How bad is a "C"

Hi everyone, I am new to admissions for the service academy. So I have a few questions. I have a very bright junior who is interested in applying as a Junior. Is that possible? And if he is rejected can he re-apply? My student is enrolled in a rigorous Jewish Day School with a dual curriculum. He takes 8 core courses a year. As a junior he is taking AP Calculus, Honors Physics, etc. To date he has three years of Hebrew and three years of Spanish. His math and verbal PSAT was a 1320. He has tons of leadership, community service and athletics to write about. So here is what I am concerned about -he has a 3.5 GPA, which in our school does not place him in the top 25%. Also, he has earned a C+ each year while in the high school. In our very competitive school, 100 percent attend four year colleges and we only have 67 juniors so it is quite difficult to fall in the top 25 percent. My last two questions are: Given his overall profile, what are his chances? And what can he do to improve his chances of an appointment to the Naval Academy? By the way he is fairly confident he will get senatorial approval.

dkanrich said:

Hi everyone, I am new to admissions for the service academy. So I have a few questions. I have a very bright junior who is interested in applying as a Junior. Is that possible? And if he is rejected can he re-apply? My student is enrolled in a rigorous Jewish Day School with a dual curriculum. He takes 8 core courses a year. As a junior he is taking AP Calculus, Honors Physics, etc. To date he has three years of Hebrew and three years of Spanish. His math and verbal PSAT was a 1320. He has tons of leadership, community service and athletics to write about. So here is what I am concerned about -he has a 3.5 GPA, which in our school does not place him in the top 25%. Also, he has earned a C+ each year while in the high school. In our very competitive school, 100 percent attend four year colleges and we only have 67 juniors so it is quite difficult to fall in the top 25 percent. My last two questions are: Given his overall profile, what are his chances? And what can he do to improve his chances of an appointment to the Naval Academy? By the way he is fairly confident he will get senatorial approval.

Click to expand...

dkanrich,

Welcome, and there is no standard answer. PSAT scores look good enough and it sounds like the school itself is challenging. If he is currently a Junior then the applications should open up soon for the class of 2015 but if he is a sophomore, then he will have to wait as I believe all the SAs require you to be a high school graduate or at least hold a GED( especially for enlisted candidates). Best of luck and ask any question you like. Feel free to browse or Search the forum as it is a wealth of information. Best of luck!

He should start the process when applications open on April 1st. That way he can get his math and english teachers to write their recommendations and have his BGO interview early. Also, the sooner he takes the SAT the better.

As far as having a C on his transcripts goes, only the Admissions office really knows, but with a 3.5 gpa and good test scores, I doubt it will be much of a concern - unless it happens to be in math!

I suggest you both study the process for admissions (http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/steps.htm ) so that nothing slips through the cracks.

Best of luck.

dkanrich said:

Hi everyone, I am new to admissions for the service academy. So I have a few questions. I have a very bright junior who is interested in applying as a Junior. Is that possible? And if he is rejected can he re-apply? My student is enrolled in a rigorous Jewish Day School with a dual curriculum. He takes 8 core courses a year. As a junior he is taking AP Calculus, Honors Physics, etc. To date he has three years of Hebrew and three years of Spanish. His math and verbal PSAT was a 1320. He has tons of leadership, community service and athletics to write about. So here is what I am concerned about -he has a 3.5 GPA, which in our school does not place him in the top 25%. Also, he has earned a C+ each year while in the high school. In our very competitive school, 100 percent attend four year colleges and we only have 67 juniors so it is quite difficult to fall in the top 25 percent. My last two questions are: Given his overall profile, what are his chances? And what can he do to improve his chances of an appointment to the Naval Academy? By the way he is fairly confident he will get senatorial approval.

Click to expand...

The eligibility requirements are on the USNA website www.usna.edu. But, in a nutshell, he'd have to be 17 on July 1st of the year he's admitted. So, he could apply as long as he meets that criteria as well as the others listed.

