The majority of the recent coverage has been accurate, but a few editorials have missed the mark and misrepresented the program. It also is interesting to note that while newspapers today highlight recruiting problems in all the services, the Naval Academy remains oversubscribed. The best of Generation Y, it appears, still want to come to the Naval Academy, and they're bringing mean Scholastic Aptitude Test scores above 1300. The midshipmen are in better physical condition, their collective grade point average is higher, and character development is taken much more seriously. In fact, the Naval Academy does produce leaders of character prepared to serve in the combat arms of the Navy and Marine Corps, and what follows is a factual account of the program as exists today.
Leadership development is woven into virtually every aspect of a midshipman's four years here.
While some have prior enlisted experience, the majority are scant weeks removed from their high school graduations. The training includes a rigorous physical conditioning program designed to get the new midshipmen in top physical condition, create an understanding that physical fitness is a necessary attribute of a warrior, and instill in them the desire to pursue a lifetime of physical fitness. Plebes get their first introduction to the Honor Concept, and hear the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps reinforce the core values of the naval service. Leadership development is expanded and refined over the course of a midshipman's education and training. With each succeeding academic year, midshipmen are called upon to assume greater and more significant responsibilities.