Early admission vs regular admission

what’s really the difference between the 2 different periods and what do you suggest I do with my stats. Also I’d one like harder to get in then the other? I’d you don’t get selected first round do you get rolled into regular admissions?

11th grade
Academics :
1460 sat(retake in a week)
4.29 gpa
1/175 class rank
NHS
5 ap classes
Carnegie Mellon Alice challenge winner 2018

sports + extra curricular
basketball
- captain
- 2x section champs
- 4 year varsity member
- 3 year letter winner
track and field
- 2x letter winner
- placed 4th at county meet
- made districts placed 11th
AAU Basektball
overseas community service
part time job
camp leader at basketball clinics
Young kids basketball ref

hopefull2022 said:

what’s really the difference between the 2 different periods and what do you suggest I do with my stats. Also I’d one like harder to get in then the other? I’d you don’t get selected first round do you get rolled into regular admissions?

11th grade
Academics :
1460 sat(retake in a week)
4.29 gpa
1/175 class rank
NHS
5 ap classes
Carnegie Mellon Alice challenge winner 2018

sports + extra curricular
basketball
- captain
- 2x section champs
- 4 year varsity member
- 3 year letter winner
track and field
- 2x letter winner
- placed 4th at county meet
- made districts placed 11th
AAU Basektball
overseas community service
part time job
camp leader at basketball clinics
Young kids basketball ref

Click to expand...

After watching this closely for the last few years, I contend USCGA EA is not for everyone. You however do have solid stats and look like a solid EA applicant - particularly SAT, sports captain, and class rank.

If I am an applicant that would be deemed "AVERAGE" when comparing to prior USCGA class profiles, I would suggest waiting for regular admission. USCGA is quick to hand out full rejections in EA to candidates who are good, but likely AVERAGE. Some students will roll over from EA into RA with a deferred decision, but many students who are later offered SA appointments to other schools are outright rejected in EA.

I contend USCGA is the hardest SA to get into. The math is CRAZY small when you break down their number. Total class size around 300, stated gender goal of women at 50%, stated minority goals.... keep carving and the slots for your gender/demographic get quite small.

Overall, the campus is great and the opportunity for graduates are enormous. I am just one opinion, but I love data and the historic data suggests that only the strongest of candidates should make a run at Early Admissions. Anyone else is better off with Regular Admissions.

300 seats in the full class
18% come from current CGAS prep school scholars
= ~246 seats in the class available to NEW applicants in the admissions cycle

~50% of appointees were selected for AIM, so if you were NOT selected to attend AIM, then half the numbers below for a realistic look at the number of slots you are competing actually for.

Here is a sample of how I would gauge the number of seats and how they likely shake out based on prior data:

Added detail:

Underrepresented Minority (URM)​

The definition of Underrepresented minority is far from being crystal clear. However, the URM designation is relatively consistent among schools. Underrepresented Minority can be defined as a group whose percentage of the population in a given group is lower than their percentage of the population in the country. At Penn State, as well as many colleges and universities, underrepresented minorities are generally considered to include: Hispanic/Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and those of two or more races. International students generally fall into a separate category of their own. (https://agsci.psu.edu/diversity/awareness/definitions)

Class of 2021 (DATED info but publically available):

shiner said:

After watching this closely for the last few years, I contend USCGA EA is not for everyone. You however do have solid stats and look like a solid EA applicant - particularly SAT, sports captain, and class rank.

If I am an applicant that would be deemed "AVERAGE" when comparing to prior USCGA class profiles, I would suggest waiting for regular admission. USCGA is quick to hand out full rejections in EA to candidates who are good, but likely AVERAGE. Some students will roll over from EA into RA with a deferred decision, but many students who are later offered SA appointments to other schools are outright rejected in EA.

I contend USCGA is the hardest SA to get into. The math is CRAZY small when you break down their number. Total class size around 300, stated gender goal of women at 50%, stated minority goals.... keep carving and the slots for your gender/demographic get quite small.

Overall, the campus is great and the opportunity for graduates are enormous. I am just one opinion, but I love data and the historic data suggests that only the strongest of candidates should make a run at Early Admissions. Anyone else is better off with Regular Admissions.

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I definitely only want to get in on my own merit, but would the fact that I’m a female be an important factor for admissions. Especially for choosing between EA and RA.

shiner said:

After watching this closely for the last few years, I contend USCGA EA is not for everyone. You however do have solid stats and look like a solid EA applicant - particularly SAT, sports captain, and class rank.

