usmaps

ryshere · Feb 25, 2009

Do you have to have a congressional nomination in order to be considered for usmaps?

flyersboy114 · Feb 25, 2009

J Collins · Feb 25, 2009

ryshere said:
Do you have to have a congressional nomination in order to be considered for usmaps?

but you will have to get one after that.. My daughter received a nomination, but will have to get a new one for next year's school year (after prep).

chriscross92 · Mar 3, 2009

in general would you say that when the admissions board reccomends someone for USMAPS it is more favorable to people who need to boost their GPA or SAT/ACT scores?

Maximus · Mar 4, 2009

chriscross92 said:
in general would you say that when the admissions board reccomends someone for USMAPS it is more favorable to people who need to boost their GPA or SAT/ACT scores?

Yes, generally, although you can also have the situation of a great candidate with less than desirable, but develop-able physical skills in need of a tune up.
At least that's what I've read.

chriscross92 · Mar 6, 2009

Maximus said:
Yes, generally, although you can also have the situation of a great candidate with less than desirable, but develop-able physical skills in need of a tune up.
At least that's what I've read.

so yes for emphasis on SAT/ACT or GPA?

J Collins · Mar 6, 2009

chriscross92 said:
so yes for emphasis on SAT/ACT or GPA?

My daughter has a 3.72 GPA and in # 17/134 in her class.
Our school offers only 4 AP classes, she is in AP Bio (first year they offered it).
but her SAT/ACT scores were low...

chriscross92 · Mar 6, 2009

i have the opposite problem. my gpa sucks at 3.3 with all advanced/ ap classes and im pretty low in class rank (ive got a really competitive HS) but my standardized test scores are very high

Maximus · Mar 6, 2009

"so yes for emphasis on SAT/ACT or GPA?"

Many people will tell you I'm wrong with this opinion but, standardized test scores are paramount in the selection process, IMVHO. I do believe the whole person concept is used to some varying degrees but, when the rubber meets the road, it's SAT's and ACT's.

If some candidates are given LOA's pending DoDMERB, and/or "Academically Qualified", that tells you that they (admissions) have a benchmark for scores. I would say 3.0 GPA would be minimum they accept. Again...JMVHO

kaullman · Mar 7, 2009

Ida Know....

Maximus said:
Many people will tell you I'm wrong with this opinion but, standardized test scores are paramount in the selection process, IMVHO. I do believe the whole person concept is used to some varying degrees but, when the rubber meets the road, it's SAT's and ACT's.

If some candidates are given LOA's pending DoDMERB, and/or "Academically Qualified", that tells you that they (admissions) have a benchmark for scores. I would say 3.0 GPA would be minimum they accept. Again...JMVHO

Maximus may well be right, but for the two students with LOAs I worked with this year one was 1500 SATs and the other was 1150 SATs with superb leadership and class standing. It does go both ways.

Just_A_Mom · Mar 8, 2009

J Collins said:
but you will have to get one after that.. My daughter received a nomination, but will have to get a new one for next year's school year (after prep).

While you need to APPLY for one - all Cadet Candidates at USMAPS are enlisted Army and thus also qualify for a service connected nomination. These are very limited in number, however, so applying for an MOC nomination is essential.

As far as SAT/GPA's go:
USMA does have an SAT score that they want applicants to hit to be qualified. They don't really look at GPA but look at the Class Rank and the classes that you took and how well you did in those classes. GPA is meaningless since every school has a different method of calculating it and students have different educational opportunities.

Having low grades and high SAT's is not necessarily a deal breaker - if you took challenging classes and were active in leadership activities - all of that counts. If the SAT's are high and the grades are low because of laziness - that could be a problem.

Prep schools are "normally" for the student with excellent grades and leadership and SAT's on the low side. But they can be used for any student who looks like a great candidate except for..........
The "except for", in my experience, is usually ONE thing - i.e. low CR SAT, low Math score or no high level math courses, or high SAT's and lower than expected grades.

The point of the prep schools is to correct any academic (rarely athletic or leadership) "deficiencies" and for the candidate to "prove" themselves.