MIDSHIPMAN PROCESS The Capital (Annapolis, MD) 02-09-00 (C02-10) 
2.. RILEY JOINS MENTALPHYSICS BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Virginian Pilot (Norfolk, VA) 02-09-00 (C02-10) 

Copyright 2000 Capital-Gazette Communications, Inc. The

Capital (Annapolis, MD.)

February 09, 2000, Wednesday

SECTION: Front; Pg. a1 

LENGTH: 858 words 

HEADLINE: So you want to be a mid 

BYLINE: By STACEY DANZUSO, Staff Writer 

So You Want to be a Midshipman.................

For as long as he can remember, Graham Scarbro, 17, has wanted to serve his country. From listening to his grandfather's war stories to watching Naval Academy parades, to growing up the son of two Naval officers, he has long admired the military. 

In August, he left his future in the hands of the Naval Academy Admissions Board, which with the flip of a polished block decides the fate of the thousands of academy applicants. 

Only 15 percent of about 10,000 candidates will receive an appointment to the academy. Mr. Scarbro was among an even smaller percentage of future midshipmen who received letters of assurance in September, guaranteeing him a spot in the Class of 2004 as long as he met a couple of remaining requirements. 

He received a letter Thursday saying he has fulfilled the conditions and is fully qualified for admission. 

Mr. Scarbro is the first in his family to go to the Naval Academy, but he comes from a line of naval officers. His grandfather served on submarines during World War II; his father, Kurt, retired as a lieutenant commander after 21 years; and his mother, Pam, served five years. 

"At first I just wanted to do what Dad did. As I grew up and learned more about it and what the military stood for, it became something I wanted to be a part of," said Mr. Scarbro, who grew up over the bridge from the Naval Academy, just outside Naval Station Annapolis. 

Now ranked sixth in the senior class at Broadneck High School, he wrote a letter to a local congressman while in middle school expressing his interest. He also wrote to the academy superintendent and dean of admissions for more information. 

Not long afterward, he started receiving annual mailings from the Naval Academy helping him chart a course for admission. 

That was how he found out about Summer Seminar, a weeklong program the summer before the senior year of high school that initiates prospective applicants into academy life. 

"They treat you like plebes on the last night," he said. "They stand you up and shout at you and make you recite what you learned. 

"There is a huge sense of accomplishment when you are done." 

Mr. Scarbro, who was in the top 20 percent of Summer Seminar candidates, qualified to go before the first review board in August. He spent the rest of the summer securing a presidential nomination, tracking down high school teachers for recommendations and filling out the pile of paperwork. 

All applicants must obtain a nomination from the president, vice president, a U.S. senator or representative. No more than 100 applicants with presidential nominations will be appointed to each class. 

Mr. Scarbro took the physical aptitude exam during the seminar and then had his medical review. 

By mid-August all he could do was wait for the verdict. 

Mr. Scarbro had already heard about how the board deliberates, with members flipping a block _ green side up if they agree with the reviewer's recommendation, red side if they're against it. 

They began using the heavy, polished blocks three years ago, in an effort to cut down on the extended comments board members were making. 

"I knew they would look through my application and just flip a brick. That's the scariest part," he said. "Even that shows you the Navy process, putting your life in the hands of people you've never met." 

Retired Col. David Vetter, dean of admissions, compares the admissions process to an art form _ a very labor-intensive one. 

The 18-member Admissions Board meets regularly from November through April to sift through about 4,300 completed applications of the original 10,000. In the end, only 1,500 are offered appointments and 1,200 will accept them. 

The board is made up of division directors, professors, academic and nonacademic admissions staff and the commandant's staff. 

Each member briefs the board on 10 records a week, covering roughly 200 applications during an eighthour day. 

Briefers spout off key facts about an applicant, focusing on SAT scores, extracurricular activities and the number of pull-ups completed in the fitness test, then follow all that with a recommendation. 

Recommendations can range from a flat-out rejection to placement in the Naval Academy Preparatory School to a label of qualified, but subject to further review. 

The Naval Academy declined to name other local candidates who have received letters of assurance. 

All offers are out by April and they must respond by May 1, Col. Vetter said. 

But Mr. Scarbro didn't have to wait until April. In early September he received one of a handful of letters of assurance. 

"I opened it with my brother. I was just thrilled," he said. 

At that point, admission hinged on his presidential nomination being filed and the results of that summer's physical. 

"Salt water must live in our veins. We should have figured one of our kids would go to the Naval Academy," Mrs. Scarbro said. She and her husband also have two other sons, Kyle, 16, and Benjamin, 14. 

Mr. Scarbro, Key Club president and editor of the high school paper, isn't taking his success lightly, either. 

"It's a huge honor," he said.