What else should I do to improve my chances?

<p>I am a sophomore in High School(Maine South High School) and am very, very interested in going to West Point. I am wondering what else I should do to improve my chances at being accepted. </p>

<p>Currently what I've got going for me is,</p>

<p>2 Years of Cross Country: Sophomore Captain, hopefully Senior captain in 2 more years.
2 Years of Track
1 Year of Speech Team: Gunning for a captain spot as well.
4.4 GPA (Taking all accelerated class possible, aka honors, and a few AP courses)
Because of my running I can run a sub 5 minute mile, and while I am not as strong as I would like to be, I am making progress.</p>

<p>What else should I get involved with? </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>It sounds as if you are off to a good start. Great run time!</p>

<p>Good PSAT and SAT/ACT scores are important - practice for the tests and do the best you can.</p>

<p>Look for good summer opportunities.</p>

<p>This link should be helpful:</p>

<p>USMA</a> Admissions: Start Young</p>

<p>ACADEMIC PREPARATION
West Point encourages you to take a strong college preparatory academic program if you hope to apply and be a competitive West Point candidate. Your high school academic subjects should include:</p>

<p>Four years of English, with a strong emphasis on composition, grammar, literature, and speech.
Four years of math: algebra, plane geometry, intermediate algebra, and trigonometry.
Two years of a foreign language.
Two years of a laboratory science such as chemistry, biology or physics.
One year of U.S. history.
Courses in geography, government, and economics will be helpful as well. If your school includes a course in precalculus and calculus in its curriculum, along with a basic computing course, we suggest you consider taking those courses because they will be helpful during your first year at West Point.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION
To prepare for the rigorous West Point military training, physical education, and intercollegiate athletic programs, you should improve your physical strength and endurance in the following ways:</p>

<p>Participate in vigorous competitive team sports.
Participate in individual sports that require sustained physical effort.
Perform distance running regularly; two miles are recommended.
Perform strenuous conditioning exercises - push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
The best way to prepare is by starting off slowly and building on your physical accomplishments. Start with a two-mile run, alternating between running, walking, and gradually increase the amount of running. If you start early, you will be prepared to deal with the physical aspects of the West Point challenge.
LEADERSHIP PREPARATIONS
You should participate in extracurricular activities that provide valuable leadership experiences and responsibilities. This will help you prepare for the leadership development training you will receive at West Point. The following high school experiences will develop and demonstrate your leadership potential:</p>

<p>Class, club, or student government position.
Awards in academic societies, such as the National Honor Society.
Participation and achievement in athletics.
Participation and success in public speaking and other nonathletic activities.
Participation and achievement in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, or Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Membership in community or church organizations.
The United States Military Academy considers it more valuable for you to achieve distinction in a specific activity, rather than participation in a number of activities without any evidence of leadership achievement. If you have to work to provide financial assistance for your family, West Point views that working experience as a demonstration of your leadership potential even though it will limit participation in school activities.</p>

<p>Thank you for your input Anne, I took the PSAT this year and got a 30 out of 33, and was in the 95% of my class, so standardized testing isn't a huge worry, though I will be preparing for the different tests.</p>

<p>As I am very interested in West Point I have already scoured every available source to give me a leg up, but I do have a question. On the West Point website, it says that it is more important to excel at a few things then be average in a lot of arenas. So if I was to be senior captain of my varsity cross country team, and captain of my speech team, besides community work, should I do anything else in the realm of extracurrics?</p>

<p>Thanks,
Mike</p>

<p>Also, my school does not have an ROTC group, do you think it would be possible to start one up? Any suggestions on how to go about that?</p>

<p>Hey man, heres a word of advice:</p>

<p>Only 2,000 of the initial 12,000 applicants actually are triple qualified for admission and receive a nomination. Of those 2,000 approximately 1,200 are offered admission-- so just make sure you get triple Q'd! Most people get DQd from physical fitness and DODMERB!</p>

<p>All you have to do is make sure you maintain a 3.5+ gpa with average competitive ACTs (which are currently 28 English, 28 Math, 27 Science and 30 Reading) with a varsity captain/letter and a few hooks (like community service or startup project etc) and you'll be fine.</p>

<p>TRUST ME, YOU'LL BE FINE.</p>

<p>.. but don't do what I did any ONLY secure a House of Rep nomination. Always apply for your senator! =X</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice. I still have two years to work on the more strength related portions of the physical fitness so I'm not to worried. Whats DODMERB?</p>

<p>Okay, now I understand why West Point is hard to get into, but I just gotta work towards being triple Q'd. Thanks for the reassurance. </p>

<p>How hard is it to get the nomination from my senator?</p>

<p>Thanks again,
Mike</p>

<p>Obtaining a nomination from your Senator is tougher than from your Representative usually due to a larger pool of qualified applicants. It also depends on how competitive your district is and your state is too.</p>

<p>But, you asked initially, "What else should I get involved with?"</p>

<p>Three words: Get a life.</p>

<p>Don't take it the wrong way, but get a life. Meaning, don't spend all of your waking moments figuring out how to get into West Point or any of the academies. Ever heard the saying "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"? If you don't know Jack, then stop and smell the roses. A true leader is well-rounded in life. But more importantly, you can focus so much on obtaining the "prize" of admission that it is very possible to see it lose its luster. Happens all the time. I have a good friend who did the very same thing. He was Mr. Perfect, got the grades, did the sports, had service out the wazoo and what do ya know, he was accepted into the Air Force Academy. Then, he burned out, not because he couldn't handle it, but because it wasn't what he was expecting and the experience lost its appeal. It could happen.</p>

<p>So speaking as a grown up with grown kids, two of whom have gone to academies, along with a nephew, I'd hope you get a life. It'll help you in the long run.</p>

<p>Thank you for your advice about the senator appointment, though it kinda was humbling, because I live in a district that includes Chicago, so that's not good. </p>

<p>In relation to your other advice, I have been both the Jack who smells the roses(in fact the Jack who doesn't care about anything) and, I have been the Jack who becomes a dull boy. Right now, I am perfectly happy with where I am in life, and that is all you can ask for right? I do not spend every waking moment thinking about West Point, but I do have goals for my future, and while I don't rest all hope for happiness upon them, I do hope they come to fruition. Trust me, I do all the things that I can to both enjoy my adolescence and also make something of it. </p>

<p>So thank you for both the asked for, and unasked for advice.</p>

<p>Mike.</p>

<p>Sounds like you are well on your way. Best of luck to you. Since you live near Chicago, you are going to be in a competitive district. Make sure you apply for an appointment to all four of your nominating options.</p>

<p>Mike,
Looking at the recent class profile is always a good way to judge the activities that USMA values:
USMA</a> Admissions: More Info: Class Profile: 2008 </p>

<p>If you have time in your schedule for other activities, my advice would be to choose something you enjoy doing.<br>
Good luck!</p>