zeus1

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Dec 16, 2021
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I'm currently a Sophomore and can I able to get into USMA, USNA USAFA with a weighted GPA of 3.64, unweighted 3.28? Also, I'm in junior varsity for wrestling and I'm going to do track next semester, also I have 110 hours of community hours, I'm in the minority. Lastly, I'm an officer in the news Magainze club
 
It depends on your competition and complete package.

Can you? Yes.

Work hard and develop your best application.
 
If you’re asking whether you can win offer of appointment with those credentials, the simple answer is “we don’t know.” There are too many inputs and variables and moving parts to give you any meaningful indication.

You’re a sophomore, so there’s time for you to better understand what you might be pursuing. First step: Go to the websites for those three SAs and review every page, link, tab and pulldown. Educate yourself on the mission, what it takes, where it leads, etc. You'll then be better prepared to ask specific questions.
 
Technically yes, likely no. Work on bringing it up as close to a 4.0 as you can.

Other things to work on/do:
  • Take more advanced courses
  • Start taking the SAT/ACT NOW. Score above a 1350/30.
  • Work on earning Varsity Letters in both track and wrestling. Aim to be team captain by your senior year.
  • Get involved with more school clubs. Make an impact and maybe you'll find yourself in a position.
  • Train for your CFA starting now. It is never too early to start. The sooner you can nail the basketball throw, the happier you will be on your test.
  • Apply for Boys/Girls State Junior year. This is not optional.
  • Lastly, proofread before you send any message, email, or SAF post.
This is general advice to you or any other prospective candidate. Everyone else will tell you the same if not more.
 
@zeus1 - you are in the right place, and are asking good questions. The good news is that as a sophomore in high school, you have time to make changes today (if needed) to better your chances of successfully receiving both a nomination and an appointment to the Service Academy you seek.

@MidCakePa is spot on - "we don't know" and there are many variables in the game of Service Academy admissions.

Based on what you have shared, here would be my feedback:

Positives -
1) You are demonstrating leadership potential through your current role in the club.
-Is there a path for you to continue in this organization and rise to a position to where you are in charge of the club? (Club President?)
-Is there a project you can embark on in this role that would be remarkable and provide you with first hand leadership experiences to leverage in your admissions essays/interviews?
2) You are participating in organized sports
-Is there a path for you to make Varsity in wrestling?
-What are the "Letter" criteria for you as a varsity wrestler?
-Is there a path for you to take on a Team Captain leadership role within the team?
-Is there a need for you to be a two-sport athlete? Do you have aptitude to be successful in track? Doing two sports simply for resume building may not be the best use of your most valuable resource -- time.
3) You actively volunteer in your community.
-This is great. Don't stop.
-Are there opportunities for you to lead these service projects and add to your demonstrated leadership experiences?
-There is no set limit as to how much service is enough -- the US Air Force believes in service as a top priority - we consider it a core value: "Service before Self"

Negatives -
1) Your weighted GPA is fairly low when compared to those who have gone before you and been successful in receiving an appointment.
-If we assume the grades are done for this semester and factored into your GPA, you have 3-4 semesters left that will impact the GPA and be considered by the admissions board. You have time to raise this number.
-If we assume things do not change much, you have an opportunity to demonstrate academic aptitude in your standardized test - SAT/ACT. You would need to crush it - but you know that, and it is why you are likely working on prep for those TODAY.
 
Train for your CFA starting now. It is never too early to start. The sooner you can nail the basketball throw, the happier you will be on your test.

My son never practiced the basketball throw - and I am unsure why. He nearly maxed all of the other events, and was able to beat the average.

I would work on pullups, pushups, and the mile.
 
I might also add that if you work hard, have stellar stats and are in a very competitive district, the stars sill may not align.

But the applicants that impress me the most are those who dig deep, take a plebe like STEM heavy course load, nail it, demonstrate leadership and reapply. Some of the most impressive midshipmen my son has met at USNA are Re applicants.

Several paths to achieve this dream if you do the work, stay and remain resilient.
 
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@zeus1 - you are in the right place, and are asking good questions. The good news is that as a sophomore in high school, you have time to make changes today (if needed) to better your chances of successfully receiving both a nomination and an appointment to the Service Academy you seek.

@MidCakePa is spot on - "we don't know" and there are many variables in the game of Service Academy admissions.

