<p>Im an interested Junior in HighSchool wondering about certain prerequisites and things that are a great help to boosting you up the list come time for acceptance into USNA.</p>
<p>Im basically asking, what is it that one should have/do/be part of, in order to have a good chance of being accepted?</p>
<p>Thank You for you time and thoughts.</p>
<p>Competitive athletics, leadership positions in extracurriculars and great academic record comprised of your GPA and test scores. I would think those are the basic admission standards.</p>
<p>I also had some of the programs like National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense Intelligence and Diplomacy and the Cambridge College Program. Not sure how much those actually help.</p>
<p>GREAT recommendations from your teachers & counselor.</p>
<p>ColbyBuss....I can tell you what we did in our familiy and believe me - it has produced an LOA for the class of '10 dated Oct. 3rd....and an Appointment this week.</p>
<p>I must say that our child told us on Sept. 11, 2001 as a 12 year old she was planning on this career choice....so we have had a long time to prepare for this. Even as an 8th grader she mapped out her high school class structure to include the hardest classes coupled with leadership/service/varsity sports. You don't mention your previous high school classes, GPA, etc...but here are some more suggestions.</p>
<p>1)Think about things you do or have achieved that rank you on a national scale in either sports/leadership/athletics. Try and get yourself into something that gives you this.</p>
<p>Boy's/Girl's State
AP Scholar Awards
National Merit Scholarship
National Language Exam Awards
High Leadership positions in things like Civil Air Patrol, JRotc...Scouting
National times in track/swim, etc.</p>
<p>2) Think about how you can rise to the top of something you do in whatever it is. If you are into Community Service - get yourself in the paper for some amazing innovation you did for your school/community, etc. The point is to stand out amongst the crowd and be noticed in some way. This can then be added to a final package to any Academy/school.</p>
<p>3) Be way ahead of the curve....get in contact with your BGO already and form a relationship with this person. </p>
<p>4)Talk to current USNA people or any other Service Academy mids/alum....get a sense for their passion for their career choice to help you find your own way to verbalize and internalize your reasons for why you want to serve your country and follow in their footsteps.</p>
<p>5) Already plan on taking all the AP/Honors classes you can for your second semester of junior year and throughout Senior year. Our daughter has 7 periods with 5 AP/IB classes, plus varsity sports and internship....and she is the 'normal' senior in the USNA pool of applicants</p>
<p>6) Already have your applications in to Summer Seminar...I can't recall which Academies deadlines are which. For last year, , Army and Air Force was, I think Jan. 1st and Navy was Feb. 1st. Get your applications in on DAY ONE- this seems to give you an early candidate number - which already tells the Admissions boards that hey - this kid was ready to launch from the get-go.</p>
<p>7) Talk with your high school counsellor - telling them how interested you are in this...and anytime there is a Service Academy event, or an announcement of a visiting person/student - to let you know as soon as possible, so you can make a contact with this person. This way your own high school joins as your advocate in helping you connect with people at the Academy.</p>
<p>8) Keep track of everything in a working resume. Your grades, your volunteer hours, your awards, your sports times....Keep it absolutely current and in sharp order. When the day came to turn in all the paperwork to our Congressman's Office in the hopes of landing a Nomination...the lady who in our presence checked out the paperwork to make sure it was complete looked at our daughter's resume and remarked: "This is perfect. It's laid out just the way the Board likes to see it! I wish more young people did as good a job as you." We certainly didn't expect that helpful tidbit...but there it is for you and others.</p>
<p>9) Make sure you attend any and all Orientation events in your general neck of the woods, to get to know all the Admissions Liason people from all the Academies. You want them to all get you recognize at least your face and hopefully your name. We had an interesting quirk as a result of our family attending several of these over the past few years...When our daughter sent to her BGO an 8 page evaluation essay she wrote - simply for her own memories and to answer all her friends/families inquiries about her experiences at both USNA/AFA Summer Seminars last year....it turned out the Regional BGO Director, who got a copy from our BGO - without telling him or us, ending up forwarding it directly to USNA Admissions within one week of her sending it out! To get a direct response from USNA Admissions in early July that they liked this essay blew our minds! But we knew this Regional person from several Orientation events we had attended - so we think that made a difference. Even at the Holiday Reception last month in San Diego - this Regional Director knew us by name and again commented on this essay. I personally think this may have played a big part in her LOA status so soon.</p>
<p>Hope this helps you, and others!
