West Point SLS, Am I a competative candidate?

<p>I just finished filling out my Candidate Questionnaire for the United States Military Academy at West Point and I am a little worried about my chances of getting in. It asked for my class rank which is only 87 out of 451. But that ranking is as of the end of 10th grade; I am half way through my junior year and i am sure that since the end of 10th grade it has gone up. They also asked for SAT or PSAT scores and I haven't taken my SATs yet so I was forced to give them my PSAT scores which weren't so good. I plan to score pretty high on my SATs but will they judge me early of my PSAT scores or will they take the time to look at my SAT scores when they come in? I am also a 2 sport athlete (volleyball and baseball) but between them I only have one varsity letter because baseball season hasn't come yet and I was not a captain of any team and i am told they like to see that you have been a captain of a team. Also I lack extracurricular activities. I am however a full IB diploma candidate and I am doing very well in my junior year. I plan to join a lot of clubs and I will try to be the captain of my baseball team when baseball season comes. I feel like I have a lot going for me but it doesn't show in my Candidate Questionnaire and i feel like i made a bad first impression. I pretty much asking what my chances are? and if anyone has gone through the process or knows any one that has gone through the process do you have any advice as to what else I can do at this time? and if anyone knows can you give me just a basic overview of what they really look for in a Candidate?</p>

<p>Thank you everyone that answers my questions GO ARMY!</p>

<p>erm is the candidate questionnaire the thing ye fill out when ye go for a visit?</p>

<p>personally i have no idea about West point, however if the candidate qutestionnaire is what i think it is then dw bout it because it just gives colleges something to start their file with, and they’re gonna know ye still have a coupla years left when ye rite it =)</p>

<p>The Candidate Questionnaire is what they look at to decide whether or not to invite you to SLS (summer leadership seminar) which i really want to go to and if you are invited to it you have a very good shot of getting into West Point. So im just a little worried about that because im not entirely sure how the system works and what they look for in the questionnaire.</p>

<p>Not sure of your scores on the PSAT, but if they are lower than 60’s, I doubt you will get in but don’t sweat it. West Point SLS is more competitive than actual admission to West Point, which is still very tough to get into. Only 1000 will be accepted, generally those with 60’s or higher in all section of the PSAT. Many kids have those scores, but few, for reason’s that I don’t understand, want to serve in the military. Don’t get worried if you are denied. Many cadets at West Point did not make it to SLS, but are happy and doing well at West Point today.</p>

<p>Thanks for your answer and support! But I do have one more question. If you are familiar with how they select SLS candidates do you know if they will wait to see my SAT scores that I will take on Jan 22 and get back around Feb 11?(I plan to score at least a 1350 my first time around) Basically I am asking whether or not they will take the time to look further into my High School career. For example, I am a full IB diploma candidate (and doing very well in the program) which should carry a lot of weight, but they dont see that on the Candidate Questionnaire. P.S. my PSAT scores are 54, 53, 56… I know its bad, but that doesn’t at all reflect my intelligence… I’m just angry now that I didn’t take them seriously. (I thought they were only useful if you were competing for the merit scholarship… I guess I was wrong)</p>

<p>you learned your first lesson – nothing that is graded and recorded is every to be taken lightly. Get used to it, at the Academy they’ll grade you on how you blow your nose and wipe your… well, you get he picture.</p>

<p>If the Academy doesn’t work out, you can also get a commission through ROTC, either at a civilian college (over 250 host schools) or one of the Senior Military College programs… such as Texas A&M, the Citadel, VMI, North Georgia, Norwich, and I think there are a couple more.</p>

<p>Or, you could join Army Reserve and go through college that way.</p>

<p>The other Senior Military College is Virginia Tech, which, like Texas A&M, has a corps within the rest of the student body. </p>

<p>Your scores for the PSAT aren’t awful. You scored higher than about 80 percent of other Americans. The SLS application is meant to be vague, as you have learned. It’s really not a representation of who will get into the Academy, which should be your goal if you’d like to attend West Point in the future. Focus on the real thing. </p>

<p>Norwich University is another Senior Military College, located in Northfield,Vermont. They offer a great summer program, with looser application standards (but still a great school and a great program.) Here is the link:[Future</a> Leader Camp: Admissions: Norwich University](<a href=“404 error page”>404 error page)</p>

<p>One more note: West Point is, in my mind, is tied with the other Academies as being the school in America. No other system gives you the physical, academic and mental toughness to succeed- in the military and in real life. A sibling of mine is a graduate, as is my father. The same holds true for USAFA, USNA, USCG, and USMMA. Keep a Senior Military College as an option-you end up as a 2nd LT, and live under a military lifestyle.
Best of Luck.</p>

<p>Thanks so much! I really appreciate your answers and support.</p>