Suggestions For Improvement

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cbrewster7

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Feb 5, 2020
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I am applying for USNA class of 2026 ( currently a junior in high school ), and I have been working hard to give myself the best chance to get into the academy. It is my dream to attend the academy, and I will do whatever it takes to get there! I was wondering if anyone has any advice or idea on things I could improve on. Here is where I am at :
-4.0 Weighted GPA ( my school does not go higher )
-All core classes are AP
-Self taught over the summer/skipped Algebra 2 and Chemistry ( I am now in AP Calc and AP Bio)
-Varsity Girls Soccer, Varsity Girls Lacrosse, I also play basketball but due to Covid-19 I did not get chance to tryout for varsity
-I have had a job for 3 years at a ski lodge as an instructor, I worked as a camp counselor in past years and also volunteered there, I also worked at as a pool attendant this summer
-I do a lot of babysitting, dog walking and odd jobs in my neighborhood
- I run a snow-shoveling business in my neighborhood that with the help of my 5 employees helps over 20 elderly homes with snow removal ( 5 years )
- I ran free lacrosse clinics 2X a week (~4.5 hours a week) , every week over the summer to teach girls how to play and offer physical activities during Covid-19
-PSAT of 1190 taken last fall (2019, no study), I am scheduled to take it in a few weeks but it will likely be cancelled due to Covid-19
-I have tutored Geometry and Algebra 2, and am currently looking for another tutee for the spring semester
-I am starting a Tennis Club with my friend
-CFA wise I can probably run a 7 min mile at best right now, I can max out at 55 pushups, only 1 pull up, max out situps, and have not touched on the shuttle run or basketball throw yet.
-Won an Outstanding Admiral Award last year
-I am in a Science Research class, which is a 2 year class that only accepted 10 students from my class of 800.
-I am in top 10% of my class, ranked ~80.
-My grades are a mix of As and Bs - all classes are at least honors if not AP
-Senior Year I am planning on taking 5/6 AP classes.
- I have a few college credits for Engineering and next semester I will (hopefully) earn 4 more for computer science/programming.

I appreciate any and all help! Thank you for your time and wisdom. ( I submitted my NASS application a few days ago :) )
 
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??? You self taught Alg2/Trig and also Chemistry.

I get it ... motivated people teach themselves. We all do this. But you will probably have to demonstrate a thorough understanding of Alg2/Trig, even though you are taking AP Calc right now. They may have you take a test to demonstrate proficiency here.

Also, the SAs like to see a year of HS Chemistry on your transcript. Try to get a year of Physics in there too.
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Start practicing now, choose the ACT or SAT path (whichever you feel you do better at) and then sign up for every test session you can until you get a couple good results in hand. The scheduling has been difficult, and as good as the rest of your resume looks, high standardized test scores are table stakes these days. Plus you'll want something ready to go when you apply after junior year and not be scrambling for a test spot next October.
 
1190 PSAT is a problem. PSAT is SAT predictive (strongly predictive), so don't sleep soundly believing haphazard studying will change it more than 25-50 points on the SAT at this stage of your academic life. Introduce yourself to Khan Academy (free) for their online SAT prep routines. Use Khan Academy religiously and deliberately - daily basis - for at least 20 minutes/day for the next six+ months and you will likely add 100-125 points to your score for the SAT. Focus on the questions (Math) you miss. For each Math problem you miss, ask yourself (multiple times) why you missed it - and don't move on until you understand why you missed it. (I'd expect a Geometry and Algebra Tutor to have at least a 700 on the Math SAT. It seems incongruous for you to be tutoring other HS students in math when your PSAT is only scratching 75th percentile.) As for the verbal element, it's very hard to move that needle by the time you've reached your Junior Year. You might be able to learn some test-taking tips for the Verbal sections, but not to the extent they will materially change your performance on that side of the SAT.
 
Wow- very impressive, kudos! Find a way to prep for and take the ACT or SAT and slam dunk those as well. Work on improving your class placement and try to bump Bs to As. Keep providing service. Be an excellent teammate and mentor to your teammates, especially underclassman- perhaps you'll get a captain position as well. Really, continue persevering like you have been, don't get burned out. Again, kudos to your achievements thus far- gives me continued hope for our leaders of tomorrow!
 
