Geography/Ethnicity Ratios?

USNA2020

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Apr 8, 2015
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I hear a lot about how SA's are geographically oriented and was wondering how big of a factor geography and ethnicity play into admissions.

A little bit about me:
-1st gen ABC in MD-06, which is a very competitive state for USNA
-Stats not very good: GPA 4.35 and SAT coming up in June
-attending the #1 high school in MD in the supposedly "hardest" magnet program (science, math, and computer science)
-2-season Varsity athlete on D1 PomPon squad (drill team) with 2 county championships
-President of science volunteer club (Kids are Scientists Too) and member of XSTEM club
-National finalist in a national engineering challenge (SourceAmerica Design Challenge)
-12 years studying piano, performed at Carnegie hall, US dept of state, Kennedy Center, a few embassies as well (but this may be irrelevant to this situation)


People usually don't believe me when I tell them I want to go to USNA, probably because I'm a girl, but I have a strong desire to serve in the military and hopefully pursue a career in Naval architecture/engineering. No one in my family has served (my parents were raised in China) but I am determined to serve one way or another (also trying for NROTC) to give back for all the opportunities this country has given my family.

Is USNA an unrealistic goal for someone like me? I'm attending my Congressman's Service Academy Forum tonight to get more information, but I would really like to hear some other opinions. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, it means a lot.
 
Your goal is certainly not unrealistic. Go for it... which is the only way to really find out.
 
I have many classmates from Maryland and on the surface it seems like you would be quite competitive with their high school achievements. Obviously the SAT is a big determinant on where or not you'll get in but as it stands you have a great GPA and ECAs. I don't know the inner workings of the admissions department but I do know that there are plenty of people here from in-state and not all of them are geniuses or freak athletes.

On another note, you have nothing to lose by applying (not even $$ for application fees) so I wouldn't not apply because you are unsure about whether or not you'll get accepted.
 
and your goal is definitely not unrealistic. When I first told my parents that I wanted to go down the military path, they didn't believe me either and told me it was just a "phase" even though i told them many times that I finally realized that this was what I wanted to do. It was only until i submitted all the application materials that they started to take me seriously. I was rejected this year so I told them I was reapplying and theyre skeptical but what can I do?
No goal is unrealistic if you have the spirit and determination to achieve it. :) Good luck and pm me if you have any questions about the application process and I hope to see you for class of 2020!!

(ABC's unite lol)
 
kinnem, BDHuff09, nge2457 thanks for all your words of encouragement! Definitely not going to give up on my dream.
 
nge2457- So sorry about the TWE, hope you get an appointment second time around! Don't give up It wouldn't let me pm you, probably since I'm so new here, but since you've already been through the application process, I was wondering if you could give me any advice? What would you have done differently, how I could make myself stand out and become more qualified, any tips or tricks for PFT/BGO interviews/nomination interviews? Thanks so much!
 
nge2457 - The best to you this coming year, and as a note, there are more than a few college re-applicants in DS' Company. I will also say that a couple of DS's friends who did not get in are doing really well at NROTC and/or in their chosen major.

USNA2020 - There is no magic formula, but I would say the best thing you can do is be the best you can be. It certainly makes sense to talk to folks and learn about the process and how to improve. Look at the USNA Class Profile but understand those are averages, and being from Maryland, that may not be a good comparison for you because the bar may be a bit higher in a real competitive state like yours. I remember a thread recently from a parent whose child got in with an LOA I believe a couple years back, and the next child received the dreaded TWE this year and they had similar stats best I can recall. So a couple of last thoughts, I believe SAT/ACTs and Class Rank are the most important items, work on these, along with the rest of your resume. And if you have a chance to meet with your BGO, you may want to provide them with a copy of your resume, after SATs, and ask what areas you can improve upon and listen what they have to say...

bandad
 
Agreed with bandad. There really is no formula for a perfect candidate guaranteed an appoinment. Like he said, try to be the best that you can be. Find something you are passionate about in school or outside and really embrace it. Volunteer but enjoy it. Its good that you already have a leadership position. Take harder math/sciencr classes and try to get good grades in them.

