USNA Class of 2028 Waiting and Speculating

ARMARINE03 said:
Oh the things I've learned from this process and folks like you. I've discovered GPA ACT/SAT scores will get you in the arena, but are not the be all end all. There's so much more that goes into the decision. One critical thing I picked up on are the essays and the interview process. I'd also like to add, how you present yourself. Are you approaching this with bearing? How do you carry yourself? Leadership ability/capability a sense of internal strength ready to take on the challenges, represented by the challenges you've already faced and overcome. The variables, the intangibles. Fortitude, resilience, determination, accountability and a DON'T QUIT mindset. Good stuff
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Yes! It's the whole person :) DS still pending here in GA-12
 
Just a few random thoughts as I read through these messages-

Edmund said:
I think the frustration comes from the seemingly randomness of appointments offered. When you look at the stats of those getting TDs, it’s hard to imagine that those receiving appointments had better or more stats. In fact I know lots of kids who got appointments with subpar stats. While we don’t see what admissions sees, I think this is where a lot of the disappointment comes from. I know it’s not random, but from this side, it often can appear so.
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> It's not just about stats. USNA 's objective isn't necessarily the selection of the highest SAT/Grades/HS performance.. they are looking for the secret sauce that makes a good leader. No one knows what that special sauce is, but I've seen many young candidates that don't look good on paper but have the poise, confidence and thoughtfulness that will take them far. USNA Admissions has 150 years of experience doing this...of course they make some mistakes, but my experience is they do a pretty good job.


Holden100 said:
Does anyone think yield ever comes into play?
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Of course it does ... USNA is making more offers of appointment than it takes to fill the class. If everyone accepted, then Admissions would have to answer to Supe for admitting more than authorized...I don't know if that has ever happened, Admissions is pretty good at predicting the yield, and if they fall short, they have the waiting list to "top off the tank."

Iriswhite23 said:
When you talk to the AO you want an informed answer as to what the other ten had you didn’t so you can make that improvement before next year. Not an answer from just looking at his application and comparing it to applications at large. What specifically caused him to get TD and the other ten haven’t even been evaluated for the state slate.
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> An AO can give general observations , but can't (and won't) go back and compare the entire slate to tell you specifically where you fell short. Besides time consuming, and they often have other responsibilities beyond Admissions, its largely irelevant because next year you will competing against a whole different slate. Also, keep in mind, for many of the late TD's, its not because there was a particular weakness, its because the other guy/girl was just a little better.
ARMARINE03 said:
. I've discovered GPA ACT/SAT scores will get you in the arena, but are not the be all end all.
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> Absolutely true. (Personally, I've never been a fan of SAT/ACT, and would give other factors more weight, but my vote doesn't count).
WaitingGame24 said:
At the CVW we went to, a midshipman on panel said it’s not been a great 4 yrs & will not miss the Naval Academy.
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LOL...I had to laugh at this, pretty gutsy for a Midshipman to say this publicly in an Admissions Forum, but certainly not an uncommon feeling while you are at USNA. There are plenty of down times for everyone, and while you are in ...its not so hot, but those feelings change over time. To be honest, I suspect you can say this about every college experience . College was never supposed to be sunshine and rainbows, its about learning, stretching your limits, growing , making friends and sometimes making mistakes.... All that may just be a little more intense at USNA.
 
MidCakePa said:
You're not applying to Harvard. You're applying to a service academy. The criteria are different. The academies value strong academic performance -- grades and test scores. They also value leadership potential and physical fitness and military commitment (not to mention a very clean bill of health). So we're not talking apples and apples here. Not even apples and oranges. It's fruits and vegetables -- similarly virtuous, but very different in substance.

Those were the requirements when you applied. The difference was surely part of the attraction. The fact that you were turned down doesn't somehow invalidate the criteria.
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The daughter of a longtime family friend applied a couple of years ago from a nearby congressional district. I don't do admissions in that area and have known her mom for decades so I served as a mentor to her and gave her lots of info about USNA and the Navy. She had very good stats, sports, leadership, etc. She ended up not getting admitted to USNA and instead took a full ride to Princeton. She was a grad of a very high performing private girl's high school which drew a lot of her classmates from a town where the PUBLIC high school has an AVERAGE SAT score of 1375.
 
gniyji said:
Honestly I just showed that post to my son --- he felt vindicated. His turned down email suggested him taking calculus I,II, III in case to reapply -- obviously USNA never read his transcript -- he did Calculus BC as sophomore, Multivariable Calculus Differential Equations as junior, now as a senior he is taking Complex Analysis, Linear Algebra.
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I think it’s more of a boilerplate email with blanket guidance on “focus areas” for the next year while you wait to reapply. Frankly, I think the turn down communication should give some semi-specific indication on areas where she/he didn’t stack up as well vs the local competition. For example, if it was his/her CFA performance you can reference “continued focus on fitness and etc. if it’s leadership experience, mention they should seek leadership positions in college clubs, organizations, etc. or as in most cases, there just were not enough spots from that district and/or state and for them to keep doing what they’re doing and they will have a good chance next cycle, etc. I plan to make that suggestion during this summers training.

