<p>I am a sopomore in HS right now and it has always been my dream to go to the Naval Academy. My GPA is 3.77(not sure if it is weighted or not and it might drop a little before junior year), it will go up next year because I will work my a** of to get into the Academy, and i am in the top 25% of my class. I have taken all honors academics but two classes(science frosh and spanish sopomore year) and will be taking all honors and 2 AP courses next year ansd as a senior. My PSAT scores were Math-67 Critical Reading-60 and writing-63, total-190(those were out of 80, apporximate SAT scores made by adding zeros) but those will go up as I learn more. I did track freshman year and JV football this past year, I think I will get varsity letters as a junior and senior and I am considering doing track again or baseball in the future. No clubs yet but I am going to join/start some and will do a lot of community service. So, what are my chances of getting in and how can I improve?</p>
<p>There’s no way to tell what your chances are to get in. The competition has increased tremendously in the past couple of years and I imagine that by the time you send in your application, competition could be even fiercer. Do you live in an area that isn’t as competitive (heavily populated) as others? That helps you. Not only do you have to do well in sports but you have to be a leader in and out of school. How do you do this? What makes a leader? </p>
<p>There are posts on other forums describing what leaders are and how they stand out among their peers. Are you the kid who participates, or do you get sick of sitting around waiting for the “event” to get organized and just take care of it and include everyone else to help? Your teachers and coaches see the difference between a kid who just goes to practice and participates and the kid who always just picks up the water jug (that big orange Gatorade thing) and fills it and drags it on the bus or takes it home for washing just because it hasn’t been done in a while. Some kids just know, somehow, to do this and others have to be kicked in the butt to do it. Are you the kid who stays back to pick up the discarded trash your teammates left or do you just step over it? Believe me, all is noticed and marks the beginning of a leader. </p>
<p>Good grades, varsity letters, community involvement - all great components of a great kid, but they (SAs) seem to want kids who will be the ones to LEAD into “battle” (in quotes because I’m not certain what “battle” means these days). </p>
<p>This forum loves to respond with all sorts of big opinions - can’t wait to see the replies to this.</p>