Am I competitive?

A

academyinterested

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Jul 7, 2017
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Hello! I am a junior, female 16, from San Diego, CA. I am applying to usna 2023 and I want to get some feedback on where I need to improve my application
My academics are lower than I hoped for
UW: 3.76
W: 4.12
Estimating top 10-15% of my class of ~500
When I graduate I will have taken 7-8 AP classes and Calc 3
ACT: 32
I have only taken the ACT once so should I take it again to get a better score? Also, will a higher score make up for my low GPA?

School Athletics:
Varsity Athletic Award-3 years 2015, 2016, 2017 Girls Tennis
Hopefully 2018 Tennis Captain
Varsity Athletic Award-3 years 2016, 2017, 2018 Springboard Diving
2018&2019 Springboard Diving Team Captain

Out of School Athletics:
Competitive gymnast- 10 years

Out of School Club Memberships:
BSA Venturing Crew:
Leadership: Vice President of Administration, Vice President of Program, Treasurer, Crew Guide.
Leadership training: Intro to Leadership Skills for Crews, Goal Setting & Time Management, Project Management Training and Mentor Training. Instructor for Intro to Leadership Skills for Crews. CPR Trained.
Certified Instructor for High Ropes Climbing Course

Awards: Venturing Award, Discovery Award, Pathfinder Award, Ranger Rifle Award, Kodiak Award. Working on my Summit Award (equivalent of Eagle Scout for venturing)
Working on the gold medal for the Congressional Award

In School Club Memberships:
National Honor Society
California Scholarship Federation
Teen Korps Club
Vice President of Student Ambassadors Club

Volunteer Work: 388 hours

CFA scores:
I have not taken a complete test (I will when I attend NASS session 3 this summer)
So far I can...
Max pushups
Max sit-ups
Max pull-ups
Mile: ~7:30
B-ball throw: ~55ft
Shuttle run: not sure

I am mainly worried about my GPA dragging me down. I know I can’t change it much. What can I do to make up for it?

Thank you
 
academyinterested said:
...My academics are lower than I hoped for...
...I have only taken the ACT once so should I take it again to get a better score?
...Also, will a higher score make up for my low GPA?...
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that you have a "low GPA", but is certainly on the lower end of things if that's all that was being considered (and you mentioned it twice so you already know this).
Fortunately for you, that's not the only thing that will be driving your application, and USNA will also look at your senior year grades if it comes down to that.
Should you take the ACT again to try for a better score? I believe that if you didn't do a pre-test and/or study the first time around, then yes.
You may also want to look into what your Plan B is (in case you don't get accepted to USNA).
If your Plan B involves NROTC, then you'll want to re-take the ACT with the essay (if you didn't do the essay the first time around).
Regardless, re-taking the ACT (and/or SAT) during your senior year is always a good idea, because a lot of scores go up after another summer and Fall of learning.

As for your extra-curriculars and physical fitness, it is my opinion that you are above average. Max pull ups (7) for a female is uncommon and will probably put you in the top 5%.
Max push-ups (50) and crunches (95) will put you above most applicants, as well. A 7:30 mile is good, but it needs to be a "I can do a 7:30 mile any time I want", rather than "7:30 is my PR".
My question is are these max scores a result of doing the entire CFA from start to finish, or isolated numbers? Doing the entire CFA (in the stated time frame) is quite a workout, and will
have an effect on all scores, especially the mile (which is last).

Being a Venturer is a good thing, and in 2019 with the new changes to BSA there exists the (slim) possibility that you can attain the rank of Eagle before your 18th Birthday.
I say "slim possibility", because the BSA says that they are going to roll out the program in 2019, but the plan is for November and they haven't said anything about whether or not
the work you do (eagle-required merit badges, leadership time, and service project) before that date, will be eligible for the Eagle Scout award.

Captain of the Tennis Team would be a good addition to your Captain-ship of Diving.
You other memberships are good, but just being a member and not being a leader of any of those clubs doesn't make much of a difference.
Continuing your leadership roles in BSA is a good thing to continue.
 
Your GPA by itself is not a necessarily a factor in admissions. You class rank and school profile is much more important. They take the classes available at your school, classes you took and how you preformed compared to others to determine a GPA. This is how the attempt to normalize GPA at 1000s of schools.