This is a tough competition and while a fair amount of it is objective, there is a portion that isn’t and the non-objective portion is often the difference.

I am going to throw this out there. If your DS/DS really wants to attend a service academy, in this case The Naval Academy, and they get turned down the first time, not reapplying sort of says they really didn’t want it bad enough, or maybe not as much as they parents wanted it…
 
ARMARINE03 said:
Oh the things I've learned from this process and folks like you. I've discovered GPA ACT/SAT scores will get you in the arena, but are not the be all end all. There's so much more that goes into the decision. One critical thing I picked up on are the essays and the interview process. I'd also like to add, how you present yourself. Are you approaching this with bearing? How do you carry yourself? Leadership ability/capability a sense of internal strength ready to take on the challenges, represented by the challenges you've already faced and overcome. The variables, the intangibles. Fortitude, resilience, determination, accountability and a DON'T QUIT mindset. Good stuff
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I agree but also please everyone understand that as with every other highly sought after colleges, even after ALL the mentioned above is processed, that only gives you a lottery ticket. At the end, it is basically picking out of the qualified lottery basket.

Thus, at the end of the process, it is more luck then anything. Don't feel bad if this does not make sense.

There is no way to edge out a certain student when basically ALL are amazing and equal.
 
NavalMuadib said:
I agree but also please everyone understand that as with every other highly sought after colleges, even after ALL the mentioned above is processed, that only gives you a lottery ticket. At the end, it is basically picking out of the qualified lottery basket.

Thus, at the end of the process, it is more luck then anything. Don't feel bad if this does not make sense.

There is no way to edge out a certain student when basically ALL are amazing and equal.
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I believe that it comes down to the competitiveness of the slates within the district. There are a LOT of re-apps who've been offered appointments. In some cases they are simply much better candidates than they were the first time. Our DS goes to school with many right now. I also believe the intangibles are the variables that make the difference.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Just a few random thoughts as I read through these messages-


> It's not just about stats. USNA 's objective isn't necessarily the selection of the highest SAT/Grades/HS performance.. they are looking for the secret sauce that makes a good leader. No one knows what that special sauce is, but I've seen many young candidates that don't look good on paper but have the poise, confidence and thoughtfulness that will take them far. USNA Admissions has 150 years of experience doing this...of course they make some mistakes, but my experience is they do a pretty good job.



Of course it does ... USNA is making more offers of appointment than it takes to fill the class. If everyone accepted, then Admissions would have to answer to Supe for admitting more than authorized...I don't know if that has ever happened, Admissions is pretty good at predicting the yield, and if they fall short, they have the waiting list to "top off the tank."


> An AO can give general observations , but can't (and won't) go back and compare the entire slate to tell you specifically where you fell short. Besides time consuming, and they often have other responsibilities beyond Admissions, its largely irelevant because next year you will competing against a whole different slate. Also, keep in mind, for many of the late TD's, its not because there was a particular weakness, its because the other guy/girl was just a little better.

> Absolutely true. (Personally, I've never been a fan of SAT/ACT, and would give other factors more weight, but my vote doesn't count).

LOL...I had to laugh at this, pretty gutsy for a Midshipman to say this publicly in an Admissions Forum, but certainly not an uncommon feeling while you are at USNA. There are plenty of down times for everyone, and while you are in ...its not so hot, but those feelings change over time. To be honest, I suspect you can say this about every college experience . College was never supposed to be sunshine and rainbows, its about learning, stretching your limits, growing , making friends and sometimes making mistakes.... All that may just be a little more intense at USNA.
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It's not all about stats, but they certainly play a big part. Hence the reason USNA posts them with each class profile.

All the more reason why you see so much frustration as many of the TDs had superior stats. But as you note, we don't know that secret sauce they used to pick one kid over another.
 
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Edmund said:
It's not all about stats, but they certainly play a big part. Hence the reason USNA posts them with each class profile.

All the more reason why you see so much frustration as many of the TDs had superior stats. But as you note, we don't know that secret sauce is they used to pick one kid over another.
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Are you suggesting TDs had superior stats over their slate’s competition that won the nom?

Or superior stats over some other less competitive slate winner that they didn’t compete for?
 
Each candidate (college applicant in a broader sense) has his/her own story/profile. It is in eyes of beholder(AO). DS has classmates whose research already led publications, some classmates play violin/piano like pro (of course, with expansive private lessons), some have spent years in debate training and won big national/international champions. The first time I learned boys(girls) nation/boys (girls) state, sea cadet etc that might help for SA application from this forum. Way too late for us !

We have none of these except DS has been working for two jobs since age of 15. A typical day of his -- 5:00AM -- 7:00AM swimming training, 8:00AM t0 4:00PM school (including commuting on school bus), then lifeguard shift after school and weekends. It is the best job for him because he can do a lot homework when he is on rotation off from the high chair.

He is what he is -- and West Point likes his profile
 
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