If I am an applicant that would be deemed "AVERAGE" when comparing to prior USCGA class profiles, I would suggest waiting for regular admission. USCGA is quick to hand out full rejections in EA to candidates who are good, but likely AVERAGE. Some students will roll over from EA into RA with a deferred decision, but many students who are later offered SA appointments to other schools are outright rejected in EA.

I contend USCGA is the hardest SA to get into. The math is CRAZY small when you break down their number. Total class size around 300, stated gender goal of women at 50%, stated minority goals.... keep carving and the slots for your gender/demographic get quite small.

Overall, the campus is great and the opportunity for graduates are enormous. I am just one opinion, but I love data and the historic data suggests that only the strongest of candidates should make a run at Early Admissions. Anyone else is better off with Regular Admissions.

Click to expand...

Thank you for that- DS is applying, however he would be considered "average" and his sport season does not commence until October, which will be his first chance to be elected team captain (his coach does not allow those other than seniors to run for the captain spot- and I'm afraid its a popularity contest rather than who is the best leader with the best intentions). I think for him, the RA timeline is a better application window.

My son got accepted USCG EA (but he ended up at Navy). One of the Admissions LT's recommended he apply for EA. I wouldn't hesitate to ask Admissions ... perhaps you might get an indication like my son did. For what its worth, he was also a good track fit for USCGA...not sure how much that played into it. The other factor is he won the Physical Fitness Award (for men) during his time at AIM. Not bragging...just saying how much physical condition might play a role.

I think you’re a strong candidate for EA based on your published stats (Note - I am just a parent of a current swab so my opinion is just that, MY opinion). I see you’ve got several sports listed. Have you contacted any coaches to discuss recruitment? Having a coach deem you a recruited athlete is not by any means a slam dunk, but it could certainly strengthen an EA (or RA for that matter) application. People who apply EA could get a few different responses. You could be accepted, you could be denied, or you could be rolled over to the RA cycle. So no, you are not automatically considered for RA if you don’t make the EA cut. I can’t remember if they offer CGAS slots straight out of EA, but I’m sure someone wiser will chime in with that info. If you’re competitive for EA, I think it’s a great option. My son applied EA and was accepted. It was so great knowing early! Because the CGA was his first choice school, it meant that he was able to decide not to finish his applications to West Point and the Naval Academy, both of which he’d received congressional nominations for. He was able to instead focus on his civilian school back-up plans (in case of injury or other medical issues). His early application/acceptance also translated into an early referral to DoDMETS. Although he had no issues with anything needing additional records, tests, or waivers, he would have had plenty of time to address those issues had they occurred. Additionally, he had plenty of time to acquire a passport since he didn’t already have one. I also second the advice of reaching out to your AO. My son did exactly that and was encouraged to apply EA. Good luck, whatever you decide!

hopefull2022 said:

I definitely only want to get in on my own merit, but would the fact that I’m a female be an important factor for admissions. Especially for choosing between EA and RA.

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Is it an important factor? No, but it is a factor - particularly as USCGA strives to achieve a class demographic of 50%. However, you are not the only woman applying so you need to look at your application process as competing with all of the other women who are vying for one of those spots. Your stats look great, but others will have very similar stats. Focus on standing out in the areas you can actually control at this point, such as your PFE and your essays.

As to whether you should apply under EA or RA, no one here can tell you the "right' answer. You have to decide for yourself if you feel like you've put together the strongest possible package you can by the EA deadline, or if there are other areas of your application you could strengthen with just a little more time. However, I agree with @Don't Give Up the Ship , contact your Admissions Officer and see what they have to say. Now is the perfect time as AIM/CGAS are slowing winding down and the admissions cycle hasn't quite kicked into full gear.

Females are 40% of the current plebe class, so it doesn't carry the water it did back when women were scarce. But it helps a little.

But I wonder about making too little of the drop back to RA. If you go back to the Stats for Class of 2025 thread we saw this:

corescue59 said:

I was just on a call with other AP and our AO. This is the information we received about the Class of 2025.

2223 applications were submitted

747 early applications were reviewed. 246 were offered appointments and of those 58% attended AIM.

1321 regular applications were reviewed. 147 were offered appointments and of those 55% attended AIM.

Target # for this class is 285.

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That's 33% acceptance for EA and only 11% for RA. I am certain the EA crew included all the sparkly shiniest super candidates at the top of the list, but there are only so many of those and they still went on to accept 60% of the class from that third of the applicants. I'd call Admissions for guidance specific to your case, but if your app isn't going to get much better (ie your GPA can't move much, you already have pretty good test scores, etc) I'd put it in the early box if possible. If you do get a late-arriving honor, like being named captain of a team, you can phone it in to Admissions and they'll stick a note in your folder.

