how to prepare for us naval academy as a 9th grader?

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on being forward thinking.

I would suggest just reading the "stickies" at the top of the forum. Or other threads. There is a ton of information, and a lot of reposts on the same subjects.

Other thing to do online? Read every page and sub-page of the USNA site. Become familiar with every aspect of the process.

Do well in school, get involved with team sports (if you haven't already), keep yourself in good shape, and perform at all levels of school and the community.
 
Post above is great- I'll just add some notes I was just typing at the same time.

High level answers:
  • establish yourself as an impact player/leader/ mentor as a scholar, athlete, leader, and in your community. Take on progressive leadership roles and demonstrate a meaningful impact in the classroom, on the athletic field, in student gov’t leadership, etc. Look into Civil Air Patrol/ JROTC to explore traditions/ customs and military bearing – but don’t be overconfident from any success from those programs. Sports team captain and team sport participation/ leadership, and focus on fitness? Yes.
  • Stay out of trouble.
  • If interested in being a pilot check out intro flights with groups like the young eagles or civil air patrol for intro flights and aviation training, or save up to take a couple of flight lessons to see if the reality and idea of flying match up. Recommend getting a class 1 flight physical by someone who administers these for the navy/military -better to know up front if you have a medical DQ that would block this dream.
  • Look up the profiles of admitted student details, , https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Apply/Class-Portrait.phpo see who participated in Boys/Girls state, eagle scout/ gold award in scouts, varsity athletics, volunteering. That may help you with opportunities.
 
Adding: check out your nominating sources online information about applying to a SA. Their process is run independently of the SA application. They also may host informative Service Academy Open House type events, where you can learn even more. Usually there are reps from the SA’s attending. It’s a really good way to make some connections, talk to real people, and ask your questions.

9th grade is a great time to start working on this!
 
Welcome to the forum, and congrats on being forward thinking.

I would suggest just reading the "stickies" at the top of the forum. Or other threads. There is a ton of information, and a lot of reposts on the same subjects.

Other thing to do online? Read every page and sub-page of the USNA site. Become familiar with every aspect of the process.

Do well in school, get involved with team sports (if you haven't already), keep yourself in good shape, and perform at all levels of school and the community.
I am muslim so instead of volunteering at a church can i volunteer at a mosque? would that apply?
 
Adding: check out your nominating sources online information about applying to a SA. Their process is run independently of the SA application. They also may host informative Service Academy Open House type events, where you can learn even more. Usually there are reps from the SA’s attending. It’s a really good way to make some connections, talk to real people, and ask your questions.

9th grade is a great time to start working on this!
Could you send a link to one of those sites?
 
Active participation within the community at any venue is a good thing to demonstrate, regardless of faith. Key being taking an active roll, and trying to be in a leadership position. That goes for all aspects of extracurricular activities.
 
Could you send a link to one of those sites?
No, I cannot. You will need to figure out who your nom sources are. And follow them. Your nom sources are different than mine.

Easily to find via Google!
 
Active participation within the community at any venue is a good thing to demonstrate, regardless of faith. Key being taking an active roll, and trying to be in a leadership position. That goes for all aspects of extracurricular activities.
I enjoy playing basketball, do I need to be the best in my team to become a captain?
 
No. Based on the coaches I've seen for sports, selecting captains often come from the people who put in the most hard work, think of the team first, and exemplify leadership qualities. Not always the best athletes. The goal shouldn't be to be the star of the team, it should be to be an active part of the team and put forth the best effort. This is what coaches recognize and come time when you are looking for a recommendation letter, will often get a better response. If you can do all of that and be a stellar athlete, that certainly helps!

There are plenty of big fish "stars" in little ponds that get eaten up and spit out at the higher and more competitive areas.

As my son says, people go to a service academy to serve and lead in the armed forces, not to become the next sports star. Everyone at the school is on a full ride scholarship, not just the athletes.
 
No. Based on the coaches I've seen for sports, selecting captains often come from the people who put in the most hard work, think of the team first, and exemplify leadership qualities. Not always the best athletes. The goal shouldn't be to be the star of the team, it should be to be an active part of the team and put forth the best effort. This is what coaches recognize and come time when you are looking for a recommendation letter, will often get a better response. If you can do all of that and be a stellar athlete, that certainly helps!

