Is not doing sports a killer? I played football freshman year, but decided to stick with band. Academics are well above average, CFA is solid, attended SLE...any clues?
. . . you will be competing (the key word here is "competing") against candidates that also have "academics well above average" and "solid CFAs" and who "attended SLE" AND have participated in sports (with or without a varsity letter) . . . .
Band over sports. Interesting choice. I am sure that you will be competing (the key word here is "competing") against candidates that also have "academics well above average" and "solid CFAs" and who "attended SLE" AND have participated in sports (with or without a varsity letter) or worked hanging sheetrock as a part time job. Should you ask them the best route, they would definitely agree that the band is the more impressive route.
Then, of course, is what you would be heading for at USMA: Sports competition every day between squads, platoons, companys and battalions in everything from football to squash for 4 years. After that comes being a 2nd Lt in the infantry where your men hump pieces of 100# mortars and packs of 80# every day. Or perhaps Armor where your troops wrestle 50# shells in a moving tank with the tank commander screaming to speed it up. Artillery? Oooooo....they have not figured out a way to move heavy, heavy shells from cases to breech without a gutbusting effort by your troops. Engineers? how about scrambling up and down mountains with 70#of explosives on your back? They would welcome an officer who, given a chance, opts for comfort over results.
With that much physical activity ahead of you, there is certainly no hurry to get started on it, is there? Surely the Admissions Board will recognize such brilliant long range thinking and give you an appointment over your competition who has proven they can work in a very physical teamwork environment for years. Good luck.
Ignore spud, he/she is being overly critical and quite immature. If you did well on your fitness test, that tells admission they don't need to worry as much about you not having any varsity letters, as it shows you are in good shape, and will be able to perform physically at the academy and its sports. If band is your passion and you stuck with it throughout high school, that shows commitment they like to see. Don't worry about it!
I attended SLE, 33 ACT, 4.92/5 GPA, football, NHS, Band, Orchestra, All-State Band, DECA. I got a letter after my CFA that I failed because of pull-ups, but they are allowing me to retake it. I'm at about 6 pullups, and every other event is above average. Does the letter allowing me to retake it a good sign?
What do you have that sets you apart?
Is not doing sports a killer? I played football freshman year, but decided to stick with band. Academics are well above average, CFA is solid, attended SLE...any clues?
1. You cannot tell intonation via a post.
2. Many posters have been here long enough to see a pattern, and their posts are trying to illustrate the reality.~ See point #1.