Will high school class rank and standardized tests make up for lacking sports participation?

B

bluedog

USMA 2028
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
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So I have very good academics.
-1/117 for class rank
-1500 on SAT (only my junior year so I can probably improve it)
-Perfect 4.0 unweighted, only one AP as that all our school offers, plus about 5 college courses by the time I graduate.

Although this seems very good, is it enough to make up for lacking sports participation? I know sports go into the leadership category on the whole cadet score so I will put my leadership down.
-One year of JV and one year of Varsity baseball, I don't plan to play this year as I don't have time
-Not sure if this counts for anything but I go to the gym a lot, so will do good on the CFA
-Vice president of SkillsUSA, NHS, and Mathletes. (Looking to move up to the president for at least one).
-As Vice President of SkillsUSA I oversee and run a lot of events, for instance, I am currently trying to start a SkillsUSA organization at a local middle school.
-Over 500 hours of community service.
-I am also one of the main three writers that helped write a document every chapter (School program) in SkillUSA has to do, our school ended up getting top 100 in the nation. There are 300,000 members and over 1,000 chapters so not a small organization.

Not sure what sections these go under as they are awards
-I compete as a part of SkillsUSA, first year I got fourth in the state out of about 50 people. In the second year, I got first in the state out of 60 and seventh in nationals out of the 50 that made it to nationals (Need to be first in the state to make it).
-I also got a community service award from our local chamber of commerce. Needed a recommendation and there were close to 100 applicants.
-Got many nationally recognized awards through SkillsUSA.
-Attended many leadership events through SkillsUSA, took me three years to get to the final level as you have to attend them over three years. (Took me it Washington)
-Won a local math competition and with another student lead my school to second place overall
-Attended HOBY Leadership over sophomore summer,
-Got a virtual Summer NSLI-Y scholarship (Paid for by the government) over the summer to learn Russian.

I am sure I am forgetting things this is off the top of my head. I know no one can tell me if I will make it but will stopping sports over the next two years hurt me a lot? Or will my other good leadership help make up for it?
 
No, it won't. All of those great activities--that demonstrate leadership and those fantastic grades and test scores will not make up for the fitness score. These are different categories. Every year all but about fewer than 50 cadets in the class have a varsity letter. Did you earn a varsity letter? You will want a varsity letter and you will want to commit to a varsity sport again this year--unless there is an extenuating circumstance--like you have to work to support your family.

There are no limits on who can apply--and you should certainly should--but play basketball again or something that shows your commitment to a team and puts you in line to earn a varsity letter.

Could you get in without a varsity letter and doing sports this year? Maybe....but why risk it.
 
Reinforcing what @DrMom said above: Best is to stick with basketball as it shows persistence, drive and pursuit of individual excellence in one sport. Team sports is important to the SA's because team sports teach so many attributes needed for a military leader. Yes, possible to get Appointed without it...but a lower probability. Just look at past class statistics. You mention you're not going go play sports because "I don't have time". SAs want those that will make the time. Remember you are competing for an Appointment based on the Nomination Slate(s) you will be on. Many on those slates may not have a perfect 4.0, but they will be more rounded, a desired characteristic. Its all about the "Whole Candidate Score".
 
I know of one student in a local high school who was applying to a service academy and ROTC. He had a stellar resume in all categories, but he quit his high school sports team about sophomore year because he was too busy with leadership positions and other work. He did fine on the CFA, but didn’t perform quite as well as he could have because he said he was too busy to train as much as he should have. He was a very athletic kid, but he thought he didn’t have time for sports and athletics.

Several kids in his high school class who were very similar to him received appointments to academies, and others received ROTC scholarships, but he didn’t. No one knows for sure why, but the glaring difference was his lack of sports and his underperformance on the physical fitness testing.

Does this example apply to you? Maybe it will. I suggest that a better strategy would be to stay on your varsity team and keep team athletics as a priority.
 
I've mentioned this for similar questions. At least, attempt track this spring and maybe even cross country next fall. You have to run to prepare for USMA anyway, so might as well kill two birds with one stone.
 
With a class size of 117, you are attending a smaller school, like I did, and it sounds like you are a senior? In many smaller schools, if you want a slot on the team, you're in. And in some schools, if you are a senior, and you play, you'll get a varsity letter. Likely not cuts, likely you could get playing time. My school gave out varsity letters for seniors automagically. As others said, making time for athletics and being a leader is a steel thread that ties a lot of admitted candidates together.

If you were one of my kids at this point I would advise the following:
1. Sign up for a winter and spring sport and get a varsity letter for each. Talk to the coaches, explain your goal. Like stated above sports are a commonplace for leadership / experience development among future SA/ ROTC participants. Not exclusive, but very common. Does your school have winter track? Chose between Basketball/ Baseball/ Winter Track/ Spring Track or other as available. I'd opt for the track options as running, early and often, will prepare you for being in ROTC or a SA.
2. Up that "good on the CFA" to maxing out your score on the CFA. Nothing will silence doubt like performance.
3. Make part of your essays and interview about how you live fitness and intramural sports. Have at the ready how you mentor others, leadership examples, grit examples.

