AFJROTC vs. PE

FutureCadet12

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Oct 8, 2015
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For freshman year, I am deciding between doing AFJROTC and PE. The dilemma here is that for AFJROTC, I only get one PE credit if I take it for three semesters. However, if I take PE, I get the credit for only two semesters. I want to be able to take as many classes as possible in high school to challenge myself, and I just don't know if AFJROTC is worth it. Do you think it's fine if I just take 5 core classes plus AFJROTC or will I need to take a 0th/7th hour? I am hoping to get accepted to USNA/USMA.

Thanks!
 
JROTC looks good on an Academy application, for the leadership positions that the org holds, but that won't be your sole ticket in.

You need to focus on having a high GPA, scoring well on your SAT/ACT, and have a high physical fitness. Join a sports team at your school, perform well, get strong, and strive for a leadership position on that team.

If you are in BSA, achieve Eagle Scout. That's prime for good community service.
 
If the AFJROTC is a distinguished unit, the PNS can provide you with a nomination to any of the academies if he/she so chooses. My DD was in JROTC and received her nomination by that means allowing her to have her offer of appointment by the first week of October rather than having to wait and apply for a nomination from her congressman or one of our senators.
 
My DD was in JROTC and received her nomination by that means allowing her to have her offer of appointment by the first week of October rather than having to wait and apply for a nomination from her congressman or one of our senators.

For any candidates in JROTC...applying for a JROTC nomination IS NOT ENOUGH! Approximately 20 total appointments can be charged to JROTC...you may or might not hear about an appointment early on in the process (as did bman's DD), so if that is the only nomination you apply for and there are 20 other candidates that USNA wants to use those appointments for, then it is pretty much the end of the road. APPLY FOR ALL NOMINATIONS!

bman did your DD receive an LOA? It might explain why the appointment was offered very early, presuming the nomination was the only requirement left. It is also possible your DD would not have been notified of an LOA if the nomination was received around the same time an "LOA" decision was made.
 
Thank you all for your responses. So it sounds like I should take JROTC for all 4 years of high school. Do you think I should be fine if I just take 5 core classes (English, math, science, history, foreign language) besides JROTC or should I take another 0th/7th hour?
 
I suggest you take the 5 core classes in either a pre-AP or advanced setting to prepare you for the Academy. With that extra time, I would enroll in athletics like volleyball, gymnastics, or cheerleading to gain strength, speed, and provide some more leadership opportunities for your application. Remember it is a complete person profile being used in the admission process.

Grades, physical fitness, community service, and leadership are all being evaluated. If you are weak in one area, compensate for it in another area. Do well on your interview in your senior year and take good connections with your teachers for references.

Good luck kid.
 
bman did your DD receive an LOA? It might explain why the appointment was offered very early, presuming the nomination was the only requirement left. It is also possible your DD would not have been notified of an LOA if the nomination was received around the same time an "LOA" decision was made.

I didn't mean to imply that candidates should not apply to all nomination sources. DD applied to all nomination sources, but once she had an offer of appointment she contacted the other sources to withdraw her applications. She did not have an LOA, but had her application in by the last week of September and it must have timed to be right before the next board met.
 
I suggest you take the 5 core classes in either a pre-AP or advanced setting to prepare you for the Academy. With that extra time, I would enroll in athletics like volleyball, gymnastics, or cheerleading to gain strength, speed, and provide some more leadership opportunities for your application. Remember it is a complete person profile being used in the admission process.

Grades, physical fitness, community service, and leadership are all being evaluated. If you are weak in one area, compensate for it in another area. Do well on your interview in your senior year and take good connections with your teachers for references.

Good luck kid.

Thank you! Athletics will be a tough area for me since I injured my shoulder from swim a while ago (For those who have suffered a shoulder injury, they know how difficult it is to rehab it), but I will make it! Academically, should I take one AP class (particularly AP Human Geo) in freshman year or should I just take a few honors classes instead?
 
You should think about a longer-term plan for your four years of academics - not just a year-at-a-time. As you can see from even a simple search of the threads here, there is no formula for courses to take to get you into USNA except a very general one: take four years of math and English, take as much science as you can, take "challenging" courses. It's the "challenge" that's the sticky idea. For some, AP courses are good ideas for many reasons: you can take the AP exam and potentially earn college credit. (Although college credits do NOT transfer to USNA or other service academies, high AP scores can help you validate courses and get into the next course in the sequence.) The thing is, USNA does not expect kids to take AP, because not all high schools offer them. And they don't know, just looking at your transcript, whether your school offers them. So the admissions board can't look at your transcript and say "s/he should have taken AP calculus instead of honors math analysis!"

Some kids might do fine in AP courses during their freshman year of HS. Others might do better taking honors courses their freshman year and picking up an AP or two their sophomore year. By your senior year, you should plan for the most advanced English and math (dual-enrollment, AP or honors, as your school allows), plus other advanced courses. Then work backward from that and figure out what you have to take each year.

As for athletics, maybe consider a sport like cross country and/or track that would give you evidence of athletic ability without aggravating your shoulder for now, if your doc approves.
 
I suggest you take the 5 core classes in either a pre-AP or advanced setting to prepare you for the Academy. With that extra time, I would enroll in athletics like volleyball, gymnastics, or cheerleading to gain strength, speed, and provide some more leadership opportunities for your application. Remember it is a complete person profile being used in the admission process.

Grades, physical fitness, community service, and leadership are all being evaluated. If you are weak in one area, compensate for it in another area. Do well on your interview in your senior year and take good connections with your teachers for references.

Good luck kid.

Thank you! Athletics will be a tough area for me since I injured my shoulder from swim a while ago (For those who have suffered a shoulder injury, they know how difficult it is to rehab it), but I will make it! Academically, should I take one AP class (particularly AP Human Geo) in freshman year or should I just take a few honors classes instead?

I would take one AP class in the beginning to see if I could handle the coursework before signing up for multiple AP courses at the same time. Remember, AP courses are college courses that you are taking in high school. Start with one, and if you can handle it, sign up for more. Do well on the AP exam's also.
 
Agree with LongAgoPlebe on thinking through your senior year classes and working backwards. AP classes in core subjects are good, but AP classes in other areas are likely not much help. For instance, my DD's school offered AP Music Theory which would not have been much help to her. I would recommend taking the most rigorous classes you can handle in the core areas. In the area of Social Studies, AP US History, World History, or European History are helpful - AP Human Geo is questionable.
Also, I believe the Academy counts the JROTC PT team as an athletic team. My DD went this route. She was captain of the PT team and did very well at drill meets and at the state level, providing both team leadership as well as keeping her in shape physically. It also prepared her well for the PRT on her academy application.
 
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