There are many advantages of military service. Immediate benefits include educational and/or career training through graduate degrees, opportunity to become a commissioned officer through ROTC or military academies, travel, specific guaranteed training upon entry, a community with a variety of attractions, free medical and dental care, lower cost commissary and post exchange service, guaranteed pay, promotion opportunities, access to a cadre of trained consultants and counselors, and free legal assistance.

Long-term benefits may include the new G.I. Bill awards, scholarships and fellowships, pay bonuses, 30-day paid vacations every year, development of leisure-time skills, certain housing, medical, and educational services for families, low-cost life insurance, FHA loans, lifetime retirement benefits after 20 years of service, and job retention rights over all nonveteran federal workers.

Terms of Enlistments There is a mandatory eight-year service obligation for all branches of the military which is split between active duty and inactive reserve duty. The required proportion of time spent on the active duty and reserve duty varies with each branch of the military. Check with the military recruiters for details.

Qualifications All prospective recruits take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Test results on the ASVAB determine your qualifications for enlistment and for job training opportunities. The ASVAB is given at high schools or testing arrangements can be made with the military recruiters.

Military awards include service academy appointments and Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarships. The academies are very competitive and the selection is based on GPA, extracurricular activities, and physical aptitude. Since most nominations are made by congressmen, it is necessary to inform your representative AND both U. S. Senators of your interest. They will open a file for you. It is your responsibility to be certain that the file is complete by November 1 of your senior year. For additional information on the academies, write to the following:

Director of Cadet Admissions U.S. Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO 80840-5025 (800) 443-9266 FAX: (719) 333-3012 Web: www.usafa.af.mil 2304 Cadet Drive, Suite 200 Colorado Springs , CO 80840-5025 Web: www.usafa.edu/rr/	Admission Office U.S. Coast Guard Academ New London, CT 06320-9807 (800) 424-8883 FAX: (702) 898-3026 E-mail: admissions@cga.uscg.mil Web: www.cga.edu/ Local Office: 3510 E. Tropicana Ave., Suite L	Admission Office U.S.MerchantMarine Academy 300 Steamboat Road Kings Point, NY 11024-1699 (866) 564-4778 FAX: (516) 773-5390 E-mail: admissions@usmma.edu Web: www.usmma.edu
Admission Office U.S. Military Academy West Point, NY 10996-1797 (914) 938-4041 FAX: (914) 938-7609 E-mail: admissions@usma.edu Web: www.usma.edu/admissions		Admission Office U.S. Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 21402-5018 (410) 293-4361 FAX: (410) 293-4348 Web: www.usna.edu

Eligibility: To qualify for appointment consideration, you must be at least seventeen years old by July 1 of the year admitted: be of high moral character; meet high leadership, academic, physical and mental standards: be unmarried with no dependents; and have participated in extracurricular activities. The recommended high school course of study is four years each of English, math, and science, three years social studies, one year computer science, and two years of a foreign language. Test scores need to reflect: SAT at least 590 verbal, 610 math or ACT English 26, Reading 27, math 27, and science 26.

Application Requirements: Requirements include: letters of Senators and members of Congress requesting nominations after February 1 of junior year, ACT or SAT I scores by December of senior year, completed Pre-Candidate Questionnaire, formal application if selected after initial screening, and physical fitness examinations.

Eligibility: The United States Coast Guard Academy is the only Armed Forces service academy which tenders appointments solely on the basis of an annual nationwide competition. There are no congressional appointments, nor are there any geographical quotas. The competition for appointment as a cadet is based on your high school rank, your performance on the SAT I or ACT, and your leadership potential as demonstrated by participation in high school extracurricular activities, community affairs, or part-time employment. You must have reached the age of seventeen, but not have reached the age of twenty-two by July 1 of the year you are to be admitted as a cadet, be a U.S. citizen, unmarried, and of good moral character.

Application Requirements: The application must be postmarked by December 15 of the senior year, include an official transcript with ACT/SAT I scores which were taken by December of the senior year, and medical/physical fitness examinations.

Eligibility: To qualify for appointment consideration, you must be a least seventeen years old; be a U.S. citizen; be of high moral character; meet leadership, academic, physical, and medical standards; and have participated in extracurricular activities. The academy strongly recommends four years of math, chemistry and/or physics. SAT 1050 or ACT 23.

Application Requirements: Requirements include: letters to Senators and members of Congress requesting nominations, ACT or SAT I scores by November of the senior year, a Pre-Candidate Questionnaire, a formal application if selected after initial screening, and a physical examination.

Eligibility: Each candidate must be seventeen but not yet twenty-three years of age by July 1 of the year admitted; be a U.S. citizen at the time of enrollment (exception: foreign students nominated by agreement between U.S. and another country); be unmarried with no dependents or pregnancy; have an above-average high school or college academic record, plus strong performance on the ACT or SAT I. West Point encourages a strong college preparation: four years of English - with emphasis on composition, grammar, literature, speech; four years of math - algebra, geometry, algebra II, trigonometry; two years of a foreign language; two years of laboratory science such as chemistry and physics and one year U.S. History.

Application Requirements: Requirements include: letters to Senators and members of Congress requesting nomination (Apply for a nomination in the spring of the junior year.); start a file at West Point by completing a Pre-Candidate Questionnaire, fill out USMA forms, take the ACT by February or the SAT I by January of your senior year, take Qualifying Medical Exam and Physical Aptitude Exam.

Eligibility: The candidate must be at least seventeen years old and not yet twenty-three years old on July 1 of the year of admission; unmarried; not pregnant and have no legal obligation to support a child, children, or other individual; a United States citizen (except for the limited quotas of foreign midshipmen specifically authorized by Congress); be of good moral character; be found scholastically qualified; be medically and physically qualified; and receive an official preparatory background as a prerequisite for admission. Recommended areas of preparation include four years of English; four years of math including algebra, geometry, algebra II, trigonometry, pre-calculus or calculus encouraged; two years of a foreign language; two years of laboratory science including chemistry and physics; one year U.S. History and one year of world history; introductory computer courses.

Application Requirements: Requirements include: letters to Senators and members of Congress requesting nomination during spring of your junior year, Pre-Candidate Questionnaire, an official transcript including ACT or SAT I scores, the donor's application (if passed initial screening), a physical aptitude examination, a qualifying medical examination, and an interview.