"Compare Myself" Thread

USMA2016

Appointee - Class of 2016
5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Messages
518
After being on the forums for a few months, I always see those threads like "Am I qualified?", "Can I get in?", or "What are my chances?" (I, too, am guilty myself of starting one of those when I joined). Of course, none of us forum-ers can really answer those questions because we're not the admissions board, so the best we can do is compare ourselves to others.

This brings me to my point.

Would it be appropriate to start a "Compare Myself" Thread where people can post (essentially) their resumes and current status so others who are unsure of where they stack up can see everyone else's statistics and see where their strong points are and where they can improve?

For example, I would post the following in a "Compare Myself" thread:

USMA2016
USMA Candidate '16
USMA SLS Attendee '11

Academics:
GPA: 4.0 (uw) 4.37 (w)
Class Rank: 3/422
SAT: 690 math, 700 reading, 740 writing
ACT: 30 composite, 31 math, 29 english, 35 science, 25 reading
PSAT: 72 math, 64 CR, 67 writing

Athletics:
3 Years Varsity Wrestling, 2 letters
No CFA scores yet

Extra-Curricular:
Boys' State Attendee
Scouting Senior Patrol Leader
Club President
School Band/Chorus Member
National Honor Society Attendee
Church Youth Group Leader
San Diego Hall of Champions - Champions Sports Corps
Pianist, Guitarist, and Cellist
120+ hours of community service as a Piano teacher, peer tutor, and through scouts.


So that's pretty much what a post would look like. To recapitulate, it would eliminate many of the "what are my chances?" threads and give worried candidates a chance to compare themselves against other candidates!

Let me know your thoughts on it; if you think it's a bad idea please don't hesitate to shut the thread down, but if it is a good idea then let's get this started!

Thanks again!
 
and give worried candidates a chance to compare themselves against other candidates!

worried candidates a chance to compare themselves against this posterchild right here.

I'm not going first
 
Candidates can just look at the Class of 2014 statistics on the Admissions website...
 
Since no one seems to want to be the first to post, I'll be the leader and post my credentials.

Applying to: USMA, USNA, USAFA, Drexel University, Penn State, Valley Forge Military College ECP, Army ROTC, NROTC m/o scholarships.

Highschool: Junior, homeschooled in Souderton Area School Distict, Souderton, PA. I plan on taking classes at Montgomery County Community College my senior year. I work a part time job as a cashier at Giant Food Stores.

GPA/SATs: 3.5 GPA, haven't taken SATs yet.

Sports: I ride horses in competions, run, swim, bike, work out daily, ect.

Clubs: PA 4-H member for 8 years and an Ambassador Girl Scout.

Leadership Positions: Officer positions in 4-H clubs (president, VP, secretary), currently working towards earning my Girl Scout Gold Award, captain of quiz bowl teams, chaired and organizied many events/service projects in 4-H and Girl Scouts.

Awards: I'm just going to post a sample of my awards/accomplishments, I have too many to list! You can get the point!). High point Senior Rider at 4-H awards banquet, Region 1 quiz bowl champion, Girl Scout Gold Leadership and Career Award, community service awards, ect.


Please feel free to message me with any questions! Hope this helps!

P.S. I'm just as anxious and all you other future cadets/midshipman!
 
After being on the forums for a few months, I always see those threads like "Am I qualified?", "Can I get in?", or "What are my chances?" (I, too, am guilty myself of starting one of those when I joined). Of course, none of us forum-ers can really answer those questions because we're not the admissions board, so the best we can do is compare ourselves to others.

This brings me to my point.

Would it be appropriate to start a "Compare Myself" Thread where people can post (essentially) their resumes and current status so others who are unsure of where they stack up can see everyone else's statistics and see where their strong points are and where they can improve?

For example, I would post the following in a "Compare Myself" thread:

USMA2016
USMA Candidate '16
USMA SLS Attendee '11

Academics:
GPA: 4.0 (uw) 4.37 (w)
Class Rank: 3/422
SAT: 690 math, 700 reading, 740 writing
ACT: 30 composite, 31 math, 29 english, 35 science, 25 reading
PSAT: 72 math, 64 CR, 67 writing

Athletics:
3 Years Varsity Wrestling, 2 letters
No CFA scores yet

Extra-Curricular:
Boys' State Attendee
Scouting Senior Patrol Leader
Club President
School Band/Chorus Member
National Honor Society Attendee
Church Youth Group Leader
San Diego Hall of Champions - Champions Sports Corps
Pianist, Guitarist, and Cellist
120+ hours of community service as a Piano teacher, peer tutor, and through scouts.


So that's pretty much what a post would look like. To recapitulate, it would eliminate many of the "what are my chances?" threads and give worried candidates a chance to compare themselves against other candidates!

