Extracurricular questions:

Joined
Jul 18, 2018
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I just wonder if my son has so few activities on his extracurricular side:
  1. Sport: water polo only in ODP. He can run well but not world champion, he can sit up, lift up, etc but he doesn’t go to the gym. He plays water polo daily since elementary.
  2. Leadership: he has been with Sea Cadet/Navy Cadet since 10 years old. He is only training every summer. He can make people believe whatever he says so easy. He doesn’t go to any national school for it, just learnt from YouTube. He can make friends with people at any age so quick.
  3. STEAM: he knows how to code but that is it.
  4. Volunteer: library to help Spanish kids. Nursing home to help old people.
  5. Foreign language: Spanish Biliteracy, Chinese Bilingual, Korean beginner.
He wants to apply to Army Service Academy. What should he add in to help him raise up his application regarding all those extracurricular activities?
 
Sounds like your son is doing everything right. Keep up the sports. I assume he has a good GPA, class rank, SAT/ACT scores. Most posters will recommend Boys State.

He can make people believe whatever he says so easy.

I have one of those. Make sure he doesn't start to believe his own press.

Most important, he should talk to Junior officers and decide if the Military is really something he wants. I promise there will be times when he questions what he got into.
 
So far, so good. Make sure the leadership experience translates into “impact,” not just titles held or hours worked. West Point and the other academies want evidence that you left a legacy in your organizations and/or community. Quality over quantity. Did you solve problems, overcome obstacles, leave things in better shape than you found them. Be able to tell a good story of that impact, in both essays and interviews, for both nomination and appointment. Best wishes.
 
Sounds like your son is doing everything right. Keep up the sports. I assume he has a good GPA, class rank, SAT/ACT scores. Most posters will recommend Boys State.
Sport is a big part of his life so he will keep up with it for sure. Do you think he should drop off anything on his extracurricular list and add on something else besides Boys State?
Yes, we have some more years. I am thinking about Civil Air Patron but I don’t know if it is the same as Sea Cadet?


I have one of those. Make sure he doesn't start to believe his own press.
He is kind of carefully finding out about truth before leading people. He will learn about Pros & Cons. He only trusts me if I give him fully info.
The worse thing about him is being laid back until someone bothers him or challenges his ego. People challenge him with something really cool then he will raise to the top.

Most important, he should talk to Junior officers and decide if the Military is really something he wants. I promise there will be times when he questions what he got into.

His grandpa was in Air Force/NASA career. He got to talk about it since he was a little kid.
Yes, you are right. He needs to talk more.
 
Sea Cadets is Navy lean while Civil Air Patrol is AF similar. Both achieve the same sort of goals. Choose that which is most passionate about.
 
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