Chance me? Please :,)

S

sycrites

Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2021
Messages
10
Hello! I'm a Korean female attending a high school in the North East (edit: in a pretty competitive district) with no USMA attendees/acceptances (or if there was/were, it was a really long time ago), so it's been really difficult gathering information. However, I've been in direct contact with my Field Force Representative very frequently and active in the Long Gray Lessons Discord (hi if you're in it and reading this). Also, I posted this on reddit (r/westpoint), and I just came here for some more feedback. Here are my stats:



My GPA is UW = 3.65-3.7/W = 4.1-4.2 which I hope to solidify into a 3.7 by the end of this year. My class rank is 58/230 which puts me on the lower side because I slacked off in freshman year. However, I took many AP classes (we were forced to take them hence my bad AP test scores):

  • 9th: Biology, APUSH 1
  • 10th: Chemistry, APUSH 2 (got a 5)
  • 11th: Language and Composition, World History, Environmental Science


As for my SAT, I got a 1440 (R: 690, M: 750) in March. However, I plan to retake it in May for a higher ELA score (pretty confident in the Grammar section though since I only got 2 wrong on the last test) and the essay along with it. I am aiming for a 1500 or above with superscore (which I can hopefully acquire), but nothing is for certain.

  • Subject Tests (I know that they aren't accepted/considered, but..)
    • Biology: 800 (9th grade)
    • Math IIC: 780 (10th grade)


Extracurriculars (this is pretty long, so please bear with me)

  • Cross Country (3 yrs)
    • I received 2 varsity letters and Coaches' Award (10th). I'm certain that I'm going to be Captain next year since I'm going to be the only senior on the team.
  • Spring Track (2 yrs)
    • I only received 1 varsity letter due to the 2020 season being cancelled, and I'm not sure whether or not I'll receive a Captain position this season since it just started, but we'll see (I am having my doubts though).
  • Academy Representative (1yr)
    • I'm an active representative and created a welcome video for our incoming freshmen!
  • National Honor Society (2yrs)
    • Volunteered for them (3 volunteer hours)
    • I'm running for Parliamentarian this year, so we'll see how that goes.
  • Chinese Honor Society (1yr)
    • I helped facilitate and was a part of this year's Chinese New Years Festival (virtual).
  • Young Life/Harvesters (3yrs)
    • I was a part of our Winter Work Crew in 10th grade (25 volunteer hours) and served homeless shelters x2 (8 volunteer hours). I was planning to attend Capernaum (100 volunteer hours), but it was cancelled last year. Hopefully, I can attend this year.
  • Civil Air Patrol (3yrs)
    • I am part of the staff and a Flight Sergeant (2yrs). I attended Basic Encampment in 2019 and was a part of the staff (as Stan/Eval) last year (which was also cancelled).
  • Korean American Association (1yr)
    • I was a volunteer for the local Chuseok Festival (25 volunteer hours), and I set up an assembly in my school representing them and received a Leadership Award.
  • Work on the Side (1yr)
    • Here, I basically do some basic video editing for a local business who is going online due to COVID-19 every Saturday for the past few weeks, and I earn minimum wage.
    • I also help around my dad's business whenever I can (especially during holiday seasons/over every Winter Break which is when it gets extremely busy), but I doubt I'm going to mention this because it's pretty menial.
  • Church Group Member
    • I used to volunteer under them for a few weeks (8 volunteer hours) before COVID hit.
  • Girls State
  • ETC/Summer '21
    • I'm signing up for Hawk Mountain and BE21 Staff (Stan/Eval) under Civil Air Patrol. In addition, I hope to attend Capernaum (if it isn't cancelled [edit: I believe it most likely is though]) and train for the CFA.


My main concerns right now are my lack of community service (due to all of my sources getting cancelled) and academics. I heard doing EMT or being a Firefighter volunteer helps a lot, but I do none of them and only have roughly 60hrs. I'm looking into becoming a Firefighter volunteer over the summer because EMT conflicted with the camps I am attending this summer (plus, all the classes are already full), but I am not certain that I can or if it's too late.

