The earliest (and best) time to enroll your child is after 8th-grade graduation (June). When it comes to service academies and ROTC scholarships, preparation must start early. These programs are competitive, and waiting until mid-junior year is the kiss of death. I've seen it hundreds of times. By the time most students begin to engage in the process, it's too late. They can't go back in time to take different classes, attend Boys/Girls State, take leadership roles, and make the most of their summers. "Early and often" are the keys to building a competitive profile.

(1) the cost of college has spiraled out of control. Most private, highly-selective, 4-yr colleges now cost over $400K and public colleges close to $200K.

(2) traditional colleges have adopted ideological agendas that don't resonate with large swaths of the country. Many students are seeking educational experiences devoid of political tension, censoring of speech, and riotous protests. 

(3) students (and their parents) are no longer interested in taking out $150K - 200K in student loan debt to attend college, particularly if they graduate with non-commercially viable majors like Spanish Literature, Ethnic Studies, or Philosophy.

(4) the benefits of service academies and ROTC programs cannot be denied (e.g. free (or near-free), leadership training, STEM-focus, guaranteed job for 5 years, international travel, real-world experience, less political tension and turmoil). 

(5) the ability to get into a highly-selective college increases for students who are interested in the college's ROTC program

Over the past 12 years, I have helped hundreds of students get accepted to service academies, ROTC programs, and highly-selective colleges. Some students I know via my online program and others I know more closely because they have requested 1-on-1 consultations with me or have been part of my private client option. I have helped students get into every service academy (e.g. USNA, USMA, USAFA, USCGA, USMMA) as well as ROTC programs (all branches) at schools like Princeton, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, UPENN Berkeley, and many others. I have also helped my sons get opportunities to attend Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, USNA, USAFA, and others.

It's very common for teenagers to be unsure about their future - especially with something as unconventional as military service academies or even ROTC experiences. If there is a spark of interest, I highly recommend supporting them with a membership. Starting in 9th grade, the weekly videos slowly introduce members to the concepts of military service, service academies, ROTC, pros/cons, benefits, etc. If the spark doesn't take hold, no harm no foul. If the spark turns into a flame, then they are off to the races with a big head start.

One of my specialties is understanding what it takes to succeed in highly competitive programs. I have deep personal experience in this regard (e.g. Yale, Harvard, Goldman Sachs, Navy SEAL, Shark Tank, etc.), and have built a platform that helps motivated teenagers find similar success. I know what these programs are looking for, I know how to prepare students for the journey, and I have a proven track record that it works. A lot of the success hinges on whether a student begins the process early enough.  

I am available if you'd like to connect. 

Basic members can always schedule a 1-on-1 session with me at any time ($300/hr).

VIP members have the opportunity to chat with me on our monthly coaching calls.

VIP families can also schedule 1-on-1 sessions with me for a discounted consulting fee of $150/hr. There are no "packages" that require a predetermined (or minimum) number of consulting hours. Some families connect with me quarterly, others monthly, and some weekly during peak admissions periods. It's completely up to you.

Both.

Ideally, your child is fully-engaged with the weekly videos, journal, quizzes, and to-dos. Hopefully, they are mature and disciplined enough to follow the plan. However, many (many) parents follow along to make sure that they are tracking as well. They don't normally watch every video or complete every task, but they keep a high-level awareness about the timeline and milestones. I update VIP parents about what they need to know in our monthly calls.  In my experience, the most successful results come from a collaborative effort that involves child, parents, ServeWell videos, and me.  

I would say the best ratio of engagement would be 70% child and 30% parent. The process can be so overwhelming, that it's hard to expect a teenager to handle all of it without some parental support.

With $500,000 on the line, most parents are willing to pay attention to the process.

It depends on the student, parents, time of year, and other circumstances.

I've worked with motivated students with engaged parents who have only booked private consultations with me 4X over their 3 years in the program. 

Other families have booked 30+ hours of private consultation with me over 18 months.

It depends on: (1) when you start, (2) your budget, (3) parents' time, willingness, or ability to help, (4) student's ability to follow directions and execute plan, (5) how close you are to winning a $500K scholarship, (6) my availability.

Some students follow the video lessons, journal, and quizzes closely and just need a little tune-up here and there to stay on track. Others prefer my help on nearly everything (e.g. extracurricular activities, course selection, interview prep, essay brainstorming/editing, athletic recruiting, highlight videos, scholarship negotiations, project management, building a college list, how to maximize fitness test, how to appeal a negative medical result from DoDMERB, etc.)

The preparation for service academy and ROTC programs are quite similar. There may be a few lessons that are specific to service academies as there will be lessons quite specific for ROTC. There are also many lessons that compare/contrast the two. This is definitely the course for your if you are considering ROTC (even if service academies are off the table). I spend inordinate time on the strategies and tactics to help you maximize your chances of landing ROTC scholarships at your top choice colleges.

Remember, earning an ROTC scholarship is just the beginning. Students also need to get into a college that has an ROTC program and that meets their academic, social, and cultural goals. My 12 years of experience as a college admissions counselor helps tremendously in this regard.

Today, starting early is critical whether you are applying to service academies, ROTC programs, or highly-selective colleges. Ask any senior (or parent of a senior) who has just been through the admissions process. It will be their number one piece of advice.

Because of the competitive nature of these programs, students need to get there ducks in a row early.

Remember, applications are submitted at the beginning of senior year. If you wait to start thinking about your future until the middle of your junior year (as most do), you will only have 4-6 months left before your applications are due. 75% of your body of work will have already been spoken for. This is where most students go wrong. They wait too long.

Freshman year matters. Your classes, grades, extracurricular activities, summer experiences, leadership opportunities - they all matter.

Sophomore year matters even more. By the time sophomore year is over, 66% of your high school career is complete (as it relates to the applications).

The most successful students lay out a 3-year plan (fresh, soph, junior years) and then execute the plan. ServeWell Academy gives you all of the support, milestones, tips, tricks, and long-term vision to make it happen. 

I bring a wide range of experiences that cover nearly every facet of this process: (a) three children recently going through service academy / ROTC / highly-selective college process, and one student going through the process currently (high school), (b) 12 years of college admissions experience, (c) military experience (Navy SEAL Officer), (4) track record of students admitted to all service academies and dozens of highly-selective colleges, (5) personal track record of high performance.

Maximum Flexibility. We meet you where you are -- at an appropriate time, at an affordable price, and with the amount of support that you deem necessary. At the extremes, we have members who enroll as juniors at the "Basic Level" and never use any other services (their investment is $20/month for two years). On the other hand, we have students who have followed us since 7th grade, enrolls as VIPs in 9th grade, and become private clients in 10th grade (their investment can over $15,000). And, of course, most members are somewhere in between. Most enroll as VIPs in 9th or 10th grade, and then request 1-on-1 sessions (as needed) whenever they need the extra support. No forced contracts, no mandatory hours.