<p>I’m working on applying to the academy as soon as I recieve my SAT scores (like in 4 days) and I haven’t participated in any athletics at my school at all. Would that decrease my chances of getting in? I have a pretty good academic record with a rigorous workload, and I have a decent excuse for not being able to do sports after school–I’ve had to help my mom with her smll child care business my entire life.
I may be able to do cross country this fall (senior year); will this help?
Thank you!</p>
<p>Do XC if you can. It most certainly helps to have something. But about the best advice I can give you is to not worry about your chances, you can never really know your true chances until you get your Appointment in the mail. I made the mistake of underestimating myself and not applying cause I didn't think I could get in, and then immediately realized how stupid that was, but it was already too late for that year so I was forced to go to a year of civilian college. </p>
<p>Just send in your app, keep your grades high, and get into sports senior year. Good luck</p>
<p>thank you so much for your reply!
It's very encouraging =]</p>
<p>hwaiting, I was homeschooled (I graduated from HS already)and the only sports I participated in before my senior year was faith-league basketball. I played soccer last fall, and I played on a interfaith B-ball team this spring though, and my B-ball team has been undefeated for two years. I got an appointment, so I guess it was what they were looking for. Who knows, maybe being on a paintball team helped too. ;)</p>
<p>If you are going to play any sports in the fall, make sure you let your adviser know, b/c they will consider spring sports in the selection process too. In the end, just get into a many sports as possible in the fall and in the spring, both for your application, but also to be as physically fit as possible. And like PatriotCMP said, apply even if you think you might not get in. As long as this is really where you want to go, and you are dedicated enough, you might have a shot at it. Good luck.</p>
<p>and keep in mind that they really do look at the "whole person" aspect. just make sure you explain that the main reason you haven't played sports is that you've had to help your mom. and remember academics are always the most important thing, my ALO told me that i could've gotten in on my test scores alone. not that you should ignore athletics, but especially if you do well on your CFA and do XC this fall, you should be more than fine. but i can't recommend doing XC enough. i ran for 5 years, if anything can come close to teaching you how to push yourself beyond your limits, and to lay it all out there for your teammates, it's XC.</p>
<p>Obviously you have doing your research as you have found CC!!
And you are on the right track with rigorous studies and hopefully stellar SATs! (Fingers crossed) </p>
<p>As aforementioned about the "whole person" and having other things going for you besides athletics, it's about doing your best in all that you do!
Make sure in you app & interviews that you stress all the responsibilities you have undertaken with this job, how important it is to help out your "team" (mom, co-workers), and how you've improved (maybe a raise, awards, happy customers?). This isn't a huge portion of the application, so "Make it work!" :D</p>
<p>And of course, I too can't say enough about XC! I only did it a couple of years, and now it's harder because I stopped for so long. It's one of the most challenging and rewarding things I did physically, socially, and mentally! If you can't, make sure to really hit the gym and run in your free time to get that CFA score.</p>
<p>Congrats on your hard work, apply!!, and continue doing your best! Good luck!</p>
<p>I'm also planning on doing cross country in the fall. I know that it will get us in good shape and hopefully add to our chances of getting accepted!</p>
<p>Just in case you want a bit more encouragement, I did very little sports in high school and got in no problems...it's not huge on the list. It's more important that you can show that you are involved in your community and in good athletic shape.</p>
<p>You might look for a summer sport such as a community swim team. That's all my son did in the way of sports because his tiny school didn't have any athletics. His CFA was acceptable, but not great. He received one of the first LOA's for the class of 2010. Just be sure to show the academy that you are making the best possible use of the opportunities available to you. Best wishes!</p>
<p>PSS I had NO school sports ever. I did Taekwondo for 8 years with competing, judging, etc.</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH everyone!!!
I'm so glad I decided to come to cc for advice...all of the replies have been extremely useful and very encouraging. I'm going to try swimming this summer and XC this fall, and work towards great CFA scores.
I'll definitely come back to everyone here for more advice as I get further into the application process!
