Eventually I hope to be an officer in the navy, and have been looking into various programs to do such. One of them was one that accepts I believe 176 enlisted personnnel to go to the USNA. If anyone knows of this happening to anybody that they know or themself, I would greatly appreciate all help. I did not have the greatest grades, and had to write a paper asking the navy to grant me the opportunity for nuke, and it happened, so I don't know if that will have any effect on me being selected or not. I would also like to know how one would best put themself in a position to be accepted out of the nuke pipeline. I thank you for your answers, and am sorry for some of my previous retorts regarding prior postings.
Firstly, have you checked the requirements to get an appointment to the USNA?
If your grades are poor and your ultimate goal is USNA at all costs, then enlisting could help your cause IF you are an outstanding Sailor. However, enlisting as a nuke for 6 years active duty will put you close to the age limit if not over for USNA appointment, and with your high school grades it's extremely unlikely you'll get an appointment while in the training pipeline. You also cannot have any dependents at the time you apply, and competition is extremely fierce. It was said before, but it's worth repeating: if you enlist, you had better be prepared to serve your full commitment as an enlisted Sailor and concentrate your energy on your job as such.
If your goal is officer, I recommend going to college, getting A's and participating in extra-curriculars you like, and applying for a NROTC or doing BDCP/NUPOC (they are the same program essentially, but the application process is slightly different... NUPOC is for nukes specifically, while BDCP is offered for various other designators). BDCP or NUPOC are the best deals in the Navy...collect E3 (BDCP) or E6 (NUPOC) salary + BAH for up to two years while attending school and having no military responsibility aside from keeping up your grades and keeping your nose clean. Oh, and the time counts as active duty time toward pay. They are very competitive programs, though, so like I said...get A's.
Your commissioning source isn't going to mean much in your career as an officer, so if you want to go to USNA because you think it'll give you a "leg up," think again.
Best of luck.
Admittedly, there may be a little jealousy in my comments...just look at the service pics of Flag Officers... mostly rings.
The whole commissioning pipeline worked a bit differently before the '70s or '80s, and those are the people who are flag officers today. I think as time goes by, you'll see a higher percentage of non-USNA flag officers.
