"You go to the Naval Academy?"

What, like it’s hard?

Okay… maybe the application process for USNA is long, tedious, and complicated. Maybe it takes a hell of a lot of dedication just to finish it. Maybe your shirt was soaked with sweat after your Congressional nomination interview. Maybe every time you saw an email from USNA Admissions in your inbox you felt a little nauseous. Maybe it takes guts, maturity, and just a touch of crazy to accept that offer of appointment. Or, maybe you didn’t get it on your first try, and took a year. Maybe you did a few years on the enlisted side of things, or went ROTC, or went to NAPS, or Foundation. Maybe it was hard to for you to get in the Naval Academy, but once you hold up your hand and take that Oath of Office, getting in here will feel like it was a walk in the park.

Some people describe the four years that you spend at USNA by breaking them in to thirds: plebe summer, plebe year, and everything else. Those people will tell you that they all feel like the same length of time. It’s possible, I wouldn’t know, I’m not done yet. But the analogy that you hear even more often is that the Naval Academy is like running a marathon. I can tell you that that analogy isn’t quite right – it’s like running a marathon at a sprint pace. It’s incredible taxing, physically, mentally, and emotionally. You grow a lot, but it can be painful. You learn a lot about yourself, but sometimes you don’t like what you find. You push through the challenges and the adversity only to find another mile on the other side. You drag yourself up a hill just to find yourself at the bottom of a mountain.

But to describe the Naval Academy as a grueling, punishing, fast-paced marathon would ignore the other parts of the metaphor that are equally as applicable. The analogy would be incomplete if without mentioning the runner’s high, the support system you build, the experience of surrounding yourself with people who are going through the same things you are, the feeling when you get your second wind, the relief at the sight of the finish line, and the sense of accomplishment when you cross it. Some people see marathoners as crazy – some people see midshipmen as crazy. There may be a little truth in that, but in both cases, you can’t possibly understand the appeal of the experience and the way it changes you for the better until you’ve done it yourself. No one here signed up for easy. We’re okay with coming out sore and exhausted, because we know we’ll be better for it.

The views expressed, [in this article] reflect personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy, any federal agency, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.