Ethnicity and admission chances

J

jeffreykj7

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Hey everyone,
I'm a junior interested in the Naval Academy, and I was wondering how much ethnicity plays in the admissions process. I am South Indian and am pretty sure there aren't much of my people at the academy. I know I still need to fall in the whole person concept, but does ethnicity help me out in any way during the process? I have also read that the Academy likes to hear of life experiences and overcoming hardships. I lived in India for seven years and came back to the United States at the beginning of High School. Since the environment was different than what I was used to, I had a rough time adjusting, and was often made fun of during my first two years back, which stopped me from participating in things like sports. I've been able to adapt and I'm fine now, but I'm wondering if this is something I should talk about in my essay or interview, or if it would just make me look weak. Any insight?

Thank you all for your help.
 
jeffreykj7 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm a junior interested in the Naval Academy, and I was wondering how much ethnicity plays in the admissions process. I am South Indian and am pretty sure there aren't much of my people at the academy. I know I still need to fall in the whole person concept, but does ethnicity help me out in any way during the process? I have also read that the Academy likes to hear of life experiences and overcoming hardships. I lived in India for seven years and came back to the United States at the beginning of High School. Since the environment was different than what I was used to, I had a rough time adjusting, and was often made fun of during my first two years back, which stopped me from participating in things like sports. I've been able to adapt and I'm fine now, but I'm wondering if this is something I should talk about in my essay or interview, or if it would just make me look weak. Any insight?

Thank you all for your help.
Click to expand...
So you're wondering if you've got an easier chance than someone of a different "ethnicity"? These sorts of questions are sure to start a thread that will end up..........
 
Alaskan said:
So you're wondering if you've got an easier chance than someone of a different "ethnicity"? These sorts of questions are sure to start a thread that will end up..........
Click to expand...

Sorry if my writing confused what I was trying to say. I was just wondering if it would HELP at all in the process, not give me a bigger advantage. I know I will still have to have good academics, athletics, and leadership, and that someone of a different ethnicity with these stats would without a doubt get in instead of me if I don't have them.
 
Your story is compelling. Overcoming adversity, adapting to a new culture, etc. However, your ethnicity alone won't "help," because you're not an underrepresented minority.
 
OP. There are quite a few mids with ancestry from India at USNA. So, I think adding overcoming hardship to your essay essay might be good - but you might want to make sure your leadership skills are highlighted. Unlike a typical regular university, USNA is extremely selective and is looking for leaders.
 
Indian from Asia, or Native American? If you're Native American it would be a big boost. Always of course, with competitive scores and experiences.

Everyone has opinions, and are welcome to them. Assuming similar scores, I'd give the edge to:

Blue chip athletes
Diversity females
Diversity males
Athletes
Females
Males

About 1/3 of AFA''S class of 2020 are females. That was a good year for gals to apply.


Your opinions may differ. Pile on.
 
The question isn't "does ethnicity play a role in the admissions process" -- rather, "does ethnicity play a role for a particular candidate [i.e. OP] in the admissions process," to which no one knows the answer to the latter. There are so many factors that play into USNA admission decisions...that it isn't even worth speculating over. Bottom line, apply if you desire to be an officer/leader and USNA is in your liking...but assume your ethnicity will play no factor. It is best left this way.

With regard to the second question...if you can explain and justify how that experience impacted you (no need to explain on this forum) and what you learned from it and how it will help you in the future...then it might be worth noting. I would definitely mention it in the BGO interview if you are asked why you were not engaged in athletics early on.
 
The question is whether Indian ethnicity helps with admissions and I don't know.

I believe USNA has diversity goals and to accomplish those goals, admissions advantages some ethnicities. I believe my Netherlands ethnicity is not a diversity goal and therefore did not impact my package.
 
I recently heard a talk from the Naval Academy superintendent Admiral Carter and he emphasized diversity quite a bit, especially pointing out the rising number of females in the brigade and the ethnic variety of last year's top scholars. There was no mention made of any particular quotas but certainly the Naval Academy is like other top ranked colleges that strive to have a diverse student community. But ultimately for the applicant it all comes down to local competition because each member of Congress has the same number of nominations. If you're in a rural area then your chances should be higher of getting in as opposed to a more populous area which has many more students applying. I'm sure diversity plays into all this somehow but I have no idea how or where it is considered among the applicant pool all across the country. So just emphasize your merits and unique leadership and learning experiences as an individual. If those experiences are relevant yet pertain to your race or gender they are still legitimate to put in your application and perhaps they will resonate with your local member of congress to get you a nomination.
 
It's important to keep in mind that more females and/or diverse students being accepted does not necessarily mean that someone in those groups can be "less qualified" and still receive an appt.

USNA has been heavily seeking out "diverse" applicants, with all that word entails. There are terrifically talented candidates who happen to have diverse backgrounds. In the past, those individuals might not have known about, much less applied to, USNA. The efforts at recruiting have resulted in more diverse candidates applying to USNA and thus more being accepted. Slightly different story with women. The passage of time and lifting of combat exclusion provisions has made USNA more attractive to women so more are applying/ being accepted. Also, more can be accepted today b/c now all jobs are open to women whereas in the past there were quotas to restrict the number of women in order to ensure there were jobs for them on graduation.

Does it help to be diverse for USNA? Sure, just as it does for almost every other school of higher education. It also helps to be from North Dakota. However, that doesn't mean that those who are diverse, or female, or from underrepresented areas of the country are any less talented than your "average white male" from a competitive district. Some are/some aren't.

And I agree with the above posters that the OP should stress the hardships overcome (and if background is part of that, ok) rather than simply focusing on where he/she is from.
 
There is an O-6 who lives on the academy down "Captain's Row" named Capt. Pat William who title is the Chief Diversity Officer and has been there for a while. She or her staff should be able to shed light on what qualifies as a diverse candidate and if your background qualifies. I've heard she sits on the selection board as well but I can't confirm that.
 
Typing "Diversity" into the search box yielded 196 results, perhaps you may find your answer there.
 
Maplerock said:
Indian from Asia, or Native American? If you're Native American it would be a big boost. Always of course, with competitive scores and experiences.

Everyone has opinions, and are welcome to them. Assuming similar scores, I'd give the edge to:

Blue chip athletes
Diversity females
Diversity males
Athletes
Females
Males

About 1/3 of AFA''S class of 2020 are females. That was a good year for gals to apply.


Your opinions may differ. Pile on.
Click to expand...
 
Can anyone tell me the difference between a Blue Chip athlete and just athlete? My DD is a Diversity Female...
 
Can anyone tell me the difference between a Blue Chip athlete and just athlete? My DD is a Diversity Female...
 
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