skiergirl24
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2018
- Messages
- 155
Hi!
1) Something you can do to stand out is find a good leadership opportunity. If that can't be sports, find another way to be involved in your community. Show the academy that you can coordinate something to really make a difference in your school, club, church, whatever it is. Lots of applicants will have similar stats as far as grades, so leadership and character is really important. Try to find a way to make a positive change in your community and be able to articulate that in your various interviews.
2) For the SAT, I just took a bunch of practice tests during the couple months leading up to the test. I used the Princeton Review SAT practice book that I borrowed from the library. It also had some useful test taking tips. Bottom line is just practice and get used to the format and the way they ask questions. I'm sure you know all the material, so now the trick is to learn how to take the test. Keep in mind that the averages posted online are just averages, and so there are plenty of people with lower and higher scores.
3) I am pretty sure academics are 55%, so those are definitely worth the most. Again, lots of people have similiar academics, so the essay, interviews, CFA are pretty important as well. If you haven't already, go to academyadmissions.com and read all the different dropdown menus because they lay everything out pretty clearly as far as the application and what they are looking for.
4) I just finished up with finals for first semester. I took History, English, Chemistry, Calculus 2, and Behavioral Science. They were pretty similar to what I did in high school, but I definitely still learned a lot. Definitely more homework than high school, and harder time management because of all the other expectations like military training. These are just core classes. Make sure you understand all the different majors/minors that are offered, and realize there are a lot of core classes that you will have to take regardless of your major. Next semester, I will take honors physics, computer science, spanish, economics, engineering mechanics, and law 220 which is the core law class.
Luckily, I was able to validate a few classes from AP tests. Make sure to read up on the different classes you could potentially validate through different tests like AP/IB or duel college credit. All that should be on the website, but if it isn't, definitely ask your ALO and/or admissions counselor once those are assigned to you when you start your application. Pretty sure that application is open to juniors on March 1st.
5) As far as application tips- just be yourself. Work hard, keep your grades up, and stay on top of the deadlines. Set goals for yourself as far as when you want to get the various pieces done and familiarize yourself with the process now. Start thinking about who you want to write your letters of rec, etc. Practice for the SAT, train for the CFA, etc. Good luck, and don't hesitate if you have any more questions.