Competiveness rumor

Pasquinel

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
81
Quote:

Originally Posted by luigi59

there were not 17,000 completed applications to review.
17,000 people clicked on the website and typed in their name and some preliminary information.

My guess is probably half of those actually got a candidate number, and perhaps 5,000 of them actually completed the application.
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Wow that would mean that the USNA has an acceptance rate of about 30+%........assuming ~1500 appointments are extended......that would put the USNA as a very mildly competitive school to get into according to Forbes and US N&WR........thanks for that insight and displelling the rumors that the USNA was Ivy League-like competitive.........nowhere close according to these numbers.......more on the competitivness of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania!!!!!!
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by luigi59

there were not 17,000 completed applications to review.
17,000 people clicked on the website and typed in their name and some preliminary information.

My guess is probably half of those actually got a candidate number, and perhaps 5,000 of them actually completed the application.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wow that would mean that the USNA has an acceptance rate of about 30+%........assuming ~1500 appointments are extended......that would put the USNA as a very mildly competitive school to get into according to Forbes and US N&WR........thanks for that insight and displelling the rumors that the USNA was Ivy League-like competitive.........nowhere close according to these numbers.......more on the competitivness of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania!!!!!!

Are you being sarcastic in your response? I can't really tell.
 
5000 completed the file....but there are about 3000 nominations, and not everyone gets one. Only 100 presidental, not everyone is medical fit or physical or academic. If you think about a rough estimate it would be around 2,500-2800 people. Only ~1500 offered appointments, and ~200 get prepatory slots. And Some get waitlisted. So the odds are good that some good news will be heard.
 
No Sarcasm.......I have seen a alot of posts saying that the USNA was Ivy-League like competitive......

Lugi has shown that this is not the case at all, and that the USNA has a very favorable acceptance rate of 30+% of completed submitted applications......and would rank as not a overly competitive institution at all to get accepted to...roughly one out of three applicants getting an appointment....

So many should take courage that are on the waiting tread.....
 
Luigi59 said:
there were not 17,000 completed applications to review.
17,000 people clicked on the website and typed in their name and some preliminary information.

My guess is probably half of those actually got a candidate number, and perhaps 5,000 of them actually completed the application.

Pasquinel said:
Wow that would mean that the USNA has an acceptance rate of about 30+%........assuming ~1500 appointments are extended......that would put the USNA as a very mildly competitive school to get into according to Forbes and US N&WR........thanks for that insight and displelling the rumors that the USNA was Ivy League-like competitive.........nowhere close according to these numbers.......more on the competitivness of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania!!!!!!

Every academy counts differently - for some reason, USNA chooses to count each and every person who starts a file as an application. Type in your name, address and submit a SAT score and you are an applicant, even if you never did any more part of the application - no essay, no nomination application, no BGO interview, no transcript - nothing else.

Counting completed applications (or even those who receive candidate numbers) would be a much better representation, not an ego stroke (We're the best - We get the most! etc).

If you are trying to judge your competitiveness, judge it against the others who may take your slot. That is only logical, as no one with an incomplete application has a chance at an appointment.

:cool:
 
Every academy counts differently
How do you know this? West Point counts everyone who completes a preliminary application or applies to SLS, which is equivalent to the preliminary application.

I think if HYP required all their applicants to complete a preliminary application and be "qualified" to complete the entire application their final numbers would be markedly different.

You do make an important point - as the numbers of applicants rise you will not see the same % increase in the numbers of "fully qualified" candidates; even as the quality of the applicant pool rises.
Each class competes against themselves and the bar is raised or lowers based on the numbers and quality of the class.
 
I've always counseled my candidates that completing the application is half the battle. And it's true that the 17k applicants include many who never really start their applications.

I would say, however, that it is much more arduous to complete a SA application than one for a civilian school. I don't know of many civilian schools (other than maybe VMI and Citadel, which I realize aren't exactly "civilian") that require fitness assessments and/or medical exams. Or interest inventories, or BGO interviews, etc. Thus, I would argue that the application process itself is somewhat self-selecting.

In this as in most things in life, it really is a waste of time to dwell on your "competition." You can only put forward your best effort/packet; there is nothing more you can do . . . other than wait.

Likewise, for future applicants, don't let the numbers deter you. As noted, it's rarely useful and generally counterproductive.
 
also, take into account that about 300 or so appointments are given to men and women already in the fleet/ usmc, so even though a class has roughly 1200 spots to compete for, 200+ will be prior enlisted....just a thought
 
My take away is that the USNA is a mildly competitive institution to get accepted in to......5,000 that submited complete applications.....1,500 appointments are extended on those 5,000 completed applications......so roughly 1 out of 3 applicants gets an offer of appointment for completed applications.....

Now take the Ivys.....alot of completed applications submitted with fee payments (sure, not as muti step processed as the USNA, but time consuming to complete nonetheless).....their range is .6 to 2 of of 10 applicants receives offers of acceptance........

So their is absolutely no comparision on the difficulty of "acceptance" between the USNA and the IVYs.......IVYs hands down much more difficut to get accepted into.....

For all those that submitted complete applications to the USNA......a 30+% acceptance rate is something to be very optimistic about!!!!
 
30% acceptance rate....but what about triple q candidates with a nomination, isn't the number something like 70%?
 
Remember there will be a few thousand completed applications that will not get MOC nominations.
 
I saw right on navy's website. 2,000 are found triple qualified with a nomination. 1,500 are offered and appointment.



ADMISSIONS

What is the difference between a nomination and an appointment?

