Hello,
I am a mostly finished with my application - everything is green except CFA and DODMERB, (which I have been told is currently being processed). I am a Senior in High School. I just have a few questions.
1. Candidate Fitness Assessment - I know I have waited a long time to take it, but I am not the most athletically gifted person in the world, and I have been doing training - not as much as I want, or probably should have, thanks to school, but it is something. I plan on taking it early January after a get some time without school to focus athletically. Seeing that a lot of people have already taken it, is this a bad move? There's not anything I can do about it now, I just want to know if this was a bad idea on my part. Also, how exactly is it scored? I have heard it is pass/fail, but I also hear it is graded. I think it is both. My local liaison says I must complete this before I am granted an interview.
2. Nomination - I got a nomination yesterday. However, so do five other people in my AP physics class - two for USMA, one for Merchant Marine, and one for Navy (yes, I have two other USMA candidates in my class - I think that's kind of funny, considering the odds), and those are only the people I know about in my school. I live in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, (next to B'ham) and this was Senators Bachus's last nomination. I am still a little confused on how this works. I have heard that they have a limited pool to nominate (around two), but I also hear that they nominate in slates of ten. How exactly does that work? Also, I assume it is in my best interest to pursue as many nomination as possible, correct? (there are still two politicians in my area that can give nominations, which I am applying for)
3. Grades - My year has been a little rough on my grades. I project I will make all B's for AP classes, (Literature, Physics, Econ, and Calculus AB) which I understand is fine, but I am, erm, cutting it a little close with my calculus grade (as in my Calculus exam next week might be the most important exam of my life so far). How adversely would a C in calculus affect my chances, as in, "you're in very deep hole," or "it's not the end of the world"?
4. Plan B - I have applied at VMI, Auburn and Texas A&M as plan B (or as Plan A, as I personally do not think I will make it to USMA - I'm not giving up, but I don't think the numbers are on my side.) I will do ROTC at the applicable schools. Which one is the best in terms of giving me the edge in getting a slot in my desired branch (armor)? Or does it really matter?
My truncated resume of sorts is as follows:
3.89 GPA
Eagle Scout
141/441 (i think those are the correct numbers) class rank
32 on ACT (35 Eng, 34 Reading, 26 Math, 33 Sci, 31 on writing if I recall)
Played varsity football (never actually got on the field my senior year, but hopefully they won't grade that...)
National Honors Society
Military nut (not really applicable, but I put it on all my resumes, and I am pretty sure I am the only person in my zip code who knows what an "M1A2 SEPv2 TUSK II w/CROWS" is. I also have all US military bases marked on Google Earth...yeah the NSA probably has a copy of my Hard Drive)
Thanks in advance for reading this and answering questions. Feel free to tell me your thoughts, even if they essentially amount to "you are an idiot, and you are done for."
I am a mostly finished with my application - everything is green except CFA and DODMERB, (which I have been told is currently being processed). I am a Senior in High School. I just have a few questions.
1. Candidate Fitness Assessment - I know I have waited a long time to take it, but I am not the most athletically gifted person in the world, and I have been doing training - not as much as I want, or probably should have, thanks to school, but it is something. I plan on taking it early January after a get some time without school to focus athletically. Seeing that a lot of people have already taken it, is this a bad move? There's not anything I can do about it now, I just want to know if this was a bad idea on my part. Also, how exactly is it scored? I have heard it is pass/fail, but I also hear it is graded. I think it is both. My local liaison says I must complete this before I am granted an interview.
2. Nomination - I got a nomination yesterday. However, so do five other people in my AP physics class - two for USMA, one for Merchant Marine, and one for Navy (yes, I have two other USMA candidates in my class - I think that's kind of funny, considering the odds), and those are only the people I know about in my school. I live in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, (next to B'ham) and this was Senators Bachus's last nomination. I am still a little confused on how this works. I have heard that they have a limited pool to nominate (around two), but I also hear that they nominate in slates of ten. How exactly does that work? Also, I assume it is in my best interest to pursue as many nomination as possible, correct? (there are still two politicians in my area that can give nominations, which I am applying for)
3. Grades - My year has been a little rough on my grades. I project I will make all B's for AP classes, (Literature, Physics, Econ, and Calculus AB) which I understand is fine, but I am, erm, cutting it a little close with my calculus grade (as in my Calculus exam next week might be the most important exam of my life so far). How adversely would a C in calculus affect my chances, as in, "you're in very deep hole," or "it's not the end of the world"?
4. Plan B - I have applied at VMI, Auburn and Texas A&M as plan B (or as Plan A, as I personally do not think I will make it to USMA - I'm not giving up, but I don't think the numbers are on my side.) I will do ROTC at the applicable schools. Which one is the best in terms of giving me the edge in getting a slot in my desired branch (armor)? Or does it really matter?
My truncated resume of sorts is as follows:
3.89 GPA
Eagle Scout
141/441 (i think those are the correct numbers) class rank
32 on ACT (35 Eng, 34 Reading, 26 Math, 33 Sci, 31 on writing if I recall)
Played varsity football (never actually got on the field my senior year, but hopefully they won't grade that...)
National Honors Society
Military nut (not really applicable, but I put it on all my resumes, and I am pretty sure I am the only person in my zip code who knows what an "M1A2 SEPv2 TUSK II w/CROWS" is. I also have all US military bases marked on Google Earth...yeah the NSA probably has a copy of my Hard Drive)
Thanks in advance for reading this and answering questions. Feel free to tell me your thoughts, even if they essentially amount to "you are an idiot, and you are done for."
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