Need Advice

HunterElite

HunterElite

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Sep 1, 2016
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Currently I'm a junior in high school and am preparing to take the sat. I run cross country and track. I have a letter in cross country and academics. I have applied to join the national academic honor society. I have a 3.9 GPA and have taken multiple aps. I have also done charity work through united way and the salvation army. I need advice, I'm currently in the young republican club at my school and don't like it very much. Does dropping it make me less competitive for admission? Also I can't apply for the naval academy till April of this year according to the website, when should I seek and nomination and how do I obtain one?
 
Read every drop down and link on USNA.edu

Determine what nominations you are eligible for.

Go to your elected representatives' websites and research their nomination information and application instructions.

Read the Nominations sticky here on SAF.

Build a timeline and action checklist.

Use the Search function using "chance me" and "stats" to find threads in individual service academy forums that show what successful and unsuccessful candidates put together.

Demonstrate the initiative and effort to research existing resources and references to gain answers, as would be expected of an aspiring officer candidate.
 
Dropping a club you don't enjoy is not an issue. If you're asking whether you must be a Republican to join the military, the answer is absolutely not. The military has members of many diverse political views.

You should be able to demonstrate leadership. One way is to lead a club. You can be a team captain, active in an organization outside of school and/or find an event in or out of school that you can run/manage/lead. It is ALWAYS easier to pick something about which you are passionate in terms of leading. There is no "right" or "wrong" activity, provided the activity is legal and not way out there. So, being the president of the "Legalizing Marijuana Use" club/organization probably isn't the best option.:)
 
usna1985 said:
You should be able to demonstrate leadership.
Click to expand...

I agree, if you can't clearly describe what you did or accomplished in some ECA/club, then it probably won't help your application. If a h.s. club just has 'lots of meetings' where get together and just talk about something, that really isn't an example of leadership. Dropping a club that isn't a good use of your time can be a way to free up time for others things that will be of value to your application.
 
Is it true that having more activities (clubs, varsity sports) in your freshman and sophomore years doesn't carry as much weight as doing a lot in your junior or senior years?
 
It's not volume -- it's commitment. It's better to have one or two activities that you carry through for 4 years than be a member of 10 clubs in any year. Leadership isn't as expected in freshman and sophomore years and people often join a lot of clubs to figure out what they really like. For those who can't have continuity for some reason (i.e., moves). By your jr. and sr. years, you should be leading an ongoing activity.

If you're not the type to be elected a leader, go out into the community and find a project you can create and/or lead. Start with what interests you (kids, animals, the elderly, farming, music -- the world is your oyster. Then figure out how you can lead an activity -- or come up with one of your own.
 
My DS (now 2020 Plebe) school clubs select the club's leadership positions the end of the previous year, so opportunities were few to none when being a new member of a club. His solution...he started a new club. This actually resulted in more documented leadership and he was the founding president (plank holder :)). Sports team captains were "elected" popularity contests within each team. His solution, be the unofficial captain by acting the part and being an excellent team member - being first to practices and last to leave, helping everyone, finding and leading fundraising opportunities, etc. These efforts were recognized by his team, coaches, parents, and administrators, and the press. Be the best person you can be, strive to live this everyday.
 
Also, keep in mind that leadership is about doing more than being. Thus, when a candidate tells me he/she is club president, team captain, etc., I always ask, "What do you do in that position?"

You'd be amazed the number of times the candidate says, "Nothing" or "Not much."

Leadership isn't merely a popularity contest (as Disco so correctly stated). Being in a leadership position doesn't make you a leader. Figure out what you can do in the position to make your club, team, organization, or event better. And be prepared to describe it to your BGO, MOC nom committee, etc.
 
usna1985 said:
Also, keep in mind that leadership is about doing more than being. Thus, when a candidate tells me he/she is club president, team captain, etc., I always ask, "What do you do in that position?"

You'd be amazed the number of times the candidate says, "Nothing" or "Not much."

Leadership isn't merely a popularity contest (as Disco so correctly stated). Being in a leadership position doesn't make you a leader. Figure out what you can do in the position to make your club, team, organization, or event better. And be prepared to describe it to your BGO, MOC nom committee, etc.
Click to expand...

Super, super good points here.
 
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