EDIT: And those RA numbers include the prep school kids and all the re-applicants, large groups that claim a decent sized piece of those 147 offers.

StPaulDad said:

Females are 40% of the current plebe class, so it doesn't carry the water it did back when women were scarce. But it helps a little.

But I wonder about making too little of the drop back to RA. If you go back to the Stats for Class of 2025 thread we saw this:


That's 33% acceptance for EA and only 11% for RA. I am certain the EA crew included all the sparkly shiniest super candidates at the top of the list, but there are only so many of those and they still went on to accept 60% of the class from that third of the applicants. I'd call Admissions for guidance specific to your case, but if your app isn't going to get much better (ie your GPA can't move much, you already have pretty good test scores, etc) I'd put it in the early box if possible. If you do get a late-arriving honor, like being named captain of a team, you can phone it in to Admissions and they'll stick a note in your folder.

EDIT: And those RA numbers include the prep school kids and all the re-applicants, large groups that claim a decent sized piece of those 147 offers.

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Many of those EA appointments are recruited athletes. The one who are well qualified academically are instructed to apply EA.

As others have said, I think the main factor is whether you think the extra time will improve your application. If not, then statistically the chances are much better in EA. My daughter submitted EA but continued to email her AO with additional information (like team captain selection, first quarter grades, other significant achievements/selections) until the admissions panel started actually reviewing packets. She had a very strong application to begin with, but her AO said the additional input showed that she was continuing to stay strong during her senior year.

Any suggestions for my stats for EA or RA. Right now the plan is for EA but it’s not carved in stone. By the time I graduate HS I will have

-3 AP classes including AP calc
-3 Duel enrollment classes from local community college
-Lots of honors classes
-4.0 unweighted and 4.25-4.5 weighted depending on how you weight honors classes
-Rank 15-25 out of 550 in my class.
-low SAT score of 1260. (690 math) (570 English). From what I have heard they value math significantly more.
-Attended virtual AIM
-4 year varsity year round swimmer. Not captain and not quite at recruitment level but commided and am optimistic to improve.
-Community service with special Olympics
-Beach lifeguard for 2 years (CPR certified) and knowledge and experience with general first aid

(White male in Florida if that matters)

Justin1235 said:

Any suggestions for my stats for EA or RA. Right now the plan is for EA but it’s not carved in stone. By the time I graduate HS I will have

-3 AP classes including AP calc
-3 Duel enrollment classes from local community college
-Lots of honors classes
-4.0 unweighted and 4.25-4.5 weighted depending on how you weight honors classes
-Rank 15-25 out of 550 in my class.
-low SAT score of 1260. (690 math) (570 English). From what I have heard they value math significantly more.
-Attended virtual AIM
-4 year varsity year round swimmer. Not captain and not quite at recruitment level but commided and am optimistic to improve.
-Community service with special Olympics
-Beach lifeguard for 2 years (CPR certified) and knowledge and experience with general first aid

(White male in Florida if that matters)

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I would weight information from folks who know USCGA better than I, however, all things being equal, I would go RA due to the lower SAT and swimming performance. Good luck!

I read some of your posts and saw that you are being recruited by high level D3 basketball schools. Have you been in touch with USCGA coach? That certainly helps. I will give you my two cents on Early Admission. My DS applied early admissions as a recruited athlete, basketball. His stats were lower than yours. He was deferred to Regular admissions and then received appointment to CGAS which was ultimately what he wanted considering he was late to the game and didn't have the opportunity to attend AIM and is young for his grade level. DO NOT get caught up in just stats. The theme that I heard over and over again throughout all the meetings that we attended was that USCGA is looking for overall individuals not robots and you can't sit and compare stats. The number one advantage to applying EA is that it will get the DODMERB process started earlier. We were told that this year 60% (don't quote me) of appointments offered received a DQ and needed medical waivers. The medical waiver process can take quite some time. If admissions sees you as a qualified candidate in EA but you just don't make the mark for some reason then they will defer you to RA. Whatever path you choose to take, be prepared for a long process and always have a backup plan up until you report. My DS process looked like this. Applied EA which deadline was October 12?, received letter that he was deferred to RA. He received a medical DQ which the medial waiver process will not start until the applicant receives a conditional appointment offer. DS received CGAS conditional appointment offer mid March and then received medical waiver third week of May. He was also highly recruited and had to have some tough conversations with coaches. But it all worked out in the end. I will tell you the same thing I tell my DW, Trust the process. I wish you the best of luck in your process.

