Great advice.
There is no one size fits all answer,.... Participating in ROTC demonstrates commitment to serving as a Officer ....It can also give you an alternate nomination source (for USAFA, not Navy). That said, participation in D1 athletics takes time , and will be hard to commit the time necessary to do both (and academics well). I would say pick the one that means the most to you, do it well and show strong academic performance. (Major really shouldn't matter ...I know a lot of schools ask you to pick a major going in, but realistically many people change once they get to school).
yes
Have you considered an appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. Its a smaller academy like the Coast Guard Academy. It graduates professional mariners and focuses on training shipboard officers with emphasis on seamanship, navigation, shiphandling and shipboard engineering systems. Part of the curriculum for the KP Midshipmen is a year spent at sea training under senior officers in real world conditions. You graduate with a Bachelor of Science, a 3rd mates or 3rd Engineers license and a commission as Ensign USNR. You have the choice to sail professionally with your license, work ashore in the maritime industry, grad school or activate your commission. About 1/4-1/3 of the class chooses to activate their commission and are usually accomodated the billets they choose. Aviation billets normally go unfilled since most grads decide to sail professionally in the Merchant Marine. And why not? The starting salary for a 3rd mate/3rd Engineer is $120k-$160k for 6 months at sea. Thats some crazy money for a 21-22 year old.
You sound super-motivated and I trust you will do great things at your chosen university. I am the parent of usna graduates and also have a daughter who is a junior with an army nursing rotc scholarship and playing a DIII sport. She is constantly balancing and managing expectations of coaches and unit leadership who might not fully understand the intense obligations of each endeavor. Her ROTC activities are mostly at a neighboring university and the two worlds of ROTC and team never meet. Her coach has been most accommodating but our daughter has really had to ensure she communicates with everyone, has a very good handle on her calendar, and finds solutions to either deconflict or mitigate the consequences of conflicts. She is highly regarded by both her team and her unit, and I would say that her team/coach has had to bend and do without her more than her ROTC unit. Another poster noted that team practice counts in lieu of ROTC morning workouts - I would surmise that is great but a fairly small issue. The real challenge here is in determining where to place her attention, energy, and time at every moment through the day and how to prioritize her responsibilities. I jokingly say that this experience is very similar to an academy experience with rigorous academics, physical fitness, and military training - but at an academy everyone is in the same boat and understands. For kids like you and my daughter, there are not a lot of peers who are committed to academics, sports, and ROTC in the same way, so it is hard and lonely in that others just don't understand your experience. And it is possible that teammates and ROTC comrades will also not understand and could even resent your absences. For our daughter, she is doing what she loves and is thriving, but the choice to play a sport and do ROTC is challenging.
All this said, I think these endeavors are so worthwhile, and would imagine your application will be even stronger if you can demonstrate that you can manage academics, a sport, and ROTC simultaneously and successfully. You will be surrounded by motivated and inspiring people, you won't be wasting time, and you will challenge yourself and develop critical life skills. I do not want to deter you but give you a realistic impression of my own child's experience. WIshing you all the best!
Making it to the waitlist is a clear indication that USNA found him fully qualified, competitive and they want him, so from that standpoint it is a "leg up" and I have seen waitlisters get accepted quickly next year. That said, its not a guarantee ..its a competitive process and the competition changes every year.
Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry are the plebe killer trifecta.
Of course...makes sense and thanks for the comment and additional info.