Freshman and Sophomore Years of High School

A

ajwilliams96

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2011
Messages
47
With my first two years of high school, would it be possible to gain acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy if I either remained as I was or continued to improve? Here are a list of things during my freshman and sophomore years of high school:


Freshman Year

Academics

Two Honors Courses (Honors Chemistry and Honors Geometry)
Two Electives (Multimedia Design and Concert Band)
Maximum Number of Credits
Honors Community Service (50 Community Service Hours)
GPA - 2.95


School Sports

None


Student Government

Elected Ninth Grade Class Council Officer


Extracurricular

Volunteer at the Children’s Section of the Local Library
Judge in the Lower School Science Fair
Performed in the School Spring Drama Production
Member of Church Youth Group
Participated in the Day of Silence
Host at an School Information Session
Wrote and Acted for the School Drama Festival


Sophomore Year (so far)

Academics

Two Honors Courses (Honors Biology and Honors Algebra II)
One AP Course (AP World History)
Two Electives (Introduction to Computer Science and Concert Band)
Maximum Number of Credits
Honors Community Service (50 Community Service Hours)
GPA - 3.2 (as of the end of last quarter)


School Sports

Junior Varsity Cross Country
Junior Varsity Swimming
Junior Varsity Tennis


Student Government

Elected Tenth Grade Class Council Officer
Elected Student Council Secretary (Highest Student Council Position Available to a Sophomore)


Extracurricular

Volunteering at the Children’s Section of the Local Library
Performed in the Fall and Spring Drama Productions
Member of the Technical Crews for the School Drama Productions
Member of Church Youth Group
Active Junior State of America Member
Model United Nations Delegate
Participated in the Day of Silence
Wrote and Acted for the School Drama Festival
Staff Writer for the School Newspaper
Member of the Community Service Board
 
ajwilliams96 said:
With my first two years of high school, would it be possible to gain acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy if I either remained as I was or continued to improve? Here are a list of things during my freshman and sophomore years of high school:


Freshman Year

Academics

Two Honors Courses (Honors Chemistry and Honors Geometry)
Two Electives (Multimedia Design and Concert Band)
Maximum Number of Credits
Honors Community Service (50 Community Service Hours)
GPA - 2.95


School Sports

None


Student Government

Elected Ninth Grade Class Council Officer


Extracurricular

Volunteer at the Children’s Section of the Local Library
Judge in the Lower School Science Fair
Performed in the School Spring Drama Production
Member of Church Youth Group
Participated in the Day of Silence
Host at an School Information Session
Wrote and Acted for the School Drama Festival


Sophomore Year (so far)

Academics

Two Honors Courses (Honors Biology and Honors Algebra II)
One AP Course (AP World History)
Two Electives (Introduction to Computer Science and Concert Band)
Maximum Number of Credits
Honors Community Service (50 Community Service Hours)
GPA - 3.2 (as of the end of last quarter)


School Sports

Junior Varsity Cross Country
Junior Varsity Swimming
Junior Varsity Tennis


Student Government

Elected Tenth Grade Class Council Officer
Elected Student Council Secretary (Highest Student Council Position Available to a Sophomore)


Extracurricular

Volunteering at the Children’s Section of the Local Library
Performed in the Fall and Spring Drama Productions
Member of the Technical Crews for the School Drama Productions
Member of Church Youth Group
Active Junior State of America Member
Model United Nations Delegate
Participated in the Day of Silence
Wrote and Acted for the School Drama Festival
Staff Writer for the School Newspaper
Member of the Community Service Board
Click to expand...


Some key points:
A. if you don't apply you definitely won't get in
B. improvement is always good
C. I see you are trying to get involved in a lot of things but it would generally be more productive to limit yourself to something like one or 2 groups, a sport, and a leadership position or 2 over several years. Commitment and involvement is the key.
D. Take hard classes but don't overdo it. Personal example- taking AP BC Cal as a junior despite leaving Pre-cal with just a B+= bad idea, left with a B- and failed AP exam- should have taken something challenging but do-able like AB Cal. Know your limits.

Start preparing for ACT/SAT. Doing well on standardized tests can help boost a not so great GPA for overall admissions WCS/something of that nature.
 
Make sure you get yourself to AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics in the next two years. They will be challenging, but the Naval Academy is challenging. These are the best courses to take in order to prepare.

Study hard. Take supplemental classes over the summer. Get help from teachers and upperclassmen whenever possible. Get a tutor. Make straight As and don't settle for less.

I agree with what navy2016 said above. Unless you're really comfortable with math as a whole (Pre-Cal is NOT a predictor of success in Calculus; in fact I'd say Pre-Cal is a total misnomer as the has very little to do with Calculus topics), take Calculus AB before BC. Same thing with AP Physics: Don't jump for Physics C unless you're comfortable with AP Calculus.

Your GPA is also a little low (assuming it's out of 4.0). Never get another grade less than an A again; get that GPA up and keep it up.

Now's the time to take a practice SAT or ACT. Don't worry about what you get, just take one to become familiar with the format of the test. Prep well for the SAT and ACT, study hard. Great scores aren't the be all end all, but they will help tremendously.

In junior year, take the PSAT again. If you're prepared well, you might even be a National Merit semifinalist or scholar, which may result in some scholarship money and is certainly something to put on the Candidate Activities Record. Take the SAT/ACT in the spring. Take it again in the summer, and again in the fall, and again winter of senior year if needed.

You don't need to join every single club to pad your ECAs. Just join the ones you want to join, and be very active in them. Go for leadership opportunities and elected positions whenever possible. Make your club better, make your community better. Start something big. Do something big. You don't have to be a Boy Scout to be able to organize a large-scale project at school or in your community.

All the studying and clubs and sports and commitments will make you tired and busy, but the Naval Academy is well worth it.
 
Your GPA is certainly on the low side. Push yourself to make nothing less than a 4.0 the next three semesters. Remember that Service Academies are academic institutions first. Your academic performance in high school, along with your standardized testing scores, will be the most important part of your application (60%). Again, push yourself. Stay up that extra hour studying. Do the extra credit. Go in for tutorials. It's all about how bad you want it. I think the average GPA is 3.7+. If you can, take an SAT/ACT prep class over the summer. Next year, take the SAT/ACT often! I took it 7 times before I was satisfied with my scores.

Other than that, stay involved. Try to make varsity in one or more of your sports. Pursue worthwhile leadership. Looks like you are actively involved in student government so try to make president. While it is not a pressing matter at the moment, it couldn't hurt to ask your guidance counselor how delegates to boys/girls state are chosen from your school.

This forum offers excellent advice from people who want to see you succeed. It's great you found it early in your high school career. Take it in!
 
I noticed you also posted on the ROTC thread. Most Academy applicants also apply to ROTC, so they are among your competition there, so you know what you have to shoot for. You should also use ROTC as your plan B. Plan C should be other scholarships Plan D? Get one.

Acceptance to an Academy or a ROTC scholarship isn't all quantitative. You never know what it will be that puts you over the top. Aspire to excellence and persist in all things.
 
In addition to the list above, in my freshman year, I was a member of the Chess Team and the Ultimate Frisbee club. Also, in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, I volunteered in a hospital's messenger department. This year, I am also a member of the Chess Club, a member of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter, a host at multiple school open houses, and I also helped in the School Toy Drive. Over the summer, I intend on attending the Navy Sports Camp for swimming and go to Nicaragua for a mission trip. Also, I received a 184 on the PSAT.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top