As March comes to a close and April begins, students across Norwin are receiving their college decisions. For many students, this is a nerve wracking experience, but as the Naval Academy began releasing their acceptances, one Norwin senior’s college journey has come to a close; in mid-March, Nathan Campbell received his acceptance to the Naval Academy.
“When I got offered to wrestle by the Navy coaching staff, I felt so honored and excited to know that all of my hard work throughout the last 12 years has finally paid off,” said Nathan Campbell.
Norwin has not seen an alumni go on to become a student of a military academy in years, since runner Autumn Greba went to the Naval Academy, due to its extensive application process and acceptance rate. Additionally, some other recent Norwin graduates Tyler Konek (Air Force Academy), Mike Domink in 2008 (Naval Academy), and Ellyn Grosz and Scott Gross in 2008 (West Point Military Academy), attended these prestigious institutions as well.
The acceptance rate for the Naval Academy is 10.8%, and extremely competitive. Applicants must receive a letter of recommendation from a U.S. Representative or Congressman, as well as pass medical and physical exams in order to be considered as a potential student.
“I had to take many physical screenings to test my abilities and health,” Campbell said. “The application process was long and had more forms and documentation than I can count.”
With so many hoops to jump through in the Naval Academy’s application, the entire process can take months to complete. For some, this arduous work may not be worth the effort, but Campbell and many other students overwhelmingly agree that it is a worthwhile endeavor.
“It is the #1 ranked public university in the country and they have a top 20 division 1 wrestling program,” Campbell said. “There’s no better place in the country to be successful in life as well as wrestling.”
For both wrestling and a future in the military, the Naval Academy seems to be the perfect place for Campbell. With so many opportunities opening up for him, he has plenty to think about for his future career plans and life goals.
“As of right now I’m not 100% sure but I think I will do five years of service as a Marine Ground Officer— you can choose to go into the Navy or Marines after graduation— then transition into the finance world with a Quantitative Economics degree,” Campbell said.
