What is a good "hook" for the USNA?

Candidate2022

Candidate2022

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I'm a junior in high school and have been looking at the Naval Academy for quite some time. I am involved in numerous extra-curricular activities, sports, and other leadership positions in my school. I am a senior board member of a 501.3.c (HugsForKenya.com) . I am almost an Eagle Scout. I can also speak fluent French (I spent 3 years in France with my dad.)

My question is if any of these would be good "hooks" for when I apply.
Thank you.
 
Eagle Scout is always a positive. Apply for Boys State. Nothing can replace grades and test scores. You can save small puppies daily, but that won't overcome poor grades and scores. Read every tab on the USNA addmisons page, read the stickies at the top of this page and cruise the forum. It will teach you a lot.
 
+1 to Boys State and Getting that eagle scout rank.
Captain on 2 varsity sports would be great.
 
5Day said:
+1 to Boys State and Getting that eagle scout rank.
Captain on 2 varsity sports would be great.
Click to expand...
Why captain on two Varsity sports?

I am already the Varsity captain of my Soccer team and the head goalkeeper.
 
Two is better than one, and being an All American athlete probably wasn't going to happen in a year.
But seriously, My answer is based on this report Rand report http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR700/RR723/RAND_RR723.pdf around page 10. It shows the WCS calculation used in the late 1990's. Yes the information is dated, almost 20 years old, but it is the best Published information that I have seen. I am sure the scoring has changed. I am sure it will be different for each SA. But I would bet that it is similar and what we do have in this report gives a great insite into what the SA is looking for.

Below is from the report:

Athletic Activity Level Points
An outstanding athlete (All-American, 1st team All-Area selection in baseball/softball, basketball, or football) and athletic rating of either 1 or 2 in the sport in which honors are received or a CFA score greater than 650. 800 Points

1st team All-Area selection in a single sport (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). Captain of baseball/softball, basketball or football team. Team captain in two or more sports (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football, for class size over 100). 700 Points

Captain of team (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). Varsity letter in baseball/softball, basketball or football. Varsity letter in two or more sports (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). 600

Varsity letter in a single sport (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). 500 Points

Participation in varsity sport without a letter. 400 Points

Participation in junior-varsity and other team sports (excluding intramurals). 300 Points

Candidates with no participation and no evidence of interest in sports. 200 Points

That Rand report also is why I believe Boy's State is important.
 
5Day said:
Two is better than one, and being an All American athlete probably wasn't going to happen in a year.
But seriously, My answer is based on this report Rand report http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR700/RR723/RAND_RR723.pdf around page 10. It shows the WCS calculation used in the late 1990's. Yes the information is dated, almost 20 years old, but it is the best Published information that I have seen. I am sure the scoring has changed. I am sure it will be different for each SA. But I would bet that it is similar and what we do have in this report gives a great insite into what the SA is looking for.

Below is from the report:

Athletic Activity Level Points
An outstanding athlete (All-American, 1st team All-Area selection in baseball/softball, basketball, or football) and athletic rating of either 1 or 2 in the sport in which honors are received or a CFA score greater than 650. 800 Points

1st team All-Area selection in a single sport (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). Captain of baseball/softball, basketball or football team. Team captain in two or more sports (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football, for class size over 100). 700 Points

Captain of team (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). Varsity letter in baseball/softball, basketball or football. Varsity letter in two or more sports (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). 600

Varsity letter in a single sport (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). 500 Points

Participation in varsity sport without a letter. 400 Points

Participation in junior-varsity and other team sports (excluding intramurals). 300 Points

Candidates with no participation and no evidence of interest in sports. 200 Points

That Rand report also is why I believe Boy's State is important.
Click to expand...

OP's thread is about USNA. I just want to point out what I saw on page 17:

This report focuses on admissions to the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA). A companion report (Hardison, Bur- khauser, and Hanser, forthcoming) focuses on admissions to the U.S. Air Force Academy. e U.S. Naval Academy declined to participate.

Also, be aware many posters had pointed out in other threads that there are differences in admissions process among the different academies.
 
dakine said:
OP. Do you have any STEM EC or experience?
Click to expand...

No, not through school.

I am president of Science Club and we often make electronic circuits and build small robots. But this isn't much of a hook.

