Senior flies into Naval Academy

Katherine Idgunji l News Editor

Senior Chloe Hains is ready to fly into the United States Naval Academy after she graduates in June.

Students often anticipate the day when they get the news that they were accepted into their dream school. This was the case for Hains.

Hains was recently accepted in the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Getting into a military academy requires a student to be well-rounded in many aspects of life.

When applying to any of the military academies, they evaluate three main aspects in every candidate: academics, athletics, and leadership.

In addition, students must take a medical exam, fitness exam, and complete the normal college application requirements such as submitting a transcript, SAT score, etc. Students are also required to get a congressional nomination to even be considered for acceptance.

“I wanted to apply to the Naval Academy because I have always wanted to serve my country, and I love to challenge myself,” said Hains. “I also want to be around people with a similar mindset and work ethic as myself.”

There are many things that students must do in order to prepare to apply for a military academy since only 8.4% of applicants are accepted to the Naval Academy.

“Throughout high school, I tried to keep my grades as high as possible and get lots of leadership experience,” said Hains. “I also had to achieve a high SAT score and make sure I was physically fit in order to pass the Candidate Fitness Assessment.”

Because the academy’s acceptance rate is so low, the application process has many steps that applicants must go through before even being considered to be a part of the program.

“For me, the interviews were the most challenging part of the application,” said Hains.

Hains had to do six separate interviews in total with the service academies.

“Some of the questions they asked were similar among all of the interviews, but there were always a few questions that I couldn’t prepare for beforehand,” said Hains.

Although the admissions process is rigorous and long, the application time often brings excitement and fun.

“The most fun part of the application process was going on admissions tours to each service academy,” said Hains. “Visits are not a requirement for the application, but they provide lots of useful information, and you can get a good feel of what the academy will be like.”

According to Hains, she plans to major in aerospace engineering and minor in Japanese. After graduating from the Naval Academy, she wants to go into naval aviation.

Unlike many other universities, the Naval Academy has many unique programs and clubs that students can partake in.

“Attending a service academy has been a goal of mine since eighth grade, and I will get so many unique experiences at the Academy that I wouldn’t get anywhere else,” said Hains, who also plans to play on their women’s ice hockey and fly on their flight team.

When getting accepted into such a prestigious school, applicants often feel a sense of relief and excitement to know that all of their hard work paid off.

“The moment I got into the Naval Academy felt surreal,” said Hains. “I was so relieved to finally get into my dream school after years of hard work.”