chances of WP, What to improve on

camabernethy1206

camabernethy1206

5-Year Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
7
I currently attend a High school in North Carolina.
I just recently decided to work towards Westpoint as my college of choice.
I am finishing my sophomore year.

GPA- (unweighted) 3.65
- National honors Society
- enrolling next year in ROTC for all remaining semesters of school
- 1050 SAT (only math and english) Essay-480
- 24 ACT
- I have 2 years of football, 1 year of swim and track. ( i plan on quitting football and have already quit track to focus on grades, swim, and ranking up in ROTC) I only attended swim for half of one season due to football and managed to qualify in state so, im best at swim.
- enrolling in a church leadership group
- also ranked 29 out of 171 (16.9%) i know i needs work.
- im have recently started to dedicate A LOT of my time to studying and trying to find leadership groups and/or positions. my grades are steadily rising, but i fear it's a little late to really affect this year.

I know i am starting late for a college as prestigious as Westpoint, but its all i want to do. Any advise greatly appreciated.
 
Last edited:
camabernethy1206 said:
I currently attend a High school in North Carolina.
I just recently decided to work towards Westpoint as my college of choice.
I am finishing my sophomore year.

GPA- (unweighted) 3.65
- National honors Society
- enrolling next year in ROTC for all remaining semesters of school
- 1050 SAT (only math and english) Essay-480
- 24 ACT
- I have 2 years of football, 1 year of swim and track. ( i plan on quitting football and have already quit track to focus on grades, swim, and ranking up in ROTC) I only attended swim for half of one season due to football and managed to qualify in state so, im best at swim.
- enrolling in a church leadership group
- also ranked 29 out of 171 (16.9%) i know i needs work.
- im have recently started to dedicate A LOT of my time to studying and trying to find leadership groups and/or positions. my grades are steadily rising, but i fear it's a little late to really affect this year.

I know i am starting late for a college as prestigious as Westpoint, but its all i want to do. Any advise greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

-Raise those test scores
-Earn letter(s)
-Keep up the good grades in school

Yeah, it might be a little late to be looking into a leadership position in a school club. But its not a problem - start your own club (which is what I did)! Keep trying though - you still have two years to go. Its not too late...I began working towards an appointment during my sophomore year as well and I managed to LOA. Good luck!
 
Plan to retake the ACT in September. Take challenging classes in school and do your very best.

Others may disagree, but I don't think I would drop a sport in order to begin ROTC. I think West Point (two words, BTW) would be more interested in a varsity letter and being a team leader.

Go to the Admissions page and read the section called "Start Young."

This pertains to other colleges as well as West Point.....they don't want to see that you have run around and joined every group in sight. They want to see that you have passion and "stickability"---that you joined a group because it had meaning for you, not just a line on a resume.
 
appreciate the advise, i have already earned a varsity letter for my year of swim so :thumb: and i quit football due to complications ( broken ankle and it takes up almost all of my time)
 
wait...how are you starting late? you are a sophmore right? i would say that that is early and that you should apply to the West Point SLS in your junior year...im leaving for that in an hour!!!
 
i meant starting late as far as working towards something. there are some guys at my school that have been working towards a military academy since like 6th grade. i just feel like i got a late start because i have never really dedicated my time to school. ive managed to make A's and B's but i have never really tried. Even though i am starting to study a whole lot more, i feel like i might not have time to bring my entire average GPA up. i just hope that West Point looks a lot more at recent grades ( Junior and Senior year) than older years. I don't think im doing bad but i know i have the potential to make all A's and have for the most part a 4.0 GPA. thanks for the advice and encouragement though guys, i really appreciate it.
 
By the way guys i am thinking about staying with track and swim, i know one of the most important things military academies, or any college for that matter, looks at is leadership and Perseverance. just to let you guys know i really appreciate y'all taken your time to reply. i had more help from you guys than anyone else. Keep it up.
 
Definitely improve the test scores. A 1050 on the SAT is definitely lacking if it's out of 2400. You wanna improve that to at least 1800 or better.
 
i got a 1530 out of 2400, i got the 1050 out of 1600. i know i need work and im currently doing a lot of practice SAT stuff. it gets easier and easier. I won't feel satisfied until i get around a 2000 out of 2400. i got a while to work on it though. but im not procrastinating.
 
First of all, don't worry. Many applicants don't even begin thinking about college and their futures until junior or senior year.

I agree with all who say improve your test scores. However, don't be so hard on yourself. Most counselors consider spring of your junior year the ideal time to take the tests. Also, WP will take the highest scores from all of your tests and give you a new composite. So, prep over the summer and plan to retake the SAT and ACT a few times next year. Solid prep really helps. If you can't do it on your own, consider taking a class, getting a tutor, or starting a study group.

Investigate Boys' State. Many candidates are able to attend both State and SLS. WP Admissions told my daughter that if she got into both and could only attend one, she should go to State. (Yes, I was surprised.)

If your school has a National Honor Society chapter, find out what you have to do to be invited. If no chapter exists, talk to a faculty member about starting one.

Get to know your local MALO.

Keep swimming.

Good luck - keep us posted on your progress.
 
momoftwins said:
Investigate Boys' State. Many candidates are able to attend both State and SLS. WP Admissions told my daughter that if she got into both and could only attend one, she should go to State. (Yes, I was surprised.)
Click to expand...

My new cadet's MALO said Boys' State is looked at on the same level as being an Eagle Scout.
 
I think in terms of potential, you are gradually becoming a competitive candidate. I admire your will to keep your priorities straight. Just stick to your words of commitment, raise your SATs, and put your passion into swimming. Best of luck!
 
camabernethy1206 said:
I currently attend a High school in North Carolina.
I just recently decided to work towards Westpoint as my college of choice.
I am finishing my sophomore year.

GPA- (unweighted) 3.65
- National honors Society
- enrolling next year in ROTC for all remaining semesters of school
- 1050 SAT (only math and english) Essay-480
- 24 ACT
- I have 2 years of football, 1 year of swim and track. ( i plan on quitting football and have already quit track to focus on grades, swim, and ranking up in ROTC) I only attended swim for half of one season due to football and managed to qualify in state so, im best at swim.
- enrolling in a church leadership group
- also ranked 29 out of 171 (16.9%) i know i needs work.
- im have recently started to dedicate A LOT of my time to studying and trying to find leadership groups and/or positions. my grades are steadily rising, but i fear it's a little late to really affect this year.

I know i am starting late for a college as prestigious as Westpoint, but its all i want to do. Any advise greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Best advice: work on your SAT's and go meet your Member of Congress. Meet his Military Liaison and ask what you can do to help in his office, and how to improve your application. If their office is far away, ask when he'll (she'll) be doing a College fair or West Point presentation and volunteer to help set it up and work the booth. That is the woman (or man) that will approve your application and set the priority of Appointments.
 
camabernethy1206 said:
this might sound stupid, but whats MALO?
Click to expand...

Military Academy Liason Officers,
They are people who act as a intermediary between the admissions office and candidates to answer questions, help with the admissions process, etc. When you apply for SLS (or complete the preliminary application) and you get confirmed as a candidate you will be assigned a MALO.
 
A MALO is technically someone who is authorized to wear a uniform. Meaning either active duty, reserve or retired. A Field Force Rep performs the same duties, but could be someone who is prior service, or simply a parent or concerned citizen. West Point is trying to go to the term MAAR (Military Academy Admissions Representative) to encompass everyone, but so far the term hasn't caught on much! While we're technically FFR's, we tend to use MALO so that people know what we're talking about!
 
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