Hopeful Sophomore

J

_JLee21

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Joined
Jan 31, 2021
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I am a 15-year-old sophomore who desires to get into the Naval Academy.
Ever since middle school, I wanted to be able to create change while serving my country.
In the beginning, I wanted to get into West Point, but after speaking with a certain person, I had second thoughts about the school.
He shared his vast knowledge on the topic and believed that the Naval Academy was a better school for me.
I did some research on this prestigious school, and the certain someone was right, the Naval Academy was perfect for me.
However, I feel as if I wasted my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I could not do many activities with the pandemic going on.
But I have yet to lose sight of my goal of trying to getting into this esteemed school.

As a sophomore student who is half-way done with the year, what are some things that I should consider when trying to stand out from the rest?

Anything will be helpful. Thank you.
 
Props to you for being forward thinking and researching how to attain your goal. And welcome to the forum.
The absolute first thing you should do is search the forums (handy magnifying tool top right) and see what you can source on your own. Plenty of threads on this subject with tons of sage advice.

A consistent theme you will find here is that you are encouraged to do the leg work before asking here what could have been answered elsewhere such as prior threads or the USNA website. Read all of the data there, every menu, drop down menu and then another drop down menu.
You have time to shift and adjust.
 
All the Service Academies evaluate candidates on Academic, Physical and Leadership criteria. If you are USNA hopeful, research what are some of the attributes of the previous classes. All this information is accessible on each individual SA's website. A common theme that emerges amongst the MIDs is

- high SAT/ACT scores, along with GPA and high school rankings
- Participation and displaying leadership in different extra-curricular activities.
- Participation in a varsity sports, if leadership then much better
- HS course load that shows you can succeed in STEM courses at SA

Evaluate yourself where you need to work and chart out a game plan.
 
Be careful about falling in love with a school. Make sure you are interested in the jobs that each branch of service offers. And serving as an Officer. School is ‘only’ 4 years, while the job you will be doing afterwards will be much longer.
 
While the pandemic has certainly effected this year, it didn't start until last March, so your Freshman year was mostly normal. What were your activities before then? Do you do sports? The Academies want strong candidates in all three areas: Academics, Sports, Leadership with a concentration in service. Some things that it's not too late for: National Honor Society, Boys/Girls State (both usually during and after Junior year), Student Government and volunteerism. Leadership is extremely important. Are you a Scout? Can you aim for a leadership role in the activities you do? Do you have a unique talent/activity? Aim to be the best and a leader at everything you do.
 
1) Like others say, don't just consider the school, but consider the branch of the military you would be serving in
2) Don't feel like you are left behind with ECs...everyone is in the same boat..HOWEVER...can you be creative? Can you show leadership in another way? Like by helping to tutor younger students remotely? Organizing snow shoveling for older folks? Getting involved in house of worship service activities?
3) Keep up with physical activity...if you can't join a sport, you can continue running and working on pushups/ pull ups at your house.
4) Keep up on your school work...Get a tutor, Get help from a teacher, form a study group, use Khan Academy. If you are having issues with the lack of structure, get an accountability partner (parent, sibling, friend)
 
"Prestigious" means nothing if you are not happy where the prestige leads you. The SAs main goal is to make an officer out of you. Start doing your homework on what you are committing yourself to and worry less about what it looks like to others on paper. Research the different routes (ROTC) too. Since you are a sophomore attend a STEM summer camp at a one of those "prestigious universities" this summer and the following summer attend USNA SS or USMA SLE (and Boys/Girls State) and you will make a more educated decision on what right for you. It is great that you are thinking about all of this relatively early, work hard in school, in sports and in all ECs, practice for SAT/ACT, get in the best physical shape possible - this will all make everything easier when it's show time.
 
_JLee21 said:
I did some research on this prestigious school, and the certain someone was right, the Naval Academy was perfect for me.
However, I feel as if I wasted my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I could not do many activities with the pandemic going on.
But I have yet to lose sight of my goal of trying to getting into this esteemed school.
Click to expand...
A couple thoughts -

Why are you interested in USNA ? The mission of the Naval Academy is to develop Navy and Marine Corps officers. Trust me, nobody cares about the prestige of USNA during Plebe Summer, the 4 year grind, out in the Fleet, or even in the private sector. People do care about what you learned and how you use it.

The last year hasn't been wasted by those that are resilient, creative and motivated; all characteristics the Service Academies are looking for. COVID should not be an excuse, but rather an opportunity --those that have adapted and overcome are going to have an advantage the next couple years.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
The last year hasn't been wasted by those that are resilient, creative and motivated; all characteristics the Service Academies are looking for. COVID should not be an excuse, but rather an opportunity --those that have adapted and overcome are going to have an advantage the next couple years.
Click to expand...

x 1,000,000

....in all aspects.

Where there is adversity and obstacles, there are EVEN BETTER opportunities to STAND OUT.
 
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