"Compare Myself" Thread

USMA Candidate '17


Academics:
GPA: 3.48 (w) after this semester will be a 3.65
Class Rank: my school does not give them
SAT: 660 math, 550 reading, 680 writing



Athletics:
Varsity swimming
Varsity Lacrosse
Jv Cross country
All 3 years of each as of now

Extra-Curricular:
Boys' State Attendee this summer
President of peer leaders (school club)
Swim team captain
Church youth group
Other clubs
A mentor for freshman
Missions trip to mississippi
Volunteer at a soup kitchen every month since eighth grade
Two summers as a camp counselor and one summer working at a local ice cream store.
Thanks for any and all help!
 
I'm no expert, but I'd definitely work to improve your SAT scores, bdoyle (Math and Reading).

IF I'm not mistaken, 550 Reading is the borderline minimum score. Try the ACT as well - I did so much better in it.
 
2017 Applicant

Academics:
GPA: 3.7 (uw) 4.1 (w) This is on a 4 point scale
Class Rank: School does not assign
ACT: 34 composite, 32 math, 36 english, 34 science, 33 reading
(still awaiting scores from most recent ACT taken two weeks ago)
Distingiushed as a Superintendent's Key Scholar - An award given to 125 students throughout our school district (roughly 4,000 students) who are recognized for scoring in the top 90% of students on the PSAT.

Athletics:
1 Year of High School Football (With Letter). Forced to stop after 1 year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. I am now 100% cleared by my doctor though.
1 Year of Rec. Basketball. Also forced to stop due to shoulder injury.
5 Years of Golf in a Community League, including participation in various tournaments.
PADI Open Water Diver Certification, Including multiple dives.
Will be playing Rec. Lacrosse this fall as well as going out for Varsity Lacrosse next Spring.
No CFA scores yet

Extra-Curricular:
2010 - Did summer research at the Karisoke Mountain Gorilla Conservation Center in Rwanda.
2011 - Summer Studies at Duke University (3 Weeks) - Anatomy/Physiology (Accepted Upon Competitive Selection)
2012 - Summer Studies at Duke University/The Hague, Netherlands (2 Weeks) - War Crimes/International Justice (Accepted Upon Competitive Selection)
Boys' State Attendee (This Summer)
SLS Attendee (This Summer)
Habitat for Humanity Club Co-Executive Officer (Co-President)
Environmental Club Founder and President
Beta Club Member
Lighting and Sound Volunteer Technician at Church Every Sunday
100+ hours of community service from volunteering with Church Youth Groups, working with homeless children, and other various volunteer projects.
 
this thread! brought back from the dead! woooohooo
 
USMA2016 said:
After being on the forums for a few months, I always see those threads like "Am I qualified?", "Can I get in?", or "What are my chances?" (I, too, am guilty myself of starting one of those when I joined). Of course, none of us forum-ers can really answer those questions because we're not the admissions board, so the best we can do is compare ourselves to others.

This brings me to my point.

Would it be appropriate to start a "Compare Myself" Thread where people can post (essentially) their resumes and current status so others who are unsure of where they stack up can see everyone else's statistics and see where their strong points are and where they can improve?

For example, I would post the following in a "Compare Myself" thread:

USMA2016
USMA Candidate '16
USMA SLS Attendee '11

Academics:
GPA: 4.0 (uw) 4.37 (w)
Class Rank: 3/422
SAT: 690 math, 700 reading, 740 writing
ACT: 30 composite, 31 math, 29 english, 35 science, 25 reading
PSAT: 72 math, 64 CR, 67 writing

Athletics:
3 Years Varsity Wrestling, 2 letters
No CFA scores yet

Extra-Curricular:
Boys' State Attendee
Scouting Senior Patrol Leader
Club President
School Band/Chorus Member
National Honor Society Attendee
Church Youth Group Leader
San Diego Hall of Champions - Champions Sports Corps
Pianist, Guitarist, and Cellist
120+ hours of community service as a Piano teacher, peer tutor, and through scouts.


So that's pretty much what a post would look like. To recapitulate, it would eliminate many of the "what are my chances?" threads and give worried candidates a chance to compare themselves against other candidates!

