Service Academies: A Social Analysis

My ardent aspiration to attend one of the service academies began in the quiet way that dreams do – as a simple idea. I had always considered military service as a career path, and the academies combined that interest with a pseudo-typical four years of college and the opportunity to graduate as an officer. Upon attending the Naval Academy Summer Seminar, though, I realized that, more than anything else, what sets the service academies distinctly apart from all other schools is the strong sense of unity forged by the exceedingly difficult trials which students endure together. Not a college exists that tests the students in the way the service academies do – both intellectually and physically.
The profound intensity of the service academies