Class of 2026 - Applicant Worries

T

TX_Fraz

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Feb 25, 2021
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Good evening y'all! I was thinking about my application tonight, and I started to worry about whether I would be considered competitive for admission (I tend to overthink things and find myself worrying too much at times). Below is a summary of my profile:

SAT: 1510

Sports: JV Track (11th grade only)

School: All AP and Dual-Enrollment Classes, STEM Magnet Program, Rank 17/811, 5.08/6.00 GPA

Extracurriculars: State-Level Communications Director at a student-run nonprofit (JSA), JSA Chapter co-president, Orchestra Officer, State-Level JSA Senator, Top-level Orchestra (4 years by senior year), Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow Member, NYLT Senior Patrol Leader, Former Congressional Campaign Intern, Teen Court Attorney, Former Legal Intern, various academic teams

Thank you!
 
Don't spend time worrying and stressing about the application process. Spend some time now to enjoy the present before your youth is over and you are moving on to the next stage in your life.

It's hard to gauge competitiveness when we hardly know you as a person. Your academics are great, but the lack of sports could weaken your application. In the Class of 2024, 91% of the midshipmen participated in varsity athletics and 73% of the class were captains or co-captains of a sports team. Admission to the service academies is a difficult task and it involves many different aspects to be a successful candidate. You could have a 4.0 with a 1600 SAT score, but if you cannot pass the CFA or get medically qualified then you will not be appointed. If I were you I would continue to work hard and improve push yourself in all areas. As a great General once said, "If a man tries his best, what else is there?"
 
Howdy @TX_Fraz. If worrying would solve anything, I’d tell you to worry every minute you’re awake. I'd even tell you to worry in your dreams. But worrying won’t solve a thing. Trust me on this one. What you can do is be diligent and prepare. As many on SAF have said, put forth your best application because you have control over it. Resist comparing yourself with others on this forum because it will make you either vain or bitter. Put some decent thought into your application, meet the deadlines and know that you did your very best. The only thing we can do in this life is our best. Good luck and stop worrying now.
 
TX_Fraz said:
Good evening y'all! I was thinking about my application tonight, and I started to worry about whether I would be considered competitive for admission (I tend to overthink things and find myself worrying too much at times). Below is a summary of my profile:

SAT: 1510

Sports: JV Track (11th grade only)

School: All AP and Dual-Enrollment Classes, STEM Magnet Program, Rank 17/811, 5.08/6.00 GPA

Extracurriculars: State-Level Communications Director at a student-run nonprofit (JSA), JSA Chapter co-president, Orchestra Officer, State-Level JSA Senator, Top-level Orchestra (4 years by senior year), Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow Member, NYLT Senior Patrol Leader, Former Congressional Campaign Intern, Teen Court Attorney, Former Legal Intern, various academic teams

Thank you!
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Really cool to see some other JSAers here, Northeast state gub chief of staff right here. Right now your grades and EC's look great, but try to join another sport in the fall if you can and prepare as much as you can for the CFA, because they'll probably look at it with extra scrutiny. But other than that, just control what you can control and try to ignore the rest. You can't control who else in your district applies for a nom, or the competitiveness of the other applicants, but you can make sure you get your summer seminar application, nomination applications, and complete every item on the application as early as you can. It's a long process, but try to keep a positive attitude.
 
ma_applicant 2025 said:
Really cool to see some other JSAers here, Northeast state gub chief of staff right here. Right now your grades and EC's look great, but try to join another sport in the fall if you can and prepare as much as you can for the CFA, because they'll probably look at it with extra scrutiny. But other than that, just control what you can control and try to ignore the rest. You can't control who else in your district applies for a nom, or the competitiveness of the other applicants, but you can make sure you get your summer seminar application, nomination applications, and complete every item on the application as early as you can. It's a long process, but try to keep a positive attitude.
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I forgot to mention that I was a part of a rock climbing team outside of school my freshman year, and I'm doing varsity track my senior year (it will show up on my fall schedule)....with this, do the prospects look slightly better on the athletic side?
 
TX_Fraz said:
I forgot to mention that I was a part of a rock climbing team outside of school my freshman year, and I'm doing varsity track my senior year (it will show up on my fall schedule)....with this, do the prospects look slightly better on the athletic side?
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Take a deep breath and go back to read the posts by @fullspeedahead and @WT Door.
 
TX_Fraz said:
I forgot to mention that I was a part of a rock climbing team outside of school my freshman year, and I'm doing varsity track my senior year (it will show up on my fall schedule)....with this, do the prospects look slightly better on the athletic side?
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I don't think so and after rereading your initial post, start worrying every waking minute and in your dreams. Ciao.
 
