<p>I have a daughter who is a sophomore in high school who is seriously interested in pursuing a naval career. She plans to apply to the USNA as well as Navy ROTC schools. Her GPA currently is around 3.45 taking substantially all honors courses. Her sister scored 620 on the reading SATs and 600 on the math SATs with no tutoring and, frankly, minimal studying. This daughter will be tutored, so we expect her score (based on her PSATs) to be higher.</p>
<p>She is a very good track athlete, with performances as a high school freshman which would qualify her for the Navy track team. She is also a very good high school and club soccer player (but we assume Navy recruits for that sport) and plays high school basketball. She volunteers at the SPCA on weekends. She also models, which means she is tall and lean.</p>
<p>I am familiar with nomination process and, more or less, the application process, since I won an appointment to West Point myself as a high school senior. So I should be able to guide her through that stage.</p>
<p>Could anyone give me some suggestions as to what she should be working on and improving to increase her chances of winning a USNA appointment? Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>I am a recruited track athlete for USNA clas of '13 just got my letter yesterday in fact, i have a 3.6 gpa and 690 reading 730 writing on my SATs what events does your daughter do in track and what are her personal bests I can give yo some incite in the track recruitment process</p>
<p>Few, if any, of us here know the actual formula used to calculate each candidate’s “Whole Person” score. However, here are things that most successful candidates have in common:</p>
<ul>
<li>good test scores, generally at least 600 per section on the SAT</li>
<li>good to excellent grades while taking the most challenging courses (& course levels)</li>
<li>evidence of leadership</li>
<li>athletics/physical fitness</li>
<li>involvement in other areas: school ECAs/work/community involvement/Scouts, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>The USNA Candidate Book (used to be by Smallwood, but the latest version has a different author) is also a good guide for ways in which a candidate can improve their chances, especially if they are still in 9th or 10th grades. There are many threads in this forum on similar topics from prior years. Be sure to search for those, too.</p>
<p>In your daughter’s case, since she is an athlete who might end up on a varsity team, I would recommend that you and she become aware of NCAA recruiting regulations if you aren’t already. Then within those regulations, I would suggest that she initiate contact with the coaches of any team(s) for which she might qualify. If she is a good enough athlete, having the eye of a USNA coach might make the difference - or it might not.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Where are you from? I heard that underrepresented districts get more love than others. My old soccer coach is the state representative for the US Merchant Marine Academy, and he says acceptance is awesome for Kansas to USMMA because the “quota” (wonder that that is supposed to mean . o well) is never “full”. Applying the same knowledge, he says chances are great for other service academies too. </p>
<p>I’m a junior in highschool and I’m looking to do the same thing - ROTC schools and hopefully USNA. I had no intention of a naval career when i was a sophmore so its awesome she has a goal already. </p>
<p>My one suggestion that hasn’t been covered - have your daughter get jacked. physically that is. Liftin those weights ha. You’ve got a daughter, so i think thats good? Lots of applicants are male im sure. One thing that would pop off the page is if her candidate fitness assessment was like off the charts. I’m only able to do like 60 solid pushups in 2 mins. If your daughter could do like 90, I’d probably start crying in embarassment for my own weak self hahahaha.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, a high school classmate of my sought admission to West Point. The academy wanted him, so they arranged for a nomination for him through a congressman in Tennesee. We were from upstate New York. I got my nomination through our local congressman.</p>
<p>My daughter is a high jumper who also plays soccer and basketball. She 5’ 9", so like a lot of taller people with longer arms those push-ups are harder for her, but she knows she has to work at them. Since she high jumps I don’t really want her to bulk up too much.</p>
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<p>People are always citing such examples, but to my knowledge, it is illegal. In order to get an MOC nom, the person nominated must live in the state/district, meaning it must be your state/district of legal residence. MOCs and SAs can’t just “swap out” noms. That is why some slots do go unfilled each year.</p>
<p>If a SA really wants someone and that person did not, for some reason, obtain a nom on his/her own, there are a limited number of alternatives. For USNA, there are a VERY SMALL number of Superintendent noms. You can’t apply for them and you certainly should NOT count on receiving one. But that’s how it’s typically done. </p>
<p>I would also add that most mids/cadets don’t really know the source of their appointment – in other words, the person/entity to which their appointment was “charged.” For example, you may have received a nom from your MOC. However, one of the other 9 folks who also got a nom from that MOC may be charged to that MOC. Your appointment may be charged to SecNav, for example. It’s a legal issue and really doesn’t matter to the individual candidate – once you walk in the door, no one – and I mean no one – cares whether you got an LOA, whether you got 5 noms or only 1, where you got your nom, etc. Seriously, no one cares.</p>
<p>1985 …since when did the concept of “legal” come into play when dealing w/ Congress? :eek: 
:mad:</p>
<p>1985</p>
<p>You are correct in that there is a statute [well, I think there is, I don’t have a cite] prohibiting such.</p>
<p>Two examples, however, come to mind:</p>
<p>When my own son was applying, my sister knew a congressional staffer who said his boss never had any applicants and, if necessary, would be willing to nominate my son. There was not any need to see if this offer was true, but the staffer sure seemed to act as if it had happened in the past.</p>
<p>Also, I recall [again, perhaps, with some fault] that durin g BGO training, mention was made of the “national pool” being tapped once all appointments were made from chargeable nominations. The distinction may be that these kids [those coming from the “national pool”], although having received a nomination from their own MOC, are not “charged” to that MOC. [Thus accounting, for example, for those districts that multiple appointmens each year, e.g. certain districts in Maryland, Virginia, etc.] </p>
<p>In your example regarding Supt’s noms; those are for applicants who did not receive a nomination at all.</p>
<p>So, applicants should distinguish between receiving a nomination–but no appointment–in which case there is still a chance of being appointed from national pool and not receivng a nomination, which leaves a small chance for Supt’s nomination.</p>
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<p>I believe that’s what I said – "someone . . . . who is unable to obtain a nomination . . . "</p>
<p>As noted, I’ve heard anecdotally of MOCs nominating outside their district but honestly don’t know why an MOC would want to. After all, a slot not used this year means an extra one is available next year and, if it’s a candidate a SA really wants and is qualified, they typically find a way to make sure that person gets an appointment. I guess if the MOC hadn’t had any decent candidates in several years . . . </p>
<p>In any event, as far as advice goes, candidates should do their utmost to obtain one of the noms for which they’re eligible. That is the way the overwhelming majority of the class receives appointments. There are a few alternatives out there, and I would not set your hopes on those as they are beyond your control. It has been my general experience (with some notable exceptions) that candidates who don’t get noms don’t get appointments.</p>