Application feedback

H

Heat_Miser

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Joined
Mar 19, 2021
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72
Hey guys, I’ve been pushing to get into West Point, currently a Junior in High School (district Pa 06 not sure if that’s a competitive area or not)
I know you guys have no clue of my chances so I thought it would be better if you could tell me what I have sorted out and what I should work on


Sophomore gpa - 4.1 out of 4 weighted
Junior gpa - should finish with a 4.3 out of 4 weighted

Getting SAT results Friday I’m expecting a 1300 ish based off my 1190 PSAT score

Extracurriculars
NHS member
Volunteer firefighter
3 years football (1 year varsity 1 year captain voted by teammates)
2 years tennis
Model UN member
Church group member
Boys state (this year I believe it’s some sort of civil service exam at least for Pennsylvania and I plan on doing that)

Strengths? Weaknesses? Any comments? Any feedback is super helpful, have a blessed day.
 
I think that the volunteer firefighter piece of your application is awesome. It is not a common thing. If they are willing and you think they would write a good one, ask your superiors to write you a supplemental letter of recommendation at the fire department. Also, try and become a leader of one of the clubs or ECAs that you are in other that football. Do BOYS STATE! It looks very good on your application.

Optional thing to try: I became an ambassador for the Travis Manion Foundation and conducted a service project on their behalf. I think that has helped me in my applications, but it is also just a good thing to do. Look into that organization, get certified, and find something in your community to do in the name of LT Manion. Learn and live the "if not me then who..." mantra.
 
As someone who's received an appointment to USAFA, and still waiting to hear back from USNA, USMA and USCGA (as well as receiving an NROTC scholarship) - your stats look roughly the same as mine. Let me add my stats below.

GPA - 4.4 out of 4 weighted
No SAT/ACT

2x club officer
1x club president
2 years student government
4 years water polo (3 years varsity, 2 years captain)
4 years swim (4 years varsity)
Church group member
300+ hours of community service
Boys' State
4 years lifeguard (1 year lead lifeguard)
Trilingual (Japanese, Spanish and English)

CFA (69 ft bball throw, 17 pullups, 7.9 sec shuttle run, 95 situps, 75 pushups, 6:04 mile)

I would say that you look fairly competitive. I would try founding a club your senior year (I did), and do some community service. Boys' State supposedly looks very good. Have you practice the CFA? It's only worth 10% of your "WCS" but if you and another candidate are identical, it will likely come down to the CFA. It honestly just depends on how competitive the other candidates in your district/slate are, but keep up the good work!
 
I would say apply for Boys State for the experience more than the resume aspect. Our son did it. Night before he was totally considering bailing. Tired, over reached and didn’t want to spend seven days with high school strangers. Fast forward and he is governor with 280 new best friends and flying to Boys Nation. The American Legion makes it all possible.
He learned more about himself that week than any other.
He also made friends at State and Nation. Lifelong friends. They have now all settled into colleges and academies and they are still in chat groups discussing current events and other issues. They debate politely (unlike most adults) and have heady conversations. I love that this relationship developed from a camp.
Sometimes you do get out of something what you put into it.
Also want to add that the Legion counselors and mentors he had were beyond expectations. They maintained support post Boys State and he is still in touch with several. As well as now a member of the Legion himself. His Post was so proud to sponsor him to join as their 77th governor of the Boys State program. These Legionnaires do so much for youth.
Apologies for high jack of OP post.
 
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I would look to play more of a prominent leader role in your different organizations. Volunteer firefighting is a great way to show leadership. However, I am not seeing who YOU are and your personality. You are a member of NHS, Model UN and Church, but those are are very common extra curriculars among candidates. Volunteer firefighting is a great extra curricular to set you apart but what else? What are you passionate about? What do you want to do? How can your knowledge and experiences be of value to USMA? What do you have to bring to the table that is unique and different then the other thousands of candidates applying?

I would ask yourself these questions and see what else you can get involved in that you really enjoy. Best of luck!
 
I got into USMA from a historically competitive area in Maryland and here are my stats for comparison:

4.45 weighted, 3.87 unweighted
Submitted two SAT scores, 1190 on August 2019, 1410 on August 2020, I heard through the grapevine on some college forum that this helps? idk

Chinese Honor Society President
4 years football, 3 varsity, 1 captain
2 years lacrosse, 2 varsity, 1 captain
Science and Tech Honor Society member
~300 community service hours
Bilingual, Chinese and English
Worked at my dads Chinese restaurant since middle school to help out

CFA: BB throw 60.4 ft, 8 pullups, 8.8 shuttle, 61 crunches, 68 pushups, 6:37 mile

I'm sure you have heard this from dozens of other people already but no matter what don't lose confidence or focus. The application process is no joke but I guarantee you will feel better about it at the end. Best case you get into a Service Academy, worst case, you fall just short of getting in but in the process you become more mentally competent and probably in better physical shape from CFA training, and will still be in far better standing than most of your peers. If you can go through Service Academy preparation, civilian schools will be a cakewalk. Sorry for the long post but best of luck!
 
Solid Stats, heres some advice to strengthen your file (2025 Appointee just so you know Im not spouting nonsense)
- Especially in the north aim for a 1350+ SAT at the MINIMUM with an emphasis on math (680+ would be nice)
- Apply to SLE and Boys State, which I saw you listed
- acquire as many leadership positions worth mentioning as you can (sports, clubs, etc)
- Finish your file as early as you can without sacrificing quality (I finished mine end of August and it helped me get an LOA)
More on the above: You see many people encounter problems due to submitting their file super late, like February or March, and it doesnt allow you to be as competitive for an LOA
Hope this helps
 
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