Advice on USNA Course

L

laker7745

5-Year Member
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Mar 30, 2014
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I was wondering if anyone could give some advice for my Junior year(high school) course electives, I would like to know which the Naval Academy would look better upon and which would be better to take. I have to take these and if it were up to me I'd be taking more core classes, but they are as follows:

English:
- Creative Writing
- Debate/Forensics
- Short Stories/Science Fiction
- Journalism/Yearbook
- College Composition(through a local university)

Social Sciences:
- Accounting I/II
- Business
- Native American History/World War 2

Technology & Art
- Advanced Computers
- Ceramics I/II/III
- Painting and Drawing I/II/III
- Broadcasting I/II
- Band/Jazz Band
- Music Tech I/II
- Engineering Science/Robotics

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
 
DS who is a Plebe took Debate for 2 years...helped with Public Speaking and thinking on his feet.
 
I would be inclined towards the engineering science robotics, the WWII history, and debate. Sorry, old school oriented, and the mids seem to get into many science oriented competitions.
 
Agree with '64. "Advanced Computers" is also a possibility if it's technically oriented -- how computers are designed, how they work, etc. vs. how to surf the Internet more efficiently.
 
Besides these electives, I assume you'll also be taking AP Math, AP Science, AP English, APUSH, etc. For what its worth, I'll suggest that the NA may look favorably on you being well rounded by showing you excel in art or music. Said another way, I don't think it hurt that my 1/C DD was taking the toughest core courses and had won awards as a playwrite. Therefore, I'd suggest Creative Writing over Debate, Native Amer/WW2 over Accounting (a social science???) Art over Computers or Robotics. Actually, I'd go for both an art and one of the technical electives in that group and none from the SS group.
 
Art and/or music won't hurt you, if you're taking the key courses recommended above. However, it won't help for USNA purposes. They really don't care if you're "well rounded" in art, music, etc. It's great to be well rounded but USNA isn't Yale or NYU in this regard.

Here's the deal . . . if you take and earn As in 4 or 5 core courses (English, calc, chem, physics, history, advanced language) -- especially at an AP level -- USNA doesn't care what your 5th or 6th course is. If you love art or music, then go ahead and take that course -- do something you enjoy.

However, if you're ambivalent, the courses '64 and I suggest would be viewed more favorably by USNA.
 
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