Hello! I Am currently a Freshman in High School working toward the goal of getting into a service academy, preferably West Point. I understand that this is a difficult question to answer, but I would like to know from somebody with more knowledge of the Academies’ to tell me, if I stay on my current course, if I have a chance.
ACEDEMIC
I take both a 0 hour in the morning and an 8th hour in the evening on top of all my classes being honors classes. I am taking summer school this summer to get me a year ahead in math. I have straight As across all my 9 classes, all but one above a 95%.
PHYSICAL
Although I am not currently in a sport, I am looking at taking up boxing and/or baseball Sophomore year. However, I am quite active, as I work out every day, mountain bike regularly, and opt for riding my bike around town instead of driving or being driven.
My current Cadet Physical Test Results are:
87 pushups (2 Mins)
107 situps (2 Mins)
15 pullups (Max)
7:25 1 Mile Run
Unknown Shuttle Run
LEADERSHIP
Right now, I am two months away from becoming an Eagle Scout, and have been in service positions in my troop for three years, including Senior Patrol Leader and Scribe. I am currently in leadership in the school band student board, a group of ~10 kids who lead the entirety of the Concert bands, marching band, and Jazz Ensemble. My role within the board is currently a Scribe, but I plan/ hope next year to become a section leader of the brass, with the possibility of a Drum major in the marching band, but it isn’t confirmed.
Ask me with any questions, and thank you in advance.
You will find a great deal of information on all things Service Academy, ROTC, OTS, etc.
My advice: Join a varsity sport and stick with it. Be in the best physical condition possible, take the tough STEM courses and seek leadership positions. Good luck
As I always post, there is no chancing for a service academy due to the complexity of the nomination process; without one, USMA cannot offer you an appointment. You can peruse any of my similar responses to other candidates asking about chances, such as this one and this one, and any of my other posts on this forum.
You need to make sure you do well in the most rigorous courses your high school offers, particularly chemistry, calculus, and physics as those are the three the academy will expect you to complete and do well in. Also, earn that Eagle award. It counts for a lot. Then, toward the end of your junior year/start of senior year, your focus will be on applying for a nomination from all sources available to you. Everything you could want to know about nominations you can find on your senators’ and congresspersons’ websites along with the stickies on the Nominations subforum of the of link provided by @PB1961 above, and I concur that you should spend a lot of time researching on that site.
The biggest red flag is your lack of sports participation, but you have time. Choose a sport that you really like and work to become captain of the team. If you have to choose between band and a sport, see my comments here.
A lot of it depends on the competition for your cycle. You could be a great candidate but if there’s one outstanding candidate you might not get the appointment. Out of your control.
ROTC is another path with scholarships. Lots of great schools but not all programs are created equal.