By Jack Lange, Class of 2021

My dream schools are meant to be the most stressful places on Earth.

We wear military uniforms to class (and each day requires a different uniform). We must scream when we talk to seniors (called first classmen). We sit on the first two inches of our chairs when we eat food (called chow). We memorize a book of rules (called Reef Points). We are organized into companies and squads. Walls are bulkheads, shirts are blouses, doors are hatches, beds are racks, windows are portholes, the floor is the deck. My dream school is nothing near the conventional idea of a fun college experience. My dream school is a United States service academy. 

A service academy is a four-year college that admits a select number of qualified candidates in order to train capable officers in the United States military.

A service academy is a four-year college that admits a select number of qualified candidates in order to train capable officers in the United States military. Attendance at a service academy is free, but graduates are required to serve a minimum of five years in the branch of their academy. There are five service academies: the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), the United States Naval Academy (USNA), the United States Military Academy (USMA, also called West Point), the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), and the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). 

I applied to three service academies: USAFA, USNA, and USMA. Each school has its own application and prerequisites. “The admissions process is incredibly involved,” said Mark Petersen, my USNA regional liaison. “Even though all the academies require the same materials, they all use different applications just to make it difficult for candidates to apply. They want to test commitment.”

The academies are highly selective, with the highest admittance rate belonging to USAFA, at 13%. Each academy’s application requires an initial letter of qualification, a nomination from a member of Congress (one’s own congressional representative and/or senator) or the vice president, an interview with a representative from the academy, a physical readiness test, and a formal application with essays.

“The nominations are like ‘government letters of approval,’” said Shaun Greene, my USMA Field Force representative. “They’ve always been a necessary part of the application process, and I am excited that you were able to get nominations from both Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, not to mention your congressman’s nominations.” 

Everything in the application is failable: your nomination could be given to someone else, you could fail the physical test, you could be found morally unfit, you could have tattoos in the wrong places. If even your liaison officer just happens to not like you, your journey to a service academy is over.

Since the application process is so involved, why is it that anyone, including myself, would want to attend such an institution? That is the question that I have had to confront at every turn. Why do I want to go through the pain and suffering of plebe summer, the arduous first step of the military indoctrination process? Why would I attend an institution where students forgo traditional college festivities in favor of military discipline, sacrifice socializing for an extra 30 minutes of studying, learn to put their lives on the line in times of war, and are even trained to kill when necessary? There is no definitive answer. In reality, there are a number of reasons why I want to follow this path, all of which are difficult to explain.

First, my family’s history of military service is one of length and distinction, and that culture has trickled down through the generations. My uncle, for instance, attended the Naval Academy, went to war, and died for his country, and I pray that I can be given the same opportunity to train at an elite level and then apply that training to defend our republic. 

Second, I love challenges. I have been told at every turn that I was not good enough to be given an appointment, that I was inadequate due to my ADHD, that I should give up, because I just could not hack cadet life. Everyone who gets an appointment to an academy has a high level of resilience, and I will be proud to work alongside such like-minded people. 

Third, an academy affords people the opportunity to travel the world, both in their military careers and as cadets or midshipmen, something that I have always wanted to do. During each summer, cadets and midshipmen are required to participate in summer training, often taking them across the globe. Moreover, during one’s required service after graduation, it is incredibly likely that the newly commissioned second lieutenant or ensign will be deployed overseas (when possible, to the country of their choice). 

Much like training for the Olympics, it takes an unparalleled level of training and self-discipline to achieve this goal, and working toward it can bring a lot of meaning and purpose to your life.—Jack Lange

I would love to say that it’s all of those aspects combined that have driven me down this path, but that would not be wholly truthful. I would love to say that only steadfast allegiance to this country (which is undoubtedly the prevailing direction of my moral compass) is driving me towards military service, but that would be a lie. In truth, I mainly want to do the things that other people look at and say, “That's freaking awesome.” 

No place on Earth other than these service academies can so effectively train me for my goal of performing extraordinary military feats. I want to be the Navy SEAL who gets to kick down the door at the start of a high-value raid. I want to be the pilot in the jet who is going three times the speed of sound. I want to be the captain who guides his platoon through dangerous situations. I want to do the stuff that directors make movies about (without the glamour). Much like training for the Olympics, it takes an unparalleled level of training and self-discipline to achieve this goal, and working toward it can bring a lot of meaning and purpose to your life. I understand that there are other, less painful ways to go about earning a commission as an officer, but the allure of the cadet life is incredibly powerful. The officers who come out of academies go on to become generals, astronauts, presidents, and everything in between. 

Of course I want to serve my country—there is no greater honor than to do so—but it is not my chief reason for wanting to attend a service academy. Words are far too inadequate to explain why I am drawn to such a masochistic college life, but I am, and I cannot wait to get started. I will see you on the yard, shipmate.

Update May 17, 2021: In April, Jack was notified of his acceptance to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He will report to campus on July 1 to begin plebe summer, the period designed to turn incoming civilians into midshipmen. Congratulations on reaching your goal, Jack!

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