A nomination is required in order to receive an appointment. All students can apply to their congressman, senators, and the Vice President for a nomination. Alternative nomination sources are also available. Applying for a nomination is a separate process from applying to the Naval Academy. All nominating sources officially notify the Naval Academy of their nominees by the end of January. Students should apply to all the nomination sources for which they are eligible. Appointments are invitations to attend the Naval Academy. In a typical year, approximately 4,000 candidates receive nominations. However, only 1,500 appointments will be given out. In other words, obtaining a nomination in no way guarantees that a candidate will receive an appointment. You will be notified of your appointment status by the middle of April.

If you are found scholastically qualified but do not receive a Letter of Assurance, you will be competing for an Offer of Appointment from within your nominating sources. Approximately 2,000 candidates are found fully qualified (scholastic, medical, CFA, and have obtained a nomination) each year. Of that number, about 1,500 will receive appointments and approximately 1,200 become midshipmen. Most candidates will be notified of their final status by April 15.


Sources:
http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/steps10.htm
http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/faq.htm#nomination
 
Another measure is the yield rate: how many of those offered actually attend?

I recall reading that USNA had a yield of 83%. This makes it higher than Harvard's LINK

But who really cares? They're different kids with different motivations.
 
My take away is that the USNA is a mildly competitive institution to get accepted in to......5,000 that submited complete applications.....1,500 appointments are extended on those 5,000 completed applications......so roughly 1 out of 3 applicants gets an offer of appointment for completed applications.....

Now take the Ivys.....alot of completed applications submitted with fee payments (sure, not as muti step processed as the USNA, but time consuming to complete nonetheless).....their range is .6 to 2 of of 10 applicants receives offers of acceptance........

So their is absolutely no comparision on the difficulty of "acceptance" between the USNA and the IVYs.......IVYs hands down much more difficut to get accepted into.....

For all those that submitted complete applications to the USNA......a 30+% acceptance rate is something to be very optimistic about!!!!

I hate getting involved in pissing matches because inevitably everyone gets wet. But with that said, the competitiveness of getting into Ivy League vs. a SA sounds more like an ego driven parent conversation. It is some what of an apple to orange comparison. If a student applies to a SA and is DQed but gets accepted to an Ivy League school does that make the SA more competitive? No, that student is not a good fit as deemed by the admissions process of the SA. But try telling that to the young man whose goal it was to attend a SA and was just extinguished. He is a classmate of my son and is a great kid. I am pretty sure he has a different opinion as to which school is more competitive to get into.
 
Peterson's guide says USNA Entrance Difficulty is "Very Difficult".

Harvard, Yale, Princeton: "Most Difficult".

Application numbers for most Ivys are ridiculously high. For example:

Yale: Admission: 22,817 applied; 1,952 admitted; 1,318 enrolled
Princeton: Admission: 21,370 applied; 2,122 admitted; 1,243 enrolled

A non-ivy but what is up with this?

Drexel: Admission: 16,867 applied; 12,097 admitted; 2,396 enrolled
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by luigi59

there were not 17,000 completed applications to review.
17,000 people clicked on the website and typed in their name and some preliminary information.

My guess is probably half of those actually got a candidate number, and perhaps 5,000 of them actually completed the application.


Does anyone else realize that luigi59 pulled those numbers (5000) out of the air. He said "he guesses". So until admissions posts those numbers let's stop bickering.

By the way, if you are on this site. You would give you right arm to get into an SA -- so I don't think you really care "how competitive" it is as long as you get a spot.
 
Drexel: Admission: 16,867 applied; 12,097 admitted; 2,396 enrolled
Actually their website says they got 31000 applications in 2009 with a 55% acceptance rate. The #enrolled looks about right.

Drexel offers free applications for those who visit. This drives up the numbers - esp since it is a one pager that you fill out while you are there and then just send in your transcript. No essay. This drives up the number. A lot of kids who apply to Drexel also apply to a number of other similar colleges as well.

The thing about the service academies is that you need to be not only academically qualified but also medically and physically qualified. The latter two becoming more of a challenge for many. They are also unique and don't have a lot of competition except with each other and financial aid is not a factor. Hence their very high yield rate.
Does anyone else realize that luigi59 pulled those numbers (5000) out of the air. He said "he guesses".
Of course he did. :wink:
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by luigi59

...My guess is probably half of those actually got a candidate number, and perhaps 5,000 of them actually completed the application.


Does anyone else realize that luigi59 pulled those numbers (5000) out of the air. He said "he guesses". So until admissions posts those numbers let's stop bickering.

The use of the word "perhaps" indicates Luigi is offering his opinion....is that a problem on this board? It seems to me that he was just approximating based on previous years' historical admissions data, which I do believe has been published and discussed on this very SA forum. 5,000 is not an unbelievable number of applications to whittle down to after the 15,000+ (data from 2009 application cycle) who open an initial file. Why the criticism? Like you said, who gives a fig how competitive the world thinks USNA or any academy really is? Those on this board realize what an honor it is to attend any of the 5 SA's.
 
UCLA traditionally receives more applications from potential freshmen than any college in the nation. This year, preliminary figures indicate that the number of applications is slightly higher than it was last year — 55,636 for 2009, compared with 55,437 for 2008.

All indications are that this year's fall freshman class at UCLA will be even stronger academically than last year's, which was superior. The average fully weighted grade-point average for freshman applicants increased to 3.89 from last year's 3.87. Nearly half of all applicants — 25,381, or 45 percent — have GPAs of 4.0 or higher.

Preliminary SAT composite test scores for freshman applicants also rose, from 1,799 last year to 1,812 in 2009. Admissions officials expect that after December SAT scores are processed, the 2009 applicants will be about 12 points above last year's level.
 
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