Advice on USNA

From Naval Academy Admissions Facebook page:

The January 26 test is the last SAT we will accept, and registration for that date is open until December 28.

I highly recommend you "like" this page (if you have Facebook), as important information is being posted there.
 
"The January 26 test is the last SAT we will accept, and registration for that date is open until December 28."

From the Naval Academy Admissions Facebook page.

Understood.

And as far as SAT scores, I understand 600/600 is considered pretty good, but overall what would be a safe enough score to be Able to secure a spot at the Academy?
 
jct95,

There isn't one.
No one on here is going to tell you what is "good enough" for an appointment, because we do not know. In my previous post, I stated the Admissions Board uses the Whole Person concept....meaning that you have to be well rounded. For the most part, there isn't a GPA, a certain course load, SAT/ACT scores, activities, etc. that is being "looked for." I really suggest that you work hard at SAT preps, perform well in the classroom, and work on your CFA -- that is about all you can do at this point. There really is no benefit in worrying/stressing yourself about what is "good enough" and things that are not in your control.
 
Understood.

And as far as SAT scores, I understand 600/600 is considered pretty good, but overall what would be a safe enough score to be Able to secure a spot at the Academy?

I'd not consider those as "pretty good." Merely the target baseline minimum for traditional, unrecruited candidates. As another noted, there is no "safe enough score." SAT and ACT scores are merely 2 factors that enter into the scholastic qualification score. Historically, the math standardized score has been the single most heavily weighted factor in that algorithm. A few years back it was 18%. So these are important and beyond the obvious downside ... getting 500 on math for example ... and the obvious upside ... getting 800 or its equivalent on math and verbal are the best one can do on these two factors .... the scores in and of themselves tell you or the admission board little.

So what is the objective? Do the best you can do. Period. No more, no less.

And when you've done that, beyond potentially eliminating you in the case of lesser performance, as stand-alone factors they are worthless in assessing one's scholastic qualifiying and/or appointment potentials.

Your wondering is understandable and to be expected. The problem is when you know some of the answer, you are still left to wonder. Natural as it can be, doesn't it seem far better to focus on other things that require effort and work in lieu of wondering?

Get to work. :thumb:
 
jct95,

There isn't one.
No one on here is going to tell you what is "good enough" for an appointment, because we do not know. In my previous post, I stated the Admissions Board uses the Whole Person concept....meaning that you have to be well rounded. For the most part, there isn't a GPA, a certain course load, SAT/ACT scores, activities, etc. that is being "looked for." I really suggest that you work hard at SAT preps, perform well in the classroom, and work on your CFA -- that is about all you can do at this point. There really is no benefit in worrying/stressing yourself about what is "good enough" and things that are not in your control.
Understood, and I apologize if I'm coming off as a psychopath or somrthing.
 
The answer is simple and clear. The last score of the last candidate. I'm confident they look at all scores submitted.

I've often wondered how many angels might sit on the head of a pin.
 
I'll have to remember that angles on pin thing. I like that one.
 
The Dec ACT is the last one that will be considered for 2017.

Please understand that the actual scoring process is not accessible to the BGO's or even the average AC, it is very closely held by Admissions. I would venture that every BGO and AC will confess to having been surprised more than once by which candidates get offers. The secret here is NOT to do the minimum and sit on it, but do YOUR absolute BEST and ask for divine intervention. Get used to that approach, as bottom feeders tend not to do well at the SA's.
 
The Dec ACT is the last one that will be considered for 2017.

Please understand that the actual scoring process is not accessible to the BGO's or even the average AC, it is very closely held by Admissions. I would venture that every BGO and AC will confess to having been surprised more than once by which candidates get offers. The secret here is NOT to do the minimum and sit on it, but do YOUR absolute BEST and ask for divine intervention. Get used to that approach, as bottom feeders tend not to do well at the SA's.

Understood. So I guess the February ACT is out of question...

One final question, I mentioned before will the USNA take into consideration what 'hardships' someone may have gone through. But how exactly do you let them know what happened besides the application itself? When you have your interview with your BGO will they let the admissions team know? Thanks again.
 
If you bring it up in the BGO interview, it is likely to be mentioned. If you are really concerned about it, you can contact Admissions. However, if you do contact Admissions, it should be a significant hardship that could explain a deficiency on your application and you should be able to explain how it impacted you.

But as mentioned earlier, a hardship isn't a "free pass."
 
If you bring it up in the BGO interview, it is likely to be mentioned. If you are really concerned about it, you can contact Admissions. However, if you do contact Admissions, it should be a significant hardship that could explain a deficiency on your application and you should be able to explain how it impacted you.

But as mentioned earlier, a hardship isn't a "free pass."

Should I email admissions? And could you define serious hardship?
 
You need to make that decision.

Well, I wasn't clear enough. Is emailing them the best way to contact them? And I'm assuming serious hardship would be divorce, parent getting cancer, being disowned etc, etc Am I right?
 
Most young people go through some sort of hardship -- divorce, death, serious illness -- at some point. The question is whether it had a material impact on your ability to carry out your life.

Here's an example: Your mother was ill with cancer for two years. During that time, you had to care for your 3 siblings and your mom. You were primarily responsible for feeding them, getting them to school, helping with their homework, babysitting, etc. You also had to drive your mother to/from the hospital on many occaision. You spent all of your "spare" time focusing on academics. As a result, it was very difficult for you to participate in school sports or ECAs, you couldn't do NASS, you couldn't have a summer job or attend summer camps or go on mission trips, etc.

IOW, the hardship doesn't typically excuse poor academic performance; it might explain why your record isn't as "complete" or "exceptional" as that of someone without that hardship. Or maybe why you dropped your 5th or 6th academic class, so you could focus on getting all As in your remaining classes.

At USNA, you will likely deal with hardship. Being brutally honest, if you fall apart every time something "bad" happens, that's going to make life in the military difficult. So, hardship becomes a REASON for some things not happening perfectly; it's typically not an EXCUSE for poor performance.

And, to answer your question, I'd start with your BGO. Only if you believe he/she wasn't interested, etc. would I contact Admissions. And you need to be able to explain HOW it affected your performance (see above).
 
I really think that you should just focus right now on getting everything wrapped up and turned in as soon as possible. Get your CFA done right away in case you need to take it again. You do not want to wait until the last possible minute for any of these things. Get your medical evaluation done and out of the way so that you can find out if you have any issues to clear up. It is very easy to procrastinate and time will get away from you. Keeping focused and checking things off a checklist (Both our DD and DS did this) will keep your mind clear and help you to stay on target. There is no magic as to why and how some candiadates are selected and some aren't. This forum is filled with threads of candidates who had out of this world stats and didn't get an appointment. It is out of your control once you have done the very best you can do. Good luck!
 
Back
Top