<p>i dont know how to start. hmm. </p>
<p>first i go to a very small school so not alot of sport opprotunities (at my school women can only do volleyball, softball, or basketball thruout highschool) or academic rewards for freshman.</p>
<p>i only played 1 year in volleyball but i dont think im going to do that again. if i participate in gym class every year will that be ok for athletics or should i be in an actual sport?</p>
<p>also i am probably average on being athletic but i am working on that over summer break.</p>
<p>i have been in leos club, environmental club, spanish club, student council, and sadd (students against destructive decisions) so far and i am planning to be in them next year. is that a good start?</p>
<p>so far i have a B average freshman year for semester grades but i am going to do better sophomore year. is that B average going to make my chances slimmer of getting in?</p>
<p>this seems like a poor start to me for trying to get into the academy. i would like to know what i can do now so that i can have a higher chance for getting in and what my chances are as of right now. </p>
<p>your response is GREATLY appreciated :)</p>
<p>It seems you know for the most part where you need to work. Grades, definitely. Getting a B average freshman year won’t kill you, but you have to do better the rest of your high school time. The average GPA of the class of 2014 was 3.87. Also, athletics. No, gym class will not be enough, not even close. You need to participate and excel in a sport of some kind. It doesn’t have to be a school sport, I know a ballet dancer. My sport was tennis (I played high school tennis, but that was the smallest part of my “tennis career”. Instead I played club tournament and eventually national tournaments).</p>
<p>However, that being said, if there are not a lot of opportunities available the academy will understand if you have to get creative. Are there any clubs where you could participate in a sport? What do you like? Are you a runner or do you like running? </p>
<p>Also, you said you have been in a lot of clubs, that is good, but what is better is a leadership position or positions in a few or just one club you really enjoy. So, go for those positions within the clubs. </p>
<p>Finally, be sure not to forget about the SAT/ACT. If you can afford it, take them both many times, that way you can get the highest possible score.</p>
<p>I am sure some other people will chime in but those are the big gaps I see. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. I am a FIRSTIE (senior) at USAFA, a woman, and loving it.</p>
<p>yaay! thank you for replying!!! i will take your advice and i will find a way to get into a sport.
there are no clubs in our town where we can participate in a sport but i am sure that there are opprotunities elsewhere. and i do like running but my school doesnt have that anymore.</p>
<p>also i forgot to bring up in this thread that i was mentioned by a teacher to go to a youth leadership conference. i think that will help but probably just a very very little. and forensics, would that help me in anyway if i stayed in it?</p>
<p>in my school i have only seen juniors and seniors have a leading role in a club otherwise theres is the treasurer and some other roles that sohpomores can be but not freshmen. </p>
<p>about the SAT/ACT i think i can start taking them my sophomore year but i will ask. if i can, then i will start taking them. </p>
<p>i also forgot, will being in band help? i am planning on staying in band thruout highschool and at the moment i am learning trumpet while i already play flute. i was section leader during middle school (granted we only had 2 flutes though) but this year i found out it goes by age in highschool band 
so at the moment i am last. </p>
<p>thank you, thank you, thank you for your response that helped alot!!!</p>
<p>Everything will “help” just a little, but you need to be picking what you spend your time doing because you enjoy it. Forensics may be a good choice because it will give you some speaking experience and confidence, which will be important for interviews and very important if you actually get in. </p>
<p>Its all right that you do not have leadership roles yet, what I am saying is, don’t stretch yourself too thin. Focus where you enjoy spending time. If you have time for all of the clubs, go for it.</p>
<p>As far as band, like everything else, succeeding in band shows dedication and commitment. It can also be a great place to be a leader (section leader, band council, etc) I was in band 4 years of high school, marching band for 3 and won the district solo competition my sophomore year (on saxophone). Whether or not that helped me get in? I will never know, but it did help me build confidence in front of people and in myself, an important element of getting in and getting through USAFA.</p>
<p>Good luck finding a sport. I am guessing if you look around you can find something to do. Perhaps you could start a club or something? Like I said before, the Academy won’t penalize you if you don’t have a high school team to compete for, as long as you don’t just give up on sports entirely. </p>
<p>Bottom line, pick activities you enjoy and are committed to. Work hard and excel in them. The academy uses the whole person concept, but that being said, there is a lot of weight put on academics and standardized test scores, so be sure not to let those slip when you are pursuing other activities. Good luck and feel free to PM me any time.</p>
<p>i will take your advice! i am starting to look around in nearby towns to see if there are any sport activities that i can join. so far i have found karate and ballet but i am sure that there are more things to do out there. and starting a club at my school shouldn’t be that hard to do besides trying to get people to join it and getting support from a teacher.</p>
<p>i know this message is very short but i dont really know what else to say besides that you have been extremely helpful and i feel a little more confident now about getting into the academy. thank you :)</p>
<p>I am no expert on this, but I’d say:
Work hard to bring up your grades. Participation in band is likely to help you. Other opportunities for leadership will also be helpful.
You should also work on physical fitness, especially during the summer. Karate and ballet are both good ideas, but aside from that, I think you might want to develop your cardio-vascular fitness to a peak level. Can you run cross-country? Could you train with the men’s track team at you school? Take a look at the components of the Candidate Fitness Exam. How do you do on them?</p>