Chance Me

MMoran03 · 12-26-2008, 08:37 PM

I am currently a junior at a private catholic school in northern virginia I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering here are my stats:
3.8 GPA, 3.6 freshman year, 4.0 sophomore year, 4.0 1st quarter junior year will have 6 APs by graduation mostly in sciences
190 PSAT, 62 Verbal, 64 Math, 64 Writing
27 ACT taken march of sophomore year
Debate, Editor of school newspaper, 5 varsity letters, a bit of community service
will max out on everything (push ups, pull ups, sit ups, basketball throw) except for mile (about 5:40) on CFA
father spent 22 years (11 in Navy, 11 in US Public Health Service) in uniformed services
what are my chances anyone?

Luigi59 · 12-27-2008, 09:02 AM

1. Apply to AIM in January. Success at AIM is a good indicator of success at the Coast Guard Academy. Typically, 50% of AIM grads earn appointments to the Academy.

2. Take the SAT / ACT as many times as necessary until you believe you cannot do any better. Scores of 660 and higher are your target.

3. Become a captain of one of your varsity teams.

4. USCGA does not use the CFA, it uses the PFE - cadence pushups, situps, and a 1.5 mile run. It does not include basketball throws, pullups, or shuttle runs.

5. Take calculus (honors or AP if possible). Take a course load of challenging math & science courses in your senior year, and pass them.

6. Apply to Early Action by November 2009, relax and enjoy being a kid in high school until R-Day 2010.

trackandfield08 · 12-28-2008, 06:38 PM

Your stats look good to me. I agree with Luigi though. Enjoy being in highschool while it lasts. I just earned an appointment to the USCGA and let me tell you, time flies. Although it is good that you have started early, dont forget about having fun as well. Your GPA looks pretty solid as well.

Also, make sure you apply to AIM!! I can't stress this enough. It gives you an excellent idea of what Swab Summer is like. It also helps you in deciding if USCGA is the right fit for you. For some, its the turnaway. For others, including myself, it attracts you even more to CGA. As for the PFE, practice cadence pushups! Its a lot different then just doing as many pushups as possible in two minutes. If you have any questions about AIM or the application process, let me know, I would be glad to help. Also check out Service Academy Forums! Its an awesome forum and is an excellent source for kids thinking about applying to SAs. Just Google "Service Academy Forums" and it should pop right up.