What should I be doing to get a nomination?

[ayvree18]

I am a Junior in high school this year and I am wondering what I should be doing to better my chances of getting a nomination.

I'd like to go to West Point, and I live in Colorado.

My GPA is 3.74.
I am a female.
I am an Officer in the Future Business Leaders of America.
A member of the Athletic Council.
A member of the Activities Cabinet.
The Class of 2019 Representative.
In Student Government.
A Link Crew Leader.
A member of SOS.
A member of the National Honor Society.
A player on the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team. As well as a club lacrosse player.
A Captain on the JV Girls Basketball team.
I tutor.
I babysit.
Also, I have 30+ volunteer hours.
And I have a job at a local supermarket

Not sure if this matters, but the Honors classes I have taken are:
H English 1
H English 2
College Prep English
H Biology
H Chemistry
H Geometry
H Algebra 2 with Trigonometry

The AP classes I have taken are:
AP US History
AP US Government
AP Psychology

 

[kinnem]

Nail the SATs/ACTs. Visit your congressman's and senator's web sites and get an idea when the expect applications to be complete and what their application entails. You won't be able to apply until spring at the earliest, but these applications as generally due in Sept and Oct f your senior year. Read the Nominations FAQ on this forum.

 

[brovol]

First, understand that a "nomination" is not an "appointment", but rather a prerequisite to obtaining an appointment. However, resume building for a nomination would be the same as for an appointment in that those who receive nominations are typically those who have the best chance at getting an appointment. Thus, class standing (as opposed to GPA) and ACT/SAT scores are the largest factor, making up about 60% of the total assessment, followed by leadership (varsity sports, officer spots in student council or NHS, etc.), And CFA.

Your background looks decent, but no mention of test scores. Those scores are probably the single most important factor. Start taking it, and keep taking it. Accademys superscore, so study then test, then study more and test more, then repeat until you get an appointment.

For nominations, go to your congressmens and both senator's websites and look at the requirements for nominations. If you have questions, call the office. Don't be shy.

The nomination and Academy application processes go hand in hand, so just keep working. Become an expert on this stuff, and a tireless worker at accomplishing this goal. Also look into the other academies and ROTC. My son is at West Point, so I am biased, but all of the Academies are fantastic options, as are the ROTC scholarships.

 

[USMA 1994]

Test scores and class rank are more important than the actual GPA reported by your school. If your a 3.74 puts you in the top 5% of your class and you have really good test scores, your application looks pretty good. If that same GPA puts you in the top 20% and you have average test scores then you need to improve those areas. Remember, you are competing against others for only a select number of seats. Most high school students are only eligible for the congressional nominations and maybe one or two senatorial nominations. You will have to have better scores than those individuals.

@brovol is correct. Test scores are the single most important factor that can instantly change your overall score. Significantly moving your GPA or class rank is almost impossible in one or two semesters. Keep taking both test until you get a great score.