Qualified Alternates (NWL)

[bucketlist]

Does anyone know if historically those top 150 selected as "qualified alternates" from the NWL have been in the top end of ACT/SAT scores - say ACT 31+ or SAT 1350+. We are wondering if they every make it to the "second tier" say ACT 28 - 30 or SAT 1280+.

 

[civic29]

From what I hear you better have a 31+ or something to make it, but that's speculation.


2019 WestPoint class appointee

Recipient of 4 year army rotc scholarship.

 

[billyb]

I think from the NWL, it matters what your "hook" is and how you can help round out the class. The NWL isn't all about grades and test scores. The one thing I am not sure of is if they treat the first 150 from the NWL any differently than the treat the rest of the spots they use to round out the class.

 

[Sledge]

I think from the NWL, it matters what your "hook" is and how you can help round out the class. The NWL isn't all about grades and test scores. The one thing I am not sure of is if they treat the first 150 from the NWL any differently than the treat the rest of the spots they use to round out the class.

By law, the first 150 off the NWL are chosen based on WCS. After that, they choose off the NWL to "round out" the class with the "correct" number of a bunch of different categories including race and ethnicity. After that first 150, they don't have to go by WCS. Because SAT/ACT plays such an important part in WCS, you frequently see posts that say: "If you are a typical white male, you need to have super high ACT/SAT to put you in the top 150 to come off the NWL." I don't know that that's entirely true, because other categories such as "athletes" are also chosen to "round out" the class and a white male baseball player could be a round out selection. I'm just saying that's where that line of thinking comes from.

 

[bucketlist]

I assume there are so many applicants that attend Boys/Girls State that this is no longer "a hook'?

 

[billyb]

I don't think boys/girls state is a hook, but more of the norm. A hook "might" be a kid who grew up poor on a farm and will be the first in his family to go to college. He might not have had the time to do any extracurricular activities because he had to work on the farm to help support his family in order to survive. He didn't get all the WCS points that others did due to his circumstances. This applicant could be more qualified than most with many more WCS points than him.