just wondering what extra activities can help you out when applying and which ones should you try to do to show different qualities. For those accepted already, what extra activities have you participated in? Thanks for your time.
I hear Boys/Girls State is really good. I never heard about it until Summer Seminar (at West Point) though, so I didn’t have a chance to attend. Team captaincy of a sport is also favored I hear. In my opinion, I think it would be nice to do sports around a general theme (i.e. football, cross country and track sort of all work together. The same is true for swimming and water polo).
Oh yeah, just so you know, I wasn’t accepted into USNA yet, but I was accepted into NAPS and I’m still trying to get into USNA because they haven’t seen my January 2007 test scores. I have been accepted into USMA though. My ECs included captain of swimming, captain of water polo, national honor society, best buddies international, work experience as a lifeguard and church service.
spectrez589 is correct about Boys/Girls State (ask your school’s guidance counc). There’s also yearbook, school newspaper (esp. if you become an editor), honor societies, clubs that perform community service, tutoring, mentoring, Boy/Girl Scouts, varsity sports (capt. looks nice). There are so many opportunties. If they don’t have them at your school, the community is sure to have some.
My son rec. an appt. in January. He did the following: yearbook, mathletes, tutoring (math, chemistry), varsity soccer (capt. x 2 yrs), Eagle Scout w/palms (can’t remember how many), build-a-house (in Mexico 3 times w/ church), fed the homeless, stage craft (building sets for the plays), ref’d soccer, worked a part-time job, Boy’s State, nass, nhs, csf (cal. schol. federation- whatever that does).
In between this, he was taking his SAT’s, keeping his gpa up, and wondering when his appt. would come. 
While some “planning” is natural, I would advise against joining clubs or other activities just because they might “look good” on your application. Join those clubs and activities which you legitimately enjoy and do the best you can at them. That will come through during the application process moreso than what mix you did.
I’ve been very politically active in the past, but have pretty much shied away from all things organized for the past three years. I’m tired of hearing things like <em>california accent</em> “wow, you’re, like, SUPER-oppressed”, of pointless charity events only put on for EC reasons, tired of clubs that socialize rather than engage with their subject.
I’ve felt completely burned out from my early (as in, 6 intense years from 12 and up of running all over the place) activism, and don’t have the energy to start up something of my own, then keep the fire in it (I’m guessing that’s the kind of advice I would get). Volunteer work kids make me shudder - they’d show up sometimes when I worked with care of the elderly for my bills, and just be obnoxious (how is it we trick kids into tackling a responsibility the government should, anyway?) with their light-heartedness - they’d move on, my colleagues (we were all underpaid immigrant women) stay there year after year doing the actual **** work for nada status or “acknowledgement of social responsibility”, as people say. Volunteering on the part of application-frenzied teenagers is a very insiduous way of keeping the class system in place, isn’t it.
Nowadays, I float in and out of events and mostly stick to my studies. I don’t believe for one minute that not engaging in thousands of besswerwisser clubs of the kind I know in and out would make me less rounded as a person. For many kids it is a source of growth, and I can relate to and respect this - nonetheless, it leaves me with a sad aftertaste.
[/RANT OVER]
← Looking quizzically into left field to see where THAT came from.
Oooooooooookay… 
Methinks you may have posted this in the wrong forum…
usa13: I don’t think it matters WHAT activities you choose… but instead, that you get involved beyond the “participant” level and demonstrate some leadership within the context of what you are doing. Rather than be a “member” of many things, it would be better to limit your acitivities to what you can reasonably handle, get involved, stay involved, and demonstrate some level of leadership. An activity that you are involved in for several years, vs an activity you join late in your junior year, will be much more significant to those that review your file.
My suggestion is to pick the things you are most interested in, and get really involved. Sports, clubs, volunteer work, even actual work expereinces… they all offer opportunities… but don’t overextend, don’t just join and sit back, and don’t do it just to have something to put on your CV. Whatever you pick, do strive to become a “leader”…and keep in mind, you can demonstrate leadership skills without being a captain or president of this or that…
Best of Luck!
I would caution you against trying to predict what the USNA will find acceptable and just focus on the notion that you are a well rounded applicant with the most emphasis on your scholastic achievement. As far as extracurricular activities go; I would do the things you enjoy doing, not the things you think or hope will look good on your application. You
I agree with the comments about not joining clubs just to bedazzle your application. I joined clubs in High School that I was interested, before I even knew I wanted to go into the military, much less USNA. Joining clubs you enjoy will give you motivation to do things, and your excitement over them will help you in your goal of becoming an officer in the EC.
My son’s activities were nurtured/stemmed from two things: Scouts and church. One thing kind of led to another.
Zaphod is correct in stating “I would advise against joining clubs or other activities just because they might “look good” on your application. Join those clubs and activities which you legitimately enjoy and do the best you can at them.”
Each candidate to the Naval Academy is required to complete a USNA Candidate Activities Record Application that is validated by their guidance counselor.
That record asks for the following:
Guidance Counselor Information:
*Last Name
- First Name
- Email Address
Athletic Activities:
- Baseball/Softball
- Basketball
- Crew
- Cross Country
- Football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Hockey (Field or Ice)
- Lacrosse
- Martial Arts
- Rifle/Pistol
- Sailing
- Soccer
- Swimming/Diving
- Tennis
- Track (Indoor/Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Water Polo
- Wrestling
- Other (Explain in “Remarks” Below)
Each candidate will need to identify those Sports in which s/he participated during grades 10, 11, and 12 (include anticipated 12th grade participation and letter awards).