Let me know your thoughts on it; if you think it's a bad idea please don't hesitate to shut the thread down, but if it is a good idea then let's get this started!

Thanks again!

Based on what I saw here last year during LOA season, you will have a great shot. Ensure you get your file done as early as possible. There are some requirements that must be in in order to be looked at for an LOA. I do not know what those are but your Admissions Officer should. Contact him or her to find out. Some of the more senior commenters here might know as well. I would aim for file complete by early August.
 
Based on what I saw here last year during LOA season, you will have a great shot. Ensure you get your file done as early as possible. There are some requirements that must be in in order to be looked at for an LOA. I do not know what those are but your Admissions Officer should. Contact him or her to find out. Some of the more senior commenters here might know as well. I would aim for file complete by early August.

Some things that might help. Eagle Scout..National Honor Society Pres. or VP, work experience, multi club pres or vp..just to name a few
 
Evaluations

It is always confusing why one candidate gets in and others do not with similar GPA's, Class standing, SAT scores, activities, etc.
I sat on the selection board at West Point for two years and I can give you a little insight why it is so difficult to compare candidates on the internet. There are three important inputs considered by the selection committee whose results are NOT KNOWN by the candidates and their parents. These are:
1. Teachers Evaluations
2. Interview Results
3. Grades for the three papers you submitted (why do you want to go to West Point etc.)
It seems that almost everyone THINKS their interview went well, their teachers gave rave reviews and their papers were top-notch. In fact that is not the case. These evaluations often vary GREATLY between candidates. In many cases these three elements "break ties" between candidates with similar records.
 
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Compare

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Hey guys, im hoping to go to West Point in 2016 and I want to know how i stand.
SAT Score-math-560 reading-630 Writing- 470(I know i need to improve this but i am horrible at writing essays).I also plan on getting my math at least to average and reading above average.
Varsity letter in Cross Country x3 Wrestling x2 Track x2 and recieved All-conference in Wrestling and Track. Coachs award in Track.
Ive been in Key club for 2 years and ill be senior director next year and ive beein in American Red cross for 1 year, ROTC Member for 2 years and recieved Drill Cadet of Semester.
Thanks, and you can be critical
My GPA Weighted is 3.8 and im 27 out of 79 but i will be close to 4.0 by end of semester and hopefully in teens
 
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Hey guys, im hoping to go to West Point in 2016 and I want to know how i stand.
SAT Score-math-560 reading-630 Writing- 470(I know i need to improve this but i am horrible at writing essays).I also plan on getting my math at least to average and reading above average.
Varsity letter in Cross Country x3 Wrestling x2 Track x2 and recieved All-conference in Wrestling and Track. Coachs award in Track.
Ive been in Key club for 2 years and ill be senior director next year and ive beein in American Red cross for 1 year, ROTC Member for 2 years and recieved Drill Cadet of Semester.
Thanks, and you can be critical
My GPA Weighted is 3.8 and im 27 out of 79 but i will be close to 4.0 by end of semester and hopefully in teens

Try the ACT.
 
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Hey guys, im hoping to go to West Point in 2016 and I want to know how i stand.
SAT Score-math-560 reading-630 Writing- 470(I know i need to improve this but i am horrible at writing essays).I also plan on getting my math at least to average and reading above average.
Varsity letter in Cross Country x3 Wrestling x2 Track x2 and recieved All-conference in Wrestling and Track. Coachs award in Track.
Ive been in Key club for 2 years and ill be senior director next year and ive beein in American Red cross for 1 year, ROTC Member for 2 years and recieved Drill Cadet of Semester.
Thanks, and you can be critical
My GPA Weighted is 3.8 and im 27 out of 79 but i will be close to 4.0 by end of semester and hopefully in teens
USMAHopeful!, you want to know how to improve writing? WRITE!!!
My first SAT, I got a 5 on the essay...I wrote an essay a day after that, and got a 10 on the third time I took it. Buckle down and write under realistic SAT conditions. As much as possible. Good Luck!
 
Applied USAFA, USMA, USNA, and USCGA.
Rejected: USAFA, USMA, USNA (still have not heard back from the USCGA)
Accepted: 2011 USAFA Summer Seminar
Current senior, will most likely be reapplying next year.

Academics:
GPA: 4.75 unweighted, 3.84 weighted.
Ranked 36/289
ACT: Math 34, English 30, Reading 30, Science 27
Have taken all honors with 4 AP classes.

Athletics:
1 Year JV Soccer
2 Varisty Letters: Track (Team Captain)
1 Varsity Letter: Cross Country
CFA: 75 Pushups, 95 Situps, 6:55 Mile Run, 18 Pullups, 60ft. Basketball Throw, 8.8 sec Shuttle Run.