Let me know your thoughts on it; if you think it's a bad idea please don't hesitate to shut the thread down, but if it is a good idea then let's get this started!

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

were your stats that you posted initially back in March 2011 what you ended up with when you got your appointment?
 
Changes are denoted by italics. These were my stats as of December 19th, when I received my appointment.

USMA2016
USMA Candidate '16
USMA SLS Attendee '11
USMA LOA

Academics:
GPA: 4.0 (uw) 4.44 (w)
Class Rank: 1/422
SAT: 690 math, 700 reading, 740 writing, 11 essay
ACT: 33 composite, 34 math, 30 english, 35 science, 32 reading, 11 essay
PSAT: 72 math, 64 CR, 67 writing
AP: World History 5, US History 5, Chemistry 5, Language and Comp. 4

Athletics:
3 Years Varsity Wrestling, 2 letters
I don't remember my exact CFA scores, but they were about average

Extra-Curricular:
Boys' State Attendee
Eagle Scout
Club President
School Band/Chorus Member
National Honor Society Attendee
Church Youth Group Leader
San Diego Hall of Champions - Champions Sports Corps
Pianist, Guitarist, and Cellist
120+ hours of community service as a Piano teacher, peer tutor, and through scouts.
 
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USMA Candidate, USNA Candidate, USAFA Candidate, Applicant for ROTC to Claremont-Mckenna

Academics
GPA (UW): 3.987
Class Rank: 13/552
All Honors; 6 AP Courses to date
Junior Year Courses: AP Lang, AP Calc, AP Stats, AP Chem, Spanish 4, AP Euro
Predicted Senior Year Courses: AP Physics, AP Econ, Multivariable Calc 3, AP Lit, CIS Composition, CIS Spanish 5, Aviation
SAT: 2200; Sub-score: Math-690, CR-760, Writing-750
ACT Composite: 35; Sub-score: Math-36, Reading-36, Science-34, English-33, Writing-31

Athletics
5-Year Varsity Swimmer, 5 Letters
Winner of Lightning Award (Given to student-athlete with strongest impact on community)
Club Swimming, 8 years
Coach Club Swimming for 12&u age group
CFA predicted scores: 25 ft B-ball (how do I improve this?), 1 pull-up, 10.8 sec shuttle run, 82 crunches, 35 push-ups, 6:57 mile-run

Extra-Curricular
Student Council Officer
Students Against Destructive Decisions Student Adviser
National Honor Society Attendee
Spanish National Honor Society Attendee
Founder of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, military support action group, at my school
Girls' State
Science Olympiad, National Qualifier
Church Youth Group Leader
150+Hours Community service at zoo
50+ Hours community service at hospital
 
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Academics
GPA (UW): 3.7 Weighted 4.4
Class Rank: 70/660
16 Honors/AP Courses by senior yr
Junior Year Courses: AP Lang, Honors Calc, Honors Chem, AP US
dual college credit computers

SAT: Sub-score: Math-730, CR-630,
ACT Sub-score: Math-34, Reading-26, Science-31, English-34, Writing-11

Athletics
Varsity plus travel
captain
MVP
4x state championship
All-Academic Team
CFA practice scores: 65 ft B-ball, 18 pull-up, 9.0 sec shuttle run, 95crunches, 75 push-ups, 6:30 mile-run

Extra-Curricular
Club President
Boys' State
Chem-West (chemistry) presenter
chemistry club
300+Hours Community service
Youth sport coach
NHS
Key Club
USMA SLS
USNA NASS
applying to S.A.M.E ( the most competitive activity I have applied to so far-only one per region)
 
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted, I suppose. I'm not sure what a weighted GPA is.)
Class rank: None, I'm homeschooled. Color me valedictorian.
Will have math through calculus, science through physics, a year of Latin, two years of German, four years college-level piano, and more by graduation (June 2013).

SAT: 780 CR, 690 M, 750 W.
ACT: Composite 32, English 35, Math 33, Reading 33, Science 28.
These are the results for my first attempts at each of these tests. I'll probably retake them in June.

