Plan of Action

I am a sophomore in high school and this is my first time posting! Hooray!

As one might infer from my being here, I want to go to USNA. I have gathered some preliminary information, and to be frank, I am not convinced I even stand a chance.

I won't make excuses for myself, but last year, my freshman year in high school, I was in two sub-normal classes: the first being in math, where I had a two period block (in retrospect I did not belong there; it was much too easy for me), and in science, where I was in environmental science (most college-bound freshman go to honors biology). I have taken steps to balance this out, but unfortunately it will take place my senior year. Does this effect my chances?

Assuming it does not, I was going to take two advanced classes in either science (as in I would take AP Chem and AP Physics, and honors pre-calc w/ trig) or math (as in pre-calc and AP Stat, plus AP Physics). Can anyone say with authority that one is better than the other? Given the choice of preference, I would rather to the latter option, but if one looks better I will do that.

Lastly, is NJROTC worth taking my senior year? My unit is not bad, but I am not sure if we can get the honor unit needed for my SNSI to give me a nomination.

As it stands I am an incredibly average student, or so my classes and extra-curriculars (?) would show. That ought to be rectified late this year and all of next year.

You still have ample time to improve your stats, so don't be too worried (don't have much better than you being a soph myself).

Take the classes you want to take out of the 2 given options...both sound good and improve your app.

If you have time in your schedule, definitely do NJROTC. It shows interest in military and teaches leadership...2 things board likes to see.

Here's my take on screwing up early in high school (freshman/soph year):

While consistent good performance is good, the Academy realizes that it's not "sophomore-you" that they'll be reviewing, so your performance in the latter years is considerably more valuable. That said, the value of doing NJROTC for just your senior year (from your post, I gather that would be the only year you do it) would be very little and probably not help your application a whole lot. Why can't you do it Junior year as well? That would definitely help in showing your interest in the Navy.

As for the classes, both are important once you get to the Academy, but do what interests YOU. You'll enjoy yourself more as well as get better grades. I took the route of piling on the AP and Honors classes...and ended up hating life...after all that I just ended up getting rejected from USNA anyway.

Best advice I can give: Challenge yourself, but have fun doing so.

The fact that you had a bad start at high school can be mitigated by a strong recovery and consistent improvement over the remainder of high school. If you can carry NJROTC in your junior and senior years that could be very beneficial to you personally for the intro to the history, customs, and traditions of the naval service as well as the military training and leadership that participation offers. So far as future classes are concerned, it would be advantageous to take AP/Honors level classes in Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, and Grammar and Composition. Doing well in these classes may permit your validating their counterparts at USNA which may lead you to other opportunities in your curriculum there. Keep up on your athletic participation and your involvement in programs at the leadership level. BTW, pursuing this course of preparation does not preclude your enjoying your high school years while positioning yourself to be a very viable candidate for the SA's. Also, don't overlook the opportunities to participate in STEM, NASS, and sports camps at NAVY. Best wishes to you.

This information has been extremely helpful, and I thank everyone for their help.

I'll take NJROTC (by the way, that will be my third year. It is unlikely though, that I will get into any of the top three positions... but I will most definitely be high up) and the latter option of the two.

As I said, thank you all for your help.

The Navy has a saying, long-held and still true: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Not making one of the top three positions in NJROTC does not mean that you won't have opportunities to develop leadership skills and experience from further down the line. Give it your best shot! Best wishes.