God's blessings.</p>
<p>What peskemom is saying might be correct. Bottom line is...you HAVE, let me say that again, HAVE to want to come to USNA. I think green09 hits the basics (obviously, good academic standing and sports, leadership and extracurricula activities are important). However, unique things are also what the Academy is looking for...I would be very careful to make sure you are not doing something just to gain admissions...you need to embrace and endorse what you are doing 100% (you should like what you are doing). As a junior, it might be too late if you have not prepared, but you can always try to the best because you might think that is good...and worst case scenario is that if you do not get in, you can always reapply from college or prep school. Again the bottom line is committment...it is how much you want it. I know of someone who went through 2 years of college (applied as a HS sr, college freshman and college sophomore before getting in)...he really wanted to be at USNA and is now.</p>
<p>jadler03...I certainly agree with you on the idea of being 'passionate' about wanting to go USNA over anything else....there is no other reason to put up with the 4years there otherwise.</p>
<p>I didn't mention it directly, so it's good for you to point that out.</p>
<p>clearly the steps my child took all the past years revealed a personal passion that obviously impressed the Admissions Board.</p>
<p>Yes, peskemom...my intention was not to make light of your child, getting an appointment to USNA is obviously, real hard and a great accomplishment. </p>
<p>Congratulations...lots of much harder work to come (not necessarily academic) for your child.</p>
<p>The earlier and the more committed, in my opinion, is more valuable to USNA and then USN and USMC.</p>
<p>people come to the naval academy with all different backgrounds and experiences: some come from overachiever backgrounds, and some from the fleet. some from prep school and some from other colleges. don't worry if you're not the "average" applicant with a bajillion ap courses and a national champion athlete---because thats far from the average midshipman. go to everything you can...summer seminar, etc, and enjoy the experiences!bring a good attitude and check your ego, because if there's one thing no one can stand here, its a joe with a superiority complex. your junior year is NOT too late-it doesn't matter if you get your LOA in september or your appointment a week before I-Day. you end up in the same place: Alumni Hall. Get involved in your school, get the best grades you can, kill them at your bgo & nomination interviews, etc. remember that the naval academy you hear is so decorous is the same naval academy where during army week plebes ordered 10,000 lady bugs off of e-bay and let them loose in a firstie's room (what a good one!)</p>
<p>Is that the ladybug incident from last year (and would that be a 2/C room)?</p>
<p>i heard one about crickets this year...</p>
<p>Thank You Everyone so far!</p>
<p>I hope that being a Junior isnt too late for possibly getting appointed. Although Im not a brilliant high class person, I do have some things going for me.</p>
<p>I run on the Varsity Track Team, where as I have fast times for around here, I dont think they qualify as being able to compete on a National Scale.</p>
<p>I have rather decent grades: ranked 61 of 417 in my class, (14th percentile) currently a 3.5 weighted GPA (now this does not include my first marking period of 11th grade in which I got a GPA of 4.25, so that should raise the weighted to about a 3.8, and then stay up there) Im taking 2 AP Classes (AP US History, AP Psychology), and plan on taking AP French, AP English, AP Environmental Science next year. I also plan on continuing with Track next year. </p>
<p>Another thing im going to do next year is probably be a main anchor for our morning news; our school watches the announcements on the tv in the morning run by students, and ive been nominated by a bunch of peers to be main anchor.</p>
<p>Do you guys think that the Academy will see my sudden change in class and difficulty level to be a good thing? Also, how does one get an appointment, can a previous student (one who has graduated) nominate you? [Although if not, my dads friends sisters husband graduated from USNA and his parents are friends with the Senators from MD, and would be able to talk to them for me] Another thing is, my father was a major in the army when he retired. Will any of these things help me in my ever struggle to do what it takes?</p>
<p>If in reading that you cant tell where my passion is as of right now, then I dont know what else i am lacking.</p>
<p>Please do what you can to sift through and answer my questions. Thank You so much for what Ive learned thus far.</p>
<p>you can apply for a presidential nomination- basically guaranteed. i got mine in july and got my appointment in early nov. with it. im not sure how having friends in the senators office works. its usually based on who is the best. being from maryland there will be lots of competition. </p>
<p>keep your GPA up. i dont think a 3.5 will go up to a 3.8 with a 4.25. i got a 4.25 junior year and my gpa went from 4.0 to 4.08. but then again our schools may weight differently. try to raise your class rank. ive been accepted to navy with a rank of 25/450 but havent heard anything from usma or usafa. my sister got into usma and usafa with 17/950 but not navy. it depends on the person but still try to raise it. it can only benefit you.</p>
<p>a previous student cant nominate you unless they are in congress...</p>
<p>what are your SAT scores? you can PM me if you have any specific ?s or such.</p>
<p>I never like to tell people their odds...because I am not the Admissions Board. However, all you can do is put out your best...if you are doing your best, then thats all you can do. As I said before, USNA is looking for unique traits that candidates have. It looks like you have the "smarts" as the Supe says. It sounds like you are active in a number of activities. When I was saying before that junior year might be late to start...thats assuming you haven't gotten involed (haven't prepared through leadership activities, grades, etc). Also, it definitely sounds like you are committed. But, as I said, all you can do is your best. Just keep doing what you like and are good at and strengthen your weaknesses.</p>
<p>I was also involved in TV production as a director/producer.</p>
<p>How do you know Maryland has a lot of competition?
