No NASS, how can I improve?

B

BDHuff09

10-Year Member
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May 26, 2012
Messages
309
So I was not selected to attend NASS but was instead given a CVW, which I attended. The visit only made me want to go to NASS more, and since I was not selected I was wondering what areas of my application I need to improve.

Academic:
35 ACT superscore (34 math 34 english 36 reading 34 science)
2090 SAT (730 CR, 660 M) (will take again, this was my first try)
222 PSAT (77 CR, 68 M) (likely National Merit Qualifier in my state)
4.2 W GPA 3.7 UW GPA
School technically does not rank, but I would put myself between 20th-40th place out of 530
4 AP's this past year

Athletic
3 years JV Swimming (so far)
2 years JV Water Polo
1 year V Water Polo (so far)
5x Gold Scholar Athlete
1x Silver Scholar Athlete

Extracurricular
member of school outdoor leadership program ( 26 picked by teachers out of c/o 530)
member of and volunteer with National Honor Society
math tutor with Mu Alpha Theta
JV Basketball Manager
Varsity Basketball Manager
Volunteer with disabled children.

Also attended 2013 Summer Leaders Experience at West Point.

I know leadership is a bit of a weakness, I ran for but did not win NHS office, so I am still looking for something else to add in that category.

Thanks!
 
You have great stats and all you really need is leadership. Being a captain would certainly help you if you can get that. In the end it is how competitive your area is though, that's all that really matters so I could never correctly say how competitive you are.

As an aside, I'm practically identical to you (just with some other activities) and I went to NASS but wasn't selected for SLE, it's pretty random as far as those things go.
 
The fact you weren't selected for NASS may have nothing to do with your competitiveness; rather it may be where you live.

NASS is a recruiting tool, so that people from underrepresented states/districts/schools are more likely be be accepted than those from areas where USNA is well known and they have a lot of applicants.

CVW is a great experience and, arguably, a more realistic view of USNA than NASS.

Just continue to excel and apply!
 
Stop worrying

Your stats are fine. You have about the same GPA as my son did and higher board scores than he had, and he's on his summer cruise now. Your sports and ECs are good too. I also like that you show some passion in a reasonable number of activities rather than just rack up resume bullets, which many people do, but admissions (at any college) can see through immediately. (Nobody has the time or ability to excel in school, 5 sports, participate with any meaning in 22 clubs, and run an internet startup on the side. Nobody.)

Maybe find one thing you really like senior year and be in charge. My son founded a club dedicated to honoring veterans and mentoring those interested in service. He ran a powder puff football tournament that raised money for the Wounded Warrior Project, got his name in the paper, was recognized at the local Memorial Day ceremony, learned about tax exemption laws, learned what a waiver of liability is, and made contacts with the local Marine detachment (to present colors), a brigadier general, a submarine captain he later used as a reference, and an admiral (he was going for a flyover, but well, at least he tried). His BGO thought that was unique and helped set him apart from all the other kids with great GPAs, high ACTs, two varsity sports, a bunch of ECs, etc. He had an early LOA in a very competitive district. Not a recruited athlete, although he plays a varsity sport at USNA.

There is only so much you can do. A lot of this is fate and pure luck: where you live, other candidates in your district, and your medical history. I'd suggest you simply do your best, enjoy high school, turn in a great app, stay on top of it, find a bunch of good NROTC programs, and see where the chips fall.

It always works out. Good luck!
 
Similar stats to my DS (a plebe at USNA). He went to NASS as was rejected by USAFA's SS program. He got appointments to both. One thought - if you enjoy working with disabled children - maybe you can volunteer to be the coordinator of volunteers for the director. If needed, that might be a lead position to schedule and confirm folks to be sure you have enough volunteers at the events.

Whatever the case, be a leader in the activities that you are currently involved in. This is but one example...

bandad
 
Son was not invited to NASS last year either. The rejection letter mentioned being from a geographically competitive area as the reason.

His stats are not too far off from yours.
He received an appointment in November.
 
This thread is 9 months old. The OP has appointments to USNA and USMA, class of 2018
 
Are you saying the information is now irrelevant?
Seems timely, useful and accurate to me.
 
ahs67 said:
Are you saying the information is now irrelevant?
Seems timely, useful and accurate to me.
Click to expand...

Since no two candidates have the exact same stats/background/state of residence/experiences, and the OP's original question was "how can I improve," bandad's response/advice on how the OP could improve is no longer relevant to the OP since he has two appointments.
 
Thank you for the explanation.
Are you a moderator on this forum? You seem to have an answer for everything?
 
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