Looking for feedback on what it takes to be a good candidate

S

SOFLO2024

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
32
I am new to this site and was selected last week for SLE but I am uncertain as to the strength of my resume. Looking for a little feedback on what I may need to work on. I am currently in the 11th grade.

GPA 3.94 unweighted 4.96 weighted
Class ranking 2/396
ACT :34 SAT: taking next month
ELA 1H - A, 2H - A, AP English currently A
Algebra 1Adv B+ (8th grade), Geo H- A, Algebra 2H- A, Pre Calc H – A
Bio 1 H – A, Chem1 H. Physics H – A,
AP Amer Hist Currently taking – A
AP Computer Science A
Summer Intern: IT Micro Technologies Technician College courses: Functional Computer Programming B+. Computer Based Machine-level Programing – A

Summer Intern: IT Micro Technologies Technician

Member of:
SGA – Class President
NHS
Mu Alpha Theta – VP
Spanish Honors Society
Key Club
Civil Air Patrol – C/SMSgt, Fight Sergeant for encampment

Community Service: 806 Documented service hours

Athletics:

2-year track Varsity Letterman. 2- year Varsity Cross County Letterman; present team captain.
Club Lacrosse through Summer of last year
 
Get boys state.

And start working out to ace the CFA.

You will be a top candidate.
 
You need a LOE.

Actually, you don't. Keep working hard and you'll get where you want to go.
 
I think you look like a strong candidate (my two cents worth little) - but I am surprised not to see more AP classes by now. AP Physics or Chemistry is typical by junior year where we live as well as AP in a foreign language and AP World History (typically 10th grade). I second the recommendation for Boys State. My son just got accepted in Texas so you may need to move very quickly in your state depending on deadlines.
 
williamsdr3 said:
I think you look like a strong candidate (my two cents worth little) - but I am surprised not to see more AP classes by now. AP Physics or Chemistry is typical by junior year where we live as well as AP in a foreign language and AP World History (typically 10th grade). I second the recommendation for Boys State. My son just got accepted in Texas so you may need to move very quickly in your state depending on deadlines.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately my school does not offer AP Physics of Chemistry. They do offer AP Spanish but I only took Spanish 1 and 2, satisfying my foreign language requirement. I used the available slot to further my college course work in CS. You are correct, the lack of available AP courses at my school is a concern to me.
 
6 months for upper body workouts - max out CFA pushups and pullups. And basketball throw.
Looking good tho.
 
Good Morning. You look like a strong candidate--but do you want to be an Army officer?
That is the part that seems to be missing when people present their stats. It should start with "I want to be an Army officer."
Congratulations on being selected for SLE, that is always a good sign. Prepare for the CFE. Pull ups, sit ups, and the dreaded kneeling basketball throw.
Also be cool/helpful/a team player while at SLE--it can serve as your admissions interview.

Do you know the timeline for your nomination processes? Have you identified your math, science (physics/chem) and English teachers for your recommendation letters? Get their summer contact information/make sure they are not retiring and will support you.
 
Looks good - IMO track is sometimes seen as a tier two sport but opinions vary.

Max out the fitness test.

Be sure to apply to ROTC scholarships and check out Senior Military Colleges. If your only interest is Army University of North Georgia is said to be quite affordable. VMI and Citadel will give you the closest, and maybe even a better, Corps of Cadets experience. Norwich is the oldest SMC and gives you a full dose of winter. A&M and VA Tech give a blend of big university and Corps experience. There's really not a bad choice in the bunch and they offer some advantages over a federal school but at greater cost to you.
 
Don’t worry too much about lack of APs. The Academy will consider what classes you take relative to what is available. If you continue to take the most rigorous course load offered at your school it will help.
 
@SOFLO2024 You look great! Continue doing well through the end of Junior Year and register for classes you can learn from. You can take AP Chem online. It’s good to have done AP Chem and AP Cal BC before West Point. Purely for you to do well if you enroll. Only bottleneck I see is Nom, CFA, DODMERB. If your district is highly competitive then there can always be someone else who can bump your spot even if you have 35 1600. That happens often in our district. Take charge on what you can control. You maxed out on grades and test score. I don’t think you need SAT at this point. Your 34 is like 1550 in SAT. Apply to other programs like AROTC and other SAs. You would look great at any SAs but each SAs evaluate candidates slightly differently. It is that slight that matters. Because the other candidate has a slight advantage over you. This you cannot control. But a good prayer can help to humble you and to keep you at peace. Be sure to apply early, July would be a good time to start and finish by Aug. Ask for your references now from March, for: Math, ENG, Chem or Physics, PE, Extra Curricular Sponsor. With your stats, applying early will put you at the head of the game! And yes Boys State will matter very much on your application and for your experience. You’ll meet many SA hopefuls at Boys State.
 
DrMom said:
Good Morning. You look like a strong candidate--but do you want to be an Army officer?
That is the part that seems to be missing when people present their stats. It should start with "I want to be an Army officer."
Congratulations on being selected for SLE, that is always a good sign. Prepare for the CFE. Pull ups, sit ups, and the dreaded kneeling basketball throw.
Also be cool/helpful/a team player while at SLE--it can serve as your admissions interview.

Do you know the timeline for your nomination processes? Have you identified your math, science (physics/chem) and English teachers for your recommendation letters? Get their summer contact information/make sure they are not retiring and will support you.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the guidance. I am reading a lot of the forum information on the nomination process but to be frank I (along with my parents) are not really informed on the "what is the next step" in becoming a candidate. After registering for SLE, the website did have a link on the nomination, CFA and DODMERB steps.
 
