My son, a sophomore in Northern Virginia, is obsessed with getting into VMI. He loves the military, we've had soldiers in every generation in our family, and I frankly believe he would flourish there...if he can get in.
I'm looking for gritty, frank advice on what his chances might be before I let him get his heart set on it (though it may be too late).
1. I suspect he will graduate with a 3.5-3.6 GPA. Strong in humanities; weak in science/math. He'll probably take one AP course (history) by his junior year.
2. I suspect his SAT will be around 1050. Might get him to 1100, but he is a horrible test taker so I wouldn't count on that.
3. His sport is martial arts (Muay Thai) -- VMI admissions says this is acceptable (as opposed to an official school sport)
4. He plays four instruments, but not in school.
5. He can literally tell you (or a VMI interviewer) about any war in western history.
6. White male.
The main challenge is that he is bright but scattered. He can go infinitely deep on some stuff (military history) but not in others (chemistry). I think VMI's structure and alignment with his passion would give him an awesome opportunity to grow as a man.
What do we think...I'm guessing a 30-40% chance? Any ideas on how to strengthen his chances?
Thank you for any advice.
I'm looking for gritty, frank advice on what his chances might be before I let him get his heart set on it (though it may be too late).
1. I suspect he will graduate with a 3.5-3.6 GPA. Strong in humanities; weak in science/math. He'll probably take one AP course (history) by his junior year.
2. I suspect his SAT will be around 1050. Might get him to 1100, but he is a horrible test taker so I wouldn't count on that.
3. His sport is martial arts (Muay Thai) -- VMI admissions says this is acceptable (as opposed to an official school sport)
4. He plays four instruments, but not in school.
5. He can literally tell you (or a VMI interviewer) about any war in western history.
6. White male.
The main challenge is that he is bright but scattered. He can go infinitely deep on some stuff (military history) but not in others (chemistry). I think VMI's structure and alignment with his passion would give him an awesome opportunity to grow as a man.
What do we think...I'm guessing a 30-40% chance? Any ideas on how to strengthen his chances?
Thank you for any advice.