<p>My cadet didn’t even have a thought about USMA until the summer between her Jr. and Sr. year of HS. The way the thought got planted is another story…involved an argument about schools. She applied in July and had an LOA in August. So obviously she didn’t set about to build her HS career around gaining an appointment, but because she is just an involved kid by nature, and a good student, it worked out for her.</p>
<p>Do what you love. Do what interests you. That’s the only way to truly make your mark. I would not suggest taking part in an activity simply because it might look good on a resume; you probably won’t enjoy it as much, you probably won’t do as well as you could, and you might even resent the time the activity takes away from doing what you really want to do.</p>
<p>We never gave much thought to her playing tennis, being in the band, singing, being a peer tutor…these were just what happened to interest her, so these are what she did. Worked out well, but it certainly was not “by design.”</p>