Advice on extracurriculars?

Haha I'm still getting used to this whole forums thing so bear with me! I'm a sophomore in high school and I've played softball since I was five years old and I'll play until I can't anymore I play for my high school team and I've been playing in the same rec league for about 10 years. I've recently started leading a Girl Scout daisy troop and I've been taking the child development course at my school for two years now. I have a 4.0 and will be taking a bunch of AP's my junior year such as chemistry, U.S. history, psych, and english, and even more my senior year. I'm also thinking about joining the CAP squadron in my area.
What else should I start doing to improve my chances? I'm planning on taking the SAT this June, this fall, and once more in early 2015. Also, when is the earliest I can start completing the application process to ensure mine is one of the first that is looked at?
Thanks so much, oorah!

The earliest you can start applying for the Naval Academy would be the January of your Junior year. Because if you're planning on going to NASS after your Junior year the Seminar application will count as a preliminary application. But if you choose not to go to the Seminar, then the Naval Academy will start accepting Preliminary Applications the early March of your Junior Year. You're doing great right now keep up the good work and try to obtain leadership roles.

I would suggest you take the SAT and ACT EVERY chance you get.
I would also start getting to know your congressman.

batinhand1 said:

I would suggest you take the SAT and ACT EVERY chance you get.
I would also start getting to know your congressman.

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I cannot stress how important it is to take the ACT and SAT repeatedly. Every test, whether you improve your score or not, will help in your application.

Canihas said:

I cannot stress how important it is to take the ACT and SAT repeatedly. Every test, whether you improve your score or not, will help in your application.

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I've heard that over 3 times is too many

^^^ I agree. Isn't it also likely that your scores go up as well as down since there are different questions with each test? I really don't think USNA cares how many times you take either the SAT/ACT, they are interested in your scores. Some do score better on one vs the other, so probably a good idea to take both.

Getting to know your congressman is NOT part of the process for getting a NOM. Getting a NOM is a very objective process and is not about who you know or how much money your parents donated to someone's re-election campaign.

The first time your congressman or senator will even know you exist - unless you already have some type of established and fairly close relationship - is when his/her selection interview committee gives him/her the list of who they have selected as his nominees.
There are exceptions but they are very rare. My congressman in southwest Minnesota way back when had my Mom as his babysitter when he was growing up but he still cut me no slack before giving me my nomination.

bosoxnation33 said:

I've heard that over 3 times is too many

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I disagree! Take the ACT and/or the SAT as many times as you can afford and fit into your schedule. The Academies superscore and take the highest score from each section, no matter how many times you take it. My DS took the ACT in the spring of his freshman and sophomore years (as a baseline...he's the youngest of 3 so I knew there were only so many scheduled dates, and he was interested in the SAs so he knew starting early was important). He took it 3 times as a junior, and 1 time as a senior. 6 times total. His composite score rose 7 points. His final and only score as a senior is near perfect. He's also a good test taker though. For those of you that aren't, you may or may not see as much improvement. You may plateau. However, why not try for the highest score? After all, isn't that what you're doing with your grades, in athletics, and elsewhere to make your application as competitive as it can be?

bosoxnation33 said:

Also, when is the earliest I can start completing the application process to ensure mine is one of the first that is looked at?

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Being the first done isn't nearly as important as making your application as strong and competitive as possible.

I agree about testing multiple times. DS started ACT testing freshman year & ended up taking it 6 times total. His score improved 10 points. He was stuck on the same score for 3 of those tests, but on his last test he brought it up 4 more points, so anything can happen. It definitely shows the academy that you are a hard worker & have determination to keep striving towards a better score. Another thing to consider, DS is in nearly every sport and other EC activities (as I am sure many candidates are); many times he was playing a game 2 hours away from home the night before the test and wouldn't get a good rest before the test. Taking it multiple times increases your chances of landing on one of the good dates where you can rest & prepare. Good luck!

bosoxnation33, Looking for advice on extra curricular activities?

If possible...

Become a team captain; class officer, club president, etc....

Join JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, apply for Girls State, etc....

I think there is nothing wrong with familiarizing yourself with your member of congress. You may end up volunteering and have a great experience. Perhaps your views are diametrically opposed and maybe you can challenge your MOC's way of thinking? Involve yourself with your MOC so long as you are being sincere and true to who and what you represent.

