Am I competitive?

USMA 1994 my post is not intended in any ways to discount your advise. Your advise is well respected in a normal competitive landscape. Just want to let applicants know that it will be challenging and no cake walk applying from CA and from other highly competitive districts across America. Getting even one Nomination and competing for an Appointment from highly competitive districts and states will be a battle. You will need every advantage in every criteria to get that Nom and Appointment if you live in highly competitive areas. I have seen throughout the forum getting one Nom from highly competitive districts and states is the norm. If you have service backed Noms then you already have an advantage.

I am also looking into USMMA as a second academy choice. I am worried about nominations so it’s nice I can get one from any congressman in ca for usmma
 
I would also add USCGA to the mix. You can consider both services. But if you want Navy, I believe you can cross commission from the Academy. USCGA also has the largest distribution of females.

USCGA does not require Nomination. And applicants from CA may fair better than from the East Coast. USCGA is a national selection unlike the other SAs which relies on district competition within the state. And if you improve your English and Math test sub scores, your academic portion looks great. Encourage applying to their Early Action if you decide to apply.
 
Also USCGA Core STEM Requirement is similar to West Point for non STEM Majors. USNA has the most rigorous core STEM Requirement to graduate for all Majors, it is the same. Coast Guard Academy Core STEM requirement for non STEM Majors:

2 semester Calculus
1 semester Chem
1 semester Physics
And other Maritime Science/Eng
 
I would also add USCGA to the mix. You can consider both services. But if you want Navy, I believe you can cross commission from the Academy. USCGA also has the largest distribution of females.

USCGA does not require Nomination. And applicants from CA may fair better than from the East Coast. USCGA is a national selection unlike the other SAs which relies on district competition within the state. And if you improve your English and Math test sub scores, your academic portion looks great. Encourage applying to their Early Action if you decide to apply.

I used to be really interested in the Coast Guard after attending safety at sea. I am more focused on the navy now and usmma can give me lots of experiences on ships. I’ll definitely apply to uscga
 
I believe as a California applicant she will need to max out. I am private messaging with many California candidates and most have 1500+ and 33+ ACTs. We have many 35s 1500-1600 in our NY Metro district who did not get Appointments. It’s a steeper competition academically as NY Metro, CA, NVA applicants.
Caution on making broad brush statements about a state with so many congressional districts as there are wide divergences in the competitiveness between them. Here in NJ, several of the Northern NJ districts are among the most competitive in the nation while some (even adjoining) districts are significantly less competitive. You have mentioned NY Metro several times and I can tell you that NY-13 (former Charlie Rangel district) and some of the Brooklyn districts are significantly less competitive than others that you can find.
 
Have you considered getting in touch with the USNA Women's Tennis Coach?

I do not think I am good enough for D1 tennis. I would love tot do club if it’s offered
Don’t limit yourself. A big part of your upcoming app process is going to be reaching out and not being afraid to get out of your comfort zone. I didn’t think I would be good enough for Navy’s D1 track and field. Went to NASS (they will supply a sports meeting), gave my stats to the coach, and became heavily recruited. Now I’m headed to USNA with stats very similar to yours, also coming from NoVA- competitive like CA. Worse comes to worst you give your name to the coach and you aren’t recruited, but she’s heard your name. No harm done.
 
Don’t limit yourself. A big part of your upcoming app process is going to be reaching out and not being afraid to get out of your comfort zone. I didn’t think I would be good enough for Navy’s D1 track and field. Went to NASS (they will supply a sports meeting), gave my stats to the coach, and became heavily recruited. Now I’m headed to USNA with stats very similar to yours, also coming from NoVA- competitive like CA. Worse comes to worst you give your name to the coach and you aren’t recruited, but she’s heard your name. No harm done.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I will reach out to the coach and see what happens.
 
I believe as a California applicant she will need to max out. I am private messaging with many California candidates and most have 1500+ and 33+ ACTs. We have many 35s 1500-1600 in our NY Metro district who did not get Appointments. It’s a steeper competition academically as NY Metro, CA, NVA applicants.
Caution on making broad brush statements about a state with so many congressional districts as there are wide divergences in the competitiveness between them. Here in NJ, several of the Northern NJ districts are among the most competitive in the nation while some (even adjoining) districts are significantly less competitive. You have mentioned NY Metro several times and I can tell you that NY-13 (former Charlie Rangel district) and some of the Brooklyn districts are significantly less competitive than others that you can find.
Not from that NY Metro!
 
