United States Naval Academy

As many people said before, USNA is not an institution that anybody can just stroll into to. I departed USNA prior to signing my 2-for-7's, for various reasons. I must say first, USNA truly has some outstanding aspects about it and some very genuine, outstanding people. That being said, at my time at USNA I witnessed and experienced enough to make the decision to not pursue the whole 4 years. While it is true that "wherever you go you're going to have people that you hate/dislike/can't get along with" I saw way too much that should be allotted at an institution of the likes as USNA. I am being sincere and honest when I say I would trust more people I went to high school with (rural upstate NY) than with the vast majority of midshipmen. Yes it is a military environment and all that, which I had absolutely no problem with; I'm comfortable in a structured environment. However, an institution that prides itself on honor and integrity, there should be much more effort in accepting midshipmen that actually possess it. I saw more cheating, lying, and stealing at USNA than anywhere I've ever been. I even witnessed my company officer comment that after a member of my company lied about being on the football team for 6 months, that it was only a "minor thing." I even saw outright racism and one isolated incident where racism caused a legitimate case of extortion. Yes, all of this at THE United States Naval Academy. Also, they constantly call it leadership laboratory, but the version of leadership they teach at USNA is "do it my way or shut the %^%@ up." I am truly worried about the next wave of navy/marine corps officers that are coming down the road. I also applied for all the wrong reasons, which was 90% of the reason why I chose to part ways. However, the disillusionment I witnessed was icing on the cake. An institution of the caliber USNA is supposed to have should not possess the quality of people it trains. I took with me as many positives as I could, my roommates and I will undoubtedly remain lifelong friends. Although, I won't lose sleep at night if I never see almost everyone I went to Annapolis with again. If you go, make sure you go for the right reasons, it's as simple as that. Don't get cynical like I did. However, I view the decision I made as one of the best in my life. I worried that after a few weeks I would regret it, but that has not even come close to being the case. And everyone that says "he's just bashing USNA to self-validate his decision", you are obviously quite ignorant. I actually received a tremendous amount of support from my peers, and many of them applauded the fact that I actually owned up to all of USNA's misgivings, and that it took more to fess up to it and deal with it. In conclusion, go for the right reasons, go to be a genuine leader of sailors/marines, not just a good looking spot on a resume and the promise of a decent job after you five and dive.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2014

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Social Life: F