First-year academics...

[foamspoon]

...from a plebe that had borderline grades for admissions to USMMA. I am looking to hear from current or former students who did not get a 32+ ACT or 1400+ SAT scores or were top of the class. How difficult was the work in classes that first year for you?

 

[Iblameej]

Following……are you a first year??

 

[beyond]

...from a plebe that had borderline grades for admissions to USMMA. I am looking to hear from current or former students who did not get a 32+ ACT or 1400+ SAT scores or were top of the class. How difficult was the work in classes that first year for you?

If you can get in, you are capable of graduating. I had classmates with high SAT scores get kicked out and classmates with low SAT scores who were stubborn and put the work in and graduate on time.

How bad you want it > how smart you are.

 

[Professor44]

...from a plebe that had borderline grades for admissions to USMMA. I am looking to hear from current or former students who did not get a 32+ ACT or 1400+ SAT scores or were top of the class. How difficult was the work in classes that first year for you?

Hone in on your study skills now.
Not sure how many people that end up with a 32+ ACT score got it on their first try- they probably remediated on certain subjects to perform better on consecutive attempts.
I teach senior level college courses and I have had naturally gifted kids who are are unmotivated to put in time outside of the classroom and don't perform as well as my less naturally gifted students who put in the work outside the classroom.

 

[KPEngineer]

I had an about 1100 SAT and a 2.9 HS GPA and I graduated.

I have a knack for physics which was a huuuuuge help as an engineer. The hardest classes for me plebe year were calculus, I admit to getting a bit lucky with which professors I had which enable me to survive. Honestly, my academic struggles were directly related to the level of effort I put in or didn't put in is more accurate. I was not a studious person and barely cracked a book to the detriment of my GPA. Like beyond, I saw plenty of 1600SAT, 4.0 students not last past Christmas.

My advice to anyone is make plebe year all about your GPA. Minimize/eliminate extracurriculars and don't overdo the regiment. No one is going to get kicked out for a sloppy uniform or ugly shoes. Go low-profile and crank out a high GPA plebe year, it can save you down the road if your struggling when the regiment and time management get easier but the classes get harder.

 

[cmakin]

I had an about 1100 SAT and a 2.9 HS GPA and I graduated.

I have a knack for physics which was a huuuuuge help as an engineer. The hardest classes for me plebe year were calculus, I admit to getting a bit lucky with which professors I had which enable me to survive. Honestly, my academic struggles were directly related to the level of effort I put in or didn't put in is more accurate. I was not a studious person and barely cracked a book to the detriment of my GPA. Like beyond, I saw plenty of 1600SAT, 4.0 students not last past Christmas.

My advice to anyone is make plebe year all about your GPA. Minimize/eliminate extracurriculars and don't overdo the regiment. No one is going to get kicked out for a sloppy uniform or ugly shoes. Go low-profile and crank out a high GPA plebe year, it can save you down the road if your struggling when the regiment and time management get easier but the classes get harder.

Yup. Calculus was actually easy for me until that last (fifth) quarter. Never worked so hard for a C+. . . I got in more based on my SAT scores than my grades in high school. Back then I had fairly good study habits. Even busted over a 3.0 for a couple of quarters during third class year. Gotta watch out for distractions, though. At least those are far less at KP than a "normal" college.