CrewDad said:
@SOFLO2024 You look great! Continue doing well through the end of Junior Year and register for classes you can learn from. You can take AP Chem online. It’s good to have done AP Chem and AP Cal BC before West Point. Purely for you to do well if you enroll. Only bottleneck I see is Nom, CFA, DODMERB. If your district is highly competitive then there can always be someone else who can bump your spot even if you have 35 1600. That happens often in our district. Take charge on what you can control. You maxed out on grades and test score. I don’t think you need SAT at this point. Your 34 is like 1550 in SAT. Apply to other programs like AROTC and other SAs. You would look great at any SAs but each SAs evaluate candidates slightly differently. It is that slight that matters. Because the other candidate has a slight advantage over you. This you cannot control. But a good prayer can help to humble you and to keep you at peace. Be sure to apply early, July would be a good time to start and finish by Aug. Ask for your references now from March, for: Math, ENG, Chem or Physics, PE, Extra Curricular Sponsor. With your stats, applying early will put you at the head of the game! And yes Boys State will matter very much on your application and for your experience. You’ll meet many SA hopefuls at Boys State.
Click to expand...
I will absolutely look into taking AP Chem online through the Florida Virtual School. I am scheduled to take Chem 2H next year along with AP Cal, AP American Govt / Econ and AP English Lit. The balance of my schedule is all CS classwork over at the college. How many teacher recommendations will I need?
 
If you take Chem in college no need to take Chem Honors in high school. Take a Comp Sci class too. It can be high school or AP level. I said it above. You need all those recommendations for West Point. If you took APUSH you don’t really need AP GOV. But AP Econ and AP Psych would be better. You can place out of Leadership class with AP Psych and with AP Econ with 4+ you can place out too.
 
Honestly, your entire report looks way better than what I have. I wish you luck and hopefully, I am able to attend the class of 2024 with you.
 
By applying to SLE, you have opened your portal and started the application process. You both have to apply to USMA and apply to multiple sources for a nomination.
During SLE there will be a session or two that walk you through the opening of the USMA application larger portal...and all of the requirements. It is the same portal you have already opened but suddenly more items will appear requiring that you submit transcripts, essays, the CFA, letters of recommendation from your math, science (chem or physics), and English teacher and your PE teacher/coach...and high school counselor. (You should probably go talk to your high school guidance counselor NOW so that he or she can be prepared to assist you through the process.)

You live somewhere...right?...so you have a Congressman and two Senators--you will need to go to their webpages and find the instructions for people seeking a nomination for the service academies. Make a note of the deadline--it could be as early as mid- to late-September--and you will want to apply for all three nominations--it will involve essays, transcripts, SAT scores, and letters of recommendation. Is one of your parents retired or active duty military? There is a way to apply for a nomination based on their service.
However, if you wish to complete the bulk of your applications during the summer and into early August/September, you will want to get the names and contact addresses/email addresses for your letter of reference writers (referees)--so English, Math, Physics/Chem. You will want to talk to your track coach or PE teacher about taking the CFA (although you will do it at SLE--if you do well, you won't need to do it again). During the summer you will need to work on your essays--and the bottom line has to be that you want to be an Army officer.

Last, you should also apply to Army ROTC. You can recycle and tweak your USMA essays--and the entire application process takes about 3 hours.

Be sure to get the details on when your school will send transcripts--and who/when the registrar/counselor's office will be open during the summer to assist you with this task.

Good luck.
 
Do well at SLE. You are very competitive. Stay healthy and max out the PT test. I think you will get in.
 
CrewDad said:
If you take Chem in college no need to take Chem Honors in high school. Take a Comp Sci class too. It can be high school or AP level. I said it above. You need all those recommendations for West Point. If you took APUSH you don’t really need AP GOV. But AP Econ and AP Psych would be better. You can place out of Leadership class with AP Psych and with AP Econ with 4+ you can place out too.
Click to expand...
DrMom said:
By applying to SLE, you have opened your portal and started the application process. You both have to apply to USMA and apply to multiple sources for a nomination.
During SLE there will be a session or two that walk you through the opening of the USMA application larger portal...and all of the requirements. It is the same portal you have already opened but suddenly more items will appear requiring that you submit transcripts, essays, the CFA, letters of recommendation from your math, science (chem or physics), and English teacher and your PE teacher/coach...and high school counselor. (You should probably go talk to your high school guidance counselor NOW so that he or she can be prepared to assist you through the process.)

You live somewhere...right?...so you have a Congressman and two Senators--you will need to go to their webpages and find the instructions for people seeking a nomination for the service academies. Make a note of the deadline--it could be as early as mid- to late-September--and you will want to apply for all three nominations--it will involve essays, transcripts, SAT scores, and letters of recommendation. Is one of your parents retired or active duty military? There is a way to apply for a nomination based on their service.
However, if you wish to complete the bulk of your applications during the summer and into early August/September, you will want to get the names and contact addresses/email addresses for your letter of reference writers (referees)--so English, Math, Physics/Chem. You will want to talk to your track coach or PE teacher about taking the CFA (although you will do it at SLE--if you do well, you won't need to do it again). During the summer you will need to work on your essays--and the bottom line has to be that you want to be an Army officer.

Last, you should also apply to Army ROTC. You can recycle and tweak your USMA essays--and the entire application process takes about 3 hours.

Be sure to get the details on when your school will send transcripts--and who/when the registrar/counselor's office will be open during the summer to assist you with this task.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the feedback.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top