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

West Point understands that a well rounded candidate will have to make sacrifices in areas to meet their requirements. Part of that well roundedness is being a varsity athlete. And maybe that means you are 2nd or 3rd in your class GPA instead of 1st?

An example of a good candidate is a sport's team captain who gets elected to student body leadership and has one of the higher SAT scores in his or her school. That requires time management and prioritization. The same skills that make a successful cadet.
 
Also, none of the leadership activities will add up to the singular activities of Boys State or Eagle Scout. So you may wish to focus your portfolio/activities toward higher impact areas--like earning a varsity letter and attending Boys State.
 
Only your RC can tell you how dropping baseball will affect your chances, because only your RC knows how many Leadership points you will lose/gain in the process and what your overall competitiveness is.

There are a limited number of WCS points for each category (Academic, Leadership, Physical). Once you max out a category, no amount of additional input in that category will raise your overall WCS score. If you have already maxed out Leadership points, dropping baseball will not matter. However, if you need additional Leadership points, athletics is one of the most straightforward ways to get them.

West Point likes Scholars just as much as Athletes and sets goals for each as a percentage of class. These goals are adjusted regularly, but at one point they were Scholars > 30% and Athletes 18 - 23%. Athletes are generally considered recruited athletes and Scholars are those with WCS academic scores above a designated level.
 
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I second the suggestion to contact your RC. DS has a similar issue and asked his RC who advised him on the best steps to get the most points on his application. I recently attended an admissions briefing and the RC stated that it is his job to help you put forward your best application. So use this resource and get the advice for your situation from the horses mouth so to speak. You can check the admissions website and see if there is a scheduled admissions event in your area or you could email your question.
 
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DrMom said:
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.
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Curious, for those who know, is it actually a "varsity letter," that is the issue? I see so many people posting about club sports like hockey or martial arts. Lots of kids don't get a varsity letter because their chosen sports are not offered in school. Ie. Swim, gymnastics, ice hockey, rugby etc..
 
VasilyZaytsev said:
Curious, for those who know, is it actually a "varsity letter," that is the issue? I see so many people posting about club sports like hockey or martial arts. Lots of kids don't get a varsity letter because their chosen sports are not offered in school. Ie. Swim, gymnastics, ice hockey, rugby etc..
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When DS applied he asked his RC how to list his TKD and his 3rd-degree black belt. RC advised checking the Varsity letter box. DON'T do this without counsel from your own RC.
 
VasilyZaytsev said:
Curious, for those who know, is it actually a "varsity letter," that is the issue? I see so many people posting about club sports like hockey or martial arts. Lots of kids don't get a varsity letter because their chosen sports are not offered in school. Ie. Swim, gymnastics, ice hockey, rugby etc..
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Excellent question that often confuses applicants. "Varsity Letter" is a standardized box on the application form and checking it automatically leads to a specific number of WCS points. There are activities that are equivalent to a Varsity Letter, earning the same number of WCS points but do not have a standardized check box. Club sports outside of school are a common example.

For an applicant with such activities it is important to fully explain the activities in the comments section, seek guidance from the RC, and follow-up with a detailed explanation of the activities in an email. RC's can't award WCS points for activities they don't know about or fully understand.

The same applies to other activities, not just sports.
 
PT Doc said:
How are sports such as Riflery viewed? In our state, it's a sanctioned varsity sport that awards letters.
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As a high school sport it would automatically receive WCS points just as any other sport such as football, baseball, etc.

Since it involves a military skill, it would certainly be viewed positively, but I don't know if it would lead to additional WCS points. Could be a factor if candidate was being considered as an additional appointee, especially if candidate is being recruited - USMA has an excellent NCAA Rifle team.
 
DrMom said:
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.
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The best answer will come from your rc. Determination will be key to your succes.
 
bluedog said:
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?
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Bluedog, as others have said, I would highly recommend doing a sport. I started a sport in HS simply because I wanted to go to an academy and it really becomes very hard to get in without one. From what I gather the single digit percent that did not letter in sports in HS probably did marching band or had a full time job.

You would also be surprised how competitive the academics are in the academy pool. I am top of my class and have very competitive standardized test scores like yourself, but whenever I am around other applicants or cadets, i.e. SLE or Candidate Overnight, I am reminded how avg. my academics are in the grand scheme of the SA world. I would not be surprised if you find that your academics do not make you stand out as much as you wish.

