How Competitive am I? (Class of 2026)

D

Deovolente

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Oct 23, 2019
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Hello! I am currently a sophomore in high school and I wanted to hear from other people about my chances to get an appointment.

GPA (Weighted): 4.03
GPA (Unweighted): 3.37
Class Rank (Weighted): Top 6.66%

My grades in freshman year brought me down the most, (3.6 weighted, 3.0 unweighted) and just after the first semester of sophomore year I brought it up (4.67 weighted, 4.0 unweighted). I have taken almost all advanced classes. In my freshman year I took chemistry and algebra 2 honors which were junior level classes, geometry honors and french 2 honors which were sophomore level classes and, language arts honors and world history which were freshman level classes.

First semester of sophomore year I took, JROTC LET 1, Advisement, Civics Honors, English 2 Honors, Physics Honors, Tech Foundation and Pre-Calculus Honors. This semester I am taking JROTC LET 1, Advisement, Independent Study PE, Physics Honors, US History Honors and both Dual Enrollment College Algebra and Composition 1.

So far in my sophomore year I have had all A's (no A-'s) and have maintained a perfect GPA, however I don't know how badly my freshman year will look. I ended my freshman year with 3 C's, 5 B's and 4 A's (some minuses, others not)

For extra-curricular activities I am the president of my schools TSA, I am in National Honor Society, Student Government, JROTC Raider Team, High School Swimming and Civil Air Patrol.

I have not had very much community service opportunities however, I am looking into volunteering for the Red Cross.

I work a summer job as a lifeguard and this upcoming summer I have a chance at being one of the lead lifeguards (and if I don't get it this year, there is a larger chance of me getting the job the summer after).

My predicted CFA ranges from bad to good however, I am improving greatly at almost everything from practicing with my Raider team. I have already dropped a minute off of my mile time (8:30 -> 7:30) in a couple of months and I believe by the time that I do the actual CFA I will hit the goal.

What advice do you have for me? Will I be competitive if I keep up my grades? Should I do other extra-curricular activities (I have the time but I can't really find any)? Thank you for your time!
 
Edit: I am also taking the SAT early (but I will retake it junior year), I am using the Black Book SAT study guide.
 
hey! I'm a senior who finished up my application process in December.
words of wisdom:
1) Stay on top of your deadlines! What I regretted most was scheduling my cfa so late. Due to complications I ended up taking it on the day of my deadline which is something I really do not recommend.
2) Write your nomination essays in the summer of your junior year.
3) Find a community service activity you are passionate about and find a way to have a leadership role in it.
4) Make sure you can state a clear cut answer as to why you are applying to the AFA. That is going to be a big question in the interviews.

You have plenty of time so don't stress about the cfa. As long as you have a consistent work out plan you'll be fine. Just make sure once you're in your junior year, you start taking taking practice tests.

Good luck!
 
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You have a lot of activities which is fine - but I'd recommend focusing on getting leadership roles, even if it means you need to drop something. That being said, if you turn your whole list of activities into a list of leadership positions in them, then that's a strong application. The idea that you need a lot of community service is a fallacy - it is one contributing factor, but working as a lifeguard can fill the same purpose.

Biggest thing I see on here is applicants not being able to get their SAT/ACT scores up because they waited too long to start taking the test. Don't just take the SAT early, take the ACT as well. You may be better at it and it's good to find out early so you can decide which test to focus on.
 
summer prior to senior year. And stay on top of deadlines, to include members of congress nominations.
 
f4fwildcatfm2 said:
2) Write your nomination essays in the summer of your junior year.
Click to expand...

Make sure to stay on top of essays, especially if you plan on applying to other scholarships, academies, and universities. Some schools will ask for 4 to 5 essays with the initial application, and you can expect more if you apply for their honors colleges or scholarship opportunities. I think I ended up writing upwards of 75 essays and other statements during my application processes. That combined with school and work made my senior summer and first semester a very busy 5 months. The last thing you want to do is to run out of time and end up with an essay you aren't happy with. With good time management you'll be able to cruise through them easily!
 
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