In practical terms, he's already too late for this admissions cycle, and without going into a lot of detail, he's better off applying for the next round.

I'd suggest that you encourage him to apply for Naval Academy Summer Seminar (NASS). The window is still open for that (until April 1st), and it's a week of "try before you buy" that gives kids at least some small sense of what life is like at USNA.

I don't want to discourage you, but any conjecture on our part is just that - conjecture. The best way to find out is to apply, and it doesn't cost anything to do so.

PM me if you want, and I can give you more info, or we can speak real time. I advise candidates who are applying as part of the extended and official USNA admissions team in Virginia.

dkanrich said:

Hi everyone, I am new to admissions for the service academy. So I have a few questions. I have a very bright junior who is interested in applying as a Junior. Is that possible?

Click to expand...

This is the PERFECT time for your son to apply. The application for the Naval Academy Summer Seminar (NASS) has been open since 1 February, and it will close on 1 April. The NASS program allows some rising HS seniors to spend 5 days living in Bancroft Hall (the USNA dorm), getting a small taste of what it's like to be a Mid. Participants do morning PT, and they attend seminars about different academic areas. On the last full day, they get a brief period of "indoctrination," when they get a more realistic idea of how Plebes are treated. If your son has interest in this program, he should apply immediately. If he is not interested in attending NASS, the "preliminary application" for the USNA Class of 2015 (due to enter as Plebes in the summer of 2011) will open as soon as the NASS application closes. If your son applies for NASS, he will NOT need to fill out the "preliminary application."

dkanrich said:

And if he is rejected can he re-apply?

Click to expand...

Even if your son is rejected for NASS, he will still be in the running for a place in the Class of 2015. If he is not granted an appointment in the Class of 2015, yes, he can apply again for the Class of 2016.

dkanrich said:

My student is enrolled in a rigorous Jewish Day School with a dual curriculum. He takes 8 core courses a year. As a junior he is taking AP Calculus, Honors Physics, etc. To date he has three years of Hebrew and three years of Spanish. His math and verbal PSAT was a 1320. He has tons of leadership, community service and athletics to write about. So here is what I am concerned about -he has a 3.5 GPA, which in our school does not place him in the top 25%. Also, he has earned a C+ each year while in the high school. In our very competitive school, 100 percent attend four year colleges and we only have 67 juniors so it is quite difficult to fall in the top 25 percent. My last two questions are: Given his overall profile, what are his chances? And what can he do to improve his chances of an appointment to the Naval Academy? By the way he is fairly confident he will get senatorial approval.

Click to expand...

No one can tell you what his chances are. There are just too many variables. The only thing for certain is that, if he does not apply, he will not get in. The things he can do to improve his chances are similar to the things he should do to be a good candidate for any very selective college. He should continue to take challenging classes, and he should continue to participate in ECAs and athletics. It's better to be deeply involved in a few activities (i.e., take on leadership roles) than to just participate in many activities. The one area that's very different from selective colleges is that he should work to be in excellent physical condition.

Good luck!

I can contribute that my daughter attends a very competitive public high school and she is not in the top quarter. She also has a C on an AP course. I guess she balanced that with varsity sports and leadership stuff.

Nobody knows exactly what is the minimum requirement. Prepare an application that describes who the candidate is and trust in the system.

USNA84 said:

The eligibility requirements are on the USNA website www.usna.edu. But, in a nutshell, he'd have to be 17 on July 1st of the year he's admitted. .

Click to expand...

To be clear, "he'd have to be at least 17 on July 1st of the year he's admitted.

That one made look at the USNA site.

Re: not being in top 25% of the class

USNA Admissions people know all h.s. schools are not equally competitive. Many schools like yours include a note or flyer w/ transcripts, describing their standards and college acceptance rates, allowing Admissions Depts to factor that into class rank and grades. (You might ask your h.s. guidance counselor about this -- it will help you relax!)