Is a summer seminar acceptance a good sign?

Hi, I was just recently accepted to usafa ss and usna Nass.. Which surprised me greatly because my academic record is far from perfect
sat- CR580 Math530 Writing580
act- 24 composite
3.5 gpa and in top 15% of class.
On the other hand, my extracurriculars are very very strong. My question is about admissions from summer seminar, is there a high correlation?
Also any tips about the seminar? Is there any other advantages to going?(other than a personal view of the academy)
thank you in advance for the support and help.
Stephanie

robinhood17 said:

My question is about admissions from summer seminar, is there a high correlation?
Also any tips about the seminar? Is there any other advantages to going?(other than a personal view of the academy)
thank you in advance for the support and help.
Stephanie

Click to expand...

From what I have been told, attending the summer seminar will help boost your entire application package. The fact that you got in will show that you are potentially good enough for admission. It doesn't give a majorly significant boost (again from what I was told), but it will be a plus when they look at your file.

For me at least, attending SS really made me want to go there and I understand that is how it is for a lot of people. Visiting often makes or breaks the decision. For me it made it because I had a great experience there!

As for tips, there's not really much except for start working out regularly because at USAFA, the altitude really hits you harder than you expect!

Hope this helps!

It's hard to tell. I was not accepted to any summer seminars in 2010 yet I received two appointments in 2011. Likewise, I know other people who were accepted to SS but not to the actual academy.
Your application package looks good though! Your GPA is average, but your class rank is good. And your ECA's should help a ton as well. I would say that for you, it's a good sign- good luck and keep up the good work!

I think attending the seminar is a great way to see the Academy and be sure that it's something you want to do. A lot of people from my session last year had gone to the West Point one a week prior and going to NASS the week after. From what they've told me, the experience really gave them what they needed to make a decision of which school to go to.

As far as admissions... correct me if I'm wrong but... people who go to SS will have their candidate portals open in July/August, so it kind of gives you a head start on other people to get your application completed and have a chance of receiving a LOA. Plus, I've also heard that 90% of the kids at SS end up getting an appointment. (Again I'm not too sure about those things, but they are things I've heard.)

I was on the same boat as you last year, my academics weren't great but I had very strong extra curriculars. My advice is that don't get intimidated by the people who run faster or knows the answers before the professor finishes the question. Learn what you can, ie. see your weak points and use that to base your senior year in high school in improving yourself so that you can be what you think the Academy needs. (Whichever Academy that you end up choosing.)

Sorry if this post is particularly long, I'm a very big fan of SS. It gave me great friends who I've kept in touch with for the past year and has gone through the same paranoias as I have with waiting for BFEs and stuff.

Have fun!

AFBound12 said:

From what I have been told, attending the summer seminar will help boost your entire application package. The fact that you got in will show that you are potentially good enough for admission. It doesn't give a majorly significant boost (again from what I was told), but it will be a plus when they look at your file.

Click to expand...

First of all, Congratulations!

I agree 100%. I attended last year and had a fantastic overall experience. It is a good sign that you were accepted to SS, but it in no way indicates that you are a "slam dunk" for an appointment....no one is. The only thing you can do when you submit your final application is make sure you are as strong as possible in academics. I took the ACT 7 times and still wasn't satisfied with the final result.

Anyway, SS is a great way to learn about the Academy. Don't be afraid to ask questions; the idea behind SS is figuring out if USAFA is the way you want to go. I would strongly encourage you to run every day from now until you arrive at the academy. I come from an elevation of about 1000 ft. above sea level, so I was better off than most, but the elevation still hits you. I also went up a few days early with my family and hiked part of Pike's Peak (I was really thankful for this because if gave me a little more time to get used to the altitude), so that is something you may want to consider.

All in all, SS was a great experience for me and I'm sure it will be for you too. Congratulations again, and best of luck!

I think it is a good sign. It means the you are proactive and that they are interested in keeping an eye on you. I know a lot of people who did SS in 09 came here for the Class of 2014.
I did SS in 09 and it was a great experience. I decided I wanted to go here based on that. I think thats whats it best for. It is a way for you to decide if you want to go here or not.

Congrats! When I went to the Summer Seminar I would told that in no way would it affect my application. They wouldn't even look at it. However, while there, one of the cadre told me that he and the other cadets there were inclined to believe that those who went to summer seminar were "shoo-ins". Both sound a bit extreme to me but I don't know. That is just what I heard.

If you do really well there and show you love it, one of the cadre may write you a letter to help you application. So my ALO told me. I recieved a prop on wings for the ss last year so I would definitely recommend showing extreme enthusiasm.

Thank you so much for the advice/input everyone! Every response gave me more insight into the process. I was very curious as to how much weight is placed on summer seminar,and I'm very excited to go! This summer is going to be busy,with NASS, AFSS and girls state. I'm so excited to be able to do all of these things, I hope I can preform!

Thanks Again!
Stephanie

robinhood17 said:

Hi, I was just recently accepted to usafa ss and usna Nass.. Which surprised me greatly because my academic record is far from perfect
sat- CR580 Math530 Writing580
act- 24 composite
3.5 gpa and in top 15% of class.
On the other hand, my extracurriculars are very very strong. My question is about admissions from summer seminar, is there a high correlation?
Also any tips about the seminar? Is there any other advantages to going?(other than a personal view of the academy)
thank you in advance for the support and help.
Stephanie

Click to expand...

I know this is an old post, but I was hoping you could possibly give my DS some pointers on applying for the USNA NASS. His scores are around where yours are and he is continuing to take both the SAT and ACT, he is currently in JROTC at his High School and this year he is in charge of 22 cadets, he competes in Football, Track and is a member of the Strength Team for his JROTC unit. What other areas are good to focus/improve on and is there anything tips you can provide when writing the essay for summer session applicaton? Thanks for your help!