Please make sure that you are adequately prepped. Also, please note that both SAT and ACT are recommended.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About Me
- Ted Liu
- Sugar Land, Texas, United States
- Born and raised in Shanghai, China, I have been in the States for over twenty (20) years, fourteen (14) of which as a guidance counselor at one of the top high schools in the greater Houston area. My career interest is mainly, as you have probably already guessed, in college consultation.
I had a couple of inquiries on how to get into one of the service academies, like Air Force Academy. Other than the usual published application procedures, I always want someone who has gone though the process and does not mind sharing his/her first-hand experience. Michelle, a current senior at CHS, is right now going through exactly that. She graciously agreed to share some of her experience with everyone when I asked her to do so the other day.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, thank you so much for your willingness to help your fellow Rangers! Please focus on the beginning of the process, where to start, as a junior, when sharing.
This is something I just received from Michelle, a senior at CHS. Thanks, Michelle, for doing this and I am sure someone will find it useful.
ReplyDelete~STEP ONE…
~~Open your own candidate portal at the following website or that of the academy that you are applying to.
~~~the following is a link to the West Point Website: http://admissions.usma.edu/
~ITEMS that will be included on the portal website and in other areas of your application process may include:
~~Letter of Nomination
~~CFA (Candidate Fitness Assessment)
~~~can be given/proctored by a coach, ROTC instructor, or qualified teacher
~~~includes the following exercises: (see the website for grading scale) https://candidate.usma.edu/downloads/CFA_Instructions.pdf
....basketball throw
....pull-ups
....flexed arm hang
....shuttle
....modified sit-ups
....push-ups
....one-mile run
~~Letter of Nomination
~~~this is required
~~~this may be from any of the following:
....a district congressman/ woman
....either of the two state senators
....the Vice president
~~~OR a special nomination may be granted
....if you are a dependent of a man or woman in the armed forced (the president will then grant you a letter of nomination)
....you have been in ROTC for four years
~~~for each letter of nomination, you must go to their website (the person from whom you are asking a letter of nomination). They will then mail you a letter or have listed the requirements for receiving or being eligible for their letter. Some of their requirements may include:
....SAT/ ACT scores
....an interview with their personal reviewing board
....an essay or previously written paper
....high school transcript
....letters of recommendation (for congressmen/women, the letter of recommendation may be required to come from someone who lives within the same district as you)
~~A high school transcript
~~A secondary school transcript
~~SAT and ACT test scores
~~~the essay is required for the SAT and the score codes may be found at the academies website or looked up at the testing website for either SAT or ACT
~~~it is best to test soon and test often because most of the academies will accept a composite score- this means that they will combine your best critical reading with your best math and best english scores and so on
~~~an interview with the school
....this may be done through a sergeant at the summer program or at a seminar that you attend in your community
~~Three letters of recommendation
~~~these letters will come from the following teachers (you have NO CHOICE)
....math teacher
....english teacher
....science teacher
~~~there is an option on your application portal to enter your teachers e-mail address so that they may electronically send their letter to the Academy- I highly suggest doing this
~~~once the teacher has sent in their letter, its completion will appear on your application
~~~ask teachers early- before school starts if possible- because they will be bogged down with many things to do once school is in session
Since there is a limit on the characters of the posting, I have to separate the info from Michelle. Please also, keep in mind that her experience is not only applicable to West Point and other service academies, but highly useful for any other most selective institutions, the process is very much similar.
ReplyDelete~~DODMERB (Department of Defense Medical Examining Review Board)
~~~once you apply online, they will send you a letter- if you have not received one within the next two weeks following the date of opening your portal, be sure and make contact with your area coordinator
~~~you will fill out a series of forms online that include almost all of your past medical history
~~~they will give you a choice of clinics - try to pick the closest one
~~~if they send you a letter requesting more information, answer as soon as possible
~~~DODMERB is very busy, and the sooner you answer, the faster the process goes
~~~if at some point, DODMERB deems you disqualified, West Point or another academy may put in a request for DODMERB to re-test you or ask for more information
~~~ultimately, USMA makes the final decision- this means that the better your grades, the more athletic you are, and the more leadership you have, the more USMA will want you, and the less impact a very minor medical setback will have
~~Fill out all activities
~~~emphasize any playing time you had on a varsity team or any time that you were in a leadership position such as team captain
~~Include clubs and other school activities
~~~Girls/Boys State is HUGE!!!*** Please note the asterisks
~~~try to become a leader
~~~it is better to be a president of ONE club that to be a member of TEN clubs
~~Three essays
~~~topics may include:
....your opinion on different cultures
....leadership experience
....hardships
....government opinion
....why West Point (and not a "normal college")
....work ethic
Again, this is the last part:
ReplyDelete~EXTRA stuff that you can do to help your admittance chances:
~~Attend West Point seminars in your area
~~~you can find out about these through local recruiters, USMA alumni, or the USMA website
~~Meet local recruiters, alumni, and liaisons
~~Attend the Summer Leaders Seminar
~~Attend other summer camps
~~~even if you don't attend West Point's summer camp, they will reward the fact that you attended the camp for another academy
~~Become a WP fan on Facebook and Myspace
~~Look at USMA blogs
~THINGS to do the summer between your junior and senior year of high school:
~~Attend the Summer Leaders Seminar (SLS)
~~~you must apply to go to this weeklong camp in West Point, New York
~~~application is online and should be completed during your junior year- preferably by the end of February
~~~transportation from airports in New York and New Jersey are able to get candidates from airports to the Academy
~~~at SLS, students will be participating in PT (physical training), marches, sleeping in the barracks, eating in the mess halls, building leadership, learning about firearm safety and choosing three classes to attend during that week which range from engineering to social sciences
~~~prices are listed online at the WP website
~~~you are responsible for booking your own flights
~~~PARENTS*… there is a huge graduation ceremony on the last day of camp where part of the honor guard plays and the rewards are handed out
....parents can stay on grounds at the Hotel Thayer, a marvelous bed and breakfast that is walking distance from the museum- like school grounds of West Point
~~Attend Boys/Girls State
~~~this is another weeklong camp away from home that you must apply for
~~~you can apply to go to this camp through your local American Legion Auxiliary
~~~the cost must be fundraised and cannot be paid for by parents
~~~some schools have a scholarship that will cover the cost
~~~at this camp, boys and girls will be separated from the rest of society (usually on a college campus) where they will transform their dorms into cities, create governments, hear from public, state, and national officials, and run for office of their new imaginary fifty-first state
~~~if they proceed from their state as an excellent student, they may even have the chance to attend another camp called Boys/ Girls Nation which is simply all of the top students from the state camps coming together on a national level
~~~*great preparation for government classes!!!
~~Apply to other schools
~~~even if USMA is your first choice, please have a backup
MOST OF ALL REMEMBER...
YOU MUST WANT THIS.