I am attempting to get into the Naval Academy. Here is a basic layout of my transcript. Fill me in on what I can add to make a more competitive transcript.
Unweighted GPA: 3.87
Weighted:4.72
3 varsity letters (so far)
In the top 10%
Will attend Boys state in the summer
Was accepted to Naval and Air Force Summer Seminars
Roughly 100 volunteer hours
Secretary of my class Sophomore year
Treasurer of Student Body Junior year
Received multiple awards for academics and Latin exams
I received an 180 on the PSAT
Will take both SAT and ACT soon
I have also been a part of NHS since freshmen year
You might better odds than many applicants, but your chances are still not great. If you look at the stats of kids on these threads who were rejected you will find tons of them with stats like yours. Here is just one example of someone who didn’t get accepted this year.
-They have a 3.96 unweighted.
-6 varsity letters by her junior year (2 captianships and 2 mvp’s)
-Top 1.5%
-Accepted to Summer Seminar (the only one she applied to).
-300 Volunteer hours.
-Class and SCA officer.
-MULTIPLE awards for “student of the year” in various classes.
-One of 5 chosen for inclusion in the paper as an “academic all-star”
-Close to 2000 on the SAT and a 32 SS ACT.
-Multiple letters from USNA grads (Admirals etc) who have known her since she was young, and who said the Academy would be making a big mistake by not letting her in.
Even with these accomplishments she is just average compared to many of the kids that were turned down this year.
Despite that, don’t let me deter you. Someone has to get in and there are lots of kids with stats like yours (and some worse) who get in. My point is that nobody can give you an idea of what your chances are. It depends on everything from interviews to essays to how well you do on the fitness test. You can improve your chances by killing the physical test.
So, work hard. Get in great shape. Practice interviews. Then realize that you still have probably a one in 5 chance at best, and probably more like a 1 in 10 chance.
Thank you for the response. In regards to my original question, what are some things that I can add to my transcript?
I don’t think anyone knows what it is about one application that catches their eye versus another one that seems identical.
On paper you have everything that they look for. Then, again, so do many thousands of others. They seem to really like people who don’t give up. Try again the next year and your odds go up.
Will applying for an ROTC scholarship help?
Almost certainly. And it definitely will not hurt.
Applying for an ROTC scholarship shows that you are very interested in a military career, while not doing so puts that issue in doubt. I frankly never understand why somebody applies for the academy but does not apply for an ROTC scholarship.
Plan to take both the SAT and ACT – twice each! People often improve significantly the second time around. You appear to be a junior. Definitely need to have SAT and ACT scheduled at this point.
I have each coming up within 15 days, so I’ll have results in no time.