This well-known article is based on a conversation we had with 18-year-old Hannah Mitchell as part of our Boot Camp video series. Hannah Mitchell is a student from Denver studying marine engineering at the Merchant Marine Academy. The Merchant Marine Academy is the only federal service academy where graduates can pursue civilian maritime careers rather than immediately entering active duty. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
When I was deciding where to go to college, I had several options that I was excited about, including MIT and the Naval Academy. However, my mother had been pushing me to go to another school for some time.
I was 17 and trying to figure out what I wanted the rest of my life to be, and I didn’t want my mom to make that decision for me.
But in the end, I chose the school she wanted, but not because she wanted me to. I chose Merchant Marine Academy because it gave me more freedom to decide what I wanted to do after graduation.
To be honest, money is also important
Hannah Mitchell is studying marine engineering at the Merchant Marine College. Courtesy of Hannah Mitchell
MIT became a financial possibility for me only if I accepted a Navy ROTC scholarship, which would lead me to a career in the Navy. Attending the Naval Academy would put me on a similar path.
At the time, I didn’t want to lock myself away in the Navy for years without knowing how I would feel in college. If I change my mind, I would like to have the option of going into the civilian sector.
I also hope to get a better base salary after graduation.
At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, I had the option of serving in any of the six active-duty services or serving in the Navy Reserves and sailing on merchant ships as a Merchant Marine after graduation.
Long before I came to the same conclusion, my mother found the freedom of choice and financial stability of civilians attractive, too.
Additionally, it had been my dream for a long time to join the Navy’s surface warfare community, and she believed the Merchant Marine Academy could provide me with a stronger path.
Others may not necessarily understand my decision.
Everyone had heard of MIT, and the Merchant Marine Academy was a very small school that a lot of people around me didn’t know about. Some of my teachers even gave me grief for turning down MIT.
However, three months after joining the Merchant Marine Academy, I still feel like I am in the right place.
Academy is more intense than I thought
Business Insider’s senior photographer AJ Caldwell visited the Merchant Marine Academy in July. business insider
I never moved when I was a kid. Coming to the Merchant Marine Academy meant traveling halfway across the country and jumping right into what was basically like boot camp.
Pictures and YouTube videos didn’t prepare me for how intense this feeling was. When I took my vows on my first day, the whole experience felt like a fever dream.
Since then, I’ve had my moments of self-doubt. I thought: “I’m not made for this, I shouldn’t be doing this.”
A swim test a few weeks ago resurfaced some doubts. I had to tread water for 15 minutes and then directly do a 5-minute prone float, face down in the water. I could surface briefly to get air if needed, but I couldn’t keep my face above the water longer than I needed to breathe before returning underwater. I had never done a prone float for more than 30 seconds before.
I was really worried that I would fail. However, everyone around me was cheering me on. It was this and the fact that I really didn’t want to do it all over again that helped me persevere and pass.
I started thinking about which option I wanted.
Mitchell’s plan was to become a merchant mariner. Courtesy of Hannah Mitchell
Life here has expanded in other ways, too. I joined the band and the rowing team. I’m a varsity athlete now, which is a very strange thing as a lifelong scholar.
I made friends here and found my place. My mother told me that I blossomed.
My plans after graduation also became clearer.
I had really wanted to join the Navy. Now, after hearing professors talk about their experiences living and working on ships, I am more inclined to become a merchant mariner.
I want to sail for a while and see the world. If given the chance, I would also like to explore Europe and visit Australia.
My plans may change after I go overseas during my sophomore and junior years. The academy requires midshipmen to complete 300 days aboard a merchant ship, divided into sophomore and junior years, to obtain the Coast Guard license required for graduation.
For now, though, becoming a merchant mariner seems to be the right path.
This was part of what I wanted when I originally chose this school. I didn’t want to have my entire future figured out at 17 years old. I want to have enough options to find answers for myself.