What to do

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nuclearuser13

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So I'm finishing up my junior year in high school, headed for NASS soon.
I don't feel as confident as I want to about my application so far, so this summer I want to do as much as possible to beef up my app. So far, I've been applying for jobs and I'm attending a cybersecurity camp over the summer. Does anyone have any ideas on specific summer activities/volunteering USNA appreciates? Thank you.
 
Jobs are always a good thing to put on a resume. It shows responsibility and work ethic. With respect to your question, I would caution you on picking up a whole bunch of activities/volunteer opportunities your senior year. This isn't USNA Admissions' first time around the block. They can easily spot when somebody is just adding a bunch of activities during junior/senior year in an attempt to beef up their applications or demonstrate how well-rounded they are. They want to get to know the real you. Excelling at one or two things is looked upon more favorably than an application with every club/sport under the sun on it. Depth with activities shows long-term dedication, sustained effort, and growth in leadership, athleticism, etc. (as applicable). There have been plenty of applications with only few activities that have been successful.
 
Plenty of ways to volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, soup kitchens, animal shelters. As mentioned, adding a million things senior and have nothing before it raises flags. I am assuming you have other items in previous years and just looking to make your application more robust. Look to lead a volunteer effort by organizing a park clean up, painting a shelter, or repairing something somewhere.
 
Shoe and bike donation drives are good events. High school classmates can usually produce quantities.
 
First, find an activity or cause about which you are passionate. Do you like working with kids, animals, seniors, peers? Do you like a particular sport or craft? A religion or political party? Then find an organization or two that promote those activities. Within that, volunteer to organize or lead an event or activity (or part thereof). You could run a pet adoption day. Or run a special event for veterans and spouses at an assisted living center.

Alternatively, come up with your own idea. Organize a summer lawn-mowing/mulching service that provides free or deeply discounted services to old folks who can no longer do it themselves. Set up a visitation program at a local nursing home for people who have no visitors. Find out what supplies local animal rescues need and develop a program to get them those supplies. Create a local on-line newspaper for your neighborhood. The key is to take ownership and run with it.

It's never about the number of clubs/ECAs you JOIN, it's about what you do when you're a part of them.
 
USNA1985 gives good advice about "selecting an activity about which you are passionate." A first step in the process will be the MOC interview....and they really like seem to like to dig into the service activities with a lot of questions. Being passionate about what you have done will make it a lot easier to talk about and add depth, show sincerity and may even help deter any interview jitters.
 
^^ They ask a lot of questions to understand the real contribution you made. In some schools, getting voted to student govt is simply a popularity contest with no real job responsibilities, while at other schools you actually have meaningful tasks. If you join a lot of clubs/ECA's just to pad your resume, anyone who is a good interviewer will be wise to that. You should be able to clearly state what you did/accomplished/led as part of each activity you list. If you can't, it could indicate you joined a lot of important sounding groups, but didn't actually do anything of value.
 
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