How to be a competitive candidate?

[TGOAT]

I'm a freshman in highschool hoping to either go to West Point, if that fails, get an ROTC scholarship, or get some form of financial aid and go to college.

My main question is, how do I become a competitive candidate? I currently have a 3.87 GPA, in college prep. classes, I'm a registered amateur boxer, once a boy scout, 4H member, and I been getting involved with ECs like wood working, and art club.

It's to my understanding that you need to get into some leadership position, but I'm not sure how to do that. I'm determined this is what I want to do, and I want to get started early on it to have the best chances.

 

[Melitzank]

So you want to join the Long Gray Line, huh?

These might help some:

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=14787 (Will give you a good idea of what kinds of things folks have on their application)

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=26838 (Good overview of everything....look under the "Freshman/Sophomore" section)

Just in general, read some of the threads around here and you can see what people who`ve been appointed have specifically done...remember: Don`t do something whether it be sport, extracurricular, academic, etc. because you feel like it`ll look good on your application, do it because you like it.

As far as leadership, that`s a wide range of things....class president, club officer, any kind of leadership whether it be in or out of school. Church, sports, school, etc. There`s not really a "how to"....if they have elections for club officer, run.

Take a lot of challenging classes, AP or IB.

Junior year, apply for SLS and all the other academy summer seminar`s. Apply for Boy`s State.

Consider the other service academies `s too...if you don`t get into West Point, there`s always USCGA, USMMA, USNA, and USAFA...and yes, ROTC. Always have a Plan B, and C, and hey, Plan D is always good too.

You wrote you were once a boy scout...no longer one? Too bad, Eagle Scout helps.

Volunteer, that always helps too.

Little things like that have a big impact.

Of course, there are current cadets, alumni, and parents that can give you more advice than I can.

Best of luck!

 

[dunninla]

I currently have a 3.87 GPA, in college prep. classes, I'm a registered amateur boxer, once a boy scout, 4H member, and I been getting involved with ECs like wood working, and art club.

It's to my understanding that you need to get into some leadership position, but I'm not sure how to do that. I'm determined this is what I want to do, and I want to get started early on it to have the best chances.

The three categories of evalutation are: Scholar/Athlete/Leader

You have two and a half more years to show what you can do as a person. You seem to be OK so far on Scholar and Athlete, assuming you demonstrate that a "registered Amateur Boxer" is a very athletic thing. But you're right, Leadership is where you lack. However, that's pretty normal for a high school freshman. Some people say Leadership is in-born, some say you can develop it. I think it is a little of both. The Academy wants to take people with SOME natural leadership ability and then shape it and enhance it with leadership tools and principles. But you have to have it in you to begin with.

So, I suggest becoming a leader in some area in which you are already involved... whether that be work, school, or boxing. Take charge of something that matters to people. Or start something that matters to people. YOu've got plenty of time, but you need to start figuring out where you can make a difference now, so you can get to work on it. And I agree with a previous comment... it needs to be something that you are interested in... you can't fake it.

 

[Texan]

One of my local West Point reps told me that Boys State can be seen as equal to becoming an Eagle Scout, and that obviously getting to Boys Nation is even better. Best advice I got was to put the throught in your counselors mind ASAP even if you are way young, so they remember you when its time to apply