I was wondering the same thing.
I am a senior.
I scored a 1330 on the SAT and a 29 on the ACT
I am the Student Body President, was the class president for three years.
NHS President
4 time letter in baseball, 3 time letter in football and one year team captain, 1 letter in track, and 2 years playing basketball.
Boys State Delegate and 2nd in the governor race
5th in my class and 4.19 GPA.
5 years of math, 4 sciences, 3 semesters of college English, and 3 semesters of college Social Studies (2 Us History and government)
I live in East Texas
Also I received an LOE this past week.
Am I competitive and is there anything that I can do to make myself more competitive?
@tiger8,
Your involvement in sports is impressive. The SAs want strong kids who have many leadership positions in sports (at least one captain position and varsity letter with a combination of strength-building and cardio sports, specifically). The fact that you attended Boys State suggests that you've done your homework, too. You want West Point. Good. Here's what you can do to increase USMA's interest in you:
1. VISIT WEST POINT. You have obtained an LOE, which means that you likely fit into the "competitive" or even "very competitive" candidate category. Take advantage of your opportunity and attend an overnight visit. This will assist you in deciding whether or not West Point is for you. Before I received my LOA, I was an LOE candidate, too. During my overnight visit, I discovered that I fit into West Point incredibly well--this could be you, or you could take home an alternate perception of USMA, deciding that you'd rather do ROTC or abandon the idea of a military career altogether. Make sure you ask questions during your visit. You'd be surprised with how helpful the Plebes are with the admissions process. REMEMBER, THEY WERE CADET CANDIDATES ONCE, JUST LIKE YOU AND I.
2. FOCUS MORE ON YOUR PHYSICAL FITNESS. Based on your grades and class rank (not to mention the NHS President), I can infer that your LOE was likely awarded on an academic basis. If you have not passed your CFA, WORK ON THIS ASAP. Practice 6 times a week! West Point's website offers some help with the CFA. Make sure you watch the video instructions before taking it. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! So many otherwise qualified candidates fall off the admissions chart physically each year... Your grades and class rank are awesome, but don't make them your first priority! Lift weights, practice SPECIFICALLY push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running. If you're done with the CFA and you know your score is passing, that's 1Q down, but now you have to start preparing for CBT... One foot after the other, but still getting an honorable head start, tiger8... that is the military way.
3. RE-TAKE THE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMS. Seriously. 29 is good (26 is where competitiveness begins), but you want above a 30. I took the ACT 4 times before I superscored above a 32. After submission of my most recent test scores, I obtained my LOA. Even one point higher helps. You CANNOT LOSE by taking it again! In fact, that one ACT point could be the difference between an offer or no offer... You can send scores until the deadline in February, so get it done. If you can't afford it, apply through your school for a cost waiver. STUDY. Order the SAT or ACT books by the Princeton Review; they contain REAL tests. If you have money, hire a tutor. I have a phone number I can give you in a private conversation if you'd like, but he costs $100 for an hour-long session. If you want to take this route, CONSIDER A TUTOR AN INVESTMENT. Not having to pay for college because you hired a fancy tutor really doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world, and I'm glad my parents had this mentality, especially considering that my parents wanted me to go to an Ivy League civilian school (I didn't listen). This is truly a test of your mental determination, but it feels incredible when you're done taking these 4-hour long exams. Don't forget to take the ACT OR SAT WITH WRITING because the SAs require a writing score.
4. BECOME 3Qed. If you are lacking a medical or physical qualification, obtain those immediately. I can already tell you're academically qualified--USMA would not have otherwise sent you an LOE. I provided you advice on the CFA, so I'll briefly feed you some DoDMERB information. If you're medically qualified, fantastic! Medical + Physical + Academic = 3Q. If you were DQed by DoDMERB, DO NOT PANIC (YET). Find out what your problem is and do some research. Send DoDMERB paperwork regarding your situation that is tailored to the guidelines. For example, if you are DQed for vision that's worse than 20/20 and it is, in fact, correctable to 20/20, have your doctor send them a little note that your vision is correctable. This might get rid of your DQ (I'm not a doctor. In fact, I'm not even an adult, so understand that I do not fully understand DoDMERB guidelines). Since you're an LOE candidate, if you need a waiver, USMA will almost surely request one on your behalf. If you think you may have a problem, take care of it ahead of time. Time is your friend if you use it wisely, and you need to lure it to your side if you want good fortune in your SA applications. Even if your waiver is denied, the Supe can override that and grant you one (though I'm not sure how common that is).
5. GET A NOMINATION. I hope you applied to your nominating sources. There are a ton of kids (I won't even call them candidates) who do not fully understand the admission process and apply to the SA, completely forgetting the MOCs. If you are awarded an interview from an MOC board, conduct a practice interview before attending. Candidates feel significantly more confident and perform better the second time they are interviewed than the first. Be genuine--the board can detect falseness better than you'd believe.
6. STAY QUALIFIED. After you get your 3Q and your nom, stay qualified. Don't lose your physical abilities and keep your grades up. West Point asks for all 8 semesters of high school, and if you're a college student, they'll want those, too. Obviously, don't get arrested for a felony. Camo doesn't look good over orange--they won't give a potential criminal an appointment to a school that will produce military leaders.
7. BREATHE AND REMAIN FOCUSED. The application process is long and difficult! Breathe a little and balance work with play. Stay happy, on task, and remember what you need to do. Your objective is an appointment to the United States Military Academy, and don't you dare forget it. The fact that you're here asking about your competitiveness suggests that you really want this. Don't lose that alacrity or you'll regret it.
And remember,
Go Army, beat Navy!
