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Most Helpful Customer Reviews (from Amazon.com)

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Basics, November 17, 200

By	Margaret Schmidt (Texas) –

This review is from: Building a Midshipman

I bought this book for my son who wants to apply to the Naval Academy. There are books out there to explain service academies, but not how to get accepted. It has so many steps, it’s confusing to keep track of. This book not only explained why the military makes it difficult, but the step-by-steps needed to be accepted. It is told through the eyes of a successful applicant and makes the reader believe anyone has a chance if they follow this guide.

It has chapters on how she started, the goals she set, why she picked USNA, the steps she took each year in high school from freshman to senior. It talks about her experiences with her Blue and Gold officer, the congressional interview process, how she resolved problems in her application package. A timeline tells you when she did what, what her grades were throughout the application process, how she prepared herself for Plebe summer, how and when she accomplished the myriad steps. It has check lists, examples of application materials, her application resume and explanations on how to solve certain problems that come up. Like the medical examination by DoDMERB. A family friend was disqualified at this exam, and this book explains what to do if you have a problem.

This would help anyone applying to any of the service academies–West Point, USAFA, USNA, Coast Guard–as well as anyone trying to get into an Ivy League. There are books on getting into every other highly-competitive college. I can’t believe this hasn’t been written before.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars November 9, 2008 By USAPatriot (USA) s This book gave me a lot of inside information I didn’t get from the USNA website or other books. I read everything out there, but this one is a first-hand view, starting with freshman year in high school, going through problems and solutions, how this successful candidate handled everything. I have wanted to go to USNA since I knew it existed. Its tradition, its quality of education, the chance to do something with my life that means something. I’m great at sports, but I was worried about all the other pieces–mental, academics, that stuff. This book went into everything. I worried less. The author includes a lot of motivational quotes–“A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living.” (John Kennedy). Throughout the book, I was reminded why I was putting myself through the grueling application process when I could have had it much easier. And yes, I’m in. It works.