Junior Starting to get worried about nass

A

ahaimoud94

USNA/USAFA Hopeful
5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Messages
36
Hi,
im starting to worry about summer seminar in afa and usna. i'm a junior and i have not taken the sat or act, only psat (which they haven't release scores for). I have a 3.6 unweighted gpa. but my ecs are good. i really want to join Civil air patrol but i dont know if its too late for me. but anyways, i heard that its better to turn in your application early. the only problem with that is that i dont know when my psat score will be released.

should i be concerned at this point? i signed up for january sat and february act. and i'm from los angeles so i dont know if my part of the country is competitive.
 
PSAT scores are released in mid December. This should be before or just after all of the summer program applications open.
 
thanks. do you know if i can turn in my sat scores in january after i've submitted my app in december.
 
This will be said multiple times in the months going forward, but let me start now. NASS is a RECRUITING TOOL. This isn't my opinion, it's what USNA publicly states. The purpose is to introduce young people who might not otherwise know of, or be likely to attend, USNA to the school. The hope is that they will have a good time and go back to their schools and communities and talk up USNA to others.

What does this mean for you? Even if you are super-competitive for USNA, you may not be admitted to NASS. Why? Because you come from a district, community, or school where USNA is well known and has no trouble attracting candidates. Over the past few years, I have had numerous well-rounded candidates with 1500+ SATs who did NOT get accepted to NASS. Many of them did get appointments.

Thus, the bottom line is . . . give NASS your best shot but, if you don't get accepted, do NOT believe that all is lost b/c that's simply not true.
 
NASS window hasn't opened the last two years until February (unlike AF SS and WP SLS which open in Dec), so you should be fine waiting for your ACT scores. I'm not certain on NASS, but I know for WP you pretty much receive a decision when you apply so you would want to wait for your scores before applying (if you don't think your PSAT scores - which come out in mid-Dec as another poster said - are good enough). If you're rejected, you really can't "reapply". NASS may not be the same way - maybe one of the BGO's can help here.

I saw you also posted this on the AF board and know that window opens a lot earlier but just wanted to make you aware you can't apply for any of them without at least the PSAT scores so no sense in applying right on Dec. 1. During the last few years my experience has been that none of them fill right away so you could probably even safely wait for your January scores for AF SS if you weren't happy with your PSAT. If you are, definitely apply then though. It'll give you a better choice of sessions since AF just gives you an acceptance and then you choose the session (and the last one seems to fill first).

Just FYI (in case you don't know if your scores are good enough), the general guidance we're given for SLS regarding scores is upper 20's/lower 30's for ACT or mid 60's/600's for PSAT/SAT. But of course as USNA1985 said, that will vary immensely by the region.

Good luck!
 
One more thing. Again, I'm not sure about NASS, but at least for Air Force summer session, the PLAN test scores are acceptable to use on an application. If you are a junior now, you should have taken the PLAN test last year. PLAN is the pre-ACT, much like the PSAT.
 
Don't worry! I only submitted my PSAT scores on my NASS application, because I hadn't yet taken my SAT or ACT (took it January/February of junior year). After I sent it in, I called mid-February to update my application but I was told I was already pre-accepted and would be receiving my acceptance letter - with and without my new SAT or ACT scores.

So good luck getting into NASS; it was SUCH a great experience but not at all necessary to get an appointment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top