Competitive areas?

Andromeda

Andromeda

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What states/districts are the most/least competitive for USMA admission? Ate there any trends?
 
I've heard that the South has pretty good representation. Places like TX and FL. Definitely NY and CA are competitive.
 
Virginia, Texas and California are generally considered competitive. If you live close to a service academy your area will probably be competitive for that service academy. If you live by a military base there is also a good chance that your area is competitive.

Smaller states have a little bit of an advantage. Every state has 2 senators and basically every applicant from a state applies to senatorial nominations from the 2 senators from that state. In Wyoming there are only about 500000 people while in California there are more than 30000000. California has about 60x the people, and if there is a proportional amount of people applying to service academies in both states, that means in California you are competing for a senatorial nomination with about 60x the people a person from Wyoming has to compete with. That doesn't mean all smaller states and less competitive than all larger states, but that's an advantage for the smaller states.
 
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Unless you and your family are planning to move, for purposes of a better 'chance' at getting a NOM, what you asking doesn't really matter. You can only apply for your MOC's NOM based on your legal residence.
 
time2 said:
Unless you and your family are planning to move, for purposes of a better 'chance' at getting a NOM, what you asking doesn't really matter. You can only apply for your MOC's NOM based on your legal residence.
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To further time2's post here, the most competitive area is the one that you're in, no matter where that is. Not trying to be 'cute' with this but unless the OP's question is purely for "inquisitive minds want to know", it's a moot point. Whether you're from a small town in Montana or in the middle of DC, your competition is right there and that's where 100% of your focus should be.
 
time2 said:
Unless you and your family are planning to move, for purposes of a better 'chance' at getting a NOM, what you asking doesn't really matter. You can only apply for your MOC's NOM based on your legal residence.
Click to expand...
I disagree. We don't know the OP. Some people don't want to apply to schools if they don't think they have a good chance of getting in. I didn't apply to Harvard. Why? Because my chances of getting in are very close to 0 so it would be a waste of my time to apply. I considered applying to several Ivy league schools but changed my mind because I figured out I would be wasting my time applying.

If the OP has a 25 on his ACT and he lives in the most competitive district in the country, he might elect to not apply because his chances of getting in are very close to 0. If he has a 25 ACT and he's from North Dakota or some place where barely anyone applies, he might elect to apply because his chances aren't all that bad.

If I have a 0.0001% chance of getting into a school, I would like to know that before I decide to spend several hours applying to that school.
 
All in all, getting in to USMA is competitive wherever you are from. Find a way to make yourself stand out!
 
Unfortunately, attending SLE does not contribute to increasing your WCS or competitiveness. Attending Boys/Girls State, Eagle Scout/Gold Star award will increase your WCS leadership. The most effective way of increasing your WCS is great academics.

SLE is very very competitive to get in. If you don't get selected continue with your file.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
My son was chosen for SLE summer 2015. His acceptance letter to that says it also confirms him as one of the top candidates for Admission. Wondering if this is the case.
 
I'm wondering the same thing. DS was part of the first 300 selected for SLE. His letter said he was a top candidate for admission. He is now 3Q'ed, has a nomination and has added items to his application with Boys State and other leadership positions, plus, he's kept his grades up. He seems calm but I am a nervous wreck because while he has plans B and C in place, I know that they are in name only. It's all about West Point and has been since he was in 8th grade. How realistic is it for an SLE attendee who is 3Q'ed with a nomination to not be given an appointment?
 
@orangestripe I don't think anyone can tell you without knowing every detail and being on the admissions team. The best anyone can do is guess. I know of SLE/NASS/AFASS attendees who were great candidates and didn't get appointments, and those who didn't go to any of those but did - so nobody really knows. I wish you and him the best on an appointment, and I think as long as he's done his best (looks like it) he will be successful wherever he goes. This time of waiting is so stressful and anxiety-inducing for everyone, especially when we can't do much. All the best for his future!
 
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