somehow not competitive anymore? confused.

robinhood17

USMA Cadet
5-Year Member
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I just received a letter today stating that I was not a competitive candidate due to my academic composite? gpa is a 3.48, sat scores are 620 CR 580 M 580 W...
but on the paper it showed 580 CR 530 M and 580 CR (my first SAT scores ever)

I am confused because my application online shows candidate,and I received a competitive candidate letter in August,along with a catalog (last week),and my 3q letter.

Are my scores suddenly below standard? I am very stressed about now...I am working hard to raise my app..:frown:

Thanks
 
Your scores are low, and so is your GPA. Look in the catalog they sent you at the average stats of appointees.

They very well can call you a competitive candidate, then withdraw that declaration. My best advice to you is to TAKE THE SAT AGAIN, and also TAKE THE ACT, and also RAISE YOUR GPA as much as you can before the end of the semester.

Doing this MIGHT give you the boost you need, but raising your GPA the .4 or so it needs to go up will be hard in a short time. Do as much extra-credit that is given, if any. Pray that your school weights midterms or whatever heavily, if they have them.

READ that catalog. You might think it contains a bunch of useless crap, but I guarantee, you can use every ounce of information in that thing. It'll take a while, but read it, through-and-through.

Your academic stuff isn't just going to hurt at the Academy itself. It's going to be quite painful whenever you go interview for nominations.
 
I just received a letter today stating that I was not a competitive candidate due to my academic composite? gpa is a 3.48, sat scores are 620 CR 580 M 580 W...
but on the paper it showed 580 CR 530 M and 580 CR (my first SAT scores ever)

I am confused because my application online shows candidate,and I received a competitive candidate letter in August,along with a catalog (last week),and my 3q letter.

Are my scores suddenly below standard? I am very stressed about now...I am working hard to raise my app..:frown:

Thanks
Perhaps you are accidentially entered into their system twice and only one is being updated. Call Admissions ASAP.
 
If you are a Senior, there is not much you can do about your GPA

At this point there is not much you can do about your GPA, the idea of coming up .4 of a point is really not doable in a semester after 3+ years of work. It may be better to focus on your standardized tests, as some suggested take the ACT, people tend to do better on one or the other. Definitely call admissions and see what your status is and why it may have changed. Good luck!
 
Contact your ALO too, see what he advises, and FOLLOW IT!

Good Luck.
 
I just received a letter today stating that I was not a competitive candidate due to my academic composite? gpa is a 3.48, sat scores are 620 CR 580 M 580 W...
but on the paper it showed 580 CR 530 M and 580 CR (my first SAT scores ever)

I am confused because my application online shows candidate,and I received a competitive candidate letter in August,along with a catalog (last week),and my 3q letter.

Are my scores suddenly below standard? I am very stressed about now...I am working hard to raise my app..:frown:

Thanks

My scores are lower than yours yet mine say I am competitive. Is your GPA unweighted or weighted?
 
Same, my scores are lower too, but I am still competitive.

The USNA said my DS last year wasn't competitive (in April) even with a 1400 math/reading SAT score (800 in CR) and a 4.0 + weighted GPA, a great fitness test and an Eagle Scout. Go figure.
 
The USNA said my DS last year wasn't competitive (in April) even with a 1400 math/reading SAT score (800 in CR) and a 4.0 + weighted GPA, a great fitness test and an Eagle Scout. Go figure.

That is hard to believe...what did she end up doing?
 
The USNA said my DS last year wasn't competitive (in April) even with a 1400 math/reading SAT score (800 in CR) and a 4.0 + weighted GPA, a great fitness test and an Eagle Scout. Go figure.
For USNA, a 600 math SAT combined with less high level math courses than the school offers or nonstellar grades might be a cause for concern. USNA does not consider GPAs, only class standings. No mention of sports.
 
whew. got it fixed. I had to call admissions and submit some school official forms and finally got the problem fixed. my sat scores now show:

CR 620
M 630
W 580

with no brackets,and my counselor said I am in the clear for GPA (3.48 unwtd 3.76 w)

Thanks guys!!!!!!
 
That is hard to believe...what did she end up doing?

He went to VMI on an Institute Scholar scholarship where he is a Rat and couldn't be happier with his choice. Moral of this story is have Plan B and Plan C.
 
For USNA, a 600 math SAT combined with less high level math courses than the school offers or nonstellar grades might be a cause for concern. USNA does not consider GPAs, only class standings. No mention of sports.

Varsity sports was the one thing he lacked. He did have a Senatorial nom too. It is hard to believe that sports is should be a deal breaker. But maybe it was. I know that the 600 is not stellar in math and the USNA is an engineering school (pretty much exclusively) so maybe. Still, how many 800s do they get in any category? You can teach math, you can't teach smarts. But, hey, it is their sandbox and they are entitled to do whatever.
 