There are plenty of big fish "stars" in little ponds that get eaten up and spit out at the higher and more competitive areas.

As my son says, people go to a service academy to serve and lead in the armed forces, not to become the next sports star. Everyone at the school is on a full ride scholarship, not just the athletes.
Alright then, I think I know what to do, I'll try and join the basketball team sophomore year (since tryouts already ended and I didn't get in this year) and I will also try to get fit. Thank you for the advice
 
Also may want to look into other opportunities for athletics in other seasons. X-Country and Indoor/Outdoor track always come to mind, and generally offer a lot of chances for athletes of all levels.

(Of course, I'm biased as a runner!).
 
Welcome! No, many have been admitted and a huge variety of different sports are represented. My son spent a decade participating in Tae Kwon Do, the forum has seen ice skaters, dancers, cheerleaders, equestrians, you name it.

As others have aptly stated, it's what you do in terms of supporting your teammates, being coachable, leading by example, demonstrating an excellent work ethic, being a good sport, and being a humble winner and a gracious loser, just to name a few.

Sports allow you to grow in many ways. What you learn and demonstrate while participating is what will potentially make you a good leader in the armed forces. Being able to articulate those skills in essays and interviews is critical.

Look into the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary for the opportunity to attend Boys or Girls State your junior year. They also sponsor an excellent public speaking contest each year, the American Legion Oratorical Contest. You can compete each year locally and you will find that you will gain confidence in public speaking. It's also a great way to meet your local Veterans and let them get to know you. The local American Legion post is who you would be applying to for Girls/Boys State.

Look at the courses USNA suggests you take in high school. Then sit down with your guidance counselor, tell him/her your goal and ask for their support. Have them look at the list of suggested courses from the USNA site (you do the research and print out the list), and plot out a game plan for the next 3 years. When students came to me with a goal and a plan, I was always 100% behind them, it's fun to support kids who have a dream for themselves and work hard to achieve it.
 
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I am muslim so instead of volunteering at a church can i volunteer at a mosque? would that apply?
Absolutely. Just be able to articulate how you made a difference in mentoring, leading, driving change in your religious, school, and town communities or area. Best of luck to you and like one other candidate recently, very impressive that you're organizing and planning toward your dream so early.

Just remember you can want to be a Navy pilot but the needs of the service come first - I've spoken with the families of 4 1/c Class of 2023 midshipmen from 2 commissioning sources who put down Navy Pilot as their top choice but were selected as student- naval flight officers (2), SWO officer (1) , and one sub-draftee (1) which in the sub instance was his fourth choice. there was also at least one female sub draftee this year. One NFO selected mid is a private pilot cert holder and seemed very surprised he was not selected to serve as an aviator. So be sure you're willing to serve where needed as you develop your plans. Also research the various airframes per branch and be open to officer opportunities in each military branch. Also be open to ROTC as an alt path if serving as an officer is your dream.
 
Should I get teacher recommendations from my teachers this year? or should I just get it from my teachers in Junior -- Senior year
 
Sit tight on the recommendations - too soon and you may connect even better with your teachers on more advanced courses in your upper years or take the same teachers again. too soon IMO. Like March of your junior year for each of my kids worked on when to have those conversations- most wait longer fyi.
 
i am wondering what i need to do to get into the USNA
Should I get teacher recommendations from my teachers this year? or should I just get it from my teachers in Junior -- Senior year

As a starting point, my recommendation is that you try to absorb as much information as you can about the Naval Academy, and the Admissions process, starting with thoroughly reviewing the Admissions website (every drop down etc). Everything you need to know, including the answer about recommendations is available there. This Forum has some good information, but can get into the weeds with unnecessary information or a single candidates experience. Look to primary sources -- the USNA website and online candidate sessions to get information. Be self sufficient, don't ask basic questions that can be found with a little due diligence. Finally, T37 hit it on the head, the Service Academies are looking for well balanced future leaders, and Academics, Leadership, Athletics are the cornerstones. OP is looking at this at the right time -- when you have the ability to tailor your HS career to build a record that qualifies you for Admission. (PS -- that said, I will echo what I have said before repeatedly here-- don't do anything just because you think it looks good on your resume. If you focus your attention on what you enjoy , the chances of success are much greater). Good luck.
 
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