Based on what you have shared, here would be my feedback:

Positives -
1) You are demonstrating leadership potential through your current role in the club.
-Is there a path for you to continue in this organization and rise to a position to where you are in charge of the club? (Club President?)
-Is there a project you can embark on in this role that would be remarkable and provide you with first hand leadership experiences to leverage in your admissions essays/interviews?
2) You are participating in organized sports
-Is there a path for you to make Varsity in wrestling?
-What are the "Letter" criteria for you as a varsity wrestler?
-Is there a path for you to take on a Team Captain leadership role within the team?
-Is there a need for you to be a two-sport athlete? Do you have aptitude to be successful in track? Doing two sports simply for resume building may not be the best use of your most valuable resource -- time.
3) You actively volunteer in your community.
-This is great. Don't stop.
-Are there opportunities for you to lead these service projects and add to your demonstrated leadership experiences?
-There is no set limit as to how much service is enough -- the US Air Force believes in service as a top priority - we consider it a core value: "Service before Self"

Negatives -
1) Your weighted GPA is fairly low when compared to those who have gone before you and been successful in receiving an appointment.
-If we assume the grades are done for this semester and factored into your GPA, you have 3-4 semesters left that will impact the GPA and be considered by the admissions board. You have time to raise this number.
-If we assume things do not change much, you have an opportunity to demonstrate academic aptitude in your standardized test - SAT/ACT. You would need to crush it - but you know that, and it is why you are likely working on prep for those TODAY.
thank you so much for the information! I lived in Australia and recently moved to the USA around 2 years ago, so I had no idea about it, but your answers helped me :). also for my current update, my GPA is 3.738 and I offered leadership positions for the communities club.
 
My son never practiced the basketball throw - and I am unsure why. He nearly maxed all of the other events, and was able to beat the average.

I would work on pullups, pushups, and the mile.
thank you for the advice, I will start working out at the gym
 
Technically yes, likely no. Work on bringing it up as close to a 4.0 as you can.

Other things to work on/do:
  • Take more advanced courses
  • Start taking the SAT/ACT NOW. Score above a 1350/30.
  • Work on earning Varsity Letters in both track and wrestling. Aim to be team captain by your senior year.
  • Get involved with more school clubs. Make an impact and maybe you'll find yourself in a position.
  • Train for your CFA starting now. It is never too early to start. The sooner you can nail the basketball throw, the happier you will be on your test.
  • Apply for Boys/Girls State Junior year. This is not optional.
  • Lastly, proofread before you send any message, email, or SAF post.
This is general advice to you or any other prospective candidate. Everyone else will tell you the same if not more.
thank you so much I really appreciate next time I will make sure to proofread before posting into SAF
 
If you’re asking whether you can win offer of appointment with those credentials, the simple answer is “we don’t know.” There are too many inputs and variables and moving parts to give you any meaningful indication.

You’re a sophomore, so there’s time for you to better understand what you might be pursuing. First step: Go to the websites for those three SAs and review every page, link, tab and pulldown. Educate yourself on the mission, what it takes, where it leads, etc. You'll then be better prepared to ask specific questions.
thank you for the advice, I will make sure to read & review three SAS
 
Good advice...keep working hard to be as competitive as possible on your application. Also, consider also applying to USMMA as well.
 
  • Apply for Boys/Girls State Junior year. This is not optional.
Factually incorrect.
Is it a good thing to do? Yes. Is it required? No. There are no magic extracurriculars. The academies look for a strong record in academics, leadership, and athletics. Exactly how those are shown varies.
 
I'm convinced one of my son's "hobbies" helped him get appt to USNA - tutoring. He was always jumping in to help somebody with math or physics or whatever. He was an active participant in class and his teachers were willing to write about that on his behalf. It is also one of the many selections in the "extracurriculars" part of the application, so apparently USNA likes it. It is listed in some of the Class portraits (https://www.usna.com/document.doc?id=1156). Check some other class portraits for the academies and make sure you are checking the boxes. Mainly they want to see Academics, athleticism, and leadership. Find your way to those things.
 
You are definitely in the right place and are asking questions early enough that you can make some adjustments to improve your stats.

One thing I would point out, and it may seem nitpicky, but, grammar is huge. Whether you are texting, emailing, writing an essay, or filling out applications, using proper grammar leaves the impression that details matter to you.

It is very easy to use the 'texting' format in professional writing by mistake. Make sure you are capitalizing the first word in every sentence and using proper punctuation.

I'm not trying to criticize you at all, I see this a lot (I am a high school teacher), and kids have a hard time breaking the informal texting habit when they switch to professional writing.

Download the free version of Grammarly and use it on each web browser. Over time it will help you become a better, more efficient, and professional writer.

Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.
 
I see this a lot (I am a high school teacher), and kids have a hard time breaking the informal texting habit when they switch to professional writing.
That youthful texting style is indeed hard to break. I see it in college assignments submitted by upperclassmen, many of them close to graduation and professional employment. Not a good look — certainly in college and definitely in the professional world.
 
Factually incorrect.
Is it a good thing to do? Yes. Is it required? No. There are no magic extracurriculars. The academies look for a strong record in academics, leadership, and athletics. Exactly how those are shown varies.
I was not being literal, but it is my go to recommendation for service academy hopefuls because of the value for and outside of SA's (networking, speaking, leadership, etc). For a week of summer, one might as well. It certainly isn't a patch for low academics and athletics, but is like a cherry on top for a competitive file. I apologize for not clarifying.
 
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