Applicant for USMA Class of 2018

J

JR1996

5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2013
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17
My name is John Reyes and Im a junior in NBHS in Middlesex County,NJ. Im a Hispanic(dunno if that affects anything) who is applying to USMA. My academic portion is weak; by the end of the junior year I should have a 3.2 GPA .... I will taking the SATs in June so Im studying for the meantime( psat score was 140)

I will be my school's upcoming Battalion Commander
Current S-3 Operations and Training Officer
Attending Boys' State for NJ
Applied to Westpoint SLS
Participated in a post Halloween event due to Hurricane Sandy 5-6 hours

I have participated in three teams for 2 consecutive years: raider,drill, and academic
Current Drill Team Captain
attended JCLC
2nd place drill competition as Squad Leader at Tri-Service Camp in Fort Dix,NJ
So far does it seems like I qualify for USMA? Describe the pros and cons please and thank you
 
USMA Class of 2018

Any of the academies look for the well rounded applicant based on three pillars; Academic-Athletics-Leadership.

Academics-WP is looking for those who can manage their time and keep pace with the rigors of college level academics. During your 47 month stay at WP you will be taking 18 to 21 credits a semester, period. No dropping out or changing classes because they are to difficult or the prof doesn't like you. You will need an ACT score in the 30s SAT in the 700s

Athletics-Everyone is required to participate in athletic teams and you must pass the tests. If you notice most cadets are varsity letter winners.

Leadership-Attending Boys State is very valuable. There is a box to check there. So is varsity captain, club officer etc

You are off to a good start and need to be in the upper 5th of you high school class. Each year it becomes more competitive. Look at past class profiles for an idea on WP web site


Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Is there a way to make the "What are my chances?" sticky any bigger? :rolleyes:
 
Thank you for taking the time to reply :) I had forgot to include the fact that I obtained two varsity letters.... I realized during my junior year to be far more aggressive towards my academics.,and I believe I am showcasing my improvements. I plan to take 1 or 2 AP and several honors courses... Would a early completion of all requirements be benefical to me? Btw i will be attending a WP/ ROTC seminar at Seton Hall University on April 25 as well as a tour of WP in May

If u could also answer this question, it would be greatly appreciated.

Would a sat score of 1700 benefit me in some way towards admission? I've heard of a prep school for WP that could help candidates with a weak score on the academic portion
 
To answer your SAT score question:

The admissions process is based on a point based system. SAT scores account for 35 pts of your overall file score. The higher your SAT numbers are, the more points you get. Ultimately you want to get those numbers as high as you can in order to make yourself more enticing to USMA. The ideal range for your SAT Scores is 700+ in all three categories.

As for the Prep School, yes it is called USMAPS. It is located on the West Point grounds, and provides a year of experience for cadets that are academically disqualified (low SAT scores, etc.) but are otherwise desirable candidates. You do not apply directly for the school, Admissions will appoint you to it if they see fit.

Your class rank bear more weight than your GPA in the admissions process, and the SATs bear more than those both. Continue to work hard in your academics and apply. The only way you can know if USMA wants you is if you apply.
 
Alright, thanks...to obtain more AP classes, can I request them simply by talking to my counselor? I understand that I must take the most rigorous courses so I will attempt to get AP English, AP Physics, and AP US History. Would it be wise to take two AP science courses? Our school offers AP Environmental Science as well as AP Biology and AP Chemistry
 
Math

Your math SAT/ACT scores are the most important. So that means AP math.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
For what it's worth, if your current SAT score total is 1700, don't take on more than you can handle in terms of AP classes. Take the best math class you can get into that you can do reasonably well (pre-calc?) and take AP Chem with AP Language & Composition or AP History. If you are not doing calculus now, AP Physics will be very difficult. AP Environmental is an easy class - no difficult math based concepts, so you can add that if it is offered.

The best approach would be to grab the $20 College Board Practice SAT Book at a nearby bookstore and work your way through all five practice tests doing three sections at least 3-4 times a week (one hour to complete 3 sections) -but you must review the questions you answered incorrectly to figure out why your answer was wrong so you don't repeat the mistake. College Board has an on-line tutorial that works with the book (and it's free) to explain why a particular answer is wrong or right.

You have time to improve your scores if you start NOW and take the June and September tests. Good luck in the application process. Definitely reach out to the diversity admissions representative - I believe there is a support network available that can help with SAT prep.
 
Thanks everyone for replying! Actually I will be taking pre-calc so I can see why it would be a disadvantage to me.. I will be attempting to take AP Environmental, AP US History, AP Composition, and perhaps regular or honors physics


As far as the SAT goes, I am practicing countless hours figuring out my mistakes and improving on them
 
Definitely take either regular or honors physics - perhaps talk with the honors physics teacher and ask about difficulty level and based on how you are doing in math, whether you are better off w/ honors or academic physics. But either way, you will need the basics either class will offer you. As for the rest, sounds like you are working hard. Keep at it - don't get discouraged - and take the SAT over and over. Don't forget to contact the diversity admissions rep at West Point to express your interest and ask for a convenient time to talk about how things look and what you should concentrate on. Good luck!
 