There is an aspect of one’s application that rarely gets mentioned that must be of some significance or the Academy would not ask for it in such specific terms.

My DS and I were recently at an event as was his USNA area coordinator. He assigns all of the BGOs to specific areas/schools in our region. He told us that the evaluations submitted by your math and English teacher is an important factor as it has an objective and subjective portion to it. The evaluation asks the teacher to numerically rate the applicant in comparison to their peers that have been taught by this same teacher-objective. There is also a portion where the teacher can write about the candidate-a more subjective analysis of the candidate.

There must be a reason these two evaluations are specifically requested, yet the conversation always seems to revolve around GPA and standardized test scores, which of course must be weighted heavily in the application.

USNA has a daunting task of filling a class that has statutory limitations based on the federally mandated nomination process. Academics merely gains one ‘Q’ of the 3Qs required. Academic qualification, as we all know, does not mean an appointment which seems to bog down many of these ‘chance me’ threads.

I tend to see admission and appointment as two separate entities. Correct me if This is incorrect, but a candidate may be admissible, but may not get appointed, however the converse is not true.

I may be wrong, but the folks who sit on the Admissions board are the folks who give the academically qualified Q stamp on an application. The appointment and nominations people have the daunting task at of then taking the 3Q candidates and work the puzzle to form the class they intend to have. LOAs seem to be the edges of this puzzle. Then the rest of the picture takes shape.

Having seen DS apply to multiple schools this year, I can say there was not one application that looked more completely academically and more comprehensively in the ‘soft skills’ as USNA did. In the end there is definitely a ‘hard deck’ that has been established as to one’s academic competitiveness, so max that out as much as possible. Physically do as well as possible on the CFA, and apply for as many nominations as eligible. However, do not discount all the other areas of the application as they would not be in there if they were insignificant.

Win, lose, or draw, the process is rigorous, time consuming and purposefully so. Remember, commission into the greatest Navy on the planet is the goal. USNA is just one of the sources of getting there. The beginning, not the end.

Academyinterested, keep moving forward in putting the best application forward. You cannot control where you live and the competitiveness of your district. I am looking forward to seeing g your progress through this process. Best to you...
 
Thank you so much for responding. I have taken the essay on the ACT for back up schools. I am applying for NROTC as a plan B. I have not taken the CFA consecutively, but I am confident I will still max pushups, pull ups, and sit-ups. The only thing I worry about is the mile and running in general. I have been working on this a lot and will continue to do so until NASS and after.

I think your grades are fine! Just don’t slide below what you already have. Like others said focus on your test score. That’s the easiest fix since you already tested well.

NROTC and USNA only look at your Verbal and Math. So in your ACT try to get 36E 35M. This will give you 36 for the ACT. 35E 34M will be 35 ACT. ACT 35 with this breakdown translates to SAT 1600. That’s how NROTC equalize to SAT. Like others said improving your ACT for these 2 sections will get you a perfect test score for the Navy. With Verbal Math 34+ or 1500+ your percentile is 99%. So your class rank bumps to 1%.

Army and Air Force only super score. Army gives you extra points on Reading if you do well on your Writing 9 will bump your Reading to 32, Writing 10-12 to 33-36.

I would also finish Venturing and get your Summit Award! Other than that I think you look great! Like to strongly encourage you to get your ACT Score to the level above. With that you are academically perfect!
That is interesting that USMA bumps up your reading scores that way, I did not know that! I personally got an 8 on the writing section, would they bump up my reading score? Or is that exclusively for scores 9 and above?
 
That is interesting that USMA bumps up your reading scores that way, I did not know that! I personally got an 8 on the writing section, would they bump up my reading score? Or is that exclusively for scores 9 and above?

I also got an 8 on the essay portion. If you don’t mind me asking, are you applying to a SA class of 2023?
 
That is interesting that USMA bumps up your reading scores that way, I did not know that! I personally got an 8 on the writing section, would they bump up my reading score? Or is that exclusively for scores 9 and above?

I’m not sure USMA bumps Reading Score like AROTC does. Let’s assume they do since AROTC seems to verify with Army HQ on the Test Scores. I know that AROTC Bumps Reading Score to 32 with a 9 in Writing. 9 is 95% percentile in Writing. Didn’t change when it was 8 Writing with 31 Reading. If that answers your question.
 
