United States of America Service Academy Forums

I suggest posting an Introduction thread and then private messaging me.

How would I go about doing that? I literally joined yesterday and don't know how to do much.

I believe there is a minimum post count you have to reach. In the mean time. Just post your questions here and I'll do my best to answer.

What were the major focal points that you improved upon to garner admission to USNA your second go-around? In addition, what do you think was your major hindrance for your first application? Thank you for taking the time to answer and help!

Improve on everything that you can. My CFA was decent the first time. Second time I maxed everything but the basketball toss. Went from just having one nomination to three, so practice interview skills. Have an answer to every question imaginable. If you don't have a good answer immediately, it's okay to take a momentary pause to answer. It's no good to respond immediately and give a less than sufficient answer.

Don't worry about retaking the ACT/SAT. Don't declare a major and just take Plebe courses and do WELL. College isn't like HS. Don't try to do two varsity sports and half a dozen clubs. I worked a full time job and joined Marine PLC, contracted, and was selected my freshman year. Honestly, PLC was a focal point in most of my interviews. It shows a dedication to service

, not just wanting to go the Academy for the sake of it being an Academy. My major hindrance was the fact that I only received a nomination from my Congressman the first time. I went to a very small rural HS that did not have the same reputation or difficulty as some of the nationally ranked private schools in my district..

Not much I could do about that at the time so I busted my butt at a good 4-year college and secured all the nominations I applied for. You essentially have to eliminate all the reasons for them to say no. Not fit? Max CFA. Not enough room? Multiple nominations to slot you to. Can't withstand academic rigor? A's and B's in all the plebe courses.

Thank you! What courses did you take your first and second semester in college? What nominations did you get?

1st Semester: Basic Chemistry, American History, Calc 1, English Comp, Constitutional Law. 18 credit hours
2nd Semester: Intro Organic Chem, American Military History, Calc 2, English Lit. 15 credit hours
I got nominations from both of my state's Senators and my district's Congressman.

Did you aim to raise your GPA in college from that of your High School GPA? What do you think allowed you to garner both nominations from your senators the second time? Thank you for your help and I'm sorry about the late reply!

I had a 4.0 unweighted in HS. College is a different beast. I actually had to learn how to study (something I hadn't had to do). I worked hard for my A's and B's.