Anything I can do to strengthen my application?

[dogrunner25]

Hi! Thank you again for everyone who gave me insight on this forum- I really appreciate it!
I hope it's okay to turn to you all again and ask a few questions on my application.

I'm a girl who's about to head into her senior year, and just submitted her prelim application to USNA and USAFA 2024 (I'm a little late... I know!).
Over the course of my high school career, I've done four years of marching band- two years as drum major (one year assistant, and this year I'm the lead drum major!). We compete at the regional level (Regional competitions in the West) and are 8 time division 1 state champions (on a four year streak as of right now!).
I have a 3.7 unweighted GPA, and a 3.97 weighted. It's a little low, so I studied really hard for the SAT- it paid off, with a 780 math and a 780 English for a 1560 overall. I'm planning on retaking it in August to try for a perfect 1600.
I've taken mostly honors courses in my highschool, though my senior year I am taking AP Chem and AP Calc BC.
I've accumulated around 200 hours of volunteer work the past 3 years, and have helped in Peer Tutoring as a tutor(an afterschool program where students can get help from others). I was a leader in our Link Crew my junior year (we tour freshman around the campus, stay in touch, offer help, etc.)

I know my profile is weak compared to others. I'm planning on doing Track and Field my second semester- even though it'll be a little late to put it on my application. I can run a 6 minute mile (That ALSO might be a little low.. I am working on getting that up!). I can do about 3-4 pull ups before I give out. (I go to the gym as much as I can!)

Thank you for taking the time to read through this! I really appreciate it.

 

[boatsfordays]

Congratulations. You put together a good resume and have hopefully had a great high school experience along the way! Your SAT is top notch and kudos for shooting for the perfect score! My only question would be the rigor of your classes. “Honors” don’t impress when the equivalent class was offered in AP. And a high SAT with hs school classes that are not the most rigorous choices could indicate a lack of effort (I heard this at an admission brief) If 2 AP classes are all you’ve taken then I would load up senior year. Depending on the size of your hs it may be worth a chat with your hs counselor (especially if they’ve never had a kid apply to a service academy) and talk with them about explaining gaps in rigor. For example... if your school doesn’t allow AP until Junior year then that would be important to list. Your hs counselor will be a friend during this process. Ask to see your schools profile, and your official transcript that will be submitted to colleges and verify your class rank is correct. These things are very important and we found a couple of transcript errors that we were glad to have fixed before submission.
Best of luck!

 

[dogrunner25]

Congratulations. You put together a good resume and have hopefully had a great high school experience along the way! Your SAT is top notch and kudos for shooting for the perfect score! My only question would be the rigor of your classes. “Honors” don’t impress when the equivalent class was offered in AP. And a high SAT with hs school classes that are not the most rigorous choices could indicate a lack of effort (I heard this at an admission brief) If 2 AP classes are all you’ve taken then I would load up senior year. Depending on the size of your hs it may be worth a chat with your hs counselor (especially if they’ve never had a kid apply to a service academy) and talk with them about explaining gaps in rigor. For example... if your school doesn’t allow AP until Junior year then that would be important to list. Your hs counselor will be a friend during this process. Ask to see your schools profile, and your official transcript that will be submitted to colleges and verify your class rank is correct. These things are very important and we found a couple of transcript errors that we were glad to have fixed before submission.
Best of luck!

Sadly, my school doesn't offer many AP classes, and you're right!- students can't really take them until their junior year, unless they are super ahead through courses.
I have taken Brief Calculus through my local community college and finished with an A. Not sure if that means anything, but it was just for a prereq credit for AP Calc! I'm taking Advanced Composition for my english class next year, though I could switch it for AP Literature? I know the academies focus on STEM, but I could do it.
I was thinking about AP Physics- though, it wouldn't be too much of a help.. the entire school knows the teacher is absolutely horrible. No one finished with an A last year, and the B students worked their tail end off. I would just be worried about that course killing my GPA.

 

[dogrunner25]

Don't know why it won't let me edit!- I meant AP Lang instead of AP Literature. Sorry!

