Yet Another USAFA Hopeful...

[imaginary_nexus]

Hi all!

Like many of the others posting or lurking on these forums, I am curious as to what the other members of this community may think about my chances at USAFA (or anywhere else, if anyone has a strong opinion).

Academics:
3.99 unweighted, 3.45 weighted [All A's except for one A- in Honors Chemistry]
(According to the Washington Post I attend the 4th best high school in the state of Minnesota, this is corroborated by the fact that 4 students this year went to Stanford, 1 to Columbia, 2 to John Hopkins, etc. Think what you will as far as the competitiveness of my high school.)
Freshman year: AP Bio, AP Human Geo, AP Macro, Honors English, Spanish II, Concert Orch, AP Calc AB
Sophomore year: Honors Chemistry, APUSH, Honors English, Spanish IV, Symphony Orch, AP Calc BC, Chamber Orch, Jazz Band, AP Micro
Science Olympiad (on a team that goes to Nationals each year) freshman year, to continue next year with a solid spot at Varsity or JV
Scores: 5's on AP Bio, AP Human Geo, AP Macro, and AP Calc AB; waiting to hear on AP Chem, AP US History, AP Micro, and AP Calc BC; 34 on practice ACT

Arts:
Over 15 appearances with professional theatre companies, 20-30 performances/month for shows, 15 hours/week for rehearsals (not quite sure how to represent this on an application)
10 years of private piano lessons
7 years of private cello lessons
3 years of private voice lessons
Church choir
Ballet and other dance training (nothing extensive)
Teen representative/performer with Minnesota Association for Childrens' Mental Health
Co-coordinator of Teen Ivey pre-show (equivalent of the Tonys for Minnesota's professional theatre scene)

Athletics:
Just started sailing with a competitive C420 race team, will hopefully participate through my high school next year, however my high school does not recognize sailing as a sport since there are only 2 people from my school that participate in it (lol).

Random:
Crew leader for Vacation Bible School at my church
Tutor a 3rd grader now 4th grader in reading

If you've read this far, I'm impressed. But nonetheless, thank you for your time.

 

[USAFA10s]

1. Go read the hundreds of other posts on chances
2. Your academics are strong, but go read the sticky "sports and your academy application." It's fine if you don't have a high school sport, but you need to have something else that fills that gap equally on your application. That is your biggest weakness right now.

 

[USMA 1994]

Your GPA looks fine but you do not mention class rank. It is really more important than the actual number reported by the school. A 3.99 being in the top 5% is a much different number than a 3.99 being in the top 25% of your class. The competitiveness of your high school will help your application if your class rank is high.

You also seem to be missing leadership and athletic activities. The academies are looking for leaders first and you should seek out ways to demonstrate that ability.

 

[EfusaurusRex]

Don't stress having people review your chances. It's easy to psych yourself out looking at other people's "resumes" or whatever term you prefer to use. When I was a candidate (a 2021 appointee now *insert a billion smilies*), I made sure I completely avoided those pages where people listed there stats until after I got an appointment or denied. Just do what you feel would make you stand out to the admissions board and keep your grades up. Push yourself and it'll all workout in the end.

 

[USMA 1994]

Please go read the post by Christcorp that discusses grades and class rank. he does a good job of explaining how class rank and school profile is used

 

[2021mom]

Sounds like you are a rising Junior?
Your academics are truly impressive. Keep up the good work!
You'll need test scores for SAT/ACT to be impressive too.
Any chance of getting a leadership role with theater, Science Olympiad, or sailing team? You really want to have some leadership experience. It will also help with your writing samples and interviews.
Finally, work on the CFA. It will demonstrate your athletic abilities. Start running and learn to love it! Good luck to you!