USCGA 2020 appointments

grevar said:
I've said this before in another post, but my son too had a choice between appointments at USNA, USCGA and the NROTC scholarship. It wasn't until after he visited an active duty Coast Guard unit and air station, and spoke with recent academy grads that he changed from being all in for Navy to accepting his USCGA Appointment. CGA is less than half the size of his high school, and he will be the first to say that you simply can't fly under the radar at CGA. You will know everyone in your class, and likely most from the classes above and below your class.

Congrats to your son "academyorbust2020"! He has two great choices. Only he can choose what is best for him. Just make sure he has all of the facts to make the best choice. One thing to consider.... Obviously, USNA felt that he would be better off with another year of high level math and such, thus the offer to the Foundation program. If he thinks his Calc and Chem are weak and could benefit, that may be the route to take. Many high performing high school kids find out (sometimes too late) that they didn't have the study habits or proficiency in in those tough subjects to successfully navigate freshman year and any academy. While the thought of an extra year in school may not be appealing to your son, it is something he should consider. It could set the tone for the rest of his academic career.

While we'd hate to lose a good candidate to another service academy, your son has great options to consider. I tell kids all the time to never ever consider an offer to Prep or a Foundations program as being "second best" It can be a real gift in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes the extra year of academics is HUGE!

Just food for thought.
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Great advice, thank you!
 
Echoing Grevar's post, my 4/c DD received early LOAs to both USCGA and USNA and received the NROTC scholarship. She was a recruited athlete, and USCGA recruited her for two sports, and she is also musically talented. After official visits and attendance at their summer programs, DD decided on USCGA. Her top reasons for choosing USCGA were the mission, major (Marine and Environmental Science), and corp size. She couldn't be happier! She feels the size is comfortable and she can be involved in a lot of activities.

Recently, she attended an OCF retreat in Pennsylvania that was attended by cadets and mids from all the service academies. She texted me during the long weekend and stated that "they have it so easy at West Point and USNA!", and later, "I'm so glad I chose USCGA!". She also said several of the cadets and mids expressed regret that they didn't apply to USCGA, or pursue USCGA. My suggestion is to remind your DS/DD that their stay at any academy is a very short time in the grand scheme of life. They should think hard on the mission, and what in their heart they wish to do with their career.

Also, as Grevar stated, a very solid foundation in Chemistry and Calculus is imperative for success the 4/c year. Any additional preparation in these areas will be extremely beneficial. In addition, Macro Economics, Navigation and SED can give some 4/c cadets problems. Remember 4/c year they will carry anywhere from 19 to 21 credit hours. This along with sports, military obligations, etc., can make time management skills essential.

Congrats to all that are beginning the journey!
 
We are in the waiting too --- Son went to AIM which sealed the deal--his picture was actually on the USCGA's website till recently! Just went in for his optical yesterday and next Wed. his physical. He was just accepted to Auburn University, which is a HUGE deal here, but USCGA is where he wants to be 100%!
 
derekz19 said:
DD has Math 34 Science 34 Reading 30 English 29 - Are those good enough?
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This thread is an Appointment Thread for Class of 2020. Your "what are my kid's chances" post should be in another thread.

Those are excellent ACT scores but that's not enough. Leadership? Athletics? AIM? Motivation to serve? The "chance me" threads are usually in vogue during the application period. This is the wait and see, wait list, prep school, plan B, or hopefully appointment time period.
 
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Good morning everyone! After reading the response to the "rolling decisions" thread, I'm curious to know if there have been any new appointments made recently for RA? I'm surprised that this thread hasn't begun updating again, however, I'm also thinking that it will within the next few weeks. Thoughts?
 
uscga2020hopeful said:
Good morning everyone! After reading the response to the "rolling decisions" thread, I'm curious to know if there have been any new appointments made recently for RA? I'm surprised that this thread hasn't begun updating again, however, I'm also thinking that it will within the next few weeks. Thoughts?
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Have they started sending out letters for RA?
 
In one thread I read that applications are reviewed in the order received, and another indicated that candidates who are accepted tend to hear earlier, while rejections come closer to the deadline. My DS completed his application in early December and received the form email (that it would be reviewed in RA) in mid-January. So, if all the above is true, it seems that the longer the wait, the less the chance of of an acceptance. Am I understanding that correctly?
 
TXHopeful said:
In one thread I read that applications are reviewed in the order received, and another indicated that candidates who are accepted tend to hear earlier, while rejections come closer to the deadline. My DS completed his application in early December and received the form email (that it would be reviewed in RA) in mid-January. So, if all the above is true, it seems that the longer the wait, the less the chance of of an acceptance. Am I understanding that correctly?
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Please don't try to read tea leaves. We don't know what's going on within the various reviews. It's easy to get caught up with questions that we can't know the answers to.

I tell my advisees that as long as you haven't heard a no you're still in the game. I've seen appointments given in February, and given at the end of April, and wait-listed appointments given in May. The only real advice I can give at this point is make sure a satisfactory alternate is in place. Then when the BFE comes in you are pleasantly surprised.
 
Found out I was admitted today! I'm a recruit and the coach called me and informed me I was selected for appointment. Apparently it's a tough year for CGA so they're really a stickler for all the points - leadership, initiative, desire to serve, motivation, and good academics. My ACT composite (math + English) was ~29 and I have a GPA of ~3.6 and take all IB/AP classes; I also continuously reached out to my admissions officer to get my mid-year transcript in and make sure everything was in correctly. I also did the optional essay and uploaded a resume, as well as an interview. I think I can attribute my admission to just being really proactive and displaying my desire to attend the school...I suggest anyone else who is nervously awaiting a decision to just show that you really do want to go to the school, introduce yourself to your AO and if you were unsure of whether or not getting senior year grades/mid-year transcript in mattered or not (it does) ask, or just inquire to see if they want to see anything else in your application, or if they need you to improve anything (PFE, test scores, etc.) The AOs will never know otherwise and assume you're not as interested as others - initiative really does make a difference.
 
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