Standardized testing and triple qualified

sbrown96

5-Year Member
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Apr 15, 2014
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Hello everyone, I am a college reapplicant for the class of 2020. I am going to be attending NC State university and have already started summer classes to get ahead. I will also be doing NROTC as well. I recently emailed my RD and I asked him what kept me from getting in this year. He told me that I was "not ranked highly enough in my nomination" I asked if I was triple qualified and he said that I was not. I passed the CFA, had no issues on the DoDMERB. What is the 3rd thing on being triple qualified that I apparently did not have?

I was also wondering if I should retake my standardized tests. I really won't have too much time to study or prepare for them as I am in college now but let me know if you think I really need to improve my scores to have a better chance. I live in a fairly competitive district (NC-9).

SAT Math: 680
SAT Verbal: 640
SAT 2 Part Total: 1320
SAT 3 Part Total: 1950

Superscored on ACT* (also USNA only looks at math and English right?)
ACT English: 26
ACT Math: 30
ACT Reading: 34
ACT Science: 27
Highest ACT composite: 27

My TWE said this exactly "it may be advisable for college freshman to reatake college entrance examinations, particularly if the combined critical reasoning and mathematics score on the SAT was less than 1300 (ACT 28)."

So let me all know what you think and if you think that I should try and retake the ACT again. Pretty sure the SAT is changing this year so not sure how much better I would do (correct me if I'm wrong) Not sure I will really do much better on the ACT but I guess it couldn't hurt to try. Thanks for any advice regarding this.
 
Did your RD further explain what academically you were short on/missing to not be 3Q? Did he recommend you retake the tests?

If the test is changing maybe you will do better? Bottom line is when it's all said and done next year and you have submitted everything will you be satisfied you have done everything you can within your control? When you kick yourself for not taking the test and wondering if you would do done better? You are now a year older and wiser, make the best decision for you.
 
Third element of being 3Q is "scholastic," which includes grades, scores, leadership, etc. SATs look ok so am assuming it was a combination of courses you took, grades you received, quality of your h.s. program, etc.

If you weren't triple Q'ed, then how high you stood within your slate was irrelevant. In order to compete for an appointment, you must be 3Q. You may want to reconfirm with your RD.
 
Hello sbrown96. I noticed in your OP it states you e-mailed the RD. The information you received is vague at best since you were most likely 3Q - ... what about calling the RD to get more details?

I'm curious if the mention of "not ranked highly enough in my nomination" really refers to the nomination list created for NC-9. Did your Congressional Representative use a Principal Nomination slate or a non-principal slate? I wonder if your representative used the principal nomination format where he lists the order of the candidates the academy is to select from; whereas, the non-principal slate the academy gets to decide among the list who to appoint. Essentially, the Principal slate with an order gives the Representative the power of selection not the academies. I could not find a nomination list for NC-9 which makes me think it might be unpublished (secret). Some representatives publish all the names and high schools of the nominees for each service academy. I could only find published accounts of those who received appointments in NC-9, but that does not mean they were charged to NC-9.

Lastly, if you don't mind stating...when did you complete your application to the USNA? (Aside from the nomination.)

I'm so sorry you find yourself as a re-applicant. I admire all re-applicants, since the process takes PERSEVERANCE to go around again. Best of luck. I do hear that NCSU has a large, dedicated group of NROTC midshipmen.

(Please take note - the above statements about principal and non-principal slates may be entirely or somewhat incorrect. I would encourage and welcome corrections to my statements, but hopefully my research is accurate. Thank you.)
 
Hello sbrown96. I noticed in your OP it states you e-mailed the RD. The information you received is vague at best since you were most likely 3Q - ... what about calling the RD to get more details?

I'm curious if the mention of "not ranked highly enough in my nomination" really refers to the nomination list created for NC-9. Did your Congressional Representative use a Principal Nomination slate or a non-principal slate? I wonder if your representative used the principal nomination format where he lists the order of the candidates the academy is to select from; whereas, the non-principal slate the academy gets to decide among the list who to appoint. Essentially, the Principal slate with an order gives the Representative the power of selection not the academies. I could not find a nomination list for NC-9 which makes me think it might be unpublished (secret). Some representatives publish all the names and high schools of the nominees for each service academy. I could only find published accounts of those who received appointments in NC-9, but that does not mean they were charged to NC-9.

Lastly, if you don't mind stating...when did you complete your application to the USNA? (Aside from the nomination.)

I'm so sorry you find yourself as a re-applicant. I admire all re-applicants, since the process takes PERSEVERANCE to go around again. Best of luck. I do hear that NCSU has a large, dedicated group of NROTC midshipmen.

(Please take note - the above statements about principal and non-principal slates may be entirely or somewhat incorrect. I would encourage and welcome corrections to my statements, but hopefully my research is accurate. Thank you.)


I completed my application in the summer and had all CFA and DoDMERB stuff in very early. USNA was of course my first choice so I was very on top of that application.
 
I wouldn't focus on whether you were or were not triple qualified -- moot at this point. You need to focus on what you can do to improve your application for next year. It might be a good idea to call and discuss, with your RD, which aspects of the application you can make better, because even if you were triple qualified, I guarantee there are areas you still can focus on.
 
Call RD ask where you are falling short. The Supe said this years class was the most athletic and had the highest test scores in the history of the USNA. The competition is only going to get tougher.

Hire a tutor. Retake ACT. Retake ACT. Retake ACT. Your composite of 27 is not even close to those who were at I-Day. Sorry if this sound harsh. But it is what it is. You need to improve to even have a shot. IMHO.
 
Your composite of 27 is not even close to those who were at I-Day. Sorry if this sound harsh. But it is what it is. You need to improve to even have a shot. IMHO.

The SAT scores of 640V/680M are competitive but can be improved. I would suggest retaking -- agree that the new format may make it a bit less certain but if you do better on SAT than ACT, stick with tit. However, more important is getting mostly As in the plebe courses, especially calc and chem (or physics). Also, be sure to use your summer wisely. Work, do volunteer activities, participate in organized sports, audit classes at your local CC, etc. It's not so much what you do as that you do something other than sit around your house all summer.
 
Thanks for all the advice all. I've decided I will be retaking the ACT for sure. I am spending my summer taking classes at NCSU in chem 101, chem lab, microeconomics and an engineering intro course.
 
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