical training in the morning as well as lectures and classes,” said senior Margaret Liu, who attended SLE this past summer. “We [also] had two days of field training. [The cadets] would take us and drive us to a field with different station rotations and shoot machine guns, no bullets in them. We saw cool tanks, helicopters, and combat medicine.”
Other students experienced similar programs that provided insight into other academies’ expectations.
“I [attended] candidate weekend, which was cool because I got to shadow a Plebe [freshman] at USNA [United States Naval Academy],” said senior Chelian Subbiah, an academy applicant. “I learned about the academic rigors of going to USNA, as well as unique things like morning physical training, and chow [meal] calls that make the academy, the academy.”
Service academies begin releasing offers as early as late January, though many candidates hear back between February and April, depending on when their nomination slates are submitted. Some students may also receive Letters of Assurance (LOAs) in the fall or winter, which are early signals of acceptance that become official once all requirements are met. Most rejections or waitlist decisions arrive later in the cycle, typically between March and May.
Whatever the outcome for these candidates, their participation in the process has reinforced the sense of service and self-improvement that resonates among many who want to pursue military careers.
“For me, the biggest appeal is serving a purpose greater than myself by leading, helping others, and constantly striving to become a better version of myself,” said senior Sophia Tian.
For others, the decision to serve stems from a deeper sense of duty and purpose.
“I started to realize the luxury of living in this country; things that I took for granted were made possible by people who put on the uniform and answered the call to serve,” said Subbiah. “Coming from immigrant parents, I felt a deep aspiration to contribute to this larger story, and I realized I could do that through the military.”