Clubs/Leadership:
2 Years Army JROTC
1 Year Company Commander (in command of 23 cadets, a full class)
2 Years National Technical Honor Society (Vice President)
1 Year National Honor Society
2 Years Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society)
Over 100 hours of community service.
Currently taking Engineering course at local college, have done several projects with the University of Alabama in Huntsville, several of them have small leadership roles.
 
My daughter received an appointment to West Point in January. We are thrilled and we feel very lucky as the competition for admission to West Point is as tough as it gets. We are from Maine and even though her resume is extremely strong in all aspects, she would likely not have been admitted had we lived in another more competitive district. Maine does not have very many applicants for West Point. Hopefully her stats will help some of you out:

98.6 GPA taking all honors along with 6 AP courses
SATs: 710 Reading, 660 Math, 660 Writing
SLS Attendee
4 Yrs Varsity Ski Team, Captain; 3 Years Varsity Soccer, Captain, 2 Years Varsity Lacrosse
NHS
Student Council Class Rep
Student Council Treasurer
Womens Literary Union Nominee
Model UN Team

This is not everything but gives an overview.
 
Going to apply to USMA and USNA

Academics:
On a weird 4.6 scale weighted GPA: 4.76 (I don't know how to convert it's weird)
Class Rank: 3/469
Math Honor Society, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society
All Honors and AP Classes
Junior Year AP: AP English Language and Composition, AP Biology, AP United States History II
Intended Senior Year AP: AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP English Literature and Composition

SAT
Math: 700
Reading: 700
Writing: 610

Co-Founder and President of Aid For Military Club, officer of Allies with Africa, and participate in other clubs.

Athletics:
Varsity Tennis for 4 years (first singles all four years). Will be captain for two years (Junior and Senior years)
Varsity Track and Field for Javelin and Discus (will be 3 years because I started in my Sophomore year)

Volunteer at Raritan Bay Medical Center
Going to find employment for summer
 
Attending WP come this June :)

3.97 UW GPA
5 AP Classes with 4 additional Honors classes
1900 SAT
29 ACT

ASB Treasurer
Link Crew Leadership Team
National Honor Society President
Salt and Light Leadership Team (Club)

4 Softball Letters - Captain, Coach's Award, Honorable Mention All-Conference
3 Soccer Letters - Most Improved (2009), MVP (2010), 2nd Team All-Conference
Travel soccer since age 10
Head Coach for Kindergarten boys' soccer team


Many, many volunteer hours

Part-time employee at local drugstore

Good luck to everyone!
 
Applied USAFA, USMA, USNA, and USCGA.
Rejected: USAFA, USMA, USNA (still have not heard back from the USCGA)
Accepted: 2011 USAFA Summer Seminar
Current senior, will most likely be reapplying next year.

Academics:
GPA: 4.75 unweighted, 3.84 weighted.
Ranked 36/289
ACT: Math 34, English 30, Reading 30, Science 27
Have taken all honors with 4 AP classes.

Athletics:
1 Year JV Soccer
2 Varisty Letters: Track (Team Captain)
1 Varsity Letter: Cross Country
CFA: 75 Pushups, 95 Situps, 6:55 Mile Run, 18 Pullups, 60ft. Basketball Throw, 8.8 sec Shuttle Run.

Clubs/Leadership:
2 Years Army JROTC
1 Year Company Commander (in command of 23 cadets, a full class)
2 Years National Technical Honor Society (Vice President)
1 Year National Honor Society
2 Years Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society)
Over 100 hours of community service.
Currently taking Engineering course at local college, have done several projects with the University of Alabama in Huntsville, several of them have small leadership roles.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you not get in?! did you complete your file late or what?
 
If you don't mind me asking, how did you not get in?! did you complete your file late or what?

He could have come from a competitive district, his congressman could have had a competitive slate, late app, other unknown possibility. There are a million ways as to how someone could not get accepted. Good luck if you apply next year though Germanican Kid!
 
Applying to USMA & USNA C/O 2016
3.65 unweighted GPA. 4.1 Weighted.
Our school/district doesn't rank.
Various Honors & AP Classes.
SAT: CR 770 W 800 M 800

Class Council Member & Vice President
DECA Officer
Tutor Math, Chem, Physics, Lit without pay at my school for hours. 100+
3 Year Key Club Member
Will Lifeguard over the summer.
Small group leader at church & a Godfather.

4 Year Wrestling & Captain.
MAX CFA with exception to basketball toss and shuttle run. (working on it :D)

Accepted to both USMA SLS & USNA SS.
 
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If you don't mind me asking, how did you not get in?! did you complete your file late or what?

I did have 9 people from my congressional district apply. Only 1 got in. I had a nomination from JROTC and the congressman. I'm thinking perhaps my academics are high, but not high enough, I'm just below the 15th percentile for my class.
 
and no, I did not get my file in late. It took me longer than the recommended 45 days due to teacher recommendations during the summer, but I had it completed by 1SEP10.
 
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