Explore every episode of the podcast ServeWell Podcast

In this week's podcast, I focus on the first of the three pillars of the service academies:

1. Academics
2. Athletics
3. Leadership

Why are academics so important?

In this week's podcast, I discuss organizations like NCSA (Next College Student Athlete).

These programs promise to connect your child with college coaches with the goal of securing athletic scholarships.

If your child is considering using sports to help them get into a service academy or traditional college, please listen to today's episode.

In this week's podcast, I explore whether ROTC may be the perfect hedge for students who are not prepared for the rigors of a service academy but also don't want to be part of the chaos on traditional college campuses.

Is ROTC a viable compromise between these two extremes?

In this week's podcast, I juxtapose two very different views on life after high school.

The Case A student chooses the "pain later" path. This student wants college to be the best four years of their life - bar none. Immediate gratification and indulgence are at the core of their short-term goals.

The Case B student chooses "pain now". This student is willing to give up some conveniences, perks, and indulgences now for a more fulfilling life later.

Ask your child which camp they are in.

In this week's podcast, I share a story about my son and a small group of "Fellows" who are trying to land jobs with Palantir.

The scenario encapsulates a lot of what's happening in the real-world right now as it relates to technology, major choice, AI, and the job market.

In this week's podcast, I do my best to distinguish between a nomination and an appointment.

These terms are often used interchangeably despite having very different meanings.

Please listen to this episode to make sure you have them straight in your mind.

In this week's podcast, I walk through what it takes to get selected for one of the most sought-after jobs in the Navy and Air Force:

Fighter pilot

I will dig into these important dimensions:

• SAT and ACT
• Class rigor
• Class rank
• Varsity sports
• CFA
• Leadership
• Community service
• Aviation-related ECAs

If your child has toyed with the idea of flying fighter jets in the military, this would be a good episode to digest.

In this week's podcast, I suggest how to pick the branch of service that suits you best.

Part of the analysis has to do with what you are optimizing for:

• undergraduate experience?
• early work experience?
• long-term career experience?

Some students already have a good idea of which branch they are most interested in. Others are open-minded.

Which are you?

In this week's podcast, I encourage students to open up an individual brokerage account and a ROTH IRA.

For students who aspire to a service academy or ROTC program, this is the ultimate move.

I walk them through every step of the process.

Topics covered include:

• Why invest early?
• What is a brokerage account?
• What is a Roth IRA?
• What to invest in?
• What is compounding interest?
• Why can you do this while others can't?

Financial literacy is at an all-time low in this country. It's important that our children start to get more familiar with the language of money, investing, and returns. This episode is a great start...

In this week's podcast, I review what DoDMERB is and how to avoid the pitfalls it may present.

When your child applies to a service academy or ROTC program, they will eventually be prompted to complete an online medical questionnaire.

Do not let them do this alone.

One wrong click or misrepresentation could lead to a medical disqualification.

Please listen to this episode first.

For those with younger students, listen to this episode now to make sure that any injuries from here on out are handled appropriately.

In this week's podcast, I review the 5 biggest nothing-burger extracurricular activities that you should not include in your applications - unless you have no choice.

You might be surprised by the list.

Even though some of the activities/organizations sound legitimate, more often than not, they are a waste of time, energy, and money.

Don't get caught chasing the wrong cars.

In this week's episode, I compare the trajectory of two similar students as they transition into college. [Though inspired by real-world stories, these students are fictitious and the outcomes are for illustration purposes only.]

One student (Ethan) decided to take the more traditional pathway by attending a well-respected, liberal arts college where he would study economics.

The other student (Roman) decided to take a less traditional route and attended the United States Naval Academy to study mechanical engineering.

I tracked their progress from age 18 - 35.

If you're interested to see where their lives ended up, please tune into this week's show.

In this week's episode, I review how to prepare for a service academy interview.

Last week, my youngest son sat down with his Blue & Gold officer for his official USNA interview. It was the fourth time the Blue & Gold officer has been to our house.

Listen to this podcast to find out:

• how to prepare
• what to expect
• common questions
• dress code
• timing

Tune in if you want the inside scoop on how this important part of the application process goes down.

In this week's episode, I wonder why every high school student doesn't apply to a service academy and/or ROTC program.

