Making application competitive?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Military Academy - West Point
1

I’m a sophomore graduating in 2019. Next year I’m taking three AP courses (Gov, Lang, Chem) and in senior year I plan to take AP Physics, Lit, Calc, and maybe US History. My GPA is a 3.9.

I’ve attended some engineering workshops with shades of blue.
I’m currently a high brown belt in taekwondo, and to advance to the next belt I need to help teach some classes to the younger kids as well as to be an example for others.
Next year I’ll be doing Link Crew and NHS.
This year I joined track and cross country so I’ll be training over the summer to be a hopeful varsity runner or captain
In my junior year I’ll apply to Girl’s State.
I also have a job (1 year) and am on the Safety Comittee but I’m not too dedicated to it so I might quit and begin to sell my art/find room for community service/find other ways to make money

What weaknesses can you see? What can I do to improve my chances? Thanks!

2

So far, your chances seem pretty good. 90 percent of cadets at West Point have a varsity letter, while a majority have two. You probably want to make it a goal to earn at least three varsity letters, so look into something other then track that you might be interested in. Also, look at some of the sports you can participate in at West Point, it would be advisable to play this in high school if you want to advance to the West Point team. Your karate belt is also great, and the requirements for black belt will certainly be important where leadership is concerned. Also, start doing some training for strength. Nerd Fitness has some good beginner and advanced body weight circuits you should look into doing. Endurance and strength are important to ace the CFA (Candidate Fitness Assessment) which you can also take at SLE (Summer Leadership Experience), or West Point’s summer camp.

USMA puts a huge emphasis on engineering in order to promote critical thinking, so those workshops will be helpful. If your school has an economics class, I suggest taking that. Other then that, your courses are putting you at an advantage, as West Pint suggests taking calculus, government, and other lab based sciences. AP chemistry is very good. Try taking an AP calculus or other advanced math class, too. The average West Point GPA is approximately 3.75, so yours is very good. However, start practicing for the SAT/ACT now, and remember that USMA takes your super score, or the combined value of your best scores in each section.

A majority of West Point cadets were in NHS, and many attended Girl/Boy’s State, so these activities are certainly good for your application. I don’t really know about Link Crew, so I won’t comment on that. If I were you, I would try to put in more service hours and get awards for those. For example, I plan to have my Girl Scout gold, silver, and bronze awards by my sophomore year, and I have the President’s award. (I have gained the bronze and am currently working towards silver.) Also, look for leadership positions where you do volunteer or work.

Make sure to apply to the aforementioned SLE, and tour the campus. These things can familiarize you with the way of life, and your name might even be recognized by admissions directors. Also, start contact with those who can get you a nomination, and your admissions liaison. Make sure you come across as respectful and intelligent, a person who is different and dedicated. Make sure your name will be recognized, and not just one of the masses of kids who apply for nominations every year.

Full disclosure, I am only an 8th grader, but I have done extensive research on this process and hope my age doesn’t discount to you what I have written.

3

.
Service hours are not counted in the Whole Candidate Score (WCS), so adding service hours at the expense of academic, leadership, or fitness efforts is not recommended. SLE is a summer camp that is beneficial for giving you a chance to see the campus, open your application, and take a CFA if you wish, but it has zero bearing on admissions (does not count toward WCS) and bears no resemblance to cadet life.

I posted this on the other thread, but will repeat here as it is useful to compare your profile to those currently at the academy:

http://www.usma.edu/admissions/SitePages/Class%20Profiles.aspx

4

@ChoatieMom

Service hours, as in volunteering, especially when in a leadership position are certainly valued by West Point admissions, as an extracurricular/community-based activity.

5

Leadership has point value, service hours don’t.

From the RAND report you posted on the other thread:

There are no points for simple community service hours. Points are gained by “leadership” in ECs. My point is: Don’t load up on hours at the expense of academics, leadership, or fitness. Simple hours don’t count.

6

Yes, exactly. I said to put in service hours and gain awards, such as the Gold award for Girl Scouts. These awards for community service are counted towards the WCS.

Believe me, I have read the above information in the RAND pdf many times.