Dear USNA69, i have a couple of questions, if you don't mind.
If one is very comfortable with Calc I, take Calc II. If you have aced Calc II, take Calc III. If Calc III has been mastered, take Differential Equations. Both semesters. Not just the first.
a couple of the colleges which have accepted me, such as VMI, offer summer programs for freshmen which allow you to get a class out of the way, for example, Calc I, English Composition, Chemistry or History. i've been told that normally a student would get credit for one of these, say Calc I, and then wouldn't take it in the fall semester, making the first year of college a little easier. for example, in mechanical engineering at VMI, the first semester is 16.5hrs, so if I took Calc I in the summer, I'd only have 13.5hrs.
would this be bad?
Go to a top tier college or university, not a community college. Take a MINIMUM of 15 semester hours, preferably more. Don't get any 'C's.
when you say top tier college or university, do you only mean the best of the best colleges?
If your SATs are not a minimum of 600M/600V, you will require a waiver. Waivers are just making it more difficult for yourself.
i read an article posted here from a former admission committee member that SAT is a check mark. that is, if you get 600/600, you get the check mark and the committee looks at other things, and if you didn't, you don't. is this true? in other words, does it matter how much higher than 600/600 your SAT score is?
ROTC is good but not mandatory.
i saw a post from you on the Greystone thread where you said that the CGO told you that they look for ROTC and that ROTC with any service shows leadership. what is your current thinking about ROTC?
I have never seen or heard where varsity college athletics helps. Community service, continued involvement in Scouts and/or church however, shows that one likes to be involved and busy.
this was a question i asked earlier. varsity sports in college take a lot of time. club sports take a lot less time. do you think that the USNA would give you your application as much consideration if your college sports activity was some club sport like soccer, versus if you were on the varsity NCAA cross-country team?
Be able to max the CFA. Don't become a couch potato.
to get the best possible score on the CFA, a person should probably take it a few times. is there any limit on how many times the CFA could be taken over? also, when is the latest that a new CFA score could influence the admission committee? it seems pointless to take over the CFA if a new score wouldn't be considered.