Dr. Strange Love said:
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??? You self taught Alg2/Trig and also Chemistry.

I get it ... motivated people teach themselves. We all do this. But you will probably have to demonstrate a thorough understanding of Alg2/Trig, even though you are taking AP Calc right now. They may have you take a test to demonstrate proficiency here.

Also, the SAs like to see a year of HS Chemistry on your transcript. Try to get a year of Physics in there too.
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Click to expand...
That makes sense, I will definitely stay sharp on it just in case. I took Physics last year, and I am thinking about taking AP Physics next year - my only dilemma is that I am not sure I have enough understanding since our year was cut short. Thank you for the advice!
 
StPaulDad said:
Start practicing now, choose the ACT or SAT path (whichever you feel you do better at) and then sign up for every test session you can until you get a couple good results in hand. The scheduling has been difficult, and as good as the rest of your resume looks, high standardized test scores are table stakes these days. Plus you'll want something ready to go when you apply after junior year and not be scrambling for a test spot next October.
Click to expand...
Yeah definitely! I will talk with my guidance counselor about both and figure out which is best for me. Thank you for the advice!
 
Paine1776 said:
1190 PSAT is a problem. PSAT is SAT predictive (strongly predictive), so don't sleep soundly believing haphazard studying will change it more than 25-50 points on the SAT at this stage of your academic life. Introduce yourself to Khan Academy (free) for their online SAT prep routines. Use Khan Academy religiously and deliberately - daily basis - for at least 20 minutes/day for the next six+ months and you will likely add 100-125 points to your score for the SAT. Focus on the questions (Math) you miss. For each Math problem you miss, ask yourself (multiple times) why you missed it - and don't move on until you understand why you missed it. (I'd expect a Geometry and Algebra Tutor to have at least a 700 on the Math SAT. It seems incongruous for you to be tutoring other HS students in math when your PSAT is only scratching 75th percentile.) As for the verbal element, it's very hard to move that needle by the time you've reached your Junior Year. You might be able to learn some test-taking tips for the Verbal sections, but not to the extent they will materially change your performance on that side of the SAT.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your advice! I agree that my score could be higher, however the collegeboard score statement said I was in the 91% percentile for scores. Nevertheless, you are right - I will get on the Khan Academy train and study hard. Thanks again!
 
03USMC13 said:
Wow- very impressive, kudos! Find a way to prep for and take the ACT or SAT and slam dunk those as well. Work on improving your class placement and try to bump Bs to As. Keep providing service. Be an excellent teammate and mentor to your teammates, especially underclassman- perhaps you'll get a captain position as well. Really, continue persevering like you have been, don't get burned out. Again, kudos to your achievements thus far- gives me continued hope for our leaders of tomorrow!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I will work on those Bs and try to do well in ACT/SAT. Hoping for a good spring sports season to try and earn a captains spot. Again, Thank you for your advice!
 
Paine1776 said:
1190 PSAT is a problem. PSAT is SAT predictive (strongly predictive), so don't sleep soundly believing haphazard studying will change it more than 25-50 points on the SAT at this stage of your academic life. Introduce yourself to Khan Academy (free) for their online SAT prep routines. Use Khan Academy religiously and deliberately - daily basis - for at least 20 minutes/day for the next six+ months and you will likely add 100-125 points to your score for the SAT. Focus on the questions (Math) you miss. For each Math problem you miss, ask yourself (multiple times) why you missed it - and don't move on until you understand why you missed it. (I'd expect a Geometry and Algebra Tutor to have at least a 700 on the Math SAT. It seems incongruous for you to be tutoring other HS students in math when your PSAT is only scratching 75th percentile.) As for the verbal element, it's very hard to move that needle by the time you've reached your Junior Year. You might be able to learn some test-taking tips for the Verbal sections, but not to the extent they will materially change your performance on that side of the SAT.
Click to expand...
This is not true.