I agree you are at a disadvantage against those who were not only athletes but leaders as athletes - captains, etc. but you shoudl go for it and apply - if you can outperform on the CFA and build in how physical fitness is central to your every day, it may help to compensate.

Overall you clearly have a lot to offer - I would also highlight the national top ten finish/ top in state details as this grabbed my attention as a differentiator. Sometimes applicants think they stand out with things like "eagle scout" which does count, but there are more than 50,000 Eagle scouts annually (like my DS and others). Being one of the best in the nation sounded powerful.

Good luck.
 
The SAs are looking for well-rounded applicants. Some are “rounder” in some areas than others, but most have some activity going on in academic, leadership and athletic, in varying proportions. Of course there are appointees each year who have no recent organized sports, but I would expect their other application elements are spectacular, and they deliver a more than acceptable CFA score (whose purpose is to simply demonstrate enough physical ability to handle the SA/military life focus on physical activity).

Organized sports develop leadership, work ethic, commitment, time management, teamwork, communications, performance under pressure, strategic planning, critical thinking, physical and mental stamina and the ability to push oneself to the limit for the greater good - all qualities desirable in future junior officers. If a candidate does not do a sport, other elements of the application will be looked at very closely for those factors.

Review the USMA Class Profiles. For the Class of 2026, 1188 out of 1209 had varsity athletics.

 
If your test scores were low you'd work on practice tests and Khan Academy. If you didn't have enough leadership you'd be joining clubs right now. Well this is the time to shore up your athletics. Be on a team, show you can win and lose graciously, demonstrate that you can stick with things, improve yourself, and as a byproduct you'll be stronger and better prepared for the CFA. If you don't have a varsity letter you'll need a compelling story to show how you've had all these experiences that sports demonstrate. And there isn't a lot of time left before deadlines to participate in martial arts for five years, so sticking with baseball or jumping to track is probably the easiest path for you now. (And as @Herman_Snerd pointed out, in a small school you can usually have a frank discussion with a coach about needing this piece to complete your application puzzle. Offer hard work and full commitment and you can usually get a letter, and depending on the individual coach sometimes a captaincy. I know that one of our coaches did the "all seniors are captains" one year, and another had the current team vote on next year's captains and announced them at the spring banquet so seniors could use that for fall college apps.)
 
OP, 'I don't have time' is the line that stood out to me. Thousands of other candidates make time to keep a lot of balls in the air. Unless you have some extenuating circumstance regarding a family issue, a job, or younger siblings you care for....you are going to have a hard time explaining why you have no current athletics.

The lack of athletic participation will come up in nomination interviews and in an interview with your FFR, and without an extenuating, compelling reason, it will be a problem.

Every Cadet and Midshipman has to balance athletics, clubs, leadership billets, academics, military obligations (standing watch), room inspections, parades, practices, leadership seminars, you name it. The ability to do a lot during the day is critical. Demonstrating you have done that in high school is key to gaining admission.
 
OP has 1 year of varsity athletics participation - BASEBALL. I presume I am an outlier here, but the resume as described sounds solid for USAFA and my assumption is that it would also be solid for any SA. I don't really believe the 99% of the class has varsity athletics participation stat for USMA. Someone within admissions would need to clarify what counts in that figure (and this has been discussed in other posts here at SAF). As it stands, OP qualifies and meets that stat with no further action needed to be counted within the class profile as having had varsity participation.
 
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Also, congrats to the OP on the SkillsUSA successes. Our local small school competes at state every year and our rural kids finish very well. It's a great program, well done, and welcome to the SAF.
 
Thanks for all the advice and kind words from everyone. It's nice how everyone on here is so supportive; I have wanted to make an account and post but have been a little intimidated. Now I see how nice and supportive everyone is!

So although my school is small, our varsity sports are very competitive along with our SkillsUSA program, it is really all our school is good at. Everyone is right about just throwing in a sport. Making varsity is not a given this year sadly. We have a ton of new good kids. Even though our school is small, all the players from local schools go to ours for sports. We had a ton of kids go D1 and D2 last year. I am alright but not outstanding as I only started playing Baseball in 7th grade. But I might as well throw it in, an extra year of JV never hurt an application also next year is my senior year, so I will for sure get varsity. This means I will get two letters by my senior year. The varsity team wants me to manage cause they are all my friends but I am thinking this will not look too good on the application. What do you guys think? Am I right about playing sports even if I do not make varsity and trying to actually play instead of manage?
 
If you do not have the time for baseball, you need to be prepared to explain that. There very well may be a legitimate reason, but you can't just say you did not "have the time."

