What are my chances for USMA, USNA, USAFA, and USCGA?

Hi, my name is Aaron, and I really hope I can get some people’s opinions and suggestions about my credentials for these service academies! Thank you!

Background:
-Junior in High School (will be Senior Class of 2020)
-Applying for Class of 2024 for USMA

Academics:
(GPA from all 4 years of High School)
-Academic GPA (weighted) = 3.88
-Academic GPA (unweighted) = 3.52
-Total GPA (weighted) = 3.8604
-Total GPA (unweighted) = 3.6577
-Taking numerous AP/Honors Classes
-SAT = 1280
~RW: 650
~Math: 630
-ACT = 28 Composite
~English: 31
~Math: 24
~Reading: 30
~Science: 25
~Essay: 8

Extracurriculars:
-Boy Scouts of America
~Eagle Scout Recipient
-National Honors Society
-California Scholarship Federation

What are some things you guys would recommend for someone like me? Hope to hear back! Thank you so much!

What I tell everyone here who posts a resume is that due to the vagaries of the nomination process and the rubric the service academies use to determine appointments, it is impossible to chance anyone. No one knows what the competition in your district will look like in the year you apply, so no one can chance you.

You should look at the makeup of current classes at each academy and make sure you at least meet if not exceed those stats. At Navy, for example:

https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/_files/documents/ClassPortrait.pdf

Your first step is getting a nomination. Except for the Coast Guard, the academies do not consider applications without a nomination, so you need to familiarize yourself with this process if you aren’t already by checking the websites of your congressperson and both senators. Once you start the nomination and application process, you will be assigned an officer or field rep who will shepherd you through this process and who will have insight into how competitive your district is and how you stack up against the competition in the year you apply. Getting the nomination is the gating factor; once a candidate has a nomination and is deemed 3Q (qualified academically, physically, and medically) and the application goes to the academy admissions team, the likelihood of an appointment is close to 50%. Everything you could possibly ask about the nomination process has been answered here:

https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?forums/nominations.21/

Also, you should scour the wealth of applicant information on each academy’s website and serviceacademyforums.com. No one there will chance you either for the reasons I gave above. These sources will tell you to do your best academically, up your physical fitness game, and pursue leadership opportunities. You will want to show quality over quantity, stay focused, and put your best application forward. That’s all you or any candidate can do.

But, from what you’ve posted, note that the academies value brains and brawn somewhat equally, but I don’t see any varsity sports in your list. As you can see from a recent class profile at USMA, for example:

https://westpoint.edu/admissions/class-profile

Of an incoming class of 1210, almost all were varsity athletes and most earned letters:

It is very difficult to be accepted to a federal service academy without participating in team sports at a fairly high level of athletic fitness as you will have to pass both a DoDMERB medical exam and a rigorous fitness assessment, and you will be facing four very strenuous and exhausting physical years at any of the academies. Perhaps you left your sports participation off the list above, but that is a glaring omission. Also, you need to show strong grades in calculus, physics and chemistry. The academies are primarily engineering schools, and all Plebes are required to take calculus, chemistry, and physics freshman year. These are known as the “Plebe Killer” classes for a reason, and you need to be prepared for them, so make sure you do well in all of these subjects before you graduate.

Good luck!