As for interviews, one thing I learned was that its okay to be nervous. During my nom interview, i was incredibly nervous because this was something I really didnt want to mess up and I told them and apologized. Later, i freaked out and emailed my BGO and he told me not to worry about it and that beig nervous is not necessarily a bad thing. It shows that you care a lot, enough to be nervous. i ended up recieving the nom.
Funny story: my congressman called me and told me and i said "are you serious?" I was so suprised! Luckily, hes a funny guy and just chuckled and asked me "are you happy?" I managed to choke out a yes! Haha

For the CFA, the key is to practice. The beginning of last april, i could do 10 push ups. I just did push ups everyday and my count increased to 40. Trying to get to 50 now! As for pull ups, I thought i was never going to be able to do 1. I went out and got a pull up bar and did 1 for the cfa. For running, just run a lot, but take rests. Its really important to rest so you dont get injured. Mix in some interval training and tempo runs to increase your speed. For the shuttle run and basketball throw, find a gym and practice. I believe there is a very good post on the USMA thread that has great tips on the basketball throw.
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/oh-no-the-basketball-throw.26843/

The process is a lot of work and dedication, but really quite fun (strange i know) but especially if youre on this forum. This forum is an incredible resource for candidates and it helped me so much during the process and during the waiting. kept me sane, to say the least.

Im so sorry for writing a whole novel, but i hoped i helped a bit. Feel free to always ask me more questions :)
 
A little bit about me:
-Stats not very good: GPA 4.35 and SAT coming up in June
-attending the #1 high school in MD in the supposedly "hardest" magnet program (science, math, and computer science)
-2-season Varsity athlete on D1 PomPon squad (drill team) with 2 county championships
-President of science volunteer club (Kids are Scientists Too) and member of XSTEM club
-National finalist in a national engineering challenge (SourceAmerica Design Challenge)
-12 years studying piano, performed at Carnegie hall, US dept of state, Kennedy Center, a few embassies as well (but this may be irrelevant to this situation)

What? Is your mom trying to "out-tigermom" Amy Chua?
 
bandad and nge2457- thanks so much for all the advice! Hopefully I will improve my resume quite a bit this year, and I'm definitely going to use this forum as a resource for questions

cb7893- LOL 4.35 is my weighted GPA..and it's only that high because i take 7/8 honors/AP/above AP level classes. Unweighted is a lot less pretty- 3.76/4.00
 
...and hopefully pursue a career in Naval architecture/engineering.

A good back-up plan to the SA's and ROTC would be the Webb Institute.

My younger son received an NROTC scholarship but was medically DQ'ed after getting kicked in the eye with a soccer ball during gym class. Anything can happen.
 
cb7893- Wow I can't believe I haven't heard about Webb Institute before! Thanks for telling me I'll definitely look into that! So sorry about your son Hope he's doing well!
 
yrangd- Dang it's a small world; which high school are you at? I'm going to session 3!
 
nge2457- So sorry about the TWE, hope you get an appointment second time around! Don't give up It wouldn't let me pm you, probably since I'm so new here, but since you've already been through the application process, I was wondering if you could give me any advice? What would you have done differently, how I could make myself stand out and become more qualified, any tips or tricks for PFT/BGO interviews/nomination interviews? Thanks so much!
I too have been rejected this year. I believe my grades were pretty good to be qualified (3.95 unweighted, 32 Act, 34 Math, 33 English) although an over 4.0 unweighted GPA would have helped immensly, I certainly passed my physical, got a nomination, had pretty good community service (over 400 hours) and was involved in my church and school community as well as varsity tennis under my belt. However, I think I could have been involve in more leadership as I was lacking in any President position, which was probably my downfall.
 
USNA2020 - Hey, a fellow ABC, you seem to have some awesome qualifications! Congratulations on getting into NASS, I was ecstatic when I got into it and can't wait to go! I think your dreams to enroll into the Naval Academy are definitely within your grasps, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And I wish you the best of luck
yrangd - Maybe I'll see you at NASS as I got into session 1 as well!
 
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