 

[MidCakePa]

SAs want you to take the hardest classes your school has to offer, especially in STEM but certainly also English. They’ll know which classes those are because they’ll have your school profile. A high GPA with less rigorous courses isn’t as impressive to SAs.

 

[justdoit19]

Congratulations. You put together a good resume and have hopefully had a great high school experience along the way! Your SAT is top notch and kudos for shooting for the perfect score! My only question would be the rigor of your classes. “Honors” don’t impress when the equivalent class was offered in AP. And a high SAT with hs school classes that are not the most rigorous choices could indicate a lack of effort (I heard this at an admission brief) If 2 AP classes are all you’ve taken then I would load up senior year. Depending on the size of your hs it may be worth a chat with your hs counselor (especially if they’ve never had a kid apply to a service academy) and talk with them about explaining gaps in rigor. For example... if your school doesn’t allow AP until Junior year then that would be important to list. Your hs counselor will be a friend during this process. Ask to see your schools profile, and your official transcript that will be submitted to colleges and verify your class rank is correct. These things are very important and we found a couple of transcript errors that we were glad to have fixed before submission.
Best of luck!

Great advice here. I will emphasize to check over your transcript for errors. That never occurred to me, and when I was looking over DS's for another reason unrelated to SA's I found a BIG error! It was a lot of work to get fixed. This is something I haven't read much about on the forums. Super good point!

 

[justdoit19]

Congratulations. You put together a good resume and have hopefully had a great high school experience along the way! Your SAT is top notch and kudos for shooting for the perfect score! My only question would be the rigor of your classes. “Honors” don’t impress when the equivalent class was offered in AP. And a high SAT with hs school classes that are not the most rigorous choices could indicate a lack of effort (I heard this at an admission brief) If 2 AP classes are all you’ve taken then I would load up senior year. Depending on the size of your hs it may be worth a chat with your hs counselor (especially if they’ve never had a kid apply to a service academy) and talk with them about explaining gaps in rigor. For example... if your school doesn’t allow AP until Junior year then that would be important to list. Your hs counselor will be a friend during this process. Ask to see your schools profile, and your official transcript that will be submitted to colleges and verify your class rank is correct. These things are very important and we found a couple of transcript errors that we were glad to have fixed before submission.
Best of luck!

Sadly, my school doesn't offer many AP classes, and you're right!- students can't really take them until their junior year, unless they are super ahead through courses.
I have taken Brief Calculus through my local community college and finished with an A. Not sure if that means anything, but it was just for a prereq credit for AP Calc! I'm taking Advanced Composition for my english class next year, though I could switch it for AP Literature? I know the academies focus on STEM, but I could do it.
I was thinking about AP Physics- though, it wouldn't be too much of a help.. the entire school knows the teacher is absolutely horrible. No one finished with an A last year, and the B students worked their tail end off. I would just be worried about that course killing my GPA.

There are ways around an awful teacher, too. Tutoring, online help, extra instruction from teachers, etc. Ditto what MidCake said about the GPA having less weight than the rigor of your classes. Especially in STEM. Good luck!

 

[Old Navy BGO]

It's a little low, so I studied really hard for the SAT- it paid off, with a 780 math and a 780 English for a 1560 overall. I'm planning on retaking it in August to try for a perfect 1600.

> I would expect this to unnecessary from an Admissions perspective. The differerence between 780 and 800 isn't going to be the factor that gets you in, or keeps you out, of a Service Academy. If you want to do it for bragging rights, by all means go for it.

(I'm a little late... I know!).

I have a 3.7 unweighted GPA, and a 3.97 weighted. It's a little low,

[/QUOTE]5, post: 679906, member: 49232"]I know my profile is weak compared to others.[/QUOTE]

> Don't be self-deprecating and eager to point out faults/deficiencies. The truth is, your record for Admissions purposes is essentially established, and from here on its really about how you present the record -- to your MOC for Nominations, and to Admissions and your BGO for USNA. Be positive and confident.