TX_Fraz said:
Good evening y'all! I was thinking about my application tonight, and I started to worry about whether I would be considered competitive for admission (I tend to overthink things and find myself worrying too much at times). Below is a summary of my profile:

SAT: 1510

Sports: JV Track (11th grade only)

School: All AP and Dual-Enrollment Classes, STEM Magnet Program, Rank 17/811, 5.08/6.00 GPA

Extracurriculars: State-Level Communications Director at a student-run nonprofit (JSA), JSA Chapter co-president, Orchestra Officer, State-Level JSA Senator, Top-level Orchestra (4 years by senior year), Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow Member, NYLT Senior Patrol Leader, Former Congressional Campaign Intern, Teen Court Attorney, Former Legal Intern, various academic teams

Thank you!
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SAT: Aim for 1400+
ECs: Competitive
School: Calculus/Physics/Chemistry/CompSci?
Sports: Varsity letter?
Fitness level: 11+ pull-ups? 6:30mile? 68+push-ups? 58+crunches?
 
a_gerardoz said:
When does the Class of 2026 application open? what’s the turn around between this cycle and the next?
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Go to the usna.edu website and check it out. It’s a great big banner, a few clicks away, and contains all the information you need, including ‘when does the application open’. You will need to become intimately familiar with the website. Good luck!
 
justdoit19 said:
Go to the usna.edu website and check it out. It’s a great big banner, a few clicks away, and contains all the information you need, including ‘when does the application open’. You will need to become intimately familiar with the website. Good luck!
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Thank you!! still waiting to hear back for this one as many of us are! hoping there’s some time before the turnaround... looks like April 1st is when prelims start.

-a motivated college re applicant :)
 
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TX_Fraz said:
Good evening y'all! I was thinking about my application tonight, and I started to worry about whether I would be considered competitive for admission (I tend to overthink things and find myself worrying too much at times). Below is a summary of my profile:

SAT: 1510

Sports: JV Track (11th grade only)

School: All AP and Dual-Enrollment Classes, STEM Magnet Program, Rank 17/811, 5.08/6.00 GPA

Extracurriculars: State-Level Communications Director at a student-run nonprofit (JSA), JSA Chapter co-president, Orchestra Officer, State-Level JSA Senator, Top-level Orchestra (4 years by senior year), Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow Member, NYLT Senior Patrol Leader, Former Congressional Campaign Intern, Teen Court Attorney, Former Legal Intern, various academic teams

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Ahhhh...I would say so. Good luck.
 
@TX_Fraz - the resume is solid. Focus on what you can control

Academics - fantastic
Extra Curricular - solid, but make sure you have a narrative around the impact you made in leadership roles. Simply being active is not sufficient - make an impact.
Athletics - the weak spot in the resume if you subscribe to the idea that organized sports are a requirement-- I do not. Crush the CFA and let that number speak to your level of fitness.

Start prepping your student resume and practice interviewing. The resume looks solid, but it isn't the only factor that will go into an admissions decision.
 
There is only one absolute truth in the Service Academy admissions process - 100% of those that don't try will not get an Appointment.
Worry about what you control -- submit your best application, then wait and see (and always have a Plan B, C, D.....)
Good luck.
 
I think your NYLT SPL is a big deal and you should make sure you explain the leadership involved - not every admissions person may understand this role. Also depends a bit on how strong your Council's NYLT is. If they follow the national curriculum, then as SPL you have (or will if it is this summer) had very significant leadership experience - leading leaders. While LoR sometimes seemed to be discouraged, I would encourage you to get a LoR from your NYLT Scoutmaster. NLYT SPL was a huge experience for my DS (he almost literally changed out of his uniform at the end of his week and got on a plane to I-Day).
 
Focus on the end state goal of a commission in the USN. How you get there isn’t as important as the result. As a 20 year officer retiree, I noticed zero difference between officers from USNA or ROTC. None...

While there are some obvious financial differences between the different paths they all lead to the same thing.

For the original poster, enjoy your high school days. Obviously you have worked hard and deserve great things. I’ll leave you with this story. My daughter graduated 1 of 500 with a 1550 SAT and perfect ACT. She was not accepted to USNA but was to USCGA and USAFA. She used her NROTC scholarship at Princeton and couldn’t be happier. In the end it doesn’t matter what school you came from.
 
Buckle up - front end of a marathon. Join x-country and tell the coach your goals . . . And throw the stinking basketball !!! See/google Stew Smith Fitness on CFA.
 
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