Any advice is extremely appreciated! Thank you so much for reading and your time if you made it this far :,)
 
Last edited:
sycrites said:
My GPA is UW = 3.65-3.7/W = 4.1-4.2 which I hope to solidify into a 3.7 by the end of this year.
Click to expand...
Pretty decent GPA, if you can aim for anything higher than 3.7 it will matter a lot, especially since your class rank is not necessarily the most competitive.

sycrites said:
As for my SAT, I got a 1440 (R: 690, M: 750) in March.
Click to expand...
Pretty good SAT, obviously aim for a higher ELA score, but retaking might not be so necessary tbh, I would just use this time to strengthen other parts of your application like essays, EC's, or CFA performance.

sycrites said:
Extracurriculars (this is pretty long, so please bear with me)
Click to expand...
Your extracurriculars are great! Only thing that seems to be lacking is leadership participation. I was a leader in every club that I participated in, and you should be too! There is nothing holding you back from this.

Honestly on the whole I'd give you a decent shot, only thing you need to worry about is passing the CFA. Also, make sure you remain humble and courteous in your essays and your interactions with admissions staff. Good luck!
 
professorm804 said:
Pretty decent GPA, if you can aim for anything higher than 3.7 it will matter a lot, especially since your class rank is not necessarily the most competitive.


Pretty good SAT, obviously aim for a higher ELA score, but retaking might not be so necessary tbh, I would just use this time to strengthen other parts of your application like essays, EC's, or CFA performance.


Your extracurriculars are great! Only thing that seems to be lacking is leadership participation. I was a leader in every club that I participated in, and you should be too! There is nothing holding you back from this.

Honestly on the whole I'd give you a decent shot, only thing you need to worry about is passing the CFA. Also, make sure you remain humble and courteous in your essays and your interactions with admissions staff. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you for your feedback! I see a lot of people on these forums with insane stats, and I'm afraid that this won't be enough since I am coming from a pretty competitive district, so the most difficult thing to overcome will definitely be my nominations.
As for my leadership participation, I agree that it could be stronger haha. My school is really competitive for these positions, and it's difficult to do sports along with clubs due to the conflicting schedules. Also, I'm going to work on my CFA all summer along with physically-demanding camps (hence why I'm trying to complete my SATs early).
I hope you have a great day, and thank you for your time!
 
Do not worry about the AP exams! Worry about getting those 5s for these classes in your weighted GPA. You can also in some cases get 5s in your GPA by taking a class at your local community college, which will be much easier than most AP courses, yet still prove that you are capable of college level work.

Based on what I have heard team captain positions are vital, as well as varsity letters, which you have.

I would certainly apply for Summer Seminar of course and to Girls State/Nation.
 
@sycrites , you have very strong attributes.
For another perspective, here goes:
The FIRST question I ask after reading your post: Do you speak/read Korean/Chinese?
Ask yourself, how important is this to any SA? Is there something significant here that I want to expound upon in my application?

Very solid SAT, good news is you can focus on EBRW and essay. There is nothing you can do about GPA now - the dial is set, but even from here strive for high grades, AP scores, and SAT/ACT scores. Ideally, they should reaffirm each other, The Academic Triumvirate, or Meatloaf Plan B: 2/3 ain't bad and 2 good scores explain the 3rd shaky one.

Varsity sports: Great on track & cross country. If you know for sure you'll be captain, try to get that confirmed as early as possible so you can check that box on the application.

Other ECS: It's hard to tell which are the most meaningful to you. It seems you are trying to add more, when IMO you should be engaging more in existing ones where you have good YOY engagement already.

A last comment: I'm not sure what you mean by "....I doubt i'm going to mention this because it's pretty menial". Pivot for a moment and think: when you are a leader, there in no job from the bottom rung to top that is insignificant to the team effort. There's nothing ambiguous about a job description, menial is menial, but every person on your team, every job function is part of a worthwhile effort, and therefore significant. Your parents probably asked you to help because it was important, necessary, and you demonstrated that fine skill of stepping up to do what was necessary to help. My girls both stepped up when DH has Stage 4 cancer. We are both self-employed, so guess what - if work isn't done, we don't get paid, cancer or not. Simple as that. So for that time period, they both had to do "menial" things like filing papers. But there is always a good story or takeaway - they both became notaries as soon as they turned 18, something very needed in a law/cpa office.
 