What about Pennsylvania?- I want to know what I'm up against!
Is there a website I can go to?</p>
<p>ColbyBuss -- a lot of your stats sound similar to mine, from grades to track to news anchor. i had some other stuff in addition to that, but your stuff looks good. like SparkleandShine has invited you to do, you're welcome to PM me as well with questions. (i got an LOA in September and an Appointment later on.)</p>
<p>basically any state with a high population density is going to be tough. it seems like all the mids at the academy sometimes come from either new jersey, penn, maryland, california, or texas. or new york.</p>
<p>can I get the acronym for LOA, and i think i read earlier somwhere like GOB or OGB or BOG, whatever that was.</p>
<p>How does one go about getting this so called LOA and then eventually an Appointment, and does an APpointment guarantee entrance into the academy?</p>
<p>Im really curious as to certain things that will also give me a one up over other applicants.</p>
<p>As for 'thewill' you said, "How do you know Maryland has a lot of competition?" Well the thing is, when you are applying to a college or something similar and your from the state or area that it is located, you have a harder time getting in because, well you live real close to it.</p>
<p>thank you again everyone</p>
<p>Wheelah-Thanks for your posts. It is good to hear about the "average midshipman." Most of the people we are hearing from are overachievers. Not that that is bad--they already have appointments... But, there are still many appointments left to come.</p>
<p>Maryland does have one of the highest levels of competition -- for the reasons stated above. Both Senators from Maryland must choose from over 500 applications to USNA. Although population density is high in the Washington/Baltimore area, much of the state is rural and we have only 8 representatives (California has 52, Texas: 30, New York: 31).</p>
<p>ColbyBus: if you are from Maryland I would caution you not to try to "pull strings" with personal friendships to Senators. Because of the high competition, the MOC's in Maryland do everything possible to make sure they are never accused of favoritism. Trying to get their attention through friends or relatives will work against you. Both delegate the entire process to their review boards and are very strict about what letters of recommendation will be accepted.</p>
<p>Both Senators from Maryland require letters from specific sources (e.g. one Math teacher, one English teacher, etc.) Letters from sources that are not requested are either ignored or considered a negative because you didn't follow instructions. As a Maryland resident and USNA parent I know a lot of Maryland midshipmen -- none had political connections.</p>
<p>Colbybus....an "LOA" means a "Letter of Assurance". In the USNA Catalog they explain that in the Admissions process a few people are offered this. It comes with a note that you are "Guaranteed an Offer of Admission" if you complete all the remaining requirements...which include being medically qualitied, getting your BGO interview and your Nomination. Word is, that USNA issues about 200 LOA's each year. When you consider that arouen 12,000 kids apply...it's not a likely option, although you can tell from this forum alone that there are young people with them!</p>
<p>"BGO" means "Blue and Gold Officer." This is the person assigned to your high school that volunteers as the USNA Admissions representive. They are former Academy grads and are either still in active military or have completed their obligation and for the love the their alma matre, volunteer many hours every year to stay in contact with high school students who are interested in USNA. The BGO conduct the Admissions Interview - and it is they who submit their evaluation to USNA Admissions as part of your application. Once you become a Candidate and get your website info from USNA...you'll notice that there is a location for your BGO to show thier part of your completed application. If you don't know you your BGO is....you can check with your high school counselor, and here in CA at least, we found out via a website.</p>
<p>You haven't mentioned about applying to Summer Seminar. Are you planning on doing this? And to only USNA? or other Academies as well???</p>