Athletics? Now I see the one downside to homeschooling. Oh well. :D

Extracurricular activities include lots of shooting, my own business (worth all of $5000/year), building a good-sized barn, teaching piano starting this summer, helping out a lot at the local parish, etc........

--Max
(USMA '17 wannabe)

P.S.: Does spending literally hundreds and hundreds of hours reading count toward anything? Half my reading is literature from Evelyn Waugh and Solzhenitsyn to Cervantes to Dante to Romans and Greeks, while the other half is military history, mostly (but not limited to) the Second World War.
 
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MaxB said:
Athletics? Now I see the one downside to homeschooling. Oh well. :D

--Max
(USMA '17 wannabe)
Click to expand...

You need to fix this! Sports are very important to West Point and something needs to be in your file! Find a way to participate in a sport---check the homeschool groups in your area for organized teams (for instance, there is an outstanding homeschool baseball team in my area). Find an individual sport to learn and compete in. Every cadet is an athlete at West Point.

From the sticky "Admissions: And the Rest" at the top of the USMA forum page:
excel in your sport(s). Strive towards being Captain of team sports. Contact team sports are rated higher than individual sports.
Click to expand...
 
MaxB said:
Athletics? Now I see the one downside to homeschooling. Oh well. :D
Click to expand...

DS homeschooled and participated at the local high school in 3 years of sports, both JV and Varsity, and he lettered. Not an issue for the school. You might check with some local schools for opportunities.

He also made opportunities outside of schools, too, such as competitive shooting sports and combatives (armed and unarmed) and you may be able demonstrate outstanding competitive performance, esp. in some type of contact sport (i.e., state or national competition). Look for opportunities, they exist for homeschoolers, too.

-RLTW
 
sciswim said:
USMA Candidate, USNA Candidate, USAFA Candidate, Applicant for ROTC to Claremont-Mckenna

Academics
GPA (UW): 3.987
Class Rank: 13/552
All Honors; 6 AP Courses to date
Junior Year Courses: AP Lang, AP Calc, AP Stats, AP Chem, Spanish 4, AP Euro
Predicted Senior Year Courses: AP Physics, AP Econ, Multivariable Calc 3, AP Lit, CIS Composition, CIS Spanish 5, Aviation
SAT: 2200; Sub-score: Math-690, CR-760, Writing-750
ACT Composite: 35; Sub-score: Math-36, Reading-36, Science-34, English-33, Writing-31

Athletics
5-Year Varsity Swimmer, 5 Letters
Winner of Lightning Award (Given to student-athlete with strongest impact on community)
Club Swimming, 8 years
Coach Club Swimming for 12&u age group
CFA predicted scores: 25 ft B-ball (how do I improve this?), 1 pull-up, 10.8 sec shuttle run, 82 crunches, 35 push-ups, 6:57 mile-run

Extra-Curricular
Student Council Officer
Students Against Destructive Decisions Student Adviser
National Honor Society Attendee
Spanish National Honor Society Attendee
Founder of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, military support action group, at my school
Girls' State
Science Olympiad, National Qualifier
Church Youth Group Leader
150+Hours Community service at zoo
50+ Hours community service at hospital
Click to expand...

Hey sciswim - are you applying for class of 2017? Or are you currently a senior in HS right now applying for 2016? Just curious - because everything seems good (your ACT - wow!), except those CFA scores.
My recommendation for BB Throw: there is a topic here where someone pointed out all of the tips for the BB throw (try searching for it, but I'm sure someone else will post it.). And I guess just start working out everyday...

To all: Thanks everyone for this thread!! I'll post my stats later (I'm applying for 2017), but first I'm going to go workout. Special thanks to USMA2016 - looking at your stats (and others) has helped me gauge where I need to improve.

Sincerely,
TheChicagoan
 
Thanks, that is awesome advice! I've been practicing a lot for my other events, but I wasn't sure how to bring up the basketball throw score. (And I am applying to class of 2017). I have about a month before SLS to practice, so thanks again!
 
