<p>Hey!</p>
<p>I am a freshman in high school at a decent school. In the beginning of high school I was not doing so great in academics and i was not in that many extra-curricular activities. My Grandpa went to the academy and graduated in 73. He had always joked around about his grand kids going to the Naval Academy, and i never really thought twice about it. Until he took me to the campus and i did some research on it and it is now my dream school. I now have great grades and am looking into many different extra activities. I realize that the Naval Academy only wants the best of the best to go to their school but what if I am completely motivated and am ready to work extremely hard, is it even possibly for me to be eligible? Its my dream and I wont stop at anything until i get this. Also, what would be the steps necessary to do all i can to look good to USNA?</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much for reading this and helping me out, it means a lot.</p>
<p>Claudia</p>
<p>Sounds like you have a great attitude! Find something that your passionate about and get involved. Definitely try to get some leadership positions and one that are really meaningful so that when someone asks you what the position involved, you have something to talk about. You are really far out, but if and when you decide to apply for STEM or NASS or admission, make sure you get your applications in really early! I think this helped me out 
</p>
<p>Hope that helps…</p>
<p>Take all the honors/AP courses possible (ignore the worthless ones such as art history and music though) and get a 4.0. Then get above a 31 ACT or 2100 SAT.</p>
<p>in addition to the above here is some stuff from thier website
To improve your chances of qualifying scholastically, your high school preparation should include the following:
–mathematics-four years of mathematics courses, including a strong foundation in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry. Courses in pre-calculus and calculus are also very valuable and are highly encouraged.
–science-one year each of chemistry and physics, with lab if possible.
–English-four years of course work with special attention to the study and practice of effective writing. Surveys of English and American literature are especially helpful as background for future study of literature.
To further enhance your competitiveness for admission, the following courses are also recommended:
–foreign language-at least two years.
–history-one full year of U.S. history and, where possible, a full year of European or world history.
–introductory computer and typing courses are recommended because all midshipmen are required to use personal computers in most courses.</p>
<p>those classes are the ones that will make you both competitive and prepared; they want to see that you are taking the hardest classes available to you so to the best of your capabilities take APs/honors/IBs…
look at this to see the APs that USNA will give you credit for with the minimum score needed to validate [USNA</a> Course Validation Policy](<a href=“http://www.usna.edu/acdean/candidateinfo/USNACourseValidationPolicy.htm]USNA”>http://www.usna.edu/acdean/candidateinfo/USNACourseValidationPolicy.htm)
hope this helps</p>
<p>First and foremost, congrats to you for getting an early start.
When it comes time for your application, you will be evaluated based on several aspects including the following:
-Class rank
-GPA
-SAT math and verbal scores
-candidate fitness assessment
-teacher recommendations [11th grade math and english teachers specifically]
-Leadership
-motivation
-responsibility and accountability
-ECAs
-BGO interview</p>
<p>You will also need to apply for, and obtain, a nomination, which is seperate and distinct from the USNA application.</p>
<p>What you can do to prepare:
- put the effort into getting the best grades possible in all coursework. Get extra instruction where you need it, study hard.
- taking care of #1 will help with making improvement in class rank [which is “weighted” more than GPA by the admissions board]
- Practice [for now] the PSAT. Focus on math.<br>
- take the courses recommended above. Do well in them. Get on a good math track where you will be able to get pre-calc, or even better, calculus, under your belt during your HS years. Chem with lab, physics with lab, english- yrs, language 2 years [more if you can], american history AND european history- all strongly recommended.
- connect well with your teachers. Demonstrate genuine interest in their classes. It will make class more interesting for YOU and students always do better when they are interested in the subject matter.
- get involved in some ECA. It is not the quantity of ECAs you are involved with, but rather the depth you are involved… so better to have one ECA that you are involved with for 4 years then 4 things you are involved with for a year each.
- Girls state- reseach it and get involved.
- Leadership- get involved with an activity or sport where you can hold a leadership position, either through a sport, ECA, student government, scouting, etc.
- summer job- a reference letter from a summer employer can speak to responsibility and accountability. Take the job seriously and do a GREAT job. Good is not good enough in anything related to USNA, so make that your motto!
- Sports- it is not by accident that the VAST MAJORITY of those offered appointments will have an organized sport on their agenda. So pick a sport you are interested in and persure it with passion. Work hard and aim for excellence.
- consider track- it will get you started on a running program that will help prepare you.
- consider something that will help you build upper body strength- start working on push ups, pull ups, etc. It will help you when the time comes for the fitness assessment.
- read through the USNA catalog.
- Get- and read- “A candidates guide to the United States Naval Academy” written by Susan Ross [available on Amazon]. Consider it a “must read.”</p>
<p>Sophomore year:
- contact your BGO. It is a bit early, but it will demonstrate early motivation and will let your BGO know of your interest. Communicate your preparations to date.
- If not already attended, apply for STEM for next summer [see USNA.edu website]</p>
<p>Junior year:
- prep for SATs and/or ACTs.
- apply for NASS on Feb 1st of your Junior year.
- Retake as often as necessary to get the highest scores possible.
- If competetive in sports, get clearance from NCAA clearinghouse. Contact USNA coach [on line questionairre at USNA athletics, but also contacting coach directly].
- Connect with BGO. </p>
<p>Senior year:
- complete application EARLY [aim for end of sept to have all application materials in]
- complete application for all nomination sources [deadlines come early so note them carefully]</p>
<p>ALL of this is explained in the 2 references noted above: USNA catalog[on line] and the Candidate Guide… both are a good starting point to understanding the process.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Sue Ross’ “The Naval Academy Candidate Book” … usually many lower cost used copies available on Amazon. It’ll take you through most of the process.</p>