As others have said, the best answer is to consult with your Admissions officer, and in the end you will just have to decide RA vs. EA.

@shiner provided you some interesting stats.

A quick point with GPAs: I believe the Academy adjusts to an unweighted GPA to create a uniform comparison across all 50 states, school districts, etc. Whenever I see all these over 4.0 GPAs listed with just average SAT/ACT scores, and no AP scores, I worry a little, especially when choosing between EA and RA cycles. You may feel you are highly qualified and certainly are in your HS, but you are competing nationally. I recommend you see your high school counselor and re-compute your GPA to unweighted and see where you are for a more realistic view.

For example, 5 APs could mean almost anything, but AP Calc BC as a junior with an Grade of A and a 5 on the AP exam clearly shows readiness for engineering level math in college, a plus for admissions. Same with AP Chem and AP Physics Mechanics and AP Physics Electricity and Magnetism which are both calculus based and much more involved than AP Physics 1 & 2 that are not calculus based. The point I am trying to make, is you are competing nationally with all applicants, and in your HS you may have a 4.8 GPA and C+ grade in AP Physics 1, but that will pale in comparison to a 3.9 unweighted GPA with grade of A in AP Physics M and AP Physics E&M. Not all schools have all these classes, but the point is valid, when choosing between EA and RA. You should have above average stats to apply EA.

Do yourself a favor and look at your "numbers" from a national view. That said, I gave an example above of a top academic record, and admissions is much more than academics. But, numbers do matter, so consider your senior class schedule carefully to put you in the best position for applying. You can also submit your December senior grades if they help and other things as covered by @ProudMom7

Difficult to "what are my chances" anyone without seeing the pool of applicants.

"May the odds be ever in your favor"

Good luck!

Haveaniceday said:

As others have said, the best answer is to consult with your Admissions officer, and in the end you will just have to decide RA vs. EA.

@shiner provided you some interesting stats.

A quick point with GPAs: I believe the Academy adjusts to an unweighted GPA to create a uniform comparison across all 50 states, school districts, etc. Whenever I see all these over 4.0 GPAs listed with just average SAT/ACT scores, and no AP scores, I worry a little, especially when choosing between EA and RA cycles. You may feel you are highly qualified and certainly are in your HS, but you are competing nationally. I recommend you see your high school counselor and re-compute your GPA to unweighted and see where you are for a more realistic view.

For example, 5 APs could mean almost anything, but AP Calc BC as a junior with an Grade of A and a 5 on the AP exam clearly shows readiness for engineering level math in college, a plus for admissions. Same with AP Chem and AP Physics Mechanics and AP Physics Electricity and Magnetism which are both calculus based and much more involved than AP Physics 1 & 2 that are not calculus based. The point I am trying to make, is you are competing nationally with all applicants, and in your HS you may have a 4.8 GPA and C+ grade in AP Physics 1, but that will pale in comparison to a 3.9 unweighted GPA with grade of A in AP Physics M and AP Physics E&M. Not all schools have all these classes, but the point is valid, when choosing between EA and RA. You should have above average stats to apply EA.

Do yourself a favor and look at your "numbers" from a national view. That said, I gave an example above of a top academic record, and admissions is much more than academics. But, numbers do matter, so consider your senior class schedule carefully to put you in the best position for applying. You can also submit your December senior grades if they help and other things as covered by @ProudMom7

Difficult to "what are my chances" anyone without seeing the pool of applicants.

"May the odds be ever in your favor"

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Thank you!! For the advice. My school operates on a 4.0 scale and I have a 4.0 unweighted gpa. Some of the tougher classes I took and got an A in would be Ap Physics, Ap Computer Sci, Ap enviro, Ap Econ. I’m taking Ap physics 2 next year as well as Ap calc. But my school is my no means an excellent school. It’s just your slightly above average public school.

One more personal opinion from a parent of the class of 2025 for what it’s worth…. My DD received an LOA and that made it a no brainer, as EA was a requirement condition for accepting the assurance offer.