By continuing baseball, and continuing to do well in academics, you would be exemplifying and practicing skills in perhaps the biggest challenge at a service academy- time management. I have gathered that the one of the main things an academy looks for is a well rounded applicant with mastery/success in multiple playing fields at once. I would also seek athletic leadership if possible.
 
Do you think it matters what sport/athletic activity do you? Covid ( and my parents working from) made it impossible for me to play school sports. However, I was able to continue to dance and I have a pretty decent CFA score. Would this hurt my application a lot?
 
Again, it's more than the physical component that makes sports so attractive to SAs. Can you show that you're exhibiting leadership and teamwork through your dance activities? There's plenty of coordination in assembling a group piece, but any competition? Are there obstacles to overcome? Do you teach others? Do you perform any management roles for your group? Some of these stories write themselves when you're in an athletic environment, but when you're not the obligation is on you to make the case. You may not get WCS points for dance, but you might be able to create a narrative that shows you're better prepared than the bare numbers might show.
 
Really folks, I would contact the RC for your area with these specific questions. At a recent admissions event, the RC stated it was his job to help you put forward your best application. My son presented a similar type question, got good advice form the RC, and structured his activities to put forward his best application. He is now a Yuk at West Point.
 
bluedog said:
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?
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As someone who is in the Class of 2023 and was not on any varsity team all of high school. It is indeed possible. Your resume is really good. Would it help if you did? Yes, of Course. However, don't let anyone tell you it is impossible and talk to your regional commander and see their opinion. Lastly, if you are really trying to add a sport do Cross Country for a while. It's an easy team to make and will help you in the long run.
 
RedStAr said:
As someone who is in the Class of 2023 and was not on any varsity team all of high school. It is indeed possible. Your resume is really good. Would it help if you did? Yes, of Course. However, don't let anyone tell you it is impossible and talk to your regional commander and see their opinion. Lastly, if you are really trying to add a sport do Cross Country for a while. It's an easy team to make and will help you in the long run.
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Yes, I agree that it is possible. I also agree with cross country.

Are you confident that you would be in the class of 2023 if there was another candidate on your slate with a similar record as you but in addition had sports and was captain of those sports?
 
bopper said:
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Thanks for the link. I love the data, but am seeking context behind the numbers. If we take the figures at face value, we can see the following:
Class of 2021 - 19 students entered the class without earning a varsity athletics letter in HS
Class of 2022 - 10 students entered the class without earning a varsity athletics letter in HS

In the same data set, we see that there were 13 foreign exchange students in co21 and 16 foreign exchange students in co22.
The foreign exchange numbers are included in the total number of students on R-day which impact the overall percentages represented in the chart. Do we assume they hold the equivalent "varsity letter" ?

At the same time, we then look at the composition of the West Point Spirit Band (
). There are easily 100 students in this group. We know that historically, membership of the club is comprised of members from every grade, but the largest percentage of membership is the freshman class. So, if a balanced distribution is 25% (and we know it is more), that is ~25-30 students that we now need to question whether or not these cadets were lettering in band AND a sport in HS. Having been in HS band AND a SA band, I can say with a high degree of confidence that someone in band lettering in a sport does happen, but that person is quite rare and by no means the norm in High School.

We could continue a similar evaluation into each of the other clubs and cliques that comprise a service academy freshman class and you do not have to go too deep before there is reasonable doubt to the number presented in the data set.

The truth behind the figure is of no real consequence to me, but it does clearly impact the psychology of an applicant without an athletic background. My tin foil hat theory is that there is an agenda behind reporting like this to push a message around desired demographics. When we look at similar data sets from USAFA and USNA, their figures sound more reasonable -

USAFA c/o 2025 with 76% having a varsity letter (and they tell you what sports....) -https://www.usafa.edu/app/uploads/CL2025-Class-Profile.pdf -- and this is qualified by stating students earned "1 or more." Does this potentially suggest the USMA figure is a summation of letters earned rather than unique values correlating 1:1 for entering students?

USNA c/o 2025 with 91% having a varsity letter -https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Apply/Class-Portrait.php

Are we to conclude that USMA only attracts the unicorn applicants and only selects varsity athletes except in extraordinary circumstances? For me at least, there is enough here to question it.
 
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