@Saralee. You look like a good student perhaps a top academic student at your school by your GPA standard. Nevertheless, you need to be a standout how you present yourself. Like you are doing for other nation’s top 20 schools. Here’s what we’re asking you to present better to SAs and colleges. You need to be multi dimensionally strong but with depth in quality not necessarily in quantity. One dimensional is limited. If your ECs are academically related and you are a participant in most of those ECs then you are one dimensional. A competitive team based ECs will always score higher. It’s good to have a balance of both team and individual ECs. Individual where you exceed beyond norm and peer Best.
Leadership: can be from your Tennis - Captain - i.e. played since middle school 6th grade. City county state champion etc
Leadership - school club president VP. What impact does it have to your school community.
Service Hours - what impact are you making. Are you leading these service projects. Name few that made impact to a community.
SAT/ACT - you should be prepared to have top score in your district since you are competing against perhaps 1 or 2 or 3 others for 2-4 spots from your district with district and senator noms. So if your district has high score you need to have one of the highest test scores.
Your rank and GPA are fine but ACT/SAT has the highest weight to Academic points totaling 60%.
Your CFA - are you at least above average in all segments?
DODMERB - did you qualify
Nomination - did you get at least one?
If you have all these above average standing relative to your district then you are in the game and competing. Not necessarily the most competitive.
Be sure to apply to ALL ROTC Scholarships (Army, Navy, Air Force) in case you go to regular college with ROTC Program. Apply to all services since depending on colleges you get accepted, they may have limited ROTC Programs available. Some Army some Navy some Air Force. Pick the college that has on campus program. Off campus programs are harder to manage. If you don’t get in to SA, you are still going to college. So you can still pursue commissioning through ROTC. To some ROTC is a better path. SA is not for all, especially if you’re not seeking a full time military life in college. SAs are full time military and full time college. And you must be very physically fit, able to run well, Swim well if Navy, multi task at all times, be ok to get yelled at at all times, be a good follower, willing to volunteer for others, be accountable to others, willing to take part in corporate punishment on things you didn’t do wrong but one or two others did wrong, work with 50-60% of your free time to academics and remaining to other Company, Athletics or Varsity, Military duties. Any remaining time you have you can join clubs. You have very little personal time during Plebe AC year. You get to go home twice each semester. Other time once or twice a month you get off campus privileges but must stay within 35 miles of your Academy. At a Civilian college, you are like other civilian students. Even as an ROTC Cadet, you can go and stay as you wish. You just have to time manage all your schedules and live in a larger normal civilian community. At the Academy, they will manage your schedule and time for you. Depending who you are this can be great or this can be miserable. Be sure to explore both paths to Commissioning.