Class of 2029 Applicant: Extracurriculars

Mei_Mez07

Mei_Mez07

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Sep 25, 2023
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Hello! I'm Mei and I really want to apply to go to the Naval Academy. I am currently a junior in high school. I want to study chemistry at the Naval Academy, and after serving my 9 years in the Navy I hope to go to medical school to be a doctor for the military (probably something with trauma surgery)

Although I am very excited at the prospect of going to the Naval Academy, I'm scared I haven't done enough to be competitive with other applicants especially when it comes to sports participation. I go to an Early College High School in the south...we don't have sports. My community college does have sports but my family is low-income and both my parents work around the clock so commuting to the main campus for sports isn't an option. I might have found a way to get to the meets but the thing is that the sport I'd want to do is volleyball, and their tryouts already ended. Option 1 is to wait till spring (is that too late though?) or to maybe join the basketball team which is still open right now.

I work out on my own time, and I run and weightlift as hobbies but will these both be construed as "loner activities"? I do run a few initiatives at my school though. I am the founder of a Homework Hotline at my school (I run it through NHS). I'm a veteran Folkorico dancer for my school team (Latin Dancing). I'm also the president of my school's No Place For Hate, as well as a representative for my school's Wellness Committee. I formerly ran a volunteer club at my school for two years, and one year I planned and organized a bake sale for Ukraine that profited over $3,000. I'm also currently attending a yearlong medical program at a prestigious state university. As well as being a top 10 student and taking the most difficult classes my school has to offer (Associates of Science). Are these alone enough?

I would really appreciate any help or suggestions anyone can give me :)

Thanks a bunch!!!
 
Try to get a really good CFA score to make up for not being on a sports team. You should also quickly mention why you haven't been in a sports team in one of your essays. As long as admissions sees that you were productive with your time that would've been in sports, and that you are physically fit, it shouldn't hurt your application.
 
It is not a requirement to play a varsity sport to get into the Naval Academy, but I will say that nearly all of my classmates were varsity athletes (emphasis on nearly because I knew more than a few who weren't). If you think you have the time, can afford it, and, most importantly, would enjoy it, don't be afraid to join a team even if you aren't the best. Trust me, unless you're being recruited, USNA does not care how well you can shoot a three-pointer. What they do care about is how well you are able to operate with other peers in a higher-stress environment where teamwork is crucial to success - this is why they like guys and gals who play sports. If you want to play volleyball, go for it - it's a good thing to want to build a solid application to a service academy, but please do things that will make you happy while you're so young because you're about to work really hard.

I am glad you are in other leadership positions at your school. All the service academies really place a big emphasis on demonstrated leadership. Continue to develop your strengths in those areas.

Lastly, USNA is a great place to study chemistry but a quite challenging place to become a medical doctor. I know you mentioned that you wanted to be a non-medical officer for your service obligation then go to medical school after your nine years. This is fine, but I cannot think of a harder way to become an MD. You're time to do all the med-school research, shadowing, volunteering will be limited at USNA, and your GPA will be under some serious pressure. It is doable, though, and please give your dreams a shot - people do it every year and you can too. I know multiple former mids who are now med students and I know of two AD officers who lat transferred to med corps after their divo shore tours, but please at least consider doing civilian school->HPSP program/USUHS if your goal is to be a military doc. Community college before university can also be an option if cost is a concern.
 
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The things varsity athletics teach you and foster in future servant leaders are a big deal.

But, can you speak to those things in a different way? Can you, in your BGO interview discuss why you didn’t do athletics but how you grew and were a a leader and a teammate in other endeavors? How did you recover from a loss? Handle a win with class? Help a team or club mate?
What special circumstances kept you from doing varsity athletics?

These are all things admissions would like to hear.
 
bshark_1123 said:
What they do care about is how well you are able to operate with other peers in a higher-stress environment where teamwork is crucial to success - this is why they like guys and gals who play sports.
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This nails it! The SAs prefer candidates who played varsity sports because that level of athletics develops teamwork, leadership, perseverance, discipline, resilience, determination and time management.

It’s ultimately not a test of athleticism or physical fitness. The CFA takes care of that.

See the most recent class profile for any SA. You’ll notice that about 90% of cadets/mids played varsity sports. So no, you don’t need to be a varsity athlete to win offer of appointment. But it goes a long way to demonstrating your leadership potential.
 
Sports are very important. But it does not need to be HS varsity sports. Club sports and individual sports done outside of HS can also work.

Running, long distance road racing kind of running , might be one way. And maybe the easiest way. Karate judo etc , which would need a place to train and instruction might also be an option.

Not having sports will put you at a significant disadvantage.
 
bshark_1123 said:
It is not a requirement to play a varsity sport to get into the Naval Academy, but I will say that nearly all of my classmates were varsity athletes (emphasis on nearly because I knew more than a few who weren't). If you think you have the time, can afford it, and, most importantly, would enjoy it, don't be afraid to join a team even if you aren't the best. Trust me, unless you're being recruited, USNA does not care how well you can shoot a three-pointer. What they do care about is how well you are able to operate with other peers in a higher-stress environment where teamwork is crucial to success - this is why they like guys and gals who play sports. If you want to play volleyball, go for it - it's a good thing to want to build a solid application to a service academy, but please do things that will make you happy while you're so young because you're about to work really hard.

I am glad you are in other leadership positions at your school. All the service academies really place a big emphasis on demonstrated leadership. Continue to develop your strengths in those areas.

Lastly, USNA is a great place to study chemistry but a quite challenging place to become a medical doctor. I know you mentioned that you wanted to be a non-medical officer for your service obligation then go to medical school after your nine years. This is fine, but I cannot think of a harder way to become an MD. You're time to do all the med-school research, shadowing, volunteering will be limited at USNA, and your GPA will be under some serious pressure. It is doable, though, and please give your dreams a shot - people do it every year and you can too. I know multiple former mids who are now med students and I know of two AD officers who lat transferred to med corps after their divo shore tours, but please at least consider doing civilian school->HPSP program/USUHS if your goal is to be a military doc. Community college before university can also be an option if cost is a concern.
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Thank you so much for your detailed response! It was really insightful and I’ll definitely keep everything you said in mind.
 
severn said:
... perhaps this is only a suggestion...
I think the picture next to the name (if live) needs to be changed to maintain anonymity.
Click to expand...
No, the name I have on here is not my real name (it’s a nickname). I’ll probably change it though. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
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