I am currently a Junior at Lutheran High School Orange County: in top 22% of private schools in the nation, college prep school, D1 CIF School
PSAT Score: Total: 1130
Reading/Writing: 590
Math: 540
ACT Score: TBD
SAT Score: N/A
Cumulative GPA: 4.3
Current GPA: 4.6 weighted (4.0 unweighted)
Class Ranking: top 20% currently (may go to 10%) out of about 330 students
Honors/AP: H Ancient History (9)
H Art (9)
Enriched Algebra 1 (9), not an honors course but more advanced than 8th grade
H English 1 (9)
AP World History (10)
H Geometry (10)
H English 2 (10)
H Latin 3 (11)
H English 3 (11)
AP US History (11)
Will take: Pre-calculus (summer btwn 11-12)
H Engineering (12)
AP Psychology (12)
AP Language or H Writing (12)
AP Latin (12)
AP Chemistry (12)
Extra-Curricular:
I have a total of 51 volunteer hours and counting (Most likely around 120+ upon graduation)
I lead an Incoming Freshman basketball camp
I lead a middle school basketball camp
I am on National Honor Society
I am a member of Environmental Research Group club where we do beach cleanups
I worked at a different vet clinic for a summer job
I volunteered to make the rose parade floats
I was approved for the California Scholarship Federation (the other girl that went to naval academy from my school last year had that too so it might help)
Sports:
Played basketball first two years on freshman and sophomore teams
Sophomore year I won the MVP Award after leading my team to league victory again and was a team Captain (we rotated between about 4 guys each game)
Our school’s basketball was pretty corrupt (I am not making that up, seriously) and so I sought out a future in golf- problem was I had never played before
I made my golf team junior year and I will keep working to hopefully make the varsity team senior year
I also played volleyball freshman year but due to conflicts with basketball I ended up missing out on most of it
I go to the gym every day to lift weights and condition because golf doesn’t do much, (I am also aware that this does not have much weight in the sports category of admissions)
Leadership:
I will be doing a leadership field at my school called ignite where we mentor the incoming freshman and help them adapt to the high school life (senior year)
I will be starting a club I have dreamt about, the mountain biking club
I was the head of the IT department at my summer job (on top of my job working the kennels) and I was assistant to the supervisor in that I interact with customers very well
As I mentioned earlier I was the Captain of my team
My teachers tell me I step up as a leader in their classrooms which would be good as far as letters of recommendation
I will be attending a National Student Leadership Conference that I was nominated for where I go and learn how to be a national security advisor like the ones to advise the president or work at the pentagon (that’s what I want to do and that’s also another reason I want to go to the academy)
I understand that I am very weak in the area of sports and my standardized test scores so far, however, I have heard that although there are a lot of athletes at USNA there are also a lot of scholars there too and I can improve my test scores by doing a review course. My leadership is probably also weak but I just want an honest opinion on if I have a strong enough application to be competitive in the process. I have heard that the 8% acceptance rate goes up to 26% when a letter from a congressman is received because they count all applications finished or not. Also, does anyone have any tips on how I can become more competitive or is it too late?
USNA is incredibly competitive. The institution is looking for bright, intelligent, physically fit and motivated leaders. You do not have to be a stud but you will have to pass a Fitness Assessment as part of the application. You are competing against athletes that have excellent academic credentials. My advice is to continue to seek out opportunities to prove that you are a leader, apply yourself in the classroom and continue to work out and run. USNA has to accept candidates from every congressional district in the US. Having a letter from a congressman isn’t enough. You need to be nominated by a Rep or Senator (or the VP).
I think the poster above was confused by the “letter from a congressman” in your first post. The accurate term is a nomination. So, yes, getting one from your local U.S. member of Congress in the House of Representatives will suffice to make your application “complete.” Without a nomination from a U.S. Congressperson, senator, V.P., or President, you cannot be considered for the Naval Academy. And you are further correct that the super-low admission rate factors in all who have applied, including those who were unable to get an official nomination and hence are automatically disqualified.
If the USNA is your dream school, you should definitely apply to the summer seminar (https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Programs/NASS/index.php). It is a one-week course offered. Admission is competitve and there is modest cost. Going there will help you better assess your overall fitness (mental, physical, and intellectual) for the Naval Academy. It also gives you a leg up on the application process.
As for your academics, getting your test scores up a bit will be a definite plus. You also need to highlight your community service, leadership, and atheletic ability (even if modest).
You should seriously do some ACT or SAT prep – that will help w/your USNA app and elsewhere too.
Also National Student Leadership Conference is nice but not some “wow” item. It’s a for-profit venture and anyone with a heartbeat can be “nominated” and accepted if they fork over the cash. USNA and colleges will know this.
As your stats sit now you have no chance for admission to USNA. Your test scores are well below acceptable and you have no meaningful sports on your resume. The Naval Academy is looking for Scholar-Athlete-Leaders. Those are individuals who excel in academics AND sports, AND leadership. Not one or two of the three. If you really want USNA, get your test scores up and get on an athletic team and excel at whatever you choose.
@oldpilot1972 thank you for your input I think having someone give me a painfully honest opinion can be inspiring. I am not sure if i mentioned above but I was the captain of my freshman and sophomore basketball teams if that has any weight and I will be playing golf for the remainder of high school, but is that considered a “meaningless” sport? Also, I work out everyday with the CFA in mind and I have read conflicting evidence on the importance of the CFA score. Say I got 100% on it, would that help make up for the physical “disadvantage” I seem to have, on paper, because I currently do not have a varsity sport under my belt? I may make varsity golf next year and my PSAT scores were in the top 82 percentile for the nation but I do realize that this is not your average college and they are VERY competitive so I will be pouring all my efforts into getting a higher test score and volunteering at various charities as well as seeking more leadership opportunities when they present themselves such as captain of the golf teams. I could join my track team instead of golf but my school just has one team and I do not think it is considered varsity. I am aware that 90% of candidates have a varsity sport so I am hoping to either be part of the 10% that does not or work hard to make one by my senior year. Thanks again!
@84stag Thank you for your answer, I actually just started preparing for my summer seminar application about a week ago! I will definitely be working on my test scores but just like oldpilot1972 said I need a strength in all three areas so I will be working on athletics/leadership as well. I have some community service lined up right now and I will continue to gain more hours. I will try my best to highlight my athletics ability through making varsity by senior year and getting a good - if not perfect - CFA score and seeking leadership opportunities wherever they present themselves (although i do not expect anymore than I mentioned in my original post). Thanks again and any more tips you may have for me are GREATLY appreciated!
The CFA is pass/fail so getting a perfect score will be noticed, but it doesn’t add any more points that a lower score which is also passing. The 10% of the class that didn’t have a varsity letter had something else that stood out on their application that made up for lack of organized school athletics. Usually it is high success in a non-school sport such as martial arts, powerlifting, or gymnastics. By high success, I mean regional or national champion. Just getting a black belt is probably not enough. I always recommend that standardized test score goals should be 700+ SAT and 32+ ACT to be competitive. Yes, I know the average is less than that, but being average is not what gets you places.