Chances of acceptance for self prep

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ROM19

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My DS applied EA and was deferred to regular where he was denied.

He graduated a year early from high school and is finishing up his first year of college. His HS GPA was a 4.4 and his current college GPA is a 4.0, but will probably drop because he is getting a B in physics.

He also just completed his certifications for wild land fire management and will be taking EMTB this summer and volunteering on a search and rescue team as well as for a local fire station.

He will be taking physics 2, calculus 1, and Chemistry 1 and a humanities class in the fall.

He currently participates in MMA three days a week and will be coaching youth football for his second year this fall as well.

What else can he do to shine for the admissions board?
 
I would say the thing that sticks out to me here is why didn't he take at least Calc 1 and Chem 1 this year? Without seeing the full picture, it seems like he sandbagged some of his classes. It's better to get B's or even C's in classes the Academy actually takes an interest in than A's in a class that isn't really useful, at least from an Academy standpoint. The Academy is a STEM school - even for Gov and Management majors - and they like to see STEM on the transcripts of their applicants.
 
I believe you’re right. He took trig/pre-calc in high school as well as chem and A & P.

The question we have is at this point is he on the right track? BTW: he would be a management major.
 
I will disagree with @ekb1398 here a bit. Taking a challenging schedule and doing well is just fine. Missing one course is not the end of the world and having a 3.8 or 4.0 doesn't matter much as well.

What I do not see are test scores and leadership activities. The process is fairly objective. You get so many points for each area. Everyone goes through the same basic process but college re-applicants get a few more points for successfully completing a semester of college course work but it is typically not enough to overcome below average parts of the other areas. Volunteer activities sound good but everyone usually has some and something tells me that having 400 hours gets the same points as having 50 hours in the scoring system.

He needs to work on improving test scores and show more leadership potential through activities.
 
He is planning on retaking the SAT he scored a 1300 and he was a team captain for football. What SAT score should he shoot for?
 
Agreeing but adding to what @USMA 1994 says - I viewed the coaching football more as leadership and less as volunteer work. Realistically, it's both, and he should be selling it as such. With that said, some peer to peer leadership would definitely be a good thing. There might even be something within the fire company. If he goes to an ROTC school, it might be worth joining an ROTC unit or, at the very least, adding some of the various leadership philosophy courses that ROTC offers to his schedule (ROTC courses are open to all students of the school, not just those in ROTC).

I will, however, still maintain my belief that the Academics play some part. If you ask an admissions officer the best way to prepare as a college reapplicant, they say take a course load similar to what a 4/c schedule would look like here at the Academy - which, invariably and regardless of major, looks very similar from Cadet to Cadet with those basic level STEM classes.

Captain of the football team is good, but as a college reapplicant myself, I firmly believe that things in the past (read: high school) matter much less than those in the present, but that's just a hunch. No evidence to back that up. I think 1300 is a good score, but a 1400 would cross that threshold between good and highly competitive, I would say.

I'll also throw out the opinion that essays play a huge role in the admissions process, and that is the one thing here I say from personal experience, coming from part of my reply to another thread a while back about my experience as a reapplicant:

ekb1398 said:
...you never really know what exactly they're looking for. I'll never know, but what I think made the difference for me:
1) My essays. Instead of writing all the BS about what I thought they wanted to hear, I wrote what felt true. My first application, on the question about something you've worked for, I wrote about being a Chief in Sea Cadets. It's true; I did. It's an achievement, ya know? Second time around, I wrote about how I worked my butt off to save money for a beater of a Jeep and then learned to work on cars so I could fix it up just to be able to drive it somewhat reliably because I've always wanted a Jeep.
2) I interviewed.
3) I kept my admissions officer updated.

Like I said, I know it's long-winded, but it's the answer I always give people when they ask the "what should I do to look better?" or "Do I have a chance?" question. The fact of the matter is, you never know.
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Thank you all for your advice. I just found out that he is taking Physics 2 and Pre-Calc 2 over the summer, so he will be taking Chem 1 and Calculus 1 for his STEM classes in the fall.
I also found out that he will be applying EA again and hoping for the that, but plan B is CSPI and Plan C is OCS after graduating from our local university.
 
From what I have seen, the biggest reason why college re applicants do not get in is because they do not improve their ACT/SAT scores. Many people would max the ACT/SAT if they had all the time in the world, because the material is basic 11th grade stuff. The issue is how well can you do in the constrained time period? It is important that you learn test strategies that allow you to more efficiently move through the test. For example, in the math section, most geometry problems use standard triangles like a 3-4-5 or a 30-60-90 right triangles. If you learn how to spot these and memorize some characteristics, then you can skip some calculations and solve the problem faster. The second thing I would recommend is becoming a sports official. In most states there is a shortage of people who are willing to officiate youth sporting events, so they are always looking for new recruits. Sports officiating offers a few advantages. First of all they pay you and the hours are flexible. Second it is the ultimate leadership experience. You are in charge, have to know the rules, and you have to make quick decisions while under pressure from players, coaches, and parents. This is equivalent to the type of pressure that you will see during fourth class year. Also this experience will usually provide a great story of how you had to deal with a troublesome coach, parent, or player. This is great for an essay or interview.
 
billyb said:
I always thought Calc was a prereq for Physics?
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There are two types of college-level physics: algebra based and calculus based. Engineers and most scientists take calc-based, while nurses, some scientists (biologists mainly), and pre-med folks only need the algebra based.
 
I'm pretty sure my DS said there's a cadet graduating this May that self prepped for 3 years before he got in. There are plenty that have 2 years in. Don't give up the dream.
 
Saw a cadet blog from someone who applied 4 times before getting CGAS appointment and is now at CGA. Definitely never give up.
 
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