Hi! It is exciting to see a fellow Korean American apply to the Service Academy. I am also on the discord if you would like to send any questions I am more than happy to answer. Best of wishes!
 
sycrites said:
My main concerns right now are my lack of community service (due to all of my sources getting cancelled) and academics. I heard doing EMT or being a Firefighter volunteer helps a lot, but I do none of them and only have roughly 60hrs. I'm looking into becoming a Firefighter volunteer over the summer because EMT conflicted with the camps I am attending this summer (plus, all the classes are already full), but I am not certain that I can or if it's too late.
Click to expand...
Community Service is NOT a requirement from the academies and there are candidates admitted with none. Some Congressmen/Senators do
evaluate it as part of the nomination process and from what I've seen, you are not out of the normal range on this for students with strong athletics and other extracurriculars.
 
From what I see you have the makings of a great potential candidate. But I can’t help but feel that you are feeling anxious and nervous. Relax...admission to an academy is definitely a huge goal, but it isn’t one that you should be stressing yourself over. I would recommend going into your application will a level headed mine and clear conscious.

You seem to have the academics portion locked. Athletics as well. For community service don’t worry about how many hours you have. Far too many candidates are worried about the number of hours and don‘t focus on the experience and knowledge gained from those hours. The experience is what truly matters on your application. It allows you to write more in depth and personal essays / answer interview questions drawing from experience. If someone had 100 volunteer hours but didn’t learn anything, then those hours are pointless.
As for becoming a volunteer firefighter, if you really want to and that’s your passion then by all means become one. If you are just going to do it to mark a checkbox on your application and for the hours, I wouldn’t bother with it at all. You have so much more to do with your time than taking courses for something that you wouldn’t even enjoy. My reccomomendation would be to find one to two things that you are passionate about and focus on those. Gain experience in those fields and act like a sponge. Soak in as much experience and information as you can while rising to leadership positions. By doing that, you are making yourself a better leader, getting a lot of experience, and most importantly HAVING FUN doing what you love.

Best of luck to you.
 
My standard response, to any ‘chance me’ thread, is this:

Please provide the stats/resumes/Interviews of everyone else on/for your slate.

Obviously, you cannot do that. And that’s exactly the point. Outside the generic “meeting criteria” on the class portraits, no one can even guess. Bc your competition at the state level is completely unknown....

On paper, you look like a lot of the others on the class portrait. But IDK how you interview. Or how others do. And that’s the issue.

All you can do is present your best, BEST package. Good luck !!
 
cbasulto1 said:
Do not worry about the AP exams! Worry about getting those 5s for these classes in your weighted GPA. You can also in some cases get 5s in your GPA by taking a class at your local community college, which will be much easier than most AP courses, yet still prove that you are capable of college level work.

Based on what I have heard team captain positions are vital, as well as varsity letters, which you have.

I would certainly apply for Summer Seminar of course and to Girls State/Nation.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm struggling in one of my AP classes this year (not too badly though), and I'll make sure to work hard for a better grade! I'm not sure if it's too late to sign up for classes at my local community college, but I'll definitely check it out.

I did apply to Summer Seminar, and I'm going to Girls State this year! Hopefully the Summer Seminar results turn out with good news haha (I believe they are supposed to come out this week or next week??). I heard from my FFR that Girls State and Summer Seminar conflict and that I should choose Girls State over SLE, but it would just be relieving if I get in. Thank you for your feedback and time, I sincerely appreciate it!
 
'25 appointee here so yk im not just saying random stuff:
- increase your rank and gpa as much as you can but your great SAT can help support a "lack" if you will in the other departments, a 1500+ would be a massive part of your file and really help your chances imo
- try and focus on 2-3 leadership positions instead of quantity, the CAP, XC, and maybe a club would be good for your file
- def apply to SLE, NASS, etc, its great that you already have girls state
- start your file asap and get your LOR's, CFA, and paperwork done as soon as you can without decreasing the quality of the work so you could be eligible for an LOA (try and finish in August-September if possible)
- begin training the CFA events as your main workout when you are out of season for sports and use progressive overload with the exercises
(example: do one pull up month, go for two the next month, etc)
Good Luck! Let me know if you have any specific questions bc i know i did a year ago.
 
HCopter said:
@sycrites , you have very strong attributes.
For another perspective, here goes:
The FIRST question I ask after reading your post: Do you speak/read Korean/Chinese?
Ask yourself, how important is this to any SA? Is there something significant here that I want to expound upon in my application?

