<p>Hello,
I am a high school sophomore with a 3.98 and several extra curricular activities. Out of my seven high school classes, five of them are honors/AP level classes. My counselor believes I am a strong candidate for USNA Admissions. My specific question is in relation to my activities. Currently I am on the varsity swim team and academic decathlon team. Because of scheduling conflicts, I am unable to make every practice for each team which upsets both of my coaches. In the spring I am wanting to play LaCrosse and continue with LaCrosse for my junior and senior years. My question is if I do not go out for swim team during my junior and senior seasons and focus on Academic Decathlon during my junior and senior year, will this affect how I am viewed by the admissions board? I have been committed to swimming year round since I was 8 years old, but want to expand my academic and athletic challenges. Would leaving the swim team after sophomore season affect my chances of admission to USNA?</p>
<p>The answer is, no one knows. You can’t go through high school saying I am going to join this club because it will look good to USNA. Do you like Academic Decathlon more than swimming? Fine, so be it. Would you prefer swimming? Good do that instead. If you want to do lacrosse? Great. Do what will make your high school experience more enjoyable for you!!! You only get to go through high school once, so have fun with it. If you get appointed you don’t want to be at Annapolis saying, “woulda, shoulda, coulda, didnt” Enjoy your high school career and make the best of it.</p>
<p>Thanks for your thoughts. I have been so focused on my main goal of obtaining admission to USNA that I have been so busy with my activities and not had much time to catch my breath and have fun. If I had to choose, I get more personal enjoyment from studying and competing in Academic Decathlon. I may have more fun with AD simply because I have been swimming for son long that the fun is gone for me.
I know that Admissions is somewhat guarded on how activities and grades are weighted, but I do not want to be viewed as a quitter if I choose AD over swimming.
Thanks again.
Any other opinions?</p>
<p>It’s great that you’re already planning for USNA as a sophomore. I just received an appointment to the Naval Academy recently so I know how stressful this process can get 
I definitely agree with Ectriso that if you have a strong passion for something that you truly enjoy, go for it. The academy loves to see candidates who show dedication and passion for a specific activity or an event. However, the academy also loves well-rounded candidates who excel at pretty much everything (the “whole-person” concept).</p>
<p>In general, I’d say your “whole-person” score is distributed as shown:
60% academics composite: SAT/ACT, GPA, etc…
20% Admissions Panel: Faculty and staff review, Candidate Fitness Assessment, BGO interview, essays, etc…
20% Extra Curricular Composite: athletics, leadership, clubs, community service, work experience, etc…</p>
<p>Hope this gives you an idea. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Good luck!</p>