Admission
Unlike the other service academies, admission to the USCGA does not require a congressional nomination. This is due to the fervent objections of Captain John A. Henriques, the first Superintendent of the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction (later the Revenue Cutter Academy). His objection stemmed from years of poor political appointments in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service's bureaucracy.
The academy is regularly cited as being one of the most difficult American institutions of higher education in which to gain entrance. Each year more than 2000 students apply and appointments are offered until the number accepting appointments to the incoming class numbers approximately 240. Those who have accepted appointments as cadets report to the USCGA in late June or early July for "Swab Summer", a basic military training program designed to prepare them for the rigors of their Fourth Class year. After four years of study and training, approximately 200 of those cadets will graduate. About 30 percent of cadets are women.
Read more about this topic: United States Coast Guard Academy
Famous quotes containing the word admission:
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—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948)
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—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)