I applied to the STEM program at the USNA during my freshman year and didn't get in. My sophomore year I was unable to apply because I knew that I would be traveling during the time that the camp was conducted. This year I will be applying to STEM and the Summer Seminar.
 
@ktnatalk I totally agree it is not USNA specific and very dated, but I do think it can add a little insight into any SA admissions process and it answers the question why I thought being a captain on two varsity sports is better than one.
 
Candidate2022 said:
No, not through school.

I am president of Science Club and we often make electronic circuits and build small robots. But this isn't much of a hook.

I applied to the STEM program at the USNA during my freshman year and didn't get in. My sophomore year I was unable to apply because I knew that I would be traveling during the time that the camp was conducted. This year I will be applying to STEM and the Summer Seminar.
Click to expand...

That is great you are president of the Science Club. I'd suggest using your leadership position in the Science Club to accomplish something in your community or school. Perhaps take a look at the kind of STEM outreach programs at USNA to get some ideas. FYI, 45% of the 2020 class had tutoring experience.

https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/_files/documents/ClassPortrait.pdf
 
I think unique activities are consistently overlooked. Don't try and go out of the way to do "check in the box" activities. Admittedly, being a varsity team captain is good...because it is a chance to knock two birds with one stone (athletics + leadership)...one vs. two sport team captain doesn't really matter. Back to the "unique" activities...it is possible to be a "leader" in most activities...choose an activity that suits you well and then figure out how you can lead in it. The Admissions Board reviews numerous records...when a candidate has something unique to offer, there is a chance it might catch attention or provide some other "wow" factor and that can help or be impressive. BGOs look at the QUALITY of leadership activities when conducting interviews...not necessarily that a candidate has done the "check in the box" ones.
 
Interesting - if this still representative, and USNA is similar, then a really good CFA score is comparable to all-american, and more points than team captains in two sports...

Athletic Activity Level Points
An outstanding athlete (All-American, 1st team All-Area selection in baseball/softball, basketball, or football) and athletic rating of either 1 or 2 in the sport in which honors are received or a CFA score greater than 650. 800 Points

1st team All-Area selection in a single sport (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football). Captain of baseball/softball, basketball or football team. Team captain in two or more sports (other than baseball/softball, basketball, or football, for class size over 100). 700 Points
 
That Rand report is from 20 yrs ago and relates to WP and the references to the WCS were not the main point of that study. If you read the entire report, the authors also say there are OTHER factors used which they did NOT try to quantify. I think this report is often taken out of context to draw conclusions that are not appropriate.

Candidates to any SA should understand they are in a competition with everyone else applying and would be better off focusing on making their resume the best that it can be without trying to 'game' the system.
 
What the report tells me is that to be the best candidate, max the CFA, be an All Area Select Athlete and captain a couple of sports. That will keep you covered and should do pretty well on the leadership through sports portion.
 
USNA really likes to see team captains. In the class entering this year, 92% were varsity athletes and 75% of those were team captains. If you are selected as team captain, make the most of it. As a BGO, I always ask my team captains what they do in that role. When they say, "not very much," it isn't helpful to their cause. You can do concrete things (lead team only practices) and less concrete things, such as motivation. One year a candidate discussed how much he'd learned about leadership being team captain on a team that lost every single game.

Eagle Scout is also good. Again, think about your project. I'm amazed at the number of Eagle Scouts I work with who can't explain why they chose their project ("I had to pick something and this seemed easy") or how it helped anyone or anything ("I don't really know"). For example, a few years ago, I worked with a young man who built a park bench. I asked what led him to conclude that particular park needed a bench. "Nothing really. It just seemed like something I could get done before the end of the year." How did the bench make the park better? "I don't know." He didn't even go to the park regularly -- never did figure out how he came up with the idea.

Work with your scout leader to select a project that you really believe in, that motivates you, and that conveys a real benefit.
 
I've seen Boys' State recommended a few times and can't agree more. However, don't just show up ..... get actively involved and earn accolades. My son was very successful at Boys' State and both his USNA BGO and his USMA liaison said it was a huge bonus. Also, take those standardized tests as often as you can. If you find you're more successful at one over the other, work your tail off to earn the best scores possible. USNA's requirements are very steep. Good Luck!!
 
+1 to Boys State. Big bonus for a 1 week camp.
 
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