Thank you again!</p>
<p>hwaiting -</p>
<p>If you haven't already, complete the pre-candidate questionnaire. You can find it somewhere in the depths of academyadmissions.com, which you will be visiting quite a bit in the coming months. The PCQ basically just asks you for some personal info (address, SSN, name, etc) as well as your approx. class standing and GPA. This will officially open your file at USAFA and let them know you're interested in applying. Note that this isn't like a typical college app... you're just informing them of your interest and giving them so basic information about yourself. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>If you applied to Summer Seminar, you don't need to do the Pre-candidate questionnaire. Your SS application gives them the same info and lets them know you're interested.</p>
<p>I didn't decide to apply until last winter and unfortunately I didn't think too much about looking on the website until recently--and so I didn't know that we could apply so soon.
I started the questionnaire, but I wanted to wait until I recieved my SAT scores (which I will in approximately 8 hours!!!...I'm a bit anxious). So tomorrow, I will be completeing my questionnaire. =]</p>
<p>I recieved my SAT scores today and they are absolutely disasterous.
Of all the practice tests I have taken, I have never done so poorly. I usually score in the 650-720 range on all three sections, but this time I scored:
550 reading
590 math
550 writing (9 on essay)
I have no idea how I did so poorly--I felt pretty good about it afterwards, except I messed up on the bubbling in the last section of the test.
Comparing these scores with the average scores on the site, I don't think I'll be deemed competitive. Also, I just submitted my precandidate questionnaire, which perhaps I should have waited until October when I retake them. What should I do now?</p>
<p>The great thing about the "Average scores" is that they're just that, averages, some people do better, others don't. Don't get discouraged. Keep taking it a few times because the academy will take your highest individual scores of each section from each test. For me, I got a prep book which helped a little too. Also I would say to take the ACT a few times too. Some people do better on the ACT than the SAT and vice versa, for me I did just about the same on each one, however the prep book did help my ACT math score. Don't get discouraged, the scores alone won't determine your acceptance, keep in mind the 'whole person' idea of the academy. Keep workin hard and good luck.</p>
<p>The only thing you can do is try your hardest to get better. Get a review book, unless you already have one, or maybe look into getting a tutor. Speaking from personal experience I definitely knew a lot more about the test the second time I took it, and in the math section, the only area I studied, I improved by 50 points. Best thing you can do is stay with it, and remember that SAT scores don't make or break you, they look at the whole person. The minimum scores for SS were V530 and M520, and these are similar to the PCQ, although the PCQ numbers might be a little higher. Waiting to submit your PCQ until October would not have been a good idea. What if they do think you're competitive and deserve a nomination? Submitting it in October would have made your life super-hectic. Keep your chin up, study hard, believe in yourself, and I know you'll do better the next time. Good Luck!</p>
<p>P.S. Good idea to try the ACT too.</p>
<p>THANK YOU!!!
I am REALLY going to work hard this summer to get my scores up. I'm shooting for a 2200, and from what I know about myself, I don't think this is an unrealistic goal. I just have NO IDEA what happened this time.
I will also study for the ACT and take it in September.
Thank you for the help!</p>
<p>and hey look on the bright side when you retake and do awesome on it, you can use it as one of your "overcoming adversity" stories...it proves to them how hard you're willing to work, and that's what they really care about. they much prefer someone like you to someone who may have scored higher but doesn't know how to work or doesn't care to work. so use all those resources, keep retaking until you're satisfied, and stay positive!</p>
<p>That's actually very true. I took AP Chemistry my sophmore year. Looking back now, I wasn't ready for that class, and my grades reflected it. Still, if you can work hard and show some improvement, it makes for a great "overcoming adversity" story as jlb11 said. And I can guarantee that sometime during the application process, whether it's during an interview or for an essay, you will be asked to relate a story about how you overcame an obstacle and what you learned from the experience. For me, it was AP Chemistry; for you, maybe it was conquering the SAT.</p>
<p>Just keep working hard and I hope to see you in 2008!</p>