My own DS did not seek the nomination of either VA Senator because of his strong conservative convictions and support for "most" of the Republican platform. It seemed hypocritical to him to ask a Senator that he would not support with his vote to then support him with a nomination.

I don't recommend limiting your nomination options and/or politicizing the process. That was just my son's approach and I respected it. Most important, I really think you should be yourself and not try to fit some prototypical mold. In fact, at first I was puzzled by your "child development course" reference. I thought to myself, is this a fit with a SA and/or a Military Officer? Who knows? I certainly don't.

In closing, do your very best on the academics and CFA. Choose extra curricular activities that excite your passions and interests. Do things that you will get the most out of and be able to contribute the most to. If it doesn't lead to a SA, it will certainly set you on the path that you are most likely to succeed in.

I wish you all he best and sorry for the rambling on.

Regarding taking the SAT/ACT. Dont be discouraged by what other people say. Just because someone took it 10 times and barely improved their score, does not mean that will happen to you. I took the SAT's 5 times, improved my score from an 1870 to a 2090. I ended up with an loa which I was not expecting whatsoever. Just keep trying and trying and eventually, your hard work will pay off. And dont forget, its 60% academics, 30% leadership, 10% CFA. You sound like quite the competitive candidate! Good Luck!(regarding extracurriculars, i would recommend you start joining active school clubs and try to maintain positions of leadership)

There was a recent thread similar to yours to which I responded in substantial detail... it was a couple of weeks ago, so it probably will be someplace in the first 5 or 6 pages. Also you could try a search.

Anyway, some important things for you to be doing with your headstart are:

Meet with your college counselor and start laying out your courses for the next two years to ensure that you are going to get the courses you need; eg, plane geometry, pre-calculus, calculus, trigonometry, chemistry with lab, physics (with lab), grammar and composition. Go for the highest level courses available, preferably AP if available. Take the AP exams as they can earn you course validations at the SA's.

Contact your Members of Congress' local offices and get on their list for the service academies. You are going to have to get nomination(s) in order to be eligible for an appointment. The MOC's also sponsor information meetings for prospects at which they explain their process for selecting nominees for the academies, and there frequently are representatives from the academies present to discuss their academy and respond to your questions and concerns.

Visit the websites of the academies in which you have an interest, and get familiar with their admissions process, what visitation opportunities they have, their majors, etc. USNA sponsors STEM programs for your grade level for which applications are being accepted at this time. After your junior year there will be the Naval Academy Summer Seminar available to you. (Check <www.usna.edu/Admissions>) There also are sports camps you might consider (Check <www.navysports.com>).

Consider all of the service academies as well as the ROTC programs. Select the ones that seem to meet your expectations and objectives - they all present excellent opportunities for education and careers. While there are many similarities among the SA's there also are some important differences; it is important that you learn about both.

Do take the SAT/ACT exams seriously, because the academies do! Do not get suckered by the median scores on the Class Profiles; they tend to be lower than desired or expected by the schools. As you tour the serviceacademyforums site the next few weeks, take note of how many times you see someone bemoan the fact that their scores were not higher. It is to your advantage to have your SAT's over 700 and your ACT's in the 30's - you will rest better, trust me.

All of the academies are looking for young people who have leadership experience, and have a record of achieving as leaders. Seek these opportunities, but don't overload. Typically about 60% is ascribed to your academics (class rank, gpa, SAT/ACT, etc) so ensure that you don't short- change your studies.

Best wishes to you, and I hope you found some value in the above.

basically what everyone said here are giving you the right advice. But I would add on to regarding congressional nom... although it won't hurt getting to know the congressman/woman or their staffer who actually handles the nom.... well you actually don't have to.

I've never talked to my congresswoman or even knew she even existed (until I actually had to care about applying for nom). I've called the office and talked with the staffer who handled nom on behalf of my congresswoman ONCE during spring of my Junior year.

I've communicated with her via emails after that.

Never got to know anyone in office, but I got my nomination.

So bottom line: no you don't need to know your congressman/woman or do some kind of stupid political favor stuff in order to gain nomination.

I mean, almost all except one congressman in my state (Oregon) are all Democrats... they are probably not very fond of the military. Not saying there's political game involved, but... in my opinion, stay out of the congress people's office and don't bug them too much. Email communication would be preferable unless you need to call them up for something urgent.

This is completely random, but my parents were like "we are voting for Democratic Party now that my son got a nomination from our congresswoman!" and Im not like "ha nope Im going to vote for Republican Party anyways" hahaha