If you took the more difficult classes and did pretty well compared to the rest our your class, you will be fine. Being in the top 7% is better than being in the top 15% right. If your school does not provide a class rank, they will use your ACT scores to predict an actual ranking.
Improving your ACT is the fastest way to improve your application. By this time of your high school career, changing your class rank by more than a point may be difficult but re-taking the test and improving a few points can be done.
 
THParent said:
I wouldn't say that you have a "low GPA", but is certainly on the lower end of things if that's all that was being considered (and you mentioned it twice so you already know this).
Fortunately for you, that's not the only thing that will be driving your application, and USNA will also look at your senior year grades if it comes down to that.
Should you take the ACT again to try for a better score? I believe that if you didn't do a pre-test and/or study the first time around, then yes.
You may also want to look into what your Plan B is (in case you don't get accepted to USNA).
If your Plan B involves NROTC, then you'll want to re-take the ACT with the essay (if you didn't do the essay the first time around).
Regardless, re-taking the ACT (and/or SAT) during your senior year is always a good idea, because a lot of scores go up after another summer and Fall of learning.

As for your extra-curriculars and physical fitness, it is my opinion that you are above average. Max pull ups (7) for a female is uncommon and will probably put you in the top 5%.
Max push-ups (50) and crunches (95) will put you above most applicants, as well. A 7:30 mile is good, but it needs to be a "I can do a 7:30 mile any time I want", rather than "7:30 is my PR".
My question is are these max scores a result of doing the entire CFA from start to finish, or isolated numbers? Doing the entire CFA (in the stated time frame) is quite a workout, and will
have an effect on all scores, especially the mile (which is last).

Being a Venturer is a good thing, and in 2019 with the new changes to BSA there exists the (slim) possibility that you can attain the rank of Eagle before your 18th Birthday.
I say "slim possibility", because the BSA says that they are going to roll out the program in 2019, but the plan is for November and they haven't said anything about whether or not
the work you do (eagle-required merit badges, leadership time, and service project) before that date, will be eligible for the Eagle Scout award.

Captain of the Tennis Team would be a good addition to your Captain-ship of Diving.
You other memberships are good, but just being a member and not being a leader of any of those clubs doesn't make much of a difference.
Continuing your leadership roles in BSA is a good thing to continue.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for responding. I have taken the essay on the ACT for back up schools. I am applying for NROTC as a plan B. I have not taken the CFA consecutively, but I am confident I will still max pushups, pull ups, and sit-ups. The only thing I worry about is the mile and running in general. I have been working on this a lot and will continue to do so until NASS and after.
 
USMA 1994 said:
Your GPA by itself is not a necessarily a factor in admissions. You class rank and school profile is much more important. They take the classes available at your school, classes you took and how you preformed compared to others to determine a GPA. This is how the attempt to normalize GPA at 1000s of schools.

If you took the more difficult classes and did pretty well compared to the rest our your class, you will be fine. Being in the top 7% is better than being in the top 15% right. If your school does not provide a class rank, they will use your ACT scores to predict an actual ranking.
Improving your ACT is the fastest way to improve your application. By this time of your high school career, changing your class rank by more than a point may be difficult but re-taking the test and improving a few points can be done.
Click to expand...

This is very eye opening. I am taking several AP classes senior year, which will hopefully make my schedule look difficult. I have always taken Honors or AP in the classes required, except history.
Thank you
 
I would expect that the competition is fierce coming from a Navy oriented region like San Diego, but your record to date is impressive and you will surely be in the mix. The key is keep pushing yourself, working yourself into leadership positions, and most important ..what you do once in the leadership positions. Your Teacher evaluations will be important, you will need them to recognize that you are a leader in the school.

With respect to GPA, the question is what classes pulled you down and what did you do about it in subsequent years ? A few B's in tough classes Freshman /Sophomore year with a strong record after is a better than C or D' s in Math/Science your junior year. At this point, really nothing can be done about the past....look forward and close out strong.

I echo THParent's comments on the Boy Scouts. That is one that will make you stand out, particularly among female candidates. I think you are a year or two early before Eagle is a realistic opportunity, and while I don't know if the Venturing Summit award is "equivalent to Eagle" for Admissions purposes, it is quite an accomplishment in its own regard. I would encourage you to shoot for higher leadership positions, and make sure you emphasize these experiences when writing your personal statement and during your BGO interview. (Personal bias disclosure -- I am an Eagle Scout, and serve on the Board of Directors for the local Boy Scout council, so I love to talk about what candidates learned through Scouting).
 
