Chances of VMI acceptance?

[GraceK]

Hello,

I am a senior in high school and am planning on apply to VMI asap. I just want to know if I have a good chance of being accepted.

I played soccer freshmen-junior yearand basketball freshmen year. I was editor of my school's yearbook sophomore-junior year, president on student council my junior year, and manager of the boy's basketball team sophomore-junior year.

My senior year is quite different. I had problems with the school I went to my junior year, so I am taking 3 college courses to graduate in January 2011. I am receiving my diploma through North Atlantic Reginal High School (NARHS) based out of Maine.

Since I don't go to a high school I couldn't play team sports my senior year . I instead coached K-2nd grade soccer and I am the supstitute PE teacher at the school my younger siblings attend.
I''ve always worked hard to have good grades. I believe my GPA my junior year was a 3.93. However, SAT scores are not as high as I hoped they would be, being a 1610 the first time I took them. I am taking them again this Saturday, hoping to improve.

Please help by giving feedback about what I need to be doing to increase my chances of being accepted at VMI.

 

[bruno]

GK- hard for me to say. Your GPA is pretty good, and the sports and extra curriculars look pretty good, but the back story is a little odd?
You had a 3.93 GPA, the editor of the year book, the president of the student council yet you had some problems that caused you to leave the school?

I don't think anyone on this board can answer you honestly without knowing a lot of that information but rather than sharing that with us- I think that your best bet is to get your application into VMI as soon as you can, write a really good essay that talks about: why you want to go to VMI; explains any issues you had in High School that caused you to drop out- and possibly what you have learned from that experience? You are not applying to a monastery - they understand that HS kids sometimes make mistakes or get involved in things that were an aberration and don't reflect their true character. But- you have to be able to meet the ROTC standards for commissioning; and more difficult- you have to be prepared to live in a really demanding close environment that doesn't give you much personal space or choice - and in a place that is pretty rigid and unbending about honor. So to sum up- the numbers you have look ok to me and the fact that you are not playing sports right now won't be a huge stumbling block especially if you are working in an elementary as a soccer coach/sub PE teacher - but if your background is a little "hinky" then you will have to be able to convince the admissions office that you want to and can live and succeed under those conditions. If I'm reading more into your problems at your past school than you meant - I apologize.
Good luck- talk to the admissions department- they are very helpful folks- and get your application started.

 

[RahVaMil2009]

Can you be a little more descriptive on the stuff that led up to your decision to leave your old high school? (Please feel free to PM me, if you want.)

It sounds like you've got a pretty good deal, taking college courses and essentially graduating from high school a semester early. It's also awesome that you're coaching and substitute teaching, because I'm sure they do a considerable amount of screening for anyone working with kids that age.

As Bruno said, it's really important that you do a good job on the essay. While the admissions essay is optional for VMI, it shows an added level of dedication to getting accepted, while also giving them an opportunity to assess your written communication skills. Perhaps most important, it gives you a chance to fill in any 'gaps' in your application.

Too many people fall into the trap of putting their resumes in paragraph form and calling it an "admissions essay." The same thing happens after college, when people are writing letters of intent/cover letters for job applications. They can see from your resume that you had a high GPA, did well in sports, and served on the Student Council; what did you learn about time management? They can see from your resume that you coached and served as a substitute teacher; what did that teach you about leadership?

Think of your essay as a chance for you to tie your application together, and to preemptively answer any questions you think they might have about the rest of your application.

Have you been in contact with the Office of Admissions yet? If so, who's your Admissions Counselor?

Good luck,

Jackie M. Briski '09
First Class PVT (Ret.)