Target Universities
College
Thirteen schools defining the destination — the U.S. News Top 10 plus three for engineering, aviation, and Texas residency.
The 13 Target Schools
Every database, every grade, every race time, every leadership entry is aligned to a clear destination. Admission to one of these thirteen universities with full scholarship support is the system’s defining outcome.
U.S. News Top 10 · National Universities
Princeton
MIT
Harvard
Stanford
Yale
Caltech
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Penn
Engineering, Aviation & Texas Residency
Purdue · Cradle of Astronauts
Texas A&M · Corps of Cadets
UT Austin · Forty Acres
Why These Thirteen
- Top 10 academic rigorThe strongest possible academic environment for an aeronautical engineering aspiration.
- Engineering depthEach of the thirteen has a nationally-ranked engineering program. MIT, Caltech, Princeton, Stanford, Purdue, Texas A&M, and UT Austin specifically lead in aerospace.
- ROTC presenceAll thirteen host at least one ROTC program (Army, Navy/Marine, or Air Force), supporting the military commissioning pathway.
- Texas residency advantageTexas A&M and UT Austin add in-state tuition baseline and access to the Forty Acres full-ride scholarship.
- Cradle of AstronautsPurdue has produced more American astronauts than any other university — directly aligned to John’s aviation aspiration.
How We Get There
- Middle School (now–2028)Pre-AP academic rigor, swim PRs, Sea Cadets BMR progression, AMC 8, first leadership roles.
- Early High School (2028–2030)PSAT 8/9, AP courses, championship-level swim performance, NCAA recruiting trail opens, sustained service and Sea Cadet rate advancement.
- Junior Year (2030–2031)SAT/ACT, junior-year transcript, Service Academy Summer Seminar applications, NCAA recruiting calls open June 15, 2031.
- Senior Year (2031–2032)Applications submitted, Congressional nominations secured, ROTC scholarship interviews, merit scholarship competitions, decisions May 2032.
Verification
The U.S. News ranking informs the list, but is verified annually each May/June. Schools may shift ranking; the strategic adds (Purdue, Texas A&M, UT Austin) are not based on ranking alone and remain on the list regardless of year-to-year ranking movement.