<p>I've had a hard year at home. My grades slipped really bad and I'm afraid it's going to affect my eligibility. Last year as a freshman i was all A's. This year I had C's in both Chemistry and Algebra II. This summer I am taking English 1301 through a local junior college and did get inducted into NHS, but I know how the academies look at your math and sciences. How bad will this affect my eligibility?</p>
<p>I have no clue how this will effect you, but say focussed and bounce back next year. Don't fret about those two grades and work harder next year. With an extra effort and perseverance I know you can do well next year.</p>
<p>I made this suggestion on another thread, but I think it's something you should think about in your situation. It is to write your essay about the difficulties you've had, how they affected you and how you are working to overcome them. If you write about it, don't make excuses or try to gain sympathy. Use this as an opportunity to highlight your personal growth and your determination to overcome. Everybody has problems, and WP will want to see how you've chosen to deal with them.</p>
<p>You may even think about getting some tutoring over the summer to fill in any gaps in the Algebra II and Chemistry, before you proceed to the next level. Then hit the ground running when you start your junior year.</p>
<p>Chemistry and Math are really important to your success at West Point, and it is worth spending time catching up in these areas if you have fallen behind due to personal issues.
Issues that have affected grades or extracurricular activities can be discussed during your interview. Your HS guidance counselor can also address the issue when your transcript is submitted.</p>
<p>I am in a very similar situation. I have excelled in my extra-curricular activities but I have definitely let my grades slip do to a very rough year. My grades are all Bs and As for the year but I am nervous. in addition, I was not able to participate in any sports this year. Do you think this will hurt my chances?</p>
<p>BTW, I am a junior</p>
<p>A few thoughts that may ease your minds a bit... yes, math and science grades are important, but there are many other factors at work in your selection process as well. </p>
<p>According to our particular regional admissions officer for USMA, C's are not really an issue if the overall gradepoint is still above average. They will make sure there are not D's and F's in your past which may be indicative of other problems. (Even then, there may be explanations for some stray lower grades that are unusual for you, and they may be overlooked if you were under less than ideal situations at that particular time). </p>
<p>He also indicated that ACT and SAT scores are more valuable indicators than grades as they allow a more consistent comparison of candidates nation-wide, whereas schools are more likely to vary widely in their rigor and grading scales. So take those tests over and over again until you feel the scores reflect your true abilities. USMA "superscores" by taking the highest subject score regardless of which time you took the test. Our new cadet candidate took the ACT 6 times to reach the individual subject scores now recorded in his USMA file.</p>
<p>We also asked how the academies look at course difficulty, as our son's grades would have been higher had he elected to take the regular level coursework. Once again, the ad. officer indicated they would rather see slightly lower grades in Honors courses than higher grades in regular courses as they know you are willing to challenge yourself. And honestly, his honors math and science grades and test scores were the academic areas that he struggled with the most. He never has had the best grasp on the math, and in his nomination interview was asked how he would deal with the difficulty of academy math/engineering courses. His reply: "I recognize this is my weakest area, and I will be seeking help and tutoring in those courses". </p>
<p>With all this in mind, please understand that some regions of the country will be more academically competitive than others. Our state may not have had as many top scholars apply for the service academies as other states. The candidates are still highly competitive, but may be stronger in other areas of the "whole-candidate score" concept than others. For example, I believe our son's strongest area is leadership, developed through four years of unique extra-curricular opportunities. So even if you are not as strong academically, you may still have higher scores than others when the "whole-candidate" aspect is considered. That is what makes this whole process a bit difficult to figure out and understand... There is no magic formula to plug your stats into to see whether you are at the top or bottom!</p>
<p>As far as athletics, our son only participated in track his jr and sr years. But he has also received JROTC ribbons for Physical Fitness and was part of a rigorous Marching Band program for 4 years, and while that is really not considered a sport, he emphasized the physical activity aspect of that in his application and nominations. He was never given the indication that he was lacking athletically, so I would not worry about one elapsed year while you are recovering from an injury. As an indicator of your fitness, you will still need to do well on the CFA, and this will be considered in the whole candidate score as well. Where you might encounter difficulty regarding the injury is in convincing DoDMERB that you are fully recovered. After your initial DoDMERB exam, make sure you go ahead and gather all documents and x-rays from every doctor, surgeon, and physical therapist monitoring your ankle injury. Don't send it in until they ask for it, but assume you will need the supporting documentation since this is a more recent medical condition.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. In the mean time, try to relax and "enjoy the journey" of the rest of your years of high school. (This advice comes from another WP mom whose cadet just finished his Yuk year!). Do your best in all that you do, but remember to have some fun, too, and "don't sweat the small stuff". My son was in your exact shoes one year ago. I had to constantly remind him of these same things :)</p>
<p>Good Luck and keep us posted.</p>