For each Sport, the candidate needs to indicate if it was:
- Junior Varsity/Other Sports
- Varsity
- Varsity Letters Earned
- Team Captain or Co-Captain
- Special Awards/All-Star Selection
Non-Athletic Activities:
Candidates will need to indicate if they were a member of any of the following Organizations. If yes, please indicate leadership roles and any awards.
-
Boy Scouts of America - Member
-
Jr. Assistant Scoutmaster
-
Eagle
-
Asst. Scoutmaster
-
Sr. Patrol Leader
-
Quartermaster
-
Girl Scouts of America - Member
-
Patrol Leader
-
Senior Leader
-
Senior Challenge
-
Wider Ops
-
Gold Award
-
Voluntary Service - Member
-
Homeless Shelter/Soup Kitchen
-
Nursing Home/Red Cross
-
Habitat for Humanity
-
Special Olympics
-
Tutoring
-
Other (Specify in “Remarks” Below)
-
Civil Air Patrol - Member
-
Officer
-
Gen. Billy Mitchell Award
-
Amelia Earhart Award
-
Other Award (Specify in “Remarks” Below)
-
Junior Achievement - Member
-
President
-
Vice President
-
Church Group - Member
-
President
-
Vice President
-
Student Body/Council/Government
-
President/Chairperson
-
Vice President
-
Secretary/Treasurer
-
Representative/Committee Chairperson
-
Class
-
President/Chairperson
-
Vice President
-
Secretary/Treasurer
-
Representative/Committee Chairperson
-
School Club
-
President/Chairperson
-
Vice President
-
Secretary/Treasurer
-
Representative/Committee Chairperson
-
School Publication
-
Editor in Chief
-
Business Circulation or Advertising Manager
-
Feature, Sports, News, or Photo Editor
-
Writer-Reporter or Other Staff Member
-
Music Participation
-
Band - Member
-
Band - Director, Leader or Drum Major
-
Chorus - Member
-
Chorus - Director, Leader or Drum Major
-
Orchestra - Member
-
Orchestra - Director, Leader or Drum Major
-
Awards and Honors
-
County, City or Local
-
National or State
-
Other (Specify in “Remarks” Below)
-
Other Activities:
-
4H Club Judge
-
Active Member of Sailing Association
-
Actor/Actress, Stage Manager or Student Director in a 3 Act Play Before a Public Audience
-
Camp Counselor
-
Cheerleader/Pom Pom
-
Coach, Manager or Trainer of an Athletic Team
-
Competitive Dramatic or Humorous Readings
-
Contest One-Act Plays
-
Drill Team
-
JROTC Officer/Sea Cadet Petty Officer
-
JROTC, NJROTC, MCJROTC, AFJROTC Member
-
Master of Ceremonies or Chairperson of Panel or Public Discussion Group
-
Member of High School Debate Team or Squad
-
Sea Cadet Member
-
Teacher or Laboratory Assistant
-
Two or More Speeches Before Any Audience
-
Boys’/Girls’ Nation - Delegate
-
President
-
Vice President
-
Boys’/Girls’ State - Delegate
-
Governor
-
Lt. Governor
-
National Honor Society - Member
-
President
-
Vice President
-
Beta Club - Member
-
President
-
Vice President
-
Did you work at a paying job or on a farm on school days during the entire school year?
-
Grade Participated
-
Job Title
-
Hours per Week
-
Do you have a Pilot’s License?
-
Private
-
Comercial
-
Do you have a Radio Operator’s License (Not C.B.)?
-
Were you a Foreign Exchange Student?
-
Please indicate the approximate number of students in your senior class
You asked what activities my son did:
varsity wrestling 3 years co-captain/weightlifting records/extensive work-out regimine.
shooting at the gun club/student principal ambassador/tutoring/honor choir/honor society
I don’t think that it is even necessary to do this much. All lot of kids do more/some less.
Being well-rounded seems to be what they are looking for rather than amount of stuff. They are just simply looking for excellence in all areas including character. That is just my humble opinion.
Would being an EMT help? Or would you need to be an officer in the ambulance squad?
Can you even be an EMT while in High School?
Am I making an incorrect assumption?
Either way, being an EMT won’t hurt, but it won’t make up for bad grades.
Yeah you can be EMT-qualified in NJ at 16 and must be 17 to ride with my ambulance squad, but the second number varies by town.
My dd is a plebe. She was a member of the college orchestra for 8 years, Principal Cellist for 4. She did several honor orchestras. She was a 10 year 4-H member, junior leader and secretary for several years. She had her private pilot’s license and was involved in swift water rescue with the fire deparment. She had lots of very varied volunteer hours; whitewater festivals, GED childcare, conferences, and was the organist at church for 3 years. She had two varsity sports and lettered 6 times. She has her own sheep business. She’s a professional musician for weddings, was a lifeguard, worked at the county library, did framing construction, is a Master Gardener, had 45 college credits, 6 of them overseas, participated in the State Patrol Youth Academy, and went to three summer sessions at the SA. And she worked on our ranch at least two hours a day. The only way she could do all this, is that she was homeschooled. None of that was planned for the resume–it just arose out of her interests.
I would agree–don’t look for stuff to “look good”. Do what you enjoy and be willing to take it to the next level.