Varsity sports was the one thing he lacked. He did have a Senatorial nom too. It is hard to believe that sports is should be a deal breaker. But maybe it was. I know that the 600 is not stellar in math and the USNA is an engineering school (pretty much exclusively) so maybe. Still, how many 800s do they get in any category? You can teach math, you can't teach smarts. But, hey, it is their sandbox and they are entitled to do whatever.
My DD's SAT's are a little stronger but she is a recruited athlete. Don't want to raise the athlete topic again but I believe the sports portion of the resume is pretty important. I may be reaching here but my DD said that when she went on her trip she noticed a lot of "intellectual" types. Without trying to be too stereotypical, this personality type doesn't generally exude leadership as a quality. Is it possible that the need to appoint a jock with strong, but not the strongest, academic achievement rounds out the class? If they appoint on academics alone, wouldn't you have another tech/engineering school with the accompanying academic type personalities. Just wondering....
 
My DD's SAT's are a little stronger but she is a recruited athlete. Don't want to raise the athlete topic again but I believe the sports portion of the resume is pretty important. I may be reaching here but my DD said that when she went on her trip she noticed a lot of "intellectual" types. Without trying to be too stereotypical, this personality type doesn't generally exude leadership as a quality. Is it possible that the need to appoint a jock with strong, but not the strongest, academic achievement rounds out the class? If they appoint on academics alone, wouldn't you have another tech/engineering school with the accompanying academic type personalities. Just wondering....
Most definitely. They are looking for smart, physical leaders. That is where the WCS comes from. Something like 60% academics and 30% EC with most of the EC points coming from athletics. I think the other 10% is CFA. The competition is stiff so it is pretty difficult to be lacking very much in one area and expect to be able to make it up in another.
 
Even though you received the letter stating you are not competitive, you could still get a prep school appointment
 
I have to disagree with Packer. Unless they have changed the formula it is:
60% PAR (gpa, SAT. class rank, school profile, curriculum rigor)
20% ECs (athletics, class president, NHS, and CFA)
20% Recs (ALO, teachers, GCs, essays)

CFA may be in the Recs, either way, the point is it is not
60% PAR
30% EC
10% CFA.

Those ALO interviews, teacher recs and essays are not thrown in the circular filing cabinet. They are not a part of PAR. PAR is pure numbers, and are not subjective compared to ALO, teacher, and essays.


The CFA is not 10% of the WCS. It is a % of the 20%, which I don't know the amount, but every point counts for WCS, and in this competitive yr, maxing the CFA or meeting the mins may be the difference between an appointment, or at this time...

The AFA really cares about the CFA because they understand that the majority of appointees have never done PT at that altitude. They expect the CFA score to drop until they are acclimated to the altitude. Another reason why people will say practice in all types of weather. Running in 80 degrees with no humidity will be easier than running in 100 degrees and 95% humidity. Same with running in 30 degree weather will be harder than the 80 degree.
BobBigBoy said:
may be reaching here but my DD said that when she went on her trip she noticed a lot of "intellectual" types. Without trying to be too stereotypical, this personality type doesn't generally exude leadership as a quality. Is it possible that the need to appoint a jock with strong, but not the strongest, academic achievement rounds out the class?
If you look at class profiles, most of them were in a sport. What the AFA looks for is a well rounded candidate. One that took the most rigorous courses available while also being in ECs, including sports, volunteerism, BSA, etc. They are looking for leadership qualities, but also TIME MGMT. They want that kid who can juggle a lot at one time and succeed in all of them. They are not about recruiting jocks. Your DD's opinion that a lot appeared to be "intellectual types" means academically they are top tier and that being a jock is not their priority when appointing.

One friend of ours was a recruited athlete decades ago...Male gymnastics, he is incredibly smart, majored in ECON there, pilot for SWA now. He will tell you that academically he didn't understand when he accepted the apptmt how hard it would be, he thought he was coming in as a jock, and would be able to take basket weaving 101 like he would have at UIC. He learned very quickly that they would cut him loose just as fast as a non-recruited athlete for academics.

BobBigBoy said:
If they appoint on academics alone, wouldn't you have another tech/engineering school with the accompanying academic type personalities. Just wondering...

Do you know what the AD officers call the AFA? The LITTLE ENGINEERING SCHOOL IN THE ROCKIES! Back in the 70's they called it the ALL BOYS LITTLE ENGINEERING SCHOOL IN THE ROCKIES. Point being that description has existed for @ half of a century and still exists today.

Have you taken the time to review the mandated curriculum for all cadets, regardless of majors? It is filled with Math and Science for all 4 yrs. A LAC would only require the mandated few courses for math and science, and if they wanted to take Biology plus call it a day, but not Physics they would be free to do so. That is not true for AFA. That is also why they pay great attention to the M on the SAT when they make their decision. 680 is their median.

As others have stated to the OP Prep may be available to you. Contrary to belief Prep is not offered to the top 100 candidates that got the TWE. It exists because academically they believe you need another yr for your education foundation. The kid with a 1400 SAT, 3.65 uwgpa and all APs will not be offered this opportunity.

Stephanie, I know you want the AFA, but you need to also ask if you are academically prepared. 630 M is low for the AFA. What are your courses now, what are your grades?

Every HS sr. looks at the freshman on the 1st day of school and laughs about them. They forget they were once that freshman. They forget that going from middle school to HS felt like they were thrown through a time warp, and it took them time to even academically get their footing. Middle to HS is nothing compared to HS to college, which is also nothing compared to HS to an SA.

The AFA is stating that right now looking at what the board is seeing, 1250 is low. 3 yrs ago they probably would have said something different. It will be interesting to see the profile of Falcon Prep for this yr.
 
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