In this week's episode, I discuss whether it's worth it to invest in an SAT or ACT tutor.

In this week's episode, I reflect on the last few months of 1-on-1 consulting sessions I've had with several ServeWellers.

With few exceptions, many students were guilty of the following poor habits:

• Not taking notes
• Not creating outlines prior to writing
• Not calling adults by their names

Please have a listen and discuss this topic with your child.These habits will pay long-term dividends well after the college admissions process is over.

In this week's episode, I react to a comment left on one of my Instagram reels suggesting that maritime academies weren't ideal because they often required long stretches at sea (3-6 months) which is not ideal for maintaining a work-life balance.

Come again?

Is the new rule that every college graduate should expect:

• a guaranteed job
• making $100K/yr
• with work-life balance?

Tune in to hear my thoughts on this comment.

In this week's episode, I review the origin story of "TED Talk Roulette" and how it can be implemented in your child's life.

This activity is designed to help students who claim that they "just aren't interested in anything."

If your child finds it difficult to articulate what they are interested in, what college might be a good fit (e.g. traditional, service academy, ROTC), or a possible career path, it's time to play TED Talk Roulette. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

This week, I offer the third and final installment of our 3-part series that tries to answer the question:

What makes college students successful?

In review:

- Part I (feedback)

- Part 2 (structure)

- Part 3 (challenge)

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

This week, I try to explain why my phone is ringing off the hook with students interested in service academies and ROTC programs.

I review six different potential reasons.

In the end, it seems that traditional colleges are no longer delivering on the promises of the past.

Students are looking for something different, better, harder.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

This week, I review the 3 different plans available at ServeWell Academy. 

1. Basic Plan
2. VIP Plan
3. Private Plan

I hope this helps those families thinking about enrolling in the program. 

For our current members, this is a good reminder of how to make the most out of your participation in the program. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions. 

Two weeks ago, I highlighted the importance of feedback when it comes to the development of 18-22 year-olds.

This week, I dig into the importance of structure.

The two extremes that come to mind are Brown University and West Point.

The latter offers one of the most "unstructured" college experiences around.

West Point, on the other hand, is the poster child for a structured environment.

Learn about the pros and cons of these two experiences and which may resonate most with your child.

Tomorrow (June 1st) marks the migration from one year to the next...

• eager 8th-graders can now become freshman ServeWellers (2030)
• freshman ServeWellers (2029) become sophomores
• sophomore ServeWellers (2028) become juniors
• junior ServeWellers (2027) become seniors

I institute this change now because it gives every age group the whole summer to catch-up on anything that may have slipped through the cracks during the school year.

Whether you're an enrolled ServeWeller or not (yet), please give this episode a listen for an overview of what each cohort should expect to accomplish this summer.

In today's episode, I cover the topic of feedback.

In order to mature, young adults need to know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. And the sooner -- the better.

There are a few pathways that provide this type of feedback, often at an accelerated pace.

There are other pathways that do not.

If your child is interested in personal development, please give this episode a listen.

In today's episode, I share insights and perspective from a former ServeWell Academy graduate who went on to attend Vanderbilt University on a Marine Option Navy ROTC scholarship.

He is wrapping up his freshman year and he had many things to report - some good, some not so good.

If your son or daughter is considering ROTC, please give this episode a listen.

In today's episode, I review why the service academies care so much about:

1. SAT/ACT
2. GPA
3. Rigor of coursework

Why did all the service academies continue to require standardized test scores when nearly every other college went "test optional" during COVID?

In today's episode, I redefine what your child's #1 priority should be when planning for college.

Years ago, the priorities were:

1. How do I get into an Ivy League, Top 15, or Top 20 college?
2. What should I major in?

Those days are over.

Today, given the changing job outlook, technological breakthroughs (i.e. AI, automation), and cost of college, your child should be solving for one thing and one thing only...

FLEXIBILITY

More than any other asset, flexibility will be your child's key to integrating into the workforce of the future.

One of the best ways to maintain such flexibility is to graduate college with zero student loan debt.

In today's episode, I lay out 7 strategies to do just that. Will your child be able to graduate with zero student loan debt?

In today's episode, I discuss three common college/career pathways and how they may impact your child's road to adulthood:

1. Ivy League schools
2. Non-Ivy League schools
3. Service academies & ROTC

Which way is your child leaning?