Very solid SAT, good news is you can focus on EBRW and essay. There is nothing you can do about GPA now - the dial is set, but even from here strive for high grades, AP scores, and SAT/ACT scores. Ideally, they should reaffirm each other, The Academic Triumvirate, or Meatloaf Plan B: 2/3 ain't bad and 2 good scores explain the 3rd shaky one.

Varsity sports: Great on track & cross country. If you know for sure you'll be captain, try to get that confirmed as early as possible so you can check that box on the application.

Other ECS: It's hard to tell which are the most meaningful to you. It seems you are trying to add more, when IMO you should be engaging more in existing ones where you have good YOY engagement already.

A last comment: I'm not sure what you mean by "....I doubt i'm going to mention this because it's pretty menial". Pivot for a moment and think: when you are a leader, there in no job from the bottom rung to top that is insignificant to the team effort. There's nothing ambiguous about a job description, menial is menial, but every person on your team, every job function is part of a worthwhile effort, and therefore significant. Your parents probably asked you to help because it was important, necessary, and you demonstrated that fine skill of stepping up to do what was necessary to help. My girls both stepped up when DH has Stage 4 cancer. We are both self-employed, so guess what - if work isn't done, we don't get paid, cancer or not. Simple as that. So for that time period, they both had to do "menial" things like filing papers. But there is always a good story or takeaway - they both became notaries as soon as they turned 18, something very needed in a law/cpa office.
Click to expand...
I do speak/read Korean, but I'm not nearly as confident in Chinese haha. Now that you mention it, my heritage does play a greater part in my application, and there are things I want to expound upon in my application (perhaps in my interviews?).
I've been studying the essay and EBRW for the past couple months, so please wish me luck for the May test!
That's true, I should definitely be more dedicated to my existing ECs. I've had a special focus on Civil Air Patrol over the years, so I'll definitely shift greater attention and emphasis onto it and other ECs with YOY engagement!
You and your daughters are truly inspiring, and congratulations to them and finding their path in the real world (especially in the law field)! I sincerely hope your DH is in better health, and your story is definitely a different and better perspective on how I should view my own job at my father's small business since it really taught me a lot about my father and what it's like working in a more traditional workplace. I believed that West Point would not be interested, but that and viewing my input as "menial" is definitely not the right way to approach my file now that you mention it. Thank you for the change in perspective and your time!
 
KUSA said:
Hi! It is exciting to see a fellow Korean American apply to the Service Academy. I am also on the discord if you would like to send any questions I am more than happy to answer. Best of wishes!
Click to expand...
Hello!! It's nice to see you too haha. I'm not sure what your Discord username is or if we're allowed to disclose it on this forum, but I sent a very cute ferret GIF in #general at 6:28PM today (aka just now). Thank you for your offer and best of wishes to you as well!
 
OldRetSWO said:
Community Service is NOT a requirement from the academies and there are candidates admitted with none. Some Congressmen/Senators do
evaluate it as part of the nomination process and from what I've seen, you are not out of the normal range on this for students with strong athletics and other extracurriculars.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately for my case, my Congressmen do consider Community Service in the application as part of their criteria into receiving a nomination. The nomination is my greatest concern at the moment as well due to how competitive my district and state is and is where I believe I might fall from this process, but thank you for the reassurance!
 
Jman0714 said:
From what I see you have the makings of a great potential candidate. But I can’t help but feel that you are feeling anxious and nervous. Relax...admission to an academy is definitely a huge goal, but it isn’t one that you should be stressing yourself over. I would recommend going into your application will a level headed mine and clear conscious.

You seem to have the academics portion locked. Athletics as well. For community service don’t worry about how many hours you have. Far too many candidates are worried about the number of hours and don‘t focus on the experience and knowledge gained from those hours. The experience is what truly matters on your application. It allows you to write more in depth and personal essays / answer interview questions drawing from experience. If someone had 100 volunteer hours but didn’t learn anything, then those hours are pointless.
As for becoming a volunteer firefighter, if you really want to and that’s your passion then by all means become one. If you are just going to do it to mark a checkbox on your application and for the hours, I wouldn’t bother with it at all. You have so much more to do with your time than taking courses for something that you wouldn’t even enjoy. My reccomomendation would be to find one to two things that you are passionate about and focus on those. Gain experience in those fields and act like a sponge. Soak in as much experience and information as you can while rising to leadership positions. By doing that, you are making yourself a better leader, getting a lot of experience, and most importantly HAVING FUN doing what you love.