A course adds at least 200 points according to what I saw from my son and what the course advertised.

So 1400+ isn’t out of the realm. With her resume, she would be very competitive imo.
 
A1Janitor said:
This is not true.

A course adds at least 200 points according to what I saw from my son and what the course advertised.

So 1400+ isn’t out of the realm. With her resume, she would be very competitive imo.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I will definitely try to get in the 1400+ range!
 
Paine1776 said:
(I'd expect a Geometry and Algebra Tutor to have at least a 700 on the Math SAT. It seems incongruous for you to be tutoring other HS students in math when your PSAT is only scratching 75th percentile.)
Click to expand...
This comment bothered me a bit... The OP stated that he/she took the PSAT with no study. I have stated on this forum many times that knowing HOW to take these tests are just as important as having knowledge of the subject matter. Just because the PSAT score is not stellar does not mean the OP does not have knowledge of the material. I am sure he/she is very capable of being a tutor.

@cblaha7 ... Khan Academy. Princeton Review, etc are all great. My advice is to take as many practice tests as you can, but under the same conditions as the actual test. Lock yourself in a room. Use a timer. Get used to the pressure. You will soon learn how to know when to skip a question and go back, when to take a confident guess when you are down to two choices, etc... By practicing this way, you will learn time management and be able to put your best effort into each question.
 
brewmeist said:
This comment bothered me a bit... The OP stated that he/she took the PSAT with no study. I have stated on this forum many times that knowing HOW to take these tests are just as important as having knowledge of the subject matter. Just because the PSAT score is not stellar does not mean the OP does not have knowledge of the material. I am sure he/she is very capable of being a tutor.

@cblaha7 ... Khan Academy. Princeton Review, etc are all great. My advice is to take as many practice tests as you can, but under the same conditions as the actual test. Lock yourself in a room. Use a timer. Get used to the pressure. You will soon learn how to know when to skip a question and go back, when to take a confident guess when you are down to two choices, etc... By practicing this way, you will learn time management and be able to put your best effort into each question.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I appreciate your advice and I will look at some practice tests and start Khan Academy today.
 
DS had similar PSAT (maybe 20 pts higher, but I don't remember). First SAT in Fall of Jr Year 2019 was 1240. All SATs in 2020 that he signed up for canceled, so he took Sept 2020 for 1370. He studied for the whole month before to prepare, knowing his school courses would start picking up to take up that time. He used the SAT book offered by College Board and took ALL of the practice exams. I thought he was in good shape, but he signed up for Dec 2020 also and superscored to a 1440. Due to that, his Plan B is now tuition free also!!

With your Math stats, I would think you can score a monster Math section. Lots of other good ideas on here, just need to see what works for you. It looks like you are pretty driven to do well either way! Good luck and keep working hard!
 
I love the snow plow business. That is super essay and interview material. You have leadership and management experience right there.
 
ArmySon-NavyFan said:
DS had similar PSAT (maybe 20 pts higher, but I don't remember). First SAT in Fall of Jr Year 2019 was 1240. All SATs in 2020 that he signed up for canceled, so he took Sept 2020 for 1370. He studied for the whole month before to prepare, knowing his school courses would start picking up to take up that time. He used the SAT book offered by College Board and took ALL of the practice exams. I thought he was in good shape, but he signed up for Dec 2020 also and superscored to a 1440. Due to that, his Plan B is now tuition free also!!

With your Math stats, I would think you can score a monster Math section. Lots of other good ideas on here, just need to see what works for you. It looks like you are pretty driven to do well either way! Good luck and keep working hard!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! That is super inspirational - and congrats to him for a tuition free option!
 
Heatherg21 said:
I love the snow plow business. That is super essay and interview material. You have leadership and management experience right there.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I have been doing it for 5+ years and this year and past I hired a few kids, its really grown into a great experience and has taught me so much about business, management and leadership. I will be sure to bring it up in any interview it could apply in. Have a good day !
 
I may have missed it, but I do not see much school leadership. Academies want to see involvement is school activities and leading in those activities. Student council, etc. Also Girls State will be a must when the time comes.
 
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