In today's episode, I discuss the uniqueness of the 6 state maritime academies:

1. Cal Poly Maritime Academy
2. Great Lakes Maritime Academy
3. Maine Maritime Academy
4. Massachusetts Maritime Academy
5. SUNY Maritime Academy
6. Texas A&M Maritime Academy

What are they? How are they different? What is their value proposition?

In today's episode, I discuss how to ensure that your child secures outstanding letters of recommendation.

Unfortunately, a lot of students take this part of the process lightly.

They think the teacher is the one who has to do all the work.

They just sit back and make sure the LORs are submitted in a timely fashion.

I don't think so.

There's is a lot of prep work required to make sure your teachers are set up for success.

Take a listen to this episode to make sure your child is staying on track with their LORs.

In today's episode, I discuss different ways individuals can become commissioned officers in the U.S. military.

• Service Academies
• ROTC
• Officer Candidate School (OCS)
• Senior Military Academies (ROTC)
• Direct Commissions
• Enlisted to Officer programs
• CDO/CWO
• Field promotions

There are a few more pathways that are even more uncommon. Learn more about this process in today's episode.

In today's episode, I discuss how AI will impact 4 cohorts:

1. recent college graduates
2. college students
3. high school students
4. middle school students

I will also opine on how AI might affect students who choose to attend a service academy or ROTC program.

Do you have a child in one of these cohorts?

How will they fare?

In today's episode, I discuss what you should expect from your school's guidance counselor. 

• Extracurricular activity audit?
• Suggestions for leadership roles?
• Summer strategy and planning?
• College essay brainstorming?
• Timelines for service academy and ROTC interviews?
• Advice for physical fitness tests?

The level of support may vary based on what type of school your child attends (e.g. private, public), but there are many similarities as well. 

Listen to this week's episode to make sure you don't get blind-sided. 

In today's episode, I wrestle with the tension between sticking to the old playbook (e.g. traditional college) vs. doing something more non-traditional (e.g. service academies/ROTC) in light of the AI revolution that is upon us.

I will share my thoughts on how a service academy experience may be the best antidote for the uncertainty that will come with the wave of AI innovation, disruption, and chaos.

Do you agree?

In today's episode, I compare various activities/experiences at traditional colleges versus service academies.

1. dorm life
2. social life
3. academics
4. job placement
5. finances
6. adversity
7. shared mission
8. leadership

Which path suits your son or daughter best?

In today's episode, I discuss the importance of the SAT (especially the math section) for students interested in service academies and ROTC scholarships.

In a perfect world, your child will be at least one grade-level ahead in math by the time they enter high school.

This will allow them to take the SAT at the very beginning of 11th grade.

A 7th-grade math placement test is often what determines whether or not your child can move ahead in math. Be very aware of this fact when it happens.

If you know a parent with a child interested in the service academies and ROTC, make sure they listen to this episode as early in middle school as possible.

In today's episode, I walk through how midshipmen at the Naval Academy choose the ship they will serve on upon graduation.

Note: Not every midshipman will be assigned to a ship. Only midshipman who are drafted into the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community take part in this ceremony (about 250 of the 1,200 graduates).

The other service academies have similar traditions and protocols.

What you learn in this episode can be used as a guide for how communities in different military branches assign their officers to their specific jobs.

Learn how and when these soon-to-be junior officers find out where they will be working.

In today's episode, I go through a list of leadership opportunities that may be worth pursuing to beef-up your leadership credentials.

• school-based sports-based
• JROTC-based
• Summer-based
• Community service-based
• DIY-based

For each of these experiences, the selection board will consider: (1) scope, (2) responsibility, (3) sustained commitment, (4) initiative, and (5) progression.

In today's episode, I compare what it takes to secure a DI athletic scholarship compared to a military scholarship (e.g. service academy or ROTC).

• what are the odds?
• what are the risks?
• How do you improve your chances?

Understanding the pros and cons of each pathway may help your child make one of the most consequential decisions in their lives.

In today's episode, I discuss the how much (or how little) a "campus culture" can influence your child's world view.

