Getting a four-year degree and becoming a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces is accessible to a variety of different people who are interested in joining the military. It is an excellent way to serve your country, and to get an education. But there is a method of doing both at the same time that many people are not as aware of. That method being getting a 4 year college degree at one of the four service academies of the United States Military.
The Navy, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard all have a four-year military service academy, each designed to train and educate their members and prepare them for service to their country. Each provide service specific training as well as a four-year college education, and train young people to be leaders as their experience, wits and character are challenged.
The United States Service Academy programs are some of the best opportunities for a young person to get a high quality college education and also begin a military career. But the competition to enter is fierce. The entrants are subject to a grueling and in depth application process culminating in the best candidates are appointed by members of Congress and granted entrance to the Academy to which they are applying.
Those candidates who survive the application and appointment process and who are granted entrance have a very attractive educational deal. All books, housing, room and board, tuition, and fees are paid for 100 percent. Dental and medical care is also totally paid for, and the depth of various training opportunities and on the job situations cannot be easily equaled anywhere else.
The Military Service Academies search for and receive the absolute cream of the crop of young people each year, and it is reflected in both the difficulty of entrance competition, and also by the sheer number of applicants that apply every year.
Anyone who graduates a U.S. Military Service Academy gains a Bachelor of Science degree, and an immediate commission and leadership role as a junior commissioned officer in their specific service. Each graduate must serve five years, but most of the graduates from a service academy make the military their career choice. After working so hard to gain entrance, and then the high caliber of the training and education that they receive, most graduates are firmly focused on making the military their career path.
