USNA Makes the Short List

You’ve decided to add the USNA to your shortlist of potential colleges. This means you are choosing to cram AP Physics while friends go to movies. And join study groups for Math Analysis and Calculus instead of shopping with friends at the mall. You wonder if you must drop Orchestra—one of your only relaxing periods and the group needs you as the Concert Master. But, a lonely nine percent of USNA admittees lead musical groups (well, that’s not going to happen, so you move on).

What the “average” applicant achieves during high school will take commitment and organization on your part to complete. Eighty-nine percent of admittees play at least one Varsity sport. Do you care that much? With a mental shake of your head, you brush off your cleats and shinguards.

Because of the decisions you’re now making (tackling varsity sports, studying during play hours), you realize you’re committed to at least an interest in this school. You accept it as one of the few colleges you will spend precious minutes and hours working to get into for the next several years. The formal application process will take months of rigorous work. And preparing yourself for the physical tests will exclude time you might spend on your music or your research—skills that could help you in your application for Notre Dame or Scripps.

It seems, already, seminal choices must be made.

What you need is more information: You need to know more about the school’s fit to your needs and desires, and your fit to their  expectations. And what are your chances of being accepted?