The one thing I see missing is organized athletics. I don't see mention of any sports except going out for Track the second semester of your Senior Year, That in itself isn't going add much (and frankly, looks like trying to check a block). Lack of sports is not in itself fatal, but you will want to go out of your way to make sure that MOC Nominations committee and USNA know that you are fit, and active. Hit the CFA hard -- pull ups are a great start ! If you are fit and active, I suspect that your commitment to to band limits your ability to participate on athletic teams, but you can spin that to your favor by explaining that your experience with Band has the same elements of leadership, teamwork, and competition that you face on the athletic field -- as noted above, its all about how you present yourself.

Good luck.

 

[Dr. Strange Love]

.
@Old Navy BGO said it best here.

I have angered folks here before concerning the SAT, but when you get above a certain point, it becomes a game of chance, like picking out a Signal in background where the Noise has more Energy .... it is futile.

If you took the SAT one time, and got above a 1500, please do us all a favor, and stop. You passed.

Work on other things now. For the OP’s sake, work on doing the best you can on your CFA. Take as many challenging courses as you can, but don’t beat yourself up, and keep busy with the EC activities.
.

 

[boatsfordays]

The thing is you’re competing with top notch kids from super competitive schools. If AP Lang is an option it’s really a no brainer. Take it! I can’t stress enough that it's not just about getting into a service academy, but surviving once you’re there. The most rigorous class you face in hs is a breeze compared to USNA. This is time to dig in. Go get’em!

Congratulations. You put together a good resume and have hopefully had a great high school experience along the way! Your SAT is top notch and kudos for shooting for the perfect score! My only question would be the rigor of your classes. “Honors” don’t impress when the equivalent class was offered in AP. And a high SAT with hs school classes that are not the most rigorous choices could indicate a lack of effort (I heard this at an admission brief) If 2 AP classes are all you’ve taken then I would load up senior year. Depending on the size of your hs it may be worth a chat with your hs counselor (especially if they’ve never had a kid apply to a service academy) and talk with them about explaining gaps in rigor. For example... if your school doesn’t allow AP until Junior year then that would be important to list. Your hs counselor will be a friend during this process. Ask to see your schools profile, and your official transcript that will be submitted to colleges and verify your class rank is correct. These things are very important and we found a couple of transcript errors that we were glad to have fixed before submission.
Best of luck!

Sadly, my school doesn't offer many AP classes, and you're right!- students can't really take them until their junior year, unless they are super ahead through courses.
I have taken Brief Calculus through my local community college and finished with an A. Not sure if that means anything, but it was just for a prereq credit for AP Calc! I'm taking Advanced Composition for my english class next year, though I could switch it for AP Literature? I know the academies focus on STEM, but I could do it.
I was thinking about AP Physics- though, it wouldn't be too much of a help.. the entire school knows the teacher is absolutely horrible. No one finished with an A last year, and the B students worked their tail end off. I would just be worried about that course killing my GPA.

 

[MidCakePa]

The most rigorous class you face in hs is a breeze compared to USNA.

DD attended a very rigorous private high school and took the hardest classes on offer. She would give this statement two enthusiastic thumbs up. If you were a rock star in HS, it’s no guarantee that you’ll be one at USNA.

 

[dogrunner25]

Thank you all so much for your feedback ! I really appreciate it. In regards to my SAT- when I say I would try to retake it for a 1600, I mean to just for personal gain (to see if I can get it!). And for AP Lang, I'm going to go to my counselor and request the class when school starts back up! Thank you so much again to everyone who took the time to respond.

(On the bright side, USAFA updated my admissions account and said I was a competitive candidate! Haven't heard anything from USNA, but I'm not expecting any because of the Holiday weekend. But, Woohoo! I'm in the game now!)

 

[FMHS-79]

JMPO but, at this stage of the process, opportunities to make meaningful improvements to your résumé are waning (although don't overlook opportunities to take on leadership roles in ECs this summer/fall). Make sure you spend appropriate time on all of your SA and MOC essays - let them know who you are, what you are passionate about, and why you would like to attend a service academy. If you look at your essay drafts, make sure they are not "vanilla" (ie. could have been written by a majority of the applicants) - if they are, don't hesitate to re-write.

Thank you for your willingness to serve. Good luck.