Do I still have a chance at admission given my grades?

cama93

cama93

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Joined
Jun 9, 2016
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I am worried that my grades are too low to be competitive at WP. Freshman year I received all A's, and my sophomore year I got one B per semester and the rest were A's. I take all available AP courses and the rest are Honors classes, I also take classes at a community college. I am going into my junior year and I am going to take 3 APs (the maximum per year at my school) as well as college courses and the rest of my classes are Honors. Are my grades too low?
 
You made 2 B's. Relax. You are doing fine. You don't have to be a straight 'A' student to get into West Point.
When you start taking the ACT/SAT, really focus on doing well on those. Take them more than once as they superscore.
Test Scores and Class Rank are what WP uses to evaluate you academically. They do not use GPA. While GPA affects your class rank, they want to see how you rank against your fellow classmates who are going to the same school and taking the same classes.
 
You've have the right direction! Also to keep in mind, the three pillars WP looks for in a well rounded candidate. Athletics, Academics and Leadership. Work hard on your standardized test. Look into attending SLE next year. Please keep us informed

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
tug_boat said:
You've have the right direction! Also to keep in mind, the three pillars WP looks for in a well rounded candidate. Athletics, Academics and Leadership. Work hard on your standardized test. Look into attending SLE next year. Please keep us informed

Push Hard, Press Forward
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will
 
buff81 said:
You made 2 B's. Relax. You are doing fine. You don't have to be a straight 'A' student to get into West Point.
When you start taking the ACT/SAT, really focus on doing well on those. Take them more than once as they superscore.
Test Scores and Class Rank are what WP uses to evaluate you academically. They do not use GPA. While GPA affects your class rank, they want to see how you rank against your fellow classmates who are going to the same school and taking the same classes.
Click to expand...
Ok. What rank is considered to be competitive? I go to a tiny school and there are less than 100 students in my class. Would WP look at the actual rank number or the just percent I am in? For example, if I am number 11 in my class, I am not top 10%, but if I went to a big public school I might be in the top 5% due to the bigger student body.
 
cama93 said:
Ok. What rank is considered to be competitive? I go to a tiny school and there are less than 100 students in my class. Would WP look at the actual rank number or the just percent I am in? For example, if I am number 11 in my class, I am not top 10%, but if I went to a big public school I might be in the top 5% due to the bigger student body.
Click to expand...

They use the class rank to determine what how you rank percentage wise. Shoot for being in the top 20%.
If your school is determined to be a competitive school (as determined by the % of students that go on to 4 year colleges), then your rank can be adjusted in your favor.
 
buff81 said:
They use the class rank to determine what how you rank percentage wise. Shoot for being in the top 20%.
If your school is determined to be a competitive school (as determined by the % of students that go on to 4 year colleges), then your rank can be adjusted in your favor.
Click to expand...
My school is super competitive, something like 99% of graduates go to college. How would that affect my ranking?
 
Dude, you're doing great. I got, out of 8 semesters in math, 6 C's. Granted, I was in AP courses. USMA is all about well rounded cadets. Admissions care more about standardized testing because it's the same test for all students (I went to two highschools, one was nationally in the top 10, the other was slightly less hard - grades improved at other school). Remember, only 60% of your file is academic. Do well on the other 40% and I'm sure I'll be seeing you in two years when I serve as Beast Cadre :) keep up the good work!!
 
hamleton said:
Dude, you're doing great. I got, out of 8 semesters in math, 6 C's. Granted, I was in AP courses. USMA is all about well rounded cadets. Admissions care more about standardized testing because it's the same test for all students (I went to two highschools, one was nationally in the top 10, the other was slightly less hard - grades improved at other school). Remember, only 60% of your file is academic. Do well on the other 40% and I'm sure I'll be seeing you in two years when I serve as Beast Cadre :) keep up the good work!!
Click to expand...
Haha thank you, I feel a little less panicked now. Hopefully, see you then!
 
buff81 said:
They use the class rank to determine what how you rank percentage wise. Shoot for being in the top 20%.
If your school is determined to be a competitive school (as determined by the % of students that go on to 4 year colleges), then your rank can be adjusted in your favor.
Click to expand...
I would say shoot for at least Top 10%. My son was top 15% and was told that it was the Achilles heel of his application. At a minimum you need top 20%, unless some other factors come in, like recruited athlete.
 
buff81 said:
They use the class rank to determine what how you rank percentage wise. Shoot for being in the top 20%.
If your school is determined to be a competitive school (as determined by the % of students that go on to 4 year colleges), then your rank can be adjusted in your favor.
Click to expand...

How do they adjust rank based on competitiveness of school? Would seem to be less than an exact science. How much can they adjust a kid up for being at a competitive school?

My DS, who is reapplying, is barely in the top 40% of the HS class he just graduated from with a 3.5 GPA. He finished the last quarter with a 4.1 GPA and still went backwards a few slots in class rank. Ughh. We specifically sent him to this school for their competitive academics (this year's graduates off to Harvard, Princeton, ND, Northwestern, Stanford, Duke, etc) but sometimes I can't help but wonder if he would have been better off at the local public school where he would most likely have been in top 10% of his class.

How much can a strong ACT score make up for class rank? For example, can an above average (say 32 or above) ACT and a strong high school make up for the class rank? I fear that he can't overcome it when you look at the published stats and the percentage of kids in top 20% of their class.

Will having that extra semester of college grades as a reapplicant help mitigate the HS class rank or is the HS class rank still going to be a major component?
 
My son was not top ten, but had solid ACT scores (m34, e31, s34, r30; super score of 32). That made him quite solid on the accademics front. But the key is being well rounded. Mine played multiple varsity sports, NHS Pres, and a good CFA. Only the admission folks know exactly how everything gets scored, but the conclusions I have drawn after conversations with a few different Regional Comanders at WP is that admissions can boost a candidates score a bit based on things like a competitive school, but that may only be enough to make a difference in a close call between candidates. The objectively determined scores really control the day.

Overall, I think the number one most important factor is ACT/SAT scores. It is the universal score, which can be assessed easy without subjective analysis. And, for a candidate, it is something you can work on and improve with practice and perseverance.
 
jebdad said:
Will having that extra semester of college grades as a reapplicant help mitigate the HS class rank or is the HS class rank still going to be a major component?
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My DS was a reapplicant. My son had a similar GPA. At his public school, that put him in the 20th percentile. He didn't do sports til senior year (to show WP he could; he was a band kid). During his freshman year at a public college, he did ROTC and some very intense ROTC related activities. He took classes that mimicked plebe year classes and made all A's. He secured the nom from the ROTC unit. You can't change any of the HS stuff, so stop sweating it. Make sure your DS gets his application done EARLY. Contact the RC and ask specifically "what can I do to improve my chances at admission?" Then do everything he says. Ater a year of college, my son was positioned well to be successful academically his plebe year. Also, being on his own for a year made him a more successful, independent cadet. ROTC had him squared away (he was at a SMC). Good luck to your son. Being a reapplicant shows WP that your son is willing to stick with a goal, even with a set back.
 
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