Claim OwnershipServeWell Podcast
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© 2026 Phil Black
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Phil Black discusses the strategies and tactics that will help your child earn: (1) service academy appointments, (2) ROTC scholarships, and (3) acceptances to their top-choice colleges. If your child is pursuing any of these ambitious goals, this podcast is for you. With hundreds of success stories, including Phil’s own three sons (Yale Navy ROTC x 2, USNA), this podcast is a must-listen. Lessons are drawn from ServeWell Academy’s 4-yr online mentoring program detailing what students should do every week starting in 9th grade. Learn about the program here: https://www.servewellacademy.com/
89 Episodes
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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:
recent college graduates
college students
high school students
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.
dorm life
social life
academics
job placement
finances
adversity
shared mission
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:
street-smart student
middle-of-the-road student
clueless student
And 3 different campus environments:
political (conservative or progressive)
religious (faith-friendly or secular)
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:
How will I pay for college?
How will I find a job?
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...
100% scholarship for all students
Small campus (250 students per class)
Bachelor of Science in STEM field
Merchant Marine Officer's License
Commission into Navy Reserves
Guaranteed job upon graduation
No active duty military commitment
Can take a shore-based civilian job
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...
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