Tug is right, take the ACT too even if you weren't planning to. Keep testing on both. Good luck.
 
Wow! I would like to thank everyone for their input. I should look into taking the ACT as well as the SAT. Btw, I did not state I DID get a score of 1700 but rather I used it as example.... I had a psat score of 140 so is there any indictators that show what my scores would be like?

Also, I dunno how competitive District 12 in NJ is but one of my teachers said I could be basically guaranteed a nomination from Senator Menedez due to ethnic background o.o

If anyone would like to elaborate, you're more than welcomed to.
 
What percentile of national scores did your PSAT put you in? It is hard to forecast your SAT success based on your PSAT. They are two completely different exams. For me, I saw the greatest jump in my scores once I understood the format of the SAT, i.e. the tricks behind how the questions are asked, and what they are looking for. Honestly, the SAT is 50% academic skill, 50% practice and cunning. I took my first SAT of the year and scored in the 1700 range. Afterwards, I went and looked at my comprehensive score report online, saw what I missed, went to the official SAT study guide and studied and took the practice exams, went to a math tutor to show me how to work the tricks of the math section, retook the test, and blew it out of the water with a 2200. Now, score jumps like that are extremely uncommon, but the difference I noticed was that I was no longer encountering the questions as if they were new. Each question I saw as a derivation of another one I had seen previously, and since I studied towards the specific style of the SAT, I was able to understand how to go about each one.

I would email your representative's office and ask how competitive it is. New Jersey is a competitive state, but I'm sure your rep's office could elaborate more on it.

But what is equally as important as academics is leadership in your file. The Point gets dozens and dozens of academically inclined people applying each year, but they are looking for future Army leaders not just brains. I would focus on not only Boys' State, but leadership in clubs, sports, JROTC(if you're in it), and community involvement. The more of a Renaissance man you can be, the more reason you will give USMA to appoint you.
 
Also, and no disrespect to your teacher, but do not take her word for that. Apply for the nomination as if the only chance you have to get it is to be a perfect candidate. One of the things I did for my nomination was to get letters of recommendation from local leaders. I received one from our Country Judge (the guy who is like the mayor of the county), who also happened to be a retired general and WP grad. While letters of recommendation make your West Point file look nice, they do not have any bearing on your overall score, so the letters really only sway your chances of nomination. So that is something you might want to look into.
 
JR1996 said:
.... I had a psat score of 140 so is there any indictators that show what my scores would be like?
Click to expand...

Put a zero on the end of your PSAT score and that is a general predictor of what you would score on the SAT.

Therefore, your PSAT of 140 indicates that you would score a 1400 on the SAT.

You will need to score higher to be a competitive candidate. The PSAT is your practice SAT. So, use any study tools available to you to prepare for the SAT.
A good free on-line prep course is www.march2success.com - sponsored by the Army.
 
Well my psat national percentile is 48% and since then,I've been studying with the Blue Book and btw thanks for the site its very helpful
As far as leadership goes, I believe that is my strong portion since I am my school's upcoming Battalion Commander/Current S-3 Operations and Training Officer

I have 2 varsity letters as well as being the current Drill Team Captain
Participated in 3 teams for 2 consecutive years

For the interview, my teacher's note about Menedez is something I should not take into consideration
 
JR1996-
I'm sure your teacher meant well, but disregard their comment.
You should apply for EVERY nom that you are qualified for which is 4 at a minimum - your 2 Senators, your Congressman and the VP.
Looks like you qualify for another nom also, the ROTC nom. Have your ROTC instructor nominate you for that too.
If you are the child of an AD/Retired military parent, then you are qualified for the Presidential nom, which you can apply for now.

Apply for ALL noms that you are qualified for.
 
Hi, John,

I'm a high school teacher and have had a number of students apply for and attend service academies. You've gotten a lot of good advice on this thread but I would like to add a bit more advice (hopefully good!).

Your PSAT score (140) is below the national average for 11th graders (144), which suggests that right now your SAT will project significantly below the averages at the service academies (which are filled with above average students as measured on a national scale, by and large). Talk to your school about whether the school offers any free test prep services -- they might also know about outside groups that might help with free test prep (for example, we have a group in our area called the Latino Student Fund that offers free test prep to kids with a Latino background).

On the advice to take the hardest courses you can, I would echo the prior poster who tells you to talk first to your teachers and counselors to make sure you can handle those courses. (It does not help to take an AP course but get a D in it.)

As I think your first post shows, you really will need to work hard to improve your academic package (grades and standardized tests). On the other hand, nobody ever got into a service academy without applying. Maybe you are someone that could be offered a place in the prep school, for example, if your academics still need work. And of course, don't put all your eggs in one basket -- work on exploring other options for college and the possibility of someday serving as an officer.

Good luck!
 
AcademyFriend1 said:
On the advice to take the hardest courses you can, I would echo the prior poster who tells you to talk first to your teachers and counselors to make sure you can handle those courses. (It does not help to take an AP course but get a D in it.)
Click to expand...

I'm puzzled....if a student can't handle multiple AP courses in high school and be successful in them, how will he/she manage at WP with the enormous pile of courses that plebes are assigned......in addition to all of their other duties and responsibilities?
 
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