My Chances?

Army4life94

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2011
Messages
1
I'm 17 years old and a junior in high school. I really, truly want to attend either West Point Or Annapolis. It has been my biggest goal in life since the 6th grade. I am really determined. I would also like to apply for an ROTC or NROTC scholarship as well in case I do not get in or get a nomination to the service academies.

MY CLASSES:
AP US History
AP Spanish
AP US Government
AP Chemistry
IB English
College Religions
College Pre-Calculus
Physics
Biology honors, Spanish Honors(2 years), English Honors
* I have only listed the hardest classes I have taken and have signed up to take next year (I am guaranteed them)

My cumulative GPA unweighted is a 91. My weighted I believe is around a 95.

ACTIVITIES/INVOLVEMENT/SPORTS
I am a waiter at a catering hall
I volunteer at an Old Age Home every summer
I have asked to volunteer and waiting for a response from the State Senator's District Office
I am in National Honor Society. I'm currently running for president of that.
I am the co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.
I'm in the school varsity golf team. I place #3 out of 9 on the active match roster.

Now, I have only taken the PSAT so far and scored a 1630 for all 3 sections combined. I scored a 540 on Math and a 530 on reading. I scored a 560 on writing. Now, I know my PSAT isn't that great and I'm taking the real SAT in may. However, I am also taking the ACT which I do much better on. I took an old ACT test(SO far just the Math and English-a little bit each night) and scored a 29 on math and a 28 on English, making my composite so far a 28.5. Even better, is the fact that the next sections include science which I'm very good at and reading which shouldn't be too bad at all.
All together how do my chances look so far? Also, lets say I submit a not so great SAT but an excellent ACT, will they even care about the SAT? Like, do they take the higher one without caring about the lower? Thank you so much!
 
I'm 17 years old and a junior in high school. I really, truly want to attend either West Point Or Annapolis. It has been my biggest goal in life since the 6th grade. I am really determined. I would also like to apply for an ROTC or NROTC scholarship as well in case I do not get in or get a nomination to the service academies.

MY CLASSES:
AP US History
AP Spanish
AP US Government
AP Chemistry
IB English
College Religions
College Pre-Calculus
Physics
Biology honors, Spanish Honors(2 years), English Honors
* I have only listed the hardest classes I have taken and have signed up to take next year (I am guaranteed them)

My cumulative GPA unweighted is a 91. My weighted I believe is around a 95.

ACTIVITIES/INVOLVEMENT/SPORTS
I am a waiter at a catering hall
I volunteer at an Old Age Home every summer
I have asked to volunteer and waiting for a response from the State Senator's District Office
I am in National Honor Society. I'm currently running for president of that.
I am the co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.
I'm in the school varsity golf team. I place #3 out of 9 on the active match roster.

Now, I have only taken the PSAT so far and scored a 1630 for all 3 sections combined. I scored a 540 on Math and a 530 on reading. I scored a 560 on writing. Now, I know my PSAT isn't that great and I'm taking the real SAT in may. However, I am also taking the ACT which I do much better on. I took an old ACT test(SO far just the Math and English-a little bit each night) and scored a 29 on math and a 28 on English, making my composite so far a 28.5. Even better, is the fact that the next sections include science which I'm very good at and reading which shouldn't be too bad at all.
All together how do my chances look so far? Also, lets say I submit a not so great SAT but an excellent ACT, will they even care about the SAT? Like, do they take the higher one without caring about the lower? Thank you so much!

Well, apart from the fact that you're a whole year early to be asking this question, you look like you're in pretty good shape. Just a couple tips:

- Get that SAT score up. Yes, the Academy looks at both, and if you have high scores in BOTH, then you're golden. Unless you are a minority, you will not receive an appointment with an SAT math score of lower than 610. I suggest the Princeton Review book; it really helped me get the mental part of the test down, and that's half the trick.

-Start working on your CFA. One of my biggest regrets in all of my application process right now is that I didn't start training for the CFA. Ever. Do pushups and situps any chance you get, and run run RUN.

Nobody can give you a number for how high your chances are; that's just the beauty of USNA admissions. All you need to worry about is whether or not you are giving 100%.
 
It looks good to me. All, very impressive.

Clearly, you are going to be competitive.

Just be aware that there are many students out there who have an equally impressive resumé - and not all of them will earn an appointment for one reason or another.

All you can do is to throw your hat in the ring and methodically go about the admissions process. Spend time educating yourself in that process. Go to the websites of each of your senators and your congressman and find out what their requirements are for you to get their nomination.

Applying to a service academy is much more involved than applying to any civilian institution - even Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. There are many who start the process but never complete it because, invariably, there will be a "bump" in the road along the way. For many, that "bump" is enough for them to throw in the towel. The admissions process, in itself, is sort of a "test" of commitment.

Get started early. Be organized. Be proactive. Make sure people follow through with things they need to do in your behalf without being a pest.

WORD OF ADVICE: Be respectful to the service academy coordinators who work for your senators/congressman. Do not dismiss them as "just a secretary." Make their job easy. I'm convinced that THEY have a major input as to who gets a nomination. You want to make a good impression with them.
 
WORD OF ADVICE: Be respectful to the service academy coordinators who work for your senators/congressman. Do not dismiss them as "just a secretary." Make their job easy. I'm convinced that THEY have a major input as to who gets a nomination. You want to make a good impression with them.

SO wonderfully true. I'm convinced that a a large contribution as to why I got my nomination was because I hit it right off with my MOC's secretary.
 
AP US Government

You seem really determined to get a good education, which is impressive. You also have a bunch of extra-curricular activities which really give you an edge. I completely agree that it is important to keep your SAT score high. I’m sure you will need to be disciplined about your study process, get the right books and resources (like Shmoop) and chalk out a schedule. Shmoop is especially useful to speedily cover topics like AP US Government that are so familiar and should be a breeze. Keep up with your assignments and you’ll be on your way to a great college.
 
As others have said, work on the SATs!!
You have to have a better score, especially on math. Academies insist that math scores be above 610, go for at least 650. If you are in pre-calc, make sure you spend some time over the summer reviewing algebra and geometry. The SAT tests them, not trigonometry and higher. My advice for the math section, make sure you think logically and don't skip around. Also, if you have problems with formulas, remember that there are a bunch at the beginning of each math section, so make sure you get familiar with them. For reading, just up your vocabulary, it is the most helpful, and as it is nearly impossible to know every word in the English language, learn common Greek and Latin roots, and then work on identifying them in words so that you can discover the meaning. To up a writing score, I actually recommend reading! By reading you are constantly seeing correct grammar and more vocabulary in context. Don't read trashy books, get a couple of classics and read them over the summer. They don't have to be wicked hard, but you should push yourself to a higher reading level.
On applying to the academy on the whole:
You are a junior, so you can apply already, and need to start the process now.
The Air Force has a new app that has checklists for each stage; fulfill the requirements! (I am sure you can find some online if you don't have a device that you can get the app on, and I bet a lot are the same as those for Army and Navy)
Look into who you need to get nominations from, and apply for every possible one.
Start a fitness plan that will have you in perfect shape by the time you want to take the CFA. There are some available on the USAFA Admissions page that rate you in a fitness category based on your running speed (http://www.academyadmissions.com/#Page/aerobic_fitness_calculator). These are made to prepare for BCT, but will work to prepare for the CFA too, and have an altitude adjustment for USAFA's height, but the training is helpful.
My brother went through the applications process last year, and I will be next year, so I have been looking stuff up a lot. Good luck!
 
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