Let me offer some fatherly advice...
Wake UP and get your head out of your a$$!!!!!!
A High school resume like yours does NOT read like an elinsted man in the making.
It is "intuitively obvious to the casual observer" that you are a doer. Enlisted NPS is not an option for you. You would be wasting your time. You would be painfully aware of that fact, and so will everyone else. I'm afraid that is a recipe for failure. Even if you graduate first in your class, with a perfect 4.00, it still isn't quite up to your standard of achievement. It would be analogous to winning a foot race against toddlers.
Yes, young man, there really IS such a thing as being overqualified -- and YOU ARE IT.
Overqualified people lose interest, lack motivation, and generally do not fare well.
Grades and test scores are just a small part of the equation here. Your long list of accomplishments tells a story about you that is deeper than the lines on the page.
Sure, NPS is a challenge, but so is finding a parking space at the mall just before Christmas. A challenge is not what you are about. Things that seem tough for others comes easily to you ... but only because you make it happen. You haven't skated by on your looks thus far, and there is no reason to start coasting now.
Get your butt into college, right now. The paradox in your opening statement is that you are mature enough to recognize that you are not "mature enough for college". Guess what... You will be one of the most mature freshmen in your class. The difference between you and the throng of partiers on campus is that they are dumb enough to think that they are "all grown up." You are miles ahead of them.
You are ready whether you think so or not.
Good luck.
Thanks so much to everyone for your honest advice honeycomb, beercourt, taterhead, rolltide and bighouz. I wanted to apply for USNA straight out of high school, but I was so worried about my crappy math SAT score that I was just discouraged. I think of it now as a huge mistake because, in the end, the worst they could do would would be to reject me.
BeerCourt, the way your presented your argument was flawless, and I'm actually feeling regret for what route I took. But I need that shot at USNA. I realize that both NROTC and USNA lead to becoming an officer. You were right on the head when you said I'm a doer: my persona revolves around the idea that everything needs to get done, at any cost. Not every scenario can be completed as such however, but I'll still try my heart out. I'm set on the Naval Academy, and the advice you've given me is nothing short of what I'd imagine my uncle to tell me (like a father to me). I respect you very much for not sugercoating what was needed to be told.
However, like a stubborn son, I still want to aim for the Academy, enlisted or not. I realize, coming from someone much more experienced than me, that you are almost undoubtedly correct in what you are saying. But I can't settle for anything short of my dream. Sure, in a picture perfect world, the Nuke Program would be hard and fun. You'd graduate, go to the Academy and continue being a Nuke as an officer. This is not so, but so long as the opportunity exists, I will chase it until it doesn't exist anymore.
With that much said, BeerCourt, could you provide me with some fatherly advice as it applies to my situation? I know I have a terrible math SAT and it's killing me inside because I can do math. I'm a good math student, double accelerated into Calc skipping Pre-Cal. Maybe that was my downfall..?
BeerCourt, what should I do when I go enlisted? What should be my objectives right off the bat? What should I work on to be more competitive while in the NAVY? What can I expect at Nuke School?
I greatly appriciate everything you've done so far for me. Thanks.
And as for honeycomb, yeah I'm in DEP. I haven't gone into bootcamp yet so I have neither rank nor job. My DEP job is Nuke, so when I ship to bootcamp I'll rate as a Nuke. Sorry if I confused anyone.
Thank you all for being so responsive and friendly. It's hard finding good advice sometimes. I know turning down NROTC was a big mistake, but I want this in life. I don't ask for a lot in my life..but I'm asking for this. Atleast a shot. I'll try my hardest to make it from there. I swear on it.
