February 2003 Blue & Gold Officer's Notes

Cindy Miller '90, Area B&G Coordinator

Naval Academy Preparatory School
&
USNA Foundation Scholarships

I would like to thank the USNA Atlanta Alumni Association for allowing me to write a monthly article about the USNA Blue & Gold Officer system. With each month’s article, I am going to try and give some helpful insight into the current admissions process at USNA since alumni are one of the major sources of recruitment for the Academy. Cindy Miller ‘90.

Blue & Gold Officers (BGOs) are volunteers that aid USNA by assisting and counseling interested students regarding nomination and admissions procedures, interviewing candidates, assist in the Academy's minority recruitment effort, participate in college/career nights in their communities, act as congressional liaison at the local level, seek opportunities for favorable publicity for the Naval Academy in local communities, develop a close rapport with principals and counselors in assigned high schools and community colleges, and present Certificates of Accomplishment to appointees. BGOs can be any USNA alumni, active duty and Naval Reserve officers, retired military personnel, and interested civilians. For more details on the program, please see the past articles in the USNA Atlanta Alumni newsletter or contact Cindy Miller at (770) 650-8921 or cindymiller@1990.usna.com.

Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS)

NAPS is located at the Naval Education Training Center (NETC), Newport, Rhode Island. Its primary purpose is to strengthen the academic foundation of outstanding enlisted men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps, (Regular and Reserve), who desire to obtain commissions through the Naval Academy. A limited number of the most promising unsuccessful civilian candidates are offered the opportunity to attend the Prep School. There are approximately 200 members in the student body at the start of each academic year.

A ten-month course of academic instruction, from July to late May, emphasizes preparation in English composition, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. For each of these subjects, students are placed in classes according to their ability, educational background and need. Complementing this academic program, the school has military and physical training programs to prepare students for the challenge of plebe year at the Academy.

To be considered for entry into NAPS, a candidate must be (1) a U.S. citizen, (2) of good moral character, (3) single, with no children, (4) at least 17 and not have passed his/her 23rd birthday on July 1 of the calendar year in which the candidate would enter the Naval Academy.

Any young man or woman who completes an admissions file for the Naval Academy will be automatically considered for the Naval Academy Preparatory School should he or she fail to be selected for direct entry to the Academy. Throughout the candidate cycle the Admissions Board selects candidates for the Preparatory School by screening the admission files of candidates who may not enter the Academy directly that year. The candidate's leadership potential and academic background are reviewed as well as evidence of motivation. A candidate must be medically qualified.

The Naval Academy Foundation, Inc.

Through a scholastic program, the Foundation is able to provide one year of post-high school education to qualified young men and women who need further academic preparation to enter the Naval Academy. Thanks to the Foundation, more than 2,500 service-oriented candidates with excellent leadership, scholastic, and athletic potential have prepared for the rigors of the Naval Academy and the military since 1944.

The Naval Academy Foundation's Preparatory Program benefits promising candidates who are not appointed the first time they apply for admission. To enhance their qualifications for admission, the Foundation awards a limited number of scholarships for post-high school preparatory studies in a participating school.

The Naval Academy's Admissions Board automatically recommends candidates to the Foundation for sponsorship consideration. No special request is required. The Naval Academy Admissions Board typically recommends 500 candidates for the Program each year. Only 80 are selected as finalists. To find out more about the Foundation, go to:

http://www.usnafoundation.com/AthleticScholarship/AthleticScholarship.htm

Cinday A. Miller ’90

February 2003 Blue & Gold Officer's Notes

Cindy Miller '90, Area B&G Coordinator

Naval Academy Preparatory School & USNA Foundation Scholarships

Naval Academy Preparatory School
&
USNA Foundation Scholarships