I think it would be a bare minimum of 18 months from scratch to Eagle (and BoR has to be before 18th birthday). If I recall, it's 4 months minimum after 1st class for Star, 6 months between Star and Life, and 6 months between Life and Eagle. That would be 16 months, plus all the stuff up to 1st Class - not impossible if you just turned 16, however. That would be very cool! My sons are luke warm on co-ed Scouts but I personally think it's a great idea. I remember how the Scandinavian scouts were co-ed at the '75 World Jamboree and I thought the ladies provided a maturity to their troops.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
I would expect that the competition is fierce coming from a Navy oriented region like San Diego, but your record to date is impressive and you will surely be in the mix. The key is keep pushing yourself, working yourself into leadership positions, and most important ..what you do once in the leadership positions. Your Teacher evaluations will be important, you will need them to recognize that you are a leader in the school.

With respect to GPA, the question is what classes pulled you down and what did you do about it in subsequent years ? A few B's in tough classes Freshman /Sophomore year with a strong record after is a better than C or D' s in Math/Science your junior year. At this point, really nothing can be done about the past....look forward and close out strong.

I echo THParent's comments on the Boy Scouts. That is one that will make you stand out, particularly among female candidates. I think you are a year or two early before Eagle is a realistic opportunity, and while I don't know if the Venturing Summit award is "equivalent to Eagle" for Admissions purposes, it is quite an accomplishment in its own regard. I would encourage you to shoot for higher leadership positions, and make sure you emphasize these experiences when writing your personal statement and during your BGO interview. (Personal bias disclosure -- I am an Eagle Scout, and serve on the Board of Directors for the local Boy Scout council, so I love to talk about what candidates learned through Scouting).
Click to expand...

The Bs I got were in Biology H (freshman) , Pre Calc H (sophomore), Spanish 3H(sophomore), and Physics electronics H (junior first semester).
This semester I am shooting for all As and senior year all As.
I will continue leadership positions within my crew.
Thank you
 
ders_dad said:
I think it would be a bare minimum of 18 months from scratch to Eagle (and BoR has to be before 18th birthday). If I recall, it's 4 months minimum after 1st class for Star, 6 months between Star and Life, and 6 months between Life and Eagle. That would be 16 months, plus all the stuff up to 1st Class - not impossible if you just turned 16, however. That would be very cool! My sons are luke warm on co-ed Scouts but I personally think it's a great idea. I remember how the Scandinavian scouts were co-ed at the '75 World Jamboree and I thought the ladies provided a maturity to their troops.
Click to expand...

Boy Scouts have not allowed girls yet if I am correct, just Cub Scouts. Although it would be a huge accomplishment to get the eagle I am only going to focus on the summit.
Thank you
 
academyinterested said:
Boy Scouts have not allowed girls yet if I am correct, just Cub Scouts
Click to expand...

Details of Family Scouting (ie. girls in Cub Scouts) is rolling out now, and think it will be implemented this fall. National Board has approved girls in Boy Scouts, and but roll out (and details) is not scheduled until next year. Ders_Dad is correct, there are minimum time periods to achieve Eagle from scratch.
 
academyinterested said:
Thank you so much for responding. I have taken the essay on the ACT for back up schools. I am applying for NROTC as a plan B. I have not taken the CFA consecutively, but I am confident I will still max pushups, pull ups, and sit-ups. The only thing I worry about is the mile and running in general. I have been working on this a lot and will continue to do so until NASS and after.
Click to expand...

I think your grades are fine! Just don’t slide below what you already have. Like others said focus on your test score. That’s the easiest fix since you already tested well.

NROTC and USNA only look at your Verbal and Math. So in your ACT try to get 36E 35M. This will give you 36 for the ACT. 35E 34M will be 35 ACT. ACT 35 with this breakdown translates to SAT 1600. That’s how NROTC equalize to SAT. Like others said improving your ACT for these 2 sections will get you a perfect test score for the Navy. With Verbal Math 34+ or 1500+ your percentile is 99%. So your class rank bumps to 1%.

Army and Air Force only super score. Army gives you extra points on Reading if you do well on your Writing 9 will bump your Reading to 32, Writing 10-12 to 33-36.

I would also finish Venturing and get your Summit Award! Other than that I think you look great! Like to strongly encourage you to get your ACT Score to the level above. With that you are academically perfect!
 
academyinterested said:
Boy Scouts have not allowed girls yet if I am correct, just Cub Scouts. Although it would be a huge accomplishment to get the eagle I am only going to focus on the summit.
Thank you
Click to expand...

