2 points.
1. There are minimum standards, scores, formulas, etc. for meeting the minimum standards. Just because you don’t know what they are, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And there’s nothing to say you have a need or right to know what they are. This isn’t the University of Whereverthehellyouarefrom, where you meet certain standards, have the money, and you’re in. Most people applying to the academy don’t realize how competitive it is. The overwhelming percentage of applicants who get an appointment are so HIGH above the minimum standards, that you’d get a nose bleed thinking about it.
2. The problem is, people look at stats that show the average gpa of 3.86 or average act score of 30, and they think these are the standards. Even the lowest scored applicant who receives an appointment, be it a recruited athlete or some home schooled kid who only played community soccer, ALL are above the minimum standards required to get into the academies. The majority are WAY over the minimum. There’s no “Bending” of the rules, requirements, standards, etc. The problem is, because you don’t know what these standards are, you assume they bend them. That’s because most people think everything is mathematical. Little ajohnny had a 35 ACT and 4.0 gpa and didn’t get an appointment, they must have bent the rules to get an athlete, minority, woman, etc. in and little Johnny got hosed. NO...... Maybe little Johnny had nothing going for him. Maybe all he had was academics. No social skills, no leadership skills, no team skills, no community skills, etc. Combine this with the “Everyone gets a participation certificate or trophy” mentality, and it’s real easy to rationalize why someone like Johnny didn’t receive an appointment.
Truths:
1. There are rules, standards, formulas, and a scoring to selecting appointees. Just because you don’t know what they are or how it’s computed, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And they don’t bend them.
2. Get the 12 years of elementary and high school thinking OUT of your head. Academics is not the only thing that matters. It’s not even necessarily the most important thing that matters. And once you’re out of high school, the world isn’t measured any longer on a 4.0 scale. There’s even a lot of 4.0 gpa and 30+ act students that don’t get selected to many traditional universities.
3. The academies are NOT a traditional university. Academics there are important, but that is not their primary goal, purpose, or motive. Building military leaders to help protect our county and way of life is their purpose. Once you realize and accept this truth, you start to realize how all of the NON-academic attributes of an academy applicant become as, or more important than your grades.
