Tardies....

sm3316

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Mar 16, 2016
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Will 8 tardies first semester of my junior year affect me a lot? I had a few football practices in the morning that ran late but my teacher still gave me a tardy.
 
Do they show up on your final transcript? Are you going to ask for a recommendation from your football coach? That would be the only ways that the SA would know. Being on time is important in the military. Whether or not it will affect you depends on the rest of your application.
 
Well my football coach will be one of my letters. You can sort of tell that it was just one semester because the rest of my high school career there has been maybe a total of 4 but for 1st semester I had a lot because I had a class that started 15 minutes early
 
I really doubt that it comes up. It only will if one of your references brings it up.
 
Why would you submit a letter of rec from your football coach? I'm being serious. It is very unlikely that your coach can add anything that your teachers can't comment on. If you are interested in varsity football or lightweight football at USNA, your coach (or you) should contact the Navy coach for that sport. Other than that, the LOR from the coach is likely a waste of your time . . . and his.
 
Why would you submit a letter of rec from your football coach? I'm being serious. It is very unlikely that your coach can add anything that your teachers can't comment on. If you are interested in varsity football or lightweight football at USNA, your coach (or you) should contact the Navy coach for that sport. Other than that, the LOR from the coach is likely a waste of your time . . . and his.

I disagree with an LOR from a coach being a waste of time for both parties. A good coach of a team sport will see the applicant in more situations of leadership than any high school classroom teacher. What are you going to "lead" in a math class?

DD had her high school softball coach write an LOR for one of the "other" categories. Her coach gave her a copy, which DH and I read. It was one of the most honest, eloquent, and professional LORs I have ever seen. She was and is to this day, one of the most influential persons in DD's life, especially when it comes to how to handle adversity and be a true sportsman/woman regardless of how the other team, umpires, teammates, parents, etc. are acting during games or practices.

BTW - DD received and accepted an appointment in February to USAFA....with this LOR.
 
BTW - DD received and accepted an appointment in February to USAFA....with this LOR.
A sample size of 1 isn't very meaningful.

I disagree with an LOR from a coach being a waste of time for both parties. A good coach of a team sport will see the applicant in more situations of leadership than any high school classroom teacher. What are you going to "lead" in a math class?

For the USNA application there is no option on the candidate portal to submit an LOR from a coach. If USNA actually cares about a coach's LOR and they give applicants points for having good LOR's from coaches, why wouldn't USNA ask applicants for LOR's from there coaches?
 
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Why would you submit a letter of rec from your football coach? I'm being serious. It is very unlikely that your coach can add anything that your teachers can't comment on. If you are interested in varsity football or lightweight football at USNA, your coach (or you) should contact the Navy coach for that sport. Other than that, the LOR from the coach is likely a waste of your time . . . and his.
My coach happens to be my history teacher too
 
USNA also asks for LOR's outside of the Math/English instructor. My DD used her vball coach and a family friend that is also an O6 and a USNA graduate

The coach can and did speak to many attributes including dealing with adversity, hard work, team goals before personal goals, leadership by example etc

It is clearly very important to SAs that the applicant participate in sports - not hard to accept SAs value what a coach might have to say if asked to provide one of the 2 additional LORs
 
USNA doesn't ask for a recommendation from a history teacher. They ask for a recommendation from a math teacher from you junior or senior year as well as an English teacher from your junior or senior year.
why wouldn't USNA ask applicants for LOR's from there coaches?

Here's hoping your English teacher doesn't grade to heavily on spelling and grammar. S/B "their"
 
While USNA doesn't specifically ask for LOR from sources other than math and English teachers, that doesn't mean that securing additional sources isn't advisable.

One caveat: make sure the people you ask to submit can provide information about you that isn't available elsewhere in your application. What can your football coach tell the folks in admissions that they can't learn from what's already been provided?If he's just regurgitating existing information, the LOR won't serve a purpose. For example, DS (a soon to be plebe) provided 3 added letters: a coach, a current Navy captain (and USNA alumnus), and a president of a nonprofit where he volunteered. Each provided unique insight about different parts of his character.

I cannot attest that these LOR were difference makers. That said, they certainly didn't hurt.
 
For the USNA application there is no option on the candidate portal to submit an LOR from a coach. If USNA actually cares about a coach's LOR and they give applicants points for having good LOR's from coaches, why wouldn't USNA ask applicants for LOR's from there coaches?

If true - if USNA expressly does not want coach recommendations - I would say that reflects poorly on the academy's evaluation process. Mere participation in sports, even sports honors such as MVP or All-Conference selection, do not necessarily reflect the student's leadership, character, or qualities as a team player.

Teachers can definitely offer insight into personality or aptitude beyond what is reflected in grades and standardized tests, but probably little on leadership. I think there's room for all different kinds of LORs.

Will 8 tardies first semester of my junior year affect me a lot?
I'd love to hear from a knowledgeable source if the AC would really give a ratsbehind about a few tardies of a 17 year old boy. If so, I'd say they've strayed far off track.
 
[QUOTE="I'd love to hear from a knowledgeable source if the AC would really give a ratsbehind about a few tardies of a 17 year old boy. If so, I'd say they've strayed far off track.[/QUOTE]

I concur.

However, I saw on one MOC's teacher recommendation form: "How many tardies does this applicant have?" So apparently tardies are important to that MOC.
 
USNA would only care about 'tardies' if and only if (IFF) it was indicative of a broader disciplinary issue(s)

They certainly value LORs that are meaningful by adding to the discussion

It is highly recommended to not submit more than 2 additional LORs.
 
My son's coach also happened to be his PE coach who happened to be the one that administered the fitness part of the application and that LOR.

OP posted that football was the reason he was late not the class he was late to.

I wouldn't worry to much about it SM3316, just try to keep from having an more if you can. My son had a few tardies, a couple classes show up as truant (bookkeeping error that was difficult to correct, while participating in a sport) and a few unexcused absences (did you know college visits are unexcused? So are interviews with MOC's). Didn't seem to be an issue, he received an appointment.
 
Again...official guidance:
Additional letters of recommendation are not required for admission to the United States Naval Academy. Our application for admission already includes the requirement for written input from your math and English teachers, counselor and Blue & Gold Officer. This input provides us with more than enough information to make a determination on behalf of each candidate. Additional letters of recommendation will only be meaningful if they are provided by someone who has observed you for a long period of time and can provide information about your overall qualities that is not already provided in other parts of the application file. For example, a letter from an official who has had direct observation of your participation in an activity and/or performance in a leadership position may be helpful to the Admissions Board.

When considering an additional LOR...you need to ask yourself if you meet the above criteria. If the information being provided isn't going to shed new light (i.e. someone else reiterating how great you are)...don't send it in. Notice how Admissions said they already have enough information; sending in an additional LOR should be the EXCEPTION...not the rule!
 
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