I look at three different students:

1. street-smart student
2. middle-of-the-road student
3. clueless student

And 3 different campus environments:

1. political (conservative or progressive)
2. religious (faith-friendly or secular)
3. social permissiveness (strict or anything goes)

How will different campus cultures influence different types of students?

Will that influence be positive or negative?

Where do ROTC programs and service academies fit into this picture?

In today's episode, I describe how service academies and ROTC scholarship opportunities solve for today's teenagers' 3 biggest fears:

1. How will I pay for college?
2. How will I find a job?
3. How will I afford a home?

Have a son or daughter who is thinking about these questions?

Give this episode a serious listen.

In today's episode, I assume the role of a 15, 16, or 17-yr-old high school student who is interested in the service academies or ROTC.

In the past, not much was expected of these aspiring midshipmen and cadets. 

Most had a very superficial understanding of what they were getting themselves into and there wasn't a clear path to figuring these things out. 

Those days are over. 

In this episode, I demonstrate how easy it is for any student to get information about the service academies and ROTC without going to the library, visiting a service academy, talking to a retired military person, or randomly plugging search terms into Google. 

Enter...ChatGPT

Learn how easy it is to sit back and become a subject matter expert on these topics in the matter of an hour or two. 

From clueless to fully-informed. 

In this episode, I review the results from the early Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC selection boards.

• How many Air Force ROTC scholarships were awarded?
• How many Type I, II, IV Air Force ROTC scholarships were awarded?
• How many Navy ROTC scholarships were awarded?
• How many Army ROTC scholarships were awarded?

What do these trends say about the competitiveness of ROTC scholarships? 

Listen to this episode if you have any interest in pursuing an ROTC scholarship in any (or all) of the branches. 

Why do some people hesitate to consider service academies and ROTC programs?

• I don't understand what they are
• I want a "real" college experience
• My child is not disciplined enough
• My child is not interested in combat
• My daughter has ADHD

Listen to the counterpoints to some of these commons friction points when it comes to these unique opportunities.

In today's episode, I review the basic pros/cons associated with attending a service academy. If you are considering this path, please give a listen.

In today's episode, I break down some of the reasons that college has become so expensive.

• the "original sin"
• open the floodgates
• demand up, supply same
• government subsidized loans
• lazy rivers, sushi bars, climbing walls

College as the only option If you are aware how expensive college has become, but you're not sure why or how, please give this episode a listen.

This may give you a better appreciation for the gift of service academies and ROTC opportunities. They are options known by few people...but not for long.

In this episode, I shed some light on the one of the lesser-known service academies...

The United States Merchant Marine Academy

The USMMA offers...

1. 100% scholarship for all students
2. Small campus (250 students per class)
3. Bachelor of Science in STEM field
4. Merchant Marine Officer's License
5. Commission into Navy Reserves
6. Guaranteed job upon graduation
7. No active duty military commitment
8. Can take a shore-based civilian job
9. Flexibility to work in any branch

Give this episode a listen to expose yourself to the unique advantages and benefits of this often overlooked service academy. You'll be glad you did.

In this episode, I discuss what it's like to go to college knowing that upon graduation you have a guaranteed job for five years (or more) making $100K+ per year.

• What are the pros and cons?
• What's the catch?
• How does this compare to students who attend traditional colleges?

In today's challenging job market, these differences are becoming more severe by the day...

In this episode, I discuss one of the least appreciated benefits of serving in the U.S. military...

international travel

If you have ever dreamed of visiting faraway places, learning about ancient cultures, or observing foreign traditions, the military is a great place to start.

The United States has military bases on dozens of countries across the world with major concentrations in Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and strategic locations globally.

Ever wonder what it's like to explore:

• Greenland
• Greece
• Djibouti
• UK
• Germany
• Turkey
• Iceland
• Poland
• Portugal

Junior officers play important leadership roles in each of these areas of the world.

Find out how and when officers deploy and what type of hand they have in their journey...

In this episode, I lay out what life looks like for most junior officers when they separate from service after five years.

Their opportunities are nearly limitless:

• travel the world
• apply to graduate school
• get another job
• buy a franchise
• start a business

Each pathway has its own pros/cons. I focus on three defense technology companies that are hiring like mad and looking for young talent with leadership skills, technical aptitude, international experience, and familiarity with the military and government operations. Get to know these companies and keep them on your target list of opportunities...