<p>Around the time of March/April the academy was an idea i was obsessed about… knowing I still have 2 years until I graduate high school, I tried to let it go and focus on ‘now’ and finish HS well. Well, my last day is tomorrow and i’ve been thinking about the academy non-stop… I mean, yesterday I was outside helping my parents with some gardening, and I noticed how often I was thinking about the academy and the info I learned from these forums.</p>
<p>So, I then began thinking "can i get in!! am i good enough!! and all that stuff. I was kinda bored, so I decided to estimate my ending GPA for this year. I am about 90% sure my final GPA will be a 3.69 unweighted. (one B, 4 B+'s, 2 A’s) give or take a half letter grade. Last year my final GPA was a 4.0. So, I guess that gives me a total gpa average of 3.84. Is this good so far? I still have 11th grade to bring it up. For AP classes I took AP Bio, AP Euro, English Honors, and Symphonic Band. (unfortunately last year I didn’t take any AP classes).</p>
<p>Extremely breifly, all the other info: No sports but 11th i am joining track and cross country. I am in Civil Air Patrol and should have my Mitchell before I graduate HS (but it may be after i apply and get accepted/rejected to the academy). I’m in my church’s Folk Group, have been since 7th grade. I guess that’s all the main stuff.</p>
<p>I know lots of people ask these questions but I’ve can’t get this stuff out of my mind so I wanted to post here and see what other people think so I can hopefully not worry about it so much. Please give honest answers and tips/reccommendations of what i should be doing in school and if i can do anything now to prepare for the academy.</p>
<p>(Oh, and I didn’t take an SAT yet but I did take a PSAT and got a 165 which I assume converts to a 1650. Now, it’s the first I took and I did not study at all for it. This summer I am going to go through a few SAT books and i’ll prepare a lot for it. I am aiming for a 1100 minimum, i’d like around 1200.)</p>
<p>This may sound a bit redundant of what I have said before, but... </p>
<p>The Academy is looking for the "whole" person. Numbers alone won't get you in, but they are important (GPA as well as statdardized test scores). I'm not familiar with the new SAT scores, so I can't give much insight into what is competitive for that. AP and honors classes look good too. </p>
<p>Sports are very important for your application as well as teaching you some valuable lessons that will come in handy later. Track and cross country are good choices for you to get involved in. </p>
<p>Leadership experiences (such as student counsel, staff positions in clubs, etc.) are also important, as are extracurricular activities. Work experience helps too but is not mandatory. It's better to be good across the board as opposed to awesome in some things and no experience in others. On top of all of this, make sure you have a deent idea of what the Academy is about and why you want to go there. When you have interviews for your nomination and with your ALO, these are inevitable questions. There's not very much worse than being asked why you want to come and sitting there saying, "um... well...." Another point of the interviews is to see how you handle yourself, your attitude, and whether you can carry on a decent conversation and think on your feet. </p>
<p>It's never too soon to start getting in shape, and your sports will definitely help with that. When the time gets nearer, you can focus in on the specific physical things that will be tested. </p>
<p>With the whole application process, get started on it at the soonest possible time and stay on top of things so you don't miss any steps. For the time being, it's nice to see you are so motivated, but try to calm down a little and concentrate on your life right now. If all you do for the next 2 years is think about the Academy, you probably won't do very well. However, keeping the reason why you are doing what you are doing in the back of your mind is definitely key. If you have more questions, just ask.</p>
<p>gglock, I'll be glad to answer this one as well, because to be honest with you, I was going through the same thing you are right now. Everyday, I wondered to myself, am I good enough? I remember I came on here Thanksgiving, and asked pretty much the same exact question you did...I was killing myself over a bad math grade, I thought it would eventually keep me out...and it killed me to see everyone one here getting LOA's, and here I am just sitting and waiting...so, to answer your question...well, UNcynical kinda answered most of it, I'd just to refer to hers, but the only thing I would add is to definately apply for the Seminar...and apply to others as well...I went to Boys State, Air Force, and Coast Guard Summer Seminars....although its not necessairly their seminar, I'm sure that USAFA loved to see a continued dedication to service at the Coast Guard Seminar. Defiantely do everything you can to show leadership traits, and most importantly, have other options. Apply to other schools, apply for ROTC, consider the prep school...just don't put your eggs into one basket. Good luck....</p>
<p>Thanks. Now I don't need to worry about it so much. This summer I'm going to concentrate on SAT and running and of course relaxing. Thanks again for the tips.</p>