To put in perspective, my son was #4 in his class. However, his class was 720, not 117. He was VP of his 315 member marching band. And a district champion and state medalist in his sport. He scored 1580 in his SAT, including a perfect 800 in math. I'm not saying this to boast about my kid. This is an anonymous forum and nobody even knows who my kid is. My son is just typical. I simply want you to know what you are up against.

As far as fitness is concerned, I do not equate being a varsity athlete and fitness at the same level. There are several varsity athletes that many people would not define as physically fit, but I'll stop there... All I want to say is that you do not have to be a varsity athlete to be considered physically fit. You do not need to be a varsity athlete to pass the CFA. but being a varsity captain looks great for leadership.

The whole person score is just that... A way to grade the 'whole person.' You have a great resume and I think could be a great success at USMA, but my opinion means absolutely nothing. Try to make the remaining time of your HS career very hard. Don't take it easy. Do as much as you can. And kick a$$ at it.
 
@brewmeist nailed it. Be able to articulate how your path still provided leadership and the benefits that being a part of a team provide.
Leadership, team building, how to handle losing and winning, owning a loss, how did you course correct?

Varsity sports aren’t viewed just as the end all be all. It’s what you learn while playing them that matters. Are you coachable, can you recover from an injury or loss? Did you help a teammate in the throes of all of the above? Can you demonstrate commitment to one goal?

If you can articulate those skills then you are in a good place. My DS didn’t do traditional HS sports, and didn’t have Astro level test scores. But somewhere along the way he must have been able to articulate and or demonstrate the skills the academy was looking for. That is key.
 
I agree with @Heatherg21 that "I don't have time" will not serve you well in this process. SAs deliberately throw more at their students than they can handle in order to teach them how to prioritize and work under pressure. None have time, but they figure out how to make it through.

I don't think there is another college in the world where athletic participation is more important than West Point. I agree with @shiner that your single varsity letter should be enough to check the box (my words not his). Where I see a problem (if you choose not to continue with baseball) is in the fact that you quit. Quitting is a FAR bigger red flag than trying out for (and making) the team but failing to earn a second or third varsity letter. Choosing to quit simply because the competition is getting tougher is the worst reason to quit if you truly aspire to lead soldiers into battle someday. West Point is looking for students who rise to the challenge, not students who choose the easier path.

Please do not think I am picking on you. You are not a quitter until you quit. I understand that you haven't quit baseball and that you have only contemplated quitting baseball. I suspect nearly every West Point Cadet contemplates quitting West Point at one time or another because it is hard. The Cadets that go on to graduate, and lead soldiers, are the ones who chose to continue down the difficult path after deciding they would not allow themselves to quit. Considering quitting and deciding to quit are two very different things.

I would recommend you embrace the opportunity to be a player/manager, even if you don't start or earn another varsity letter. If you look at the USMA Class Profile for the Class of 2026 you'll see that 98% played a varsity sport (you've already done that) yet only 84% have earned a varsity letter (you've done that as well). You've already done the hard part. Continuing to be part of a team and competing is what is paramount here.

You may also consider applying to USAFA. Sport is an important component of their admissions process, but to a lesser degree than West Point and Navy.

Everything you have done thus far is very impressive. Keep up the great work!

Best of luck to you.
 
You should review the recent academy profiles of incoming classes. In my son's class (2025), nearly every admitted candidate was at minimum a varsity athlete. The vast majority were also varsity letter winners, and many were team captains. A stellar CFA does not make up for the lack of that kind of participation. The academic components certainly do not. Obviously academics is the largest percentage of the whole candidate score (WCS), but absent opportunities to demonstrate leadership and team commitment in your resume, dropping baseball and having no other sports on your application may be a detriment to your application.
 
Organized sports are more than just physical fitness. It speaks to an individual's ability to be a good team member and work together for a common goal. Leadership experience is great, but team experience is just as important.
 
bluedog said:
will stopping sports over the next two years hurt me a lot? Or will my other good leadership help make up for it?
Click to expand...
I think it will hurt. How much is hard to quantify. Multiple varsity sports and multiple years of varsity sports is better than just one year of a single varsity sport. Can you make up for this with other outstanding leadership? I'd venture a guess that you can. But, if my kid asked the question, I'd tell her to figure out how to do more or sacrifice something other than varsity sports. The emphasis on SkillsUSA in your resume may or may not impress admissions. It certainly looks from your OP that a lot of time goes into that extracurricular activity. That might be a risky place to have so much emphasis. Then again, if your EC story is strong and you dot some of the other I's and cross some other T's, then you may be just fine.

Bear in mind that SAs expect all Cadets and Midshipmen to be athletes for 4 years at their SAs. So, by choosing not to be an athlete, you may be telling the SAs that you don't really have the right makeup to succeed.
 
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