Applied to USMA, USNA, USAFA, VMI, Virginia Tech
Accepted to USMA (LoA recepient), VMI, and Virginia Tech (no noms for USNA or USAFA)

GPA, 4.49 weighted
Ranked 9/510
SAT- 720 Math, 710 Writing, 680 CR
ACT- 34 Math, 33 Writing, 32 Sci, 31 CR
9 AP classes, Student of the year for AP Chem.
3 "5"s and 1 "4" on AP tests taken.
National Merit Commended Scholar
3 years in Mu Alpha Theta
Member of the year first year, president for the next two years
2 years NHS
100+ hours community service (mostly tutoring)

1 year JV wrestling, 13-4 record with 3 3rd place finishes.
Award for being only one on team to maintain 4.0 during season.
CFA- max pushups, max pullups, 54 situps, 65' bb throw, 8.0 shuttle run, 7:09 mile run

SLS attendee
Boy's State attendee
Governor's School for math, sci, and tech attendee
 
sciswim said:
Thanks, that is awesome advice! I've been practicing a lot for my other events, but I wasn't sure how to bring up the basketball throw score. (And I am applying to class of 2017). I have about a month before SLS to practice, so thanks again!
Click to expand...

Just to quote someone (I forgot who it is): "Practice the BB throw as if your life depended on it".

It might seem easy, but it's not. You get to do 3 throws. I only did one well (the other two slipped off my hand). The first one. Just about 70ft... make sure you know the technique to succeed ;)
 
There's one thing about that BB thread that is incorrect. Everyone tells you that "if you've ever studied physics then you would know that the ideal launch angle is 45 degrees". Yes, that's true, in a vacuum. Lucky for us (seriously we are so lucky), we do not live in a vacuum. There is drag which is dependent on the instantaneous velocity of the ball and the viscosity of the air (determined by air temp. and humidity). Because the x-direction and y-direction velocity decreases logarithmically, the ideal launch angle ends up being somewhere around 33-35 degrees (varies based on air viscosity). So just keep that in mind!
 
USMA2016 said:
There's one thing about that BB thread that is incorrect. Everyone tells you that "if you've ever studied physics then you would know that the ideal launch angle is 45 degrees". Yes, that's true, in a vacuum. Lucky for us (seriously we are so lucky), we do not live in a vacuum. There is drag which is dependent on the instantaneous velocity of the ball and the viscosity of the air (determined by air temp. and humidity). Because the x-direction and y-direction velocity decreases logarithmically, the ideal launch angle ends up being somewhere around 33-35 degrees (varies based on air viscosity). So just keep that in mind!
Click to expand...

I also read something about the human arm functioning better when you throw it at a 30ish degrees angle.

My story: I thought I was aiming at 45, but was actually around 30. I decided to try to aim at like, 55, and got 45ish. Instant increase in throw (15+ ft).
 
Currently, I am a male high school junior. I have a 3.875 gpa unweighted and a 4.250 gpa weighted for the current year. I am taking three AP classes this year as well as having 7 more college/AP classes set up for my senior year. I am a two year varsity letter in football and golf. I am a member of the two-time State Champion Scholarsbowl team (an academic competion which I also lettered in) I most likely will letter in golf this spring and I believe I have good chances to be a varsity captain on next year's football team.

For the CFA, I already lift weights for football and I am going to do some Stew Smith training in the next few months to be ready.
I took the ACT a year ago without studying and got a composite of 32 with a 34 in math and science, a 32 in reading and a 27 in english. This year I worked with my english teacher to raise my score and he believes I have a good chance of a getting a 36. I am waiting for the results of the April Test. I got a 214 of 240 on my PSAT. I currently rank #10 in my class of 170 students. (School has 700 total.) However, I will most likely graduate #1. I live in Kansas just outside of downtown Kansas City.

In the leadership section, I'm not sure what to put. Since I am so involved in sports, I don't have much extra-cirricular activities outside of school. I am a member of NHS. I also got accepted to this summer's Boy's State. The most important leadership role I have is the role of Acolyte Master at my church. This involves leading and organizing all the other acolytes in the duties that we attend to.

My school is relatively small and is completely broke (we can barely afford paper) so we have literally 2 clubs and only a limited selection of AP classes. (The only AP I am not taking is Art and Music Theory) Also,the town is relatively small so their is not much to join so any suggestions would be very helpful.
 
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