Admissions Questions

Hello, I am a rising sophomore within an IB program in an C-D high school (I finished with As and Bs in all my classes). I just have a few questions

-Is it a requirement to be in the top 10% of your class?-I am not sure if they take class averages from the IB program I am in or the school as a whole

-Is it a requirement to take Calculus or Physics before you apply or get in?-My schedule was packed and I couldn't fit in

-Do all applicants get an offer for NAPS?

-I'm joining the sea cadets over the summer, will they be able to give me an appointment or help my resume look stronger?

- Not a requirement to be in top 10% of class. USNA looks at everything, scholastic, athletic, medical, in the process of evaluating you as a candidate. If you haven’t read every page, dropdown and link on USNA.edu yet, I highly recommend it. That is your primary source.

- Ditto.

- No. There are many threads on NAPS here on SAF, and the general consensus is USNA uses NAPS as a tool to provide polishing of some aspect of a candidate who is someone they particularly want and are willing to wait for. You cannot apply for NAPS and Foundation scholarships.

- Sea Cadets are not a nom source. JROTC can be. Activities such as this are just one of many things an SA or ROTC program looks at, especially if you serve in leadership roles.

I did some searching for you on USNA.edu:

https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/_files/documents/ClassPortrait.pdf

It's not REQUIRED to take calc or physics. However, the most competitive candidates have taken both. Also, having had both in h.s. will make it much easier when you have to take those courses at USNA.

Your senior year should still have STEM courses -- that could include Pre-calc, advanced chemistry, statistics, advanced bio, etc. -- as well as English, history, advanced language, etc.

Join Sea Cadets if it's something you want to do as an activity, not b/c you think it will make you more competitive. It doesn't.

Calc and physics?

You are a rising sophomore. IB Calc and physics would be pretty tough to take that early. You do need to be on track to take the most rigorous schedule you can though for the upcoming years. Be aware... your hs counselor will submit a school profile with your transcript so every nominating source and academy will be aware of what classes are offered at your school and your counselor will have to answer questions about your course selections. So choose carefully. If IB or AP is offered in a class don’t take the on level. And if your school gives GPA weight, plan on that being removed by the academies. Each has their own way of calculating gpa.

My DS was asked by nomination board why he had doubled up on certain AP science when it was offered each year. Be ready to answer questions and defend and explain your course selections.

Good luck! And kudos for planning ahead.

In a nutshell, take the hardest classes your school has to offer — especially in STEM — and excel at them. That is far more important than your GPA. You’ll be competing against candidates who, by end of senior year, have taken AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP English, AP History. Are you a lost cause if you can’t match that? Not necessarily, because SAs consider the whole person (and some schools don’t offer all those classes). But are you potentially at a disadvantage against candidates who did all that? Most likely, especially if your school profile reveals that all those classes are offered and you didn’t take them.

Are you a diploma candidate? If so, be aware that you may need to make some choices 11th and 12th grade that could preclude you from taking HL Math, HL Physics, and HL Chem. You should discuss this with your advisor or guidance counselor. My DS could not fit in HL Physics into his schedule and still be diploma-eligible. He had to add on-line Physics as an 8th class his senior year.