Advice for Sophomore Wanting to get into the USMA

D

DQuinn30

New Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2019
Messages
6
Alright, so a little bit about myself so this won't be just generalized advice, I am about 6 ft tall, 160 pounds, slim build, I'm sure you can fill in the rest. I said Sophomore since this year is basically over but im still a Freshman right now. I'm honestly not super strong and obviously being physically fit is a requirement. I've got a 4.375 GPA so academics isn't something I need much help with. I'm running for Student Government currently and I'm going to do track next year (couldn't this year due to time restraints) as well as getting involved in FBLA. So in all honesty I just need some advice for what I should do to make myself a more competitive candidate and to boost my physical attributes, since obviously that's apart of the application process.

Physical Fitness:
As I stated above I'm not out of shape and I'm relatively fast, but I'm not super strong and I want to work on that. Any workout routines that I could use would be much appreciated.

Extracurricular activities:
What other kinds of activities should I be in at my school. It doesn't have a lot to offer outside of the typical sports since its a small school. Most of the things people do for clubs are Beta Club, National Honor Society, FBLA, and then of course sports. What else should I do in or out of school to make me stand out against other applicants?

Application:
What other type of things should I do to add into my application for when I do apply to make myself a more qualified candidate compared to the others who apply?

Any advice on any of these categories would be great.
 
JMPO, it's about quality, not quantity. Simply being a member of 20 organizations really doesn't really help your "package" -- find something that you are personally passionate about, take a leadership role, and provide a lasting impact to the organization and/or the community.
 
FMHS-79 said:
JMPO, it's about quality, not quantity. Simply being a member of 20 organizations really doesn't really help your "package" -- find something that you are personally passionate about, take a leadership role, and provide a lasting impact to the organization and/or the community.
Click to expand...
I totally get that, but I kinda meant like any specific volunteer work, or is there something I should pick to do over the other or if what I wanna do now is fine.
 
Do what’s meaningful to you and will allow you to make a significant leadership impact. Don’t try to guess what the SA wants. They want to know you were committed and meaningful to the endeavor, not just a title chaser or club collector. The SAs know — and can tell — the difference.
 
MidCakePa said:
Do what’s meaningful to you and will allow you to make a significant leadership impact. Don’t try to guess what the SA wants. They want to know you were committed and meaningful to the endeavor, not just a title chaser or club collector. The SAs know — and can tell — the difference.
Click to expand...
Alright then I'd say what I'm doing currently should be good, because I wanna do sports, I want to do FBLA because I like business oriented things and I want to do SGA because I get to impact my school. Anyways thanks for the advice
 
JMPO, for working on your physical aspect, you might want to join a gym or take a weight training class. Stick with track (if you are running distance do cross country as well) to show your dedication and commitment to a sport, but being able to lift weight will greatly improve your upper and lower body strengths. I am doing the same right now and I can say it has helped me a lot.
 
Start doing pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups everyday. Start today. You will see a difference in a few months if you stick to it. Additionally, find someone (classmate, teacher, coach, trainer) who can teach you how to lift PROPERLY and develop a lifting routine that fits your schedule.
 
If your school doesn’t have much to offer in terms of clubs, you can ask permission to start a club of your own. We homeschool through a small local private school and they don’t have many clubs, so son worked all summer to start a Habitat for Humanity chapter for our PSP. I think the SAs are looking for leadership experience instead of participating in 10 clubs .
 
There are lots of ways to be an impactful leader other than school. City youth advisory committees. Through your church. Other clubs outside of school.

The important thing is to be a leader. Make an impact. It doesn’t necessarily have to be through your school.
 
There is no gym or special workout needed to get in shape for the military. The only secret to improvement is repetition of the required events. Your build is perfect , you just need to train your muscles and feed them.

Here are the bare bones basics..
Eat well, stay hydrated, and get proper rest(different requirement for everyone).
The best way to improve your push-ups is to do push-ups. Do them every chance you can anywhere you can throughout the day. Do a max set each time. Same with sit-ups. Get yourself a pull up bar that goes over your bedroom door, and do a set each time you pass through it. Keep on running.....
Stay committed.
 
Zaggs said:
JMPO, for working on your physical aspect, you might want to join a gym or take a weight training class. Stick with track (if you are running distance do cross country as well) to show your dedication and commitment to a sport, but being able to lift weight will greatly improve your upper and lower body strengths. I am doing the same right now and I can say it has helped me a lot.
Click to expand...
Yeah I have some weights in my attic that im getting into using, they're the ones that can adjust how heavy it is, up to 50 pounds each and I do curls, bench presses etc. How long should I spend a day doing those?
 
justdoit19 said:
There are lots of ways to be an impactful leader other than school. City youth advisory committees. Through your church. Other clubs outside of school.

The important thing is to be a leader. Make an impact. It doesn’t necessarily have to be through your school.
Click to expand...

I'm also doing a service project presentation, that essentially helps the homeless look presentable and get local jobs within my city, and I could possibly get a grant to make this project a reality. How well do you think this would stand out on an application if I were to get said grant and make the project a reality?
 
IMHO the key to meaningful service projects is to organize and lead others on the project over a period of time. This is why, in part, Eagle Scout carries weight - the Eagle service project requires, above all, leading others in the service project. Leading others in a service project is not easy - it requires many key elements of leadership , such as vision, motivating others, delegation etc. Service projects are most valuable when they allow you to demonstrate tangible leadership.
 
DQuinn30 said:
Zaggs said:
JMPO, for working on your physical aspect, you might want to join a gym or take a weight training class. Stick with track (if you are running distance do cross country as well) to show your dedication and commitment to a sport, but being able to lift weight will greatly improve your upper and lower body strengths. I am doing the same right now and I can say it has helped me a lot.
Click to expand...
Yeah I have some weights in my attic that im getting into using, they're the ones that can adjust how heavy it is, up to 50 pounds each and I do curls, bench presses etc. How long should I spend a day doing those?
Click to expand...

You will want to alternate between leg day and arm day to give your muscles time to rest. Do some variation as well, and make sure to mix in calisthenics so that you are not only focusing on weight training. Remember that the CFA is all calisthenics, so make sure you hit on that with your weights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top