Academy Admissions...

[usafah]

I know that many many many people have posted their list of activites on this forum but I am going to do the same. I am currently a sophomore, almost junior. I want to know what else I should do to strengthen my resume

Academics (we can't take aps until junior year at our school):
- H. American lit
- H. American history
- H. IS-2, our required integrated science
- H. Alg 2
- French 2
- straight a's
- working on SAT and ACT test prep

Clubs/ School Leadership
- Astronomy Club secretary
- Class Council
- applying for Link Crew ( program to help incoming freshmen adjust to high school life)

Sports
- first year cross country
- first year track

Music/ fine arts:
- Platinum in several Chinese dance competitions
- third highest orchestra at school (Grammy winning program) with out taking private lessons
- going on tour to China this summer to perform with PSYO (pacific symphony youth orchestra)

Volunteer:
- summer volunteer at Irvine Chinese School
- small volunteer jobs here and there
- applying to volunteer at a veteran's health care center for permanent volunteering

Other:
CAP (working towards Mitchell)

Now I know that no one here can tell me whether I am truly competitive for USAFA but I really want to get in and I want to just work on bettering myself so that when it comes time for me to apply, I will be competitive. Thank you in advance to those who reply.

 

[k$Mom]

Sounds like you are on track, but here are my personal suggestions if you would like.

Read read read the academy admissions site to familiarize yourself with the process.

Stay involved and keep grades/GPA up. Study hard for ACT/SAT. Stay in honors /AP /dual enrollment classes.

Train hard for the CFA to reach max scores (try to beat average. Don't let anyone tell you low scores will"work" as these scores are part of the competition. )

Look into and learn about boys/girls state in your area and apply for it your junior to senior summer. (We had no clue what this was until it was too late)

Stay healthy and out of trouble. Get a head start on your application and good luck!

 

[wildblueyonder]

I would recommend taking the SAT/ACT as often as you can, beginning now. USAFA superscores these tests, so from a statistical perspective, it is wise to take it as many times as you can (unless you are completely satisfied with your score, which rarely happens ).

Your involvement in Chinese cultural activities is a unique credential that few other applicants will have. I would encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity even more as you move forward. Think about starting your own nonprofit organization to increase awareness of Chinese culture/arts (I have a friend who actually did this). You could also start a Chinese language tutoring club (assuming you also speak Chinese).

Another thing: listing "small volunteer jobs here and there" on your application will not earn you a whole lot of extra points. I know you were probably trying to avoid presenting us with a tediously wordy resume, which I understand, but you should definitely keep track of these "random" volunteer opportunities so you can list and explain them when the time comes.

Lastly, do your best to avoid two different extremes in your application. Don't become a member in 19 different activities/clubs, but only hold "member" positions in each--this doesn't show leadership. But at the same time, don't involve yourself in only one organization, even if you are the president--this shows a lack of variety. Pick a few activities (maybe 4-5 or so, or however many you can reasonably handle), and seek out the best leadership opportunities you can within those. That will show leadership and variety.

You have a lot of time left in HS, which is a great thing because it will allow you to carefully shape your resume to fit the Academy's criteria. Keep working hard, and feel free to PM me if you have questions. Good luck to you!

 

[5Day]

Attend Boys State summer between Junior and Senior year
Captain in both track and CC at least your sr year
Become president in the club
President / VP or president of student council and/or president of NHS

Church group member or better president or VP

Specific volunteer service categories you will want to participate in (you should do some volunteering in each catagory)
Homeless Shelter/soup kitchen
Nursing Home/Red Cross
Habitat for Humanity
Special Olympics
Tutoring