Yah. You will not be able to get Eagle. Get your Summit. Navy has a separate spot on application where you can get a leadership credit for that. Good job!
 
Lets be careful here though as I would guess that every applicant to a service academy is trying to get a 36 on their ACT. You do not need a perfect ACT/SAT score to gain an appointment to one of the service academies. Every high school student should strive to be the best, but a 32 is above the 97 percentile. At your point, you can look at what parts can still be improved. What are your subscores? 35 in Science and a 28 in Math can still give a 32.

You should absolutely look at ways to improve your application, but do not lose sleep at night if your test scores are high enough.
 
Getting your National Award - Congressional Gold Award by this summer is ideal before the Congressional interview. So you can have a real face time with your District Congressional Rep in California. He she will invite you his her office to present you the Medal. My DS met his Congressman and Senator at the US Capitol in DC to receive his Gold Medal last June. My DS is also an Eagle Scout with 12 Eagle Palms, a Summit Scout and served as the Founding President. All these plus other athletics and leadership experience counted towards his maximum leadership points.

I see that you can likewise max out your leadership points. Since you’re a gymnast you can do pull ups no problem. When I was a teen boy I did gymnastics at a girls school because no boy’s gym available. Girls would smoke the boys in pull ups. These little girls ages 10-16 would do 20 pulls ups with ease. No kidding.

With the strengthening work out you do in gymnastics, you can definitely smoke the pull ups, shuttle run, sit ups, and will do very well in push ups.
 
USMA 1994 said:
Lets be careful here though as I would guess that every applicant to a service academy is trying to get a 36 on their ACT. You do not need a perfect ACT/SAT score to gain an appointment to one of the service academies. Every high school student should strive to be the best, but a 32 is above the 97 percentile. At your point, you can look at what parts can still be improved. What are your subscores? 35 in Science and a 28 in Math can still give a 32.

You should absolutely look at ways to improve your application, but do not lose sleep at night if your test scores are high enough.
Click to expand...

Navy only looks at English and Math. Does not look at Science Reading and no Writing. Different form USMA USAFA and AROTC AFROTC Apps! Just went though this with my son.
 
I believe as a California applicant she will need to max out. I am private messaging with many California candidates and most have 1500+ and 33+ ACTs. We have many 35s 1500-1600 in our NY Metro district who did not get Appointments. It’s a steeper competition academically as NY Metro, CA, NVA applicants.
 
USMA 1994 my post is not intended in any ways to discount your advise. Your advise is well respected in a normal competitive landscape. Just want to let applicants know that it will be challenging and no cake walk applying from CA and from other highly competitive districts across America. Getting even one Nomination and competing for an Appointment from highly competitive districts and states will be a battle. You will need every advantage in every criteria to get that Nom and Appointment if you live in highly competitive areas. I have seen throughout the forum getting one Nom from highly competitive districts and states is the norm. If you have service backed Noms then you already have an advantage.
 
USMA 1994 said:
Lets be careful here though as I would guess that every applicant to a service academy is trying to get a 36 on their ACT. You do not need a perfect ACT/SAT score to gain an appointment to one of the service academies. Every high school student should strive to be the best, but a 32 is above the 97 percentile. At your point, you can look at what parts can still be improved. What are your subscores? 35 in Science and a 28 in Math can still give a 32.

You should absolutely look at ways to improve your application, but do not lose sleep at night if your test scores are high enough.
Click to expand...

I got...
Science-34
Reading-32
Math-32
English-31
I am disappointed on my math score and know I can get a higher 30, but English low 30s is good for me. I will take the test again and focus on those two sections.
 
@CrewDad. Your input is valued as well and we are on the same page, I live in Texas where getting a Senatorial nomination is like a Rainbow Unicorn. Navy looking at only Math and English makes the sub-scores even more important. You can have 35s in the two other areas an 28s in Math and English and still have a 32 composite. That 32 will leave you outside looking in most of the time in a competitive district. Part of my answers are always for the OP but also to everyone else who may come along later. Generally speaking somewhere between .1 and .2% of all test takers receive a 36 on the ACT and I would guess a large portion of those are not considering a service academy. To the OP, raising your Math and English score a point or two can help but you also need to focus on the other items. Any district can really become competitive with just one other individual that year.
 
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