I recently read a post that stated 5 or so states considered really competitive. Two of them were Virginia and Maryland. First, what defines a state as competitive? Is it number of applicants, applicants to nominations available etc. Second, where does Minnesota stack up as a competitive state. Thanks for any input.
Is Minnesota a Competitive State?
- Thread starter Bear-
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Number of applicants, number of nominations, and general competitiveness of applicants are probably the biggest criteria. I don't think Minnesota is quite as competitive as Virginia, but likely quite a bit more so than North Dakota. It probably depends on your district as well. Texas is a competitive state, but I am in a fairly non-competitive district.
Older Posts
Some Older Post on the topic (and there are more, just do a search)
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=15359
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=13445
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=10611
Some Older Post on the topic (and there are more, just do a search)
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=15359
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=13445
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=10611
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I'm sure part of the reason that Virginia and Maryland are so competitive is due to the number of former military personnel and academy grads either stationed there or retired there. The kids are trying to follow in their parents footsteps. Hence a high number of aplicants.
There was a list of underrepresented congressional districts at USNA somewhere on this forum. Try searching for it.
In all honesty, do not worry about how competitive your area is. You only need to worry about how to make yourself the best candidate you can be.
start preparing for SAT/ACT's- aim for 700 in Math and Critical Reading or 31 on ACT in Math and English
strive to well academically and take hard classes (get mostly A's, B's, but nothing lower, preferably)
get involved and lead
do a sport
prepare to max out on some if not all parts of the CFA
In all honesty, do not worry about how competitive your area is. You only need to worry about how to make yourself the best candidate you can be.
start preparing for SAT/ACT's- aim for 700 in Math and Critical Reading or 31 on ACT in Math and English
strive to well academically and take hard classes (get mostly A's, B's, but nothing lower, preferably)
get involved and lead
do a sport
prepare to max out on some if not all parts of the CFA
usna1985
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- Jun 9, 2006
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- 7,849
For most states, there are two distinct issues -- whether the state is competitive and whether the district is competitive. Obviously, in states that have only a single Representative, the issue is moot.
A state, such as CA or TX, can be super-competitive. However, there are districts in those states where there aren't a lot of qualified candidates so that the district may not be particularly competitive. In other cases, one or more districts maybe super-competitive -- due, for example, to the presence of a military base, high population,etc. -- yet the state itself isn't all that competitive.
In most cases, you can't control where you live. Competitive states and districts tend to send a lot of people to the SAs and Senators in competitive states (actually, all states) try to spread the wealth in terms of noms so that even less competitive areas are still represented. There are great candidates in these areas, just not as many of them.
In the end, all you can do is your very best and then see what happens. Trite, but true.
A state, such as CA or TX, can be super-competitive. However, there are districts in those states where there aren't a lot of qualified candidates so that the district may not be particularly competitive. In other cases, one or more districts maybe super-competitive -- due, for example, to the presence of a military base, high population,etc. -- yet the state itself isn't all that competitive.
In most cases, you can't control where you live. Competitive states and districts tend to send a lot of people to the SAs and Senators in competitive states (actually, all states) try to spread the wealth in terms of noms so that even less competitive areas are still represented. There are great candidates in these areas, just not as many of them.
In the end, all you can do is your very best and then see what happens. Trite, but true.