Words of Encouragement

[chhappy]

Hi All,

Recently, i've been going down hole of self-doubt and i've been stressing myself out looking at all the potential candidates that are overall morenwell rounded than me. I'm trying to use that energy for myself but it's hard to not get distracted. My area is also very competitive with a lot of qualified applicants.. any words of advice or encouragement from those who have experienced this same feeling before?

 

[A1Janitor]

You aren’t competing against candidates you perceive as more well rounded than you.

You are competing on specific slates. If ypu saw those candidates, you might feel differently.

 

[Usnavy2019]

Hi All,

Recently, i've been going down hole of self-doubt and i've been stressing myself out looking at all the potential candidates that are overall morenwell rounded than me. I'm trying to use that energy for myself but it's hard to not get distracted. My area is also very competitive with a lot of qualified applicants.. any words of advice or encouragement from those who have experienced this same feeling before?

It is a common feeling that you will experience throughout your adult life. As @A1Janitor said, you are most likely competing with less people than you think. It is also too difficult to tell where you are in the stack. Maybe your superstar 4.0 GPA state champion football captain has a disqualifying medical condition. Maybe another person said all the wrong things in an interview. Another person might choose a different Academy. There are too many variables to accurately appraise your chances. Plus, some people who look more well-rounded are an inch deep and a mile wide. I am not saying they are superficial people, but if they have 12 different extra-curriculars and an officer position in each of them, then chances are they are title chasing. Also, in general, people are way more inclined to tell you their accolades than their shortcomings.

 

[Small Team Bacsi]

“Don’t worry Be happy”

There is some good words of encouragement

So you are awaiting the call? Then seriously there is absolutely nothing you can do today that is going to improve your chances or likely lower theirs.

The biggest challenge my kids did or are facing at a SA is the ability to handle stress.

No matter how smart someone is if they can’t learn to deal with stress they are in for a very rough time. Learn to relax and worry about stuff you can control.

Good Luck

 

[WT Door]

Hi All,

Recently, i've been going down hole of self-doubt and i've been stressing myself out looking at all the potential candidates that are overall morenwell rounded than me. I'm trying to use that energy for myself but it's hard to not get distracted. My area is also very competitive with a lot of qualified applicants.. any words of advice or encouragement from those who have experienced this same feeling before?

Here's a line out of the poem Desiderata: If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. The entire poem has some good tidbits of ecouragement. Give it a read. https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html
Stay out of the rabbit holes. Cheers.

 

[navymom23]

Hi All,

Recently, i've been going down hole of self-doubt and i've been stressing myself out looking at all the potential candidates that are overall morenwell rounded than me. I'm trying to use that energy for myself but it's hard to not get distracted. My area is also very competitive with a lot of qualified applicants.. any words of advice or encouragement from those who have experienced this same feeling before?

You're not alone. As the deadline gets closer, anxiety and self-doubt increases but there's absolutely nothing that can be done except to stay positive
Easier said than done

 

[justdoit19]

I often say, if my boys read here of all the stellar candidates that post amazing resumes, they may have not applied….thinking they weren’t as good as everyone here.

But…..

They both received appointments.

What you perceive to be ‘the best candidate’, may not be what USNA is looking for in their class build. I kind of shy away from the words ‘the best’. Bc we have no way of knowing the ‘it’ factor that can come about in personal statements, interviews, etc. the intangibles.

It’s not ONLY academics, for example.

Beyond that, as mentioned, you are competing on your slate. Most likely against fewer people than you know as @Usnavy2019 already pointed out.

Everyone essentially is in the same boat, waiting. Lots more appointments, NAPS/FOUNDATION, TWE’s, and waitlisting to go.

Figure out a way to not stress about this. My boys found focusing, planning, moving forward with alternate plans to work for them.