EA is s a critical decision, with significant risk and reward. Our Overly simplified take away from a lengthy discussion with the Director of Admissions (after DD receiving appointment) was: essentially there’s a group of highly qualified folks that they decide they want to have because they fill a need in the prospective class they are building (lots of factors) these folks will get offered appointments. Then there’s a group that have all the right stuff, and they may get offended or likely deferred to RA which among other things, allows admissions to see the rest of the prospective field and who best fills the remaining needs. Then there’s folks that are missing something or not on the same level as the others and they will not be offender appointments or deferred, their journey for the current application cycle ends. A majority will not be appointed or deferred; however, as others have pointed out, the preponderance of the class of 2025 (probably other years as well) came from EA. The key phrase (and mindset) used was an old boxing (and Current MMA) philosophy of- “you have to beat the champ!” I believe this to be key in how they look at and assess the RA applications for the remaining appointment slots and wait list. So while you can hold off until RA, you’d might want to be sure you are really substantively upping your application, because your going to need something noticeable to get the judge’s decision over folks they currently have their eyes on from EA.

So based on what I know now, I’d definitely suggest playing the odds and going EA if not substantively upping your game and application by RA deadline. Should one of my other daughters wish to apply to CGA, it’s how that decision would turn for us.
Again, just one man’s observation and opinion, nothing more.

This is all great info and appreciated.

My son got an LOA from the USNA last year, but did not receive a nomination and got "cut" at the last possible minute (April 30). He did complete a full application for the USAFA including a nomination, but didn't make it in there either. So this round, he is focusing on the USNA application for nominations and throwing his hat into the USCGA ring as well.

Everyone's insight here will definitely be a benefit to him!

My DD applied EA because her stats were strong against EA official (Objee) quantified stats and her best package was ready. She also got her USCGA medically qualified letter on 09/04 and had a 222 PFE from AIM, with another chance at Genesis (she improved and replaced with 269). There was no reason to wait. I suggest EA if you have nothing major to add, and/or ask your admissions partner for any insight if the dangling accomplishments are major or minor.

I compiled Objee's EA historical stats during my DD's cycle - someone may want to update:

PapiBear said:

One more personal opinion from a parent of the class of 2025 for what it’s worth…. My DD received an LOA and that made it a no brainer, as EA was a requirement condition for accepting the assurance offer.

EA is s a critical decision, with significant risk and reward. Our Overly simplified take away from a lengthy discussion with the Director of Admissions (after DD receiving appointment) was: essentially there’s a group of highly qualified folks that they decide they want to have because they fill a need in the prospective class they are building (lots of factors) these folks will get offered appointments. Then there’s a group that have all the right stuff, and they may get offended or likely deferred to RA which among other things, allows admissions to see the rest of the prospective field and who best fills the remaining needs. Then there’s folks that are missing something or not on the same level as the others and they will not be offender appointments or deferred, their journey for the current application cycle ends. A majority will not be appointed or deferred; however, as others have pointed out, the preponderance of the class of 2025 (probably other years as well) came from EA. The key phrase (and mindset) used was an old boxing (and Current MMA) philosophy of- “you have to beat the champ!” I believe this to be key in how they look at and assess the RA applications for the remaining appointment slots and wait list. So while you can hold off until RA, you’d might want to be sure you are really substantively upping your application, because your going to need something noticeable to get the judge’s decision over folks they currently have their eyes on from EA.

So based on what I know now, I’d definitely suggest playing the odds and going EA if not substantively upping your game and application by RA deadline. Should one of my other daughters wish to apply to CGA, it’s how that decision would turn for us.
Again, just one man’s observation and opinion, nothing more.

Click to expand...

May I ask when your child received the LOA? Was it digital or physical mail?
Thank you.

Justin1235 said:

Any suggestions for my stats for EA or RA. Right now the plan is for EA but it’s not carved in stone. By the time I graduate HS I will have

-3 AP classes including AP calc
-3 Duel enrollment classes from local community college
-Lots of honors classes
-4.0 unweighted and 4.25-4.5 weighted depending on how you weight honors classes
-Rank 15-25 out of 550 in my class.
-low SAT score of 1260. (690 math) (570 English). From what I have heard they value math significantly more.
-Attended virtual AIM
-4 year varsity year round swimmer. Not captain and not quite at recruitment level but commided and am optimistic to improve.
-Community service with special Olympics
-Beach lifeguard for 2 years (CPR certified) and knowledge and experience with general first aid

(White male in Florida if that matters)

Click to expand...

While your SAT scores are on the low side they aren’t going to be any more competitive for RA as the pool expands and there are traditionally fewer appointments. Take this time to improve the things you can ie retake SAT and try the ACT. You should also be working diligently to insure you score as high as possible on the CFA. In the end there is an awful lot more than just grades and scores that go into this decision. What is your proposed major and why? This very point was one of the primary compelling reasons my sons AO sighted as to why he was admitted EA to the class of 2025?as well as the leadership positions he held in his school.