What can I do for a higher chance for West Point admission

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KellanKim1

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I am currently a sophomore in high school and my dream is to become a West Point Cadet. Currently my GPA is 3.8 weighted and 3.7 unweighted.
Classes I am taking
AP chem, pre cal, AP world history, honors english.
11th grade classes
AP environmental science, AP us history, AP English, AP seminar, AP calculus AB and BC (we have block so we can double up on math)
Extra curriculars -
Navy Sea cadets
high school swim (varsity)
Founded a jazz club
band with and our city's Honor band
And volunteering every other weekend at homeless shelter.
What can I do for 11th and 12th grade to increase my chances of getting in?
 
If your school ranks students, you need to be in the upper percentile. Top 10% would be great.

You need to do very well on the ACTs and/or SATs. Take the test multiple times.

Also, go to Boys or Girls State (btw, if that's your real name, ask the administrator for permission to switch it. This forum is anonymous.)
 
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Swimming is great for upper body strength, my older son swam 3 yrs in HS. Don't forget the weight room when you aren't in the water. Consider adding another varsity sport in off-season; track or cross country is usually open participation and you can get another letter not to mention staying in great shape. Here in MI track starts in a couple weeks; if not too late go out for the program this spring. You will be taking the CFA before you know it; don't wait to get in shape.

The SA admissions staff usually stresses quality vs quantity of extra curriculars; anybody can join 10 clubs etc. They like to see club officers, founders, leaders. You seem to be in good shape there; keep it up. If you are a lead chair for your instrument etc. don't forget to highlight that.

Your PSAT score this year should give you an idea where you will score and need to improve. Take lots of practice tests and SAT/ACT multiple times.

My DS did fine as he was but I wish we looked at all this sophomore year like you; he didn't get the SA idea until summer before his Jr. year. You can't 'cram' for a SA application.
 
KellanKim1 said:
I am currently a sophomore in high school and my dream is to become a West Point Cadet. Currently my GPA is 3.8 weighted and 3.7 unweighted.
Classes I am taking
AP chem, pre cal, AP world history, honors english.
11th grade classes
AP environmental science, AP us history, AP English, AP seminar, AP calculus AB and BC (we have block so we can double up on math)
Extra curriculars -
Navy Sea cadets
high school swim (varsity)
Founded a jazz club
band with and our city's Honor band
And volunteering every other weekend at homeless shelter.
What can I do for 11th and 12th grade to increase my chances of getting in?
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  1. Attend an admissions event in your area. They can be found on the website or you can contact the RC for your area. That will give you the most up to date information and the opportunity to ask questions from admissions personnel.
  2. You don't have Physics listed. I recommend taking Physics or a more advanced Physics class if you have already taken a basic Physics course. USMA Physics is rigorous - the better prepared you are, the less stress it will cause later. Also, you will be required to submit an evaluation from a science teacher - Chemistry and Physics are the only science teacher evaluations accepted. It would be nice to have a choice of more than one science teacher. It will also reduce the chance that you will have to track down a teacher that has left the school.
  3. Look at the CFA. If there are any events that might be problematic, work on them now.
 
KellanKim1 said:
I am currently a sophomore in high school and my dream is to become a West Point Cadet. Currently my GPA is 3.8 weighted and 3.7 unweighted.
Classes I am taking
AP chem, pre cal, AP world history, honors english.
11th grade classes
AP environmental science, AP us history, AP English, AP seminar, AP calculus AB and BC (we have block so we can double up on math)
Extra curriculars -
Navy Sea cadets
high school swim (varsity)
Founded a jazz club
band with and our city's Honor band
And volunteering every other weekend at homeless shelter.
What can I do for 11th and 12th grade to increase my chances of getting in?
Click to expand...



Leadership, leadership, leadership... son is at WP currently. He had good grades in HS..not a lot of AP and a decent SAT. However he was captain of 2 varsity sports and the drum major for the band. Look into class officer roles...founding a club is excellent. Can you lead an activity at the homeless shelter?
 
RedDragon said:
Leadership, leadership, leadership... son is at WP currently. He had good grades in HS..not a lot of AP and a decent SAT. However he was captain of 2 varsity sports and the drum major for the band. Look into class officer roles...founding a club is excellent. Can you lead an activity at the homeless shelter?
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This is a good point. Leadership roles add significantly to WCS points and leadership is 30% of the score.

But it is important to understand how activities and leadership roles are viewed in USMA's eyes. That is why attending a local briefing and communicating with your RC can help a great deal. The application has easy to mark check boxes for traditional high school leadership roles such as captain of varsity sport or student body officer - captain of a losing team in a very weak league gets you the same WCS points as captain of a winning team in a strong league and more points than being a team member of that winning team.

Other activities and leadership roles that fall outside of the check boxes do not automatically convert into WCS points. These become judgement calls and WCS points must be estimated by the RC.
 
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