Best of luck to you.
Click to expand...
How'd you know :oops:
You're right though, I definitely need to relax haha. It's just hard to because I know I'm in a competitive district but have very limited information locally, so I turn to these forums to gauge myself and others which just leads to being always on edge (very unhealthy). However, I need to remind myself that USMA is the one who will deem whether or not I am fit for their school, and if I'm not accepted, I will just reapply and work even harder! Especially for the nomination, I need to practice being more level headed and having a clearer conscious because my anxiousness gets in the way of my performance in the interviews.
As for community service, the experience you get out of the hours is for sure way more important than the numbers on the resume. I never really thought about it that way wow. I think I've been way to distracted on how I look compared to other candidates on paper that I've completely forgotten about that (not a very good sign oof). I have learned a lot from my hours, and I'll look for more experiences rather than the numbers throughout the rest of the time I have. Becoming a volunteer firefighter was something my FFR actually recommended/suggested, but I'll ask more questions to people a part of the program before committing to becoming one and determine whether it is something I am interested/passionate in. From now on, I'll focus on committing to the ECs that I am passionate in and make the most out of these experience while learning as much as possible rather than focusing on what I look on paper. Whether or not I get in, at least I'll know that I had fun over my high school years by doing so. In the end, the process of getting into USMA has already shaped me into a better person and pushed me to becoming a stronger leader which I believe other paths would not have done as effectively as USMA had, but I hope I can get in and further those lessons and learn newer ones as well! Thank you so much for your time and feedback. It was really helpful!!
 
justdoit19 said:
My standard response, to any ‘chance me’ thread, is this:

Please provide the stats/resumes/Interviews of everyone else on/for your slate.

Obviously, you cannot do that. And that’s exactly the point. Outside the generic “meeting criteria” on the class portraits, no one can even guess. Bc your competition at the state level is completely unknown....

On paper, you look like a lot of the others on the class portrait. But IDK how you interview. Or how others do. And that’s the issue.

All you can do is present your best, BEST package. Good luck !!
Click to expand...
You're right, I really need to stop wasting time comparing myself to others on these forums when I don't know the slightest bit about their character and shift my focus onto doing my best. Thank you for your humbling input and time!
 
Lucas8200 said:
'25 appointee here so yk im not just saying random stuff:
- increase your rank and gpa as much as you can but your great SAT can help support a "lack" if you will in the other departments, a 1500+ would be a massive part of your file and really help your chances imo
- try and focus on 2-3 leadership positions instead of quantity, the CAP, XC, and maybe a club would be good for your file
- def apply to SLE, NASS, etc, its great that you already have girls state
- start your file asap and get your LOR's, CFA, and paperwork done as soon as you can without decreasing the quality of the work so you could be eligible for an LOA (try and finish in August-September if possible)
- begin training the CFA events as your main workout when you are out of season for sports and use progressive overload with the exercises
(example: do one pull up month, go for two the next month, etc)
Good Luck! Let me know if you have any specific questions bc i know i did a year ago.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if I can increase my GPA and rank massively due to it being so close to the end of the year, but I'll try my hardest in this last stretch and work even harder on the things I can increase (like my SAT)! And I agree that spreading myself out thin is not a good idea, I am definitely shifting my focus towards Civil Air Patrol and my involvement in sports nowadays.
As for the SLE, I applied and I believe the results are coming out sometime this week or the following week. However, my FFR told me that Girls State conflicts with SLE and that I should choose the former when it comes down to it due to how rewarding the experience is, but getting into SLE would definitely be a great sign for me (of course not a definite one though).
And I've already reached out to my teachers for my LORs and plan to take the entire summer to prep for the CFA and finish the paperwork (hence why I'm trying to finish my SATs now) because my current focus is to become eligible for an LOA (it would take a huge burden off my back during senior year if I receive one)! I'm starting from scratch for the CFA when it comes to any of the events besides the ones involving cardio, so I'm definitely going to be using the internet for a lot of my research on the CFA over the summer.
Thank you for your offer and time, and I wish you luck as well!
 
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