I tend to see admission and appointment as two separate entities. Correct me if This is incorrect, but a candidate may be admissible, but may not get appointed, however the converse is not true.

I may be wrong, but the folks who sit on the Admissions board are the folks who give the academically qualified Q stamp on an application. The appointment and nominations people have the daunting task at of then taking the 3Q candidates and work the puzzle to form the class they intend to have. LOAs seem to be the edges of this puzzle. Then the rest of the picture takes shape.

This is correct. Based upon my experience, I would say its safe to say that OP is "admissible" or at least 2Q. (Keep in mind that the 3rd Q - Medical can disqualify some otherwise outstanding candidates). It's much harder to make a judgment about how "competitive" someone is because for most appointments, it comes down to a head to head competition for each MOC slate. That competition can vary each year. Sure, some districts have reputations for being very competitive, but unless you are in the Admissions Office or a BGO with information on all of the candidates in a given district, it is impossible to generalize about what SAT/ACT's scores are enough. Also, Grades and SAT/ACT scores are only part of the equation...Noms and Apppointments is going to look at the entire application to pick the best overall applicant.

I often refer to the 800/800 beating the 700/700 with otherwise equal applications here ....but the "otherwise equal applications" is the unicorn.... every one of these candidates is different in some way, and I have often seen a 700/700 beat the 800/800 and get the Appointment.

For OP -- I think its safe to say, you are competitive enough to be in the game, but its impossible to say what your chances are -- a lot depends upon who else applies from your district and State. All I can recommend is present the best application you can, and hope for the best.
 
That is interesting that USMA bumps up your reading scores that way, I did not know that! I personally got an 8 on the writing section, would they bump up my reading score? Or is that exclusively for scores 9 and above?

I also got an 8 on the essay portion. If you don’t mind me asking, are you applying to a SA class of 2023?
Yes I am. To USNA and USMA.
 
That is interesting that USMA bumps up your reading scores that way, I did not know that! I personally got an 8 on the writing section, would they bump up my reading score? Or is that exclusively for scores 9 and above?

I’m not sure USMA bumps Reading Score like AROTC does. Let’s assume they do since AROTC seems to verify with Army HQ on the Test Scores. I know that AROTC Bumps Reading Score to 32 with a 9 in Writing. 9 is 95% percentile in Writing. Didn’t change when it was 8 Writing with 31 Reading. If that answers your question.
Yes it does, thank you!
 
Army and Air Force only super score. Army gives you extra points on Reading if you do well on your Writing 9 will bump your Reading to 32, Writing 10-12 to 33-36.

My DS got a 10 on the writing but his Reading score was only a 28 so would USMA then bump his Reading score to a 33 or would they average the 33 and 28? Is this accurate as this is the first I have heard of this but then again, I am new to all of it and just trolling the forum to try and get smarter. Thanks.
 
My DS got a 10 on the writing but his Reading score was only a 28 so would USMA then bump his Reading score to a 33 or would they average the 33 and 28? Is this accurate as this is the first I have heard of this but then again, I am new to all of it and just trolling the forum to try and get smarter. Thanks.

I’m not certain about if USMA score the same way as AROTC Command, perhaps, only a speculation they may. AROTC does not Average the score. Like all programs except AFROTC, they super score and give candidates the best score possible from their sections. I believe 10 can bump the Reading for AROTC. You can check this on your AROTC Portal Test section. Then cross check with ACT percentile on Writing if available. I believe ACT is refining their scoring on Writing since they began scoring on 12 Max scale last 18 months. If anyone has experience can chime in. Regardless 10 is a great Writing Score. That sits well as Harvard Average. Great job!
 
Just so folks know, NROTC Marine Option no longer superscores. It takes the scores from the most recent sitting (ie test). Navy option and Nurse option still superscore.
 
For the many who keep posting asking about their chances - first you are asking the wrong people, I doubt any selection board members read this site so those that do aren't the ones making the decisions. Second the people you have to sell yourself to are the selection boards, how you do in the interviews is a huge part of the decision so doing mock interviews and preparing to answer the most likely questions. Lastly understand you are in an extremely competitive situation, USNA has a 6% acceptance rate, its easier to get in Duke, Cal Tech or Dartmouth; good academics matter but so do extracurriculars and especially having leadership positions like team captain or class president. Take your best shot but have a backup plan.
 
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