Courses that USNA accepts

[JTB7]

I was wondering the exact courses the Naval Academy accepts into your gpa. I know our high school takes in everything we take, but our state colleges and UC(University of California) colleges do not accept everything. For example, we have to take 4.5 years of electives (art, media arts, etc.) but they only accept 1 year into your gpa. Our school also takes in what grade you got in P.E., but the state colleges and UCs only care if you took P.E. Basically, do they take PE and other courses than English, U.S History, Math, Science, and Foreign Language into your gpa? Or they look just at your class rank?
Also wondering if you take all A.P classes and Honors classes and get B's in them, will they take him or the guy who takes normal classes with strait A's? (And does the same extracurricular activities, etc.) I am doing mostly honors classes right now and doing reasonably well and know I will not fail AP classes.

 

[Uncle Fester]

The Boat School doesn't take transfer credits, if that's what you're asking. You can validate some of the plebe courses, either by a validation exam (taken during Plebe Summer) or by scoring a 4 or 5 on an AP test (depends on the class). I don't recall how that's rolled into your QPR. Of course, my info is a bit dated. My plebe year was...jesus, was it really almost 13 years ago? Wow. But I believe that's still the case.

If you're asking about what looks good to Admissions, do a search here, there's lots of folks who have asked that question and lots of good advice. The purpose of the Blue & Gold Officers is to answer these kinds of questions, too. If you're serious about Canoe U, then start getting in touch with that person, visit the USNA website, and so on. Don't just fill out an application and expect them to come to you.

In a nutshell, they'd rather get somebody who did pretty well in tough classes and did a bunch of other activities as well, than someone who got an A+ in basket weaving.

 

[et1nuke]

...than someone who got an A+ in basket weaving.

Underwater?

 

[insanebikerboy]

If I'm remembering correctly, anything you validate doesn't count towards your overall grades, it's just a validated course that lets you take something else.

 

[Schnugg]

Neither the merit badge

or degree will help at USNA.

If you can Validate it with an exam during plebe summer you'll get ahead but will always still have to take at least 15 credits each semester regardless.

 

[CaseyL90]

Just wondering, what school are you from? Your school sounds very similar to mine.

 

[cfam]

The Boat School doesn't take transfer credits, if that's what you're asking. You can validate some of the plebe courses, either by a validation exam (taken during Plebe Summer) or by scoring a 4 or 5 on an AP test (depends on the class). I don't recall how that's rolled into your QPR. Of course, my info is a bit dated. My plebe year was...jesus, was it really almost 13 years ago? Wow. But I believe that's still the case.

If you're asking about what looks good to Admissions, do a search here, there's lots of folks who have asked that question and lots of good advice. The purpose of the Blue & Gold Officers is to answer these kinds of questions, too. If you're serious about Canoe U, then start getting in touch with that person, visit the USNA website, and so on. Don't just fill out an application and expect them to come to you.

In a nutshell, they'd rather get somebody who did pretty well in tough classes and did a bunch of other activities as well, than someone who got an A+ in basket weaving.

It's still the same for validation now. This past summer my plebes were given the opportunity to take validation tests for calculus, chemistry, physics, english, and language courses here. If you did well enough on the tests for the intro-level course in each of the subject areas, you were invited back to try and validate higher level courses, ie..chemistry 2, calculus 2, etc... In the future, I'd suggest just searching the USNA website. I pulled this page up in about 30 secs. http://www.usna.edu/acdean/candidateinfo/USNACourseValidationPolicy.htm
It's got all of the USNA course validation policies on it.

 

[wink]

Generally GPA isn't as important as SAT or ACT scores or class standing. They will break out your hard science, math, and English grades if they think your gpa was hurt by something like band or Latin. Yes they consider honors and AP grades. If you are a Jr. better look into Summer Seminar now. Info is on the USNA site. Usually you are not put in touch with a Blue and Gold Officer until after your Jr. year. But with some research you can find out who it is and he will probably work with you regardless of your grade.

 

[JTB7]

Generally GPA isn't as important as SAT or ACT scores or class standing. They will break out your hard science, math, and English grades if they think your gpa was hurt by something like band or Latin. Yes they consider honors and AP grades. If you are a Jr. better look into Summer Seminar now. Info is on the USNA site. Usually you are not put in touch with a Blue and Gold Officer until after your Jr. year. But with some research you can find out who it is and he will probably work with you regardless of your grades.

Just learned my class standing takes in P.E., so I am 195 out of 484. I took a practice sat test and scored average scores as a sophomore. Is it competitive to get into the summer seminar?

Neither the merit badge

or degree will help at USNA.

If you can Validate it with an exam during plebe summer you'll get ahead but will always still have to take at least 15 credits each semester regardless.

lol I am going to ask my scoutmaster if there is underwater basket weaving now.

Just wondering, what school are you from? Your school sounds very similar to mine.

Leland in San Jose, CA Not to be racist, but a lot of Asians and everyone of their parents push them to death to get a 4.0 gpa. A lot of them have no extracurricular activities, just go home and study...

Also, if I don't get in and enlist in the Marine Corps, can you apply to NAPS/USNA strait out of training?

 

[Junior]

Just a word of encouragement here. If you don't get into summer seminar don't stress to much about it. I didn't go, mainly because I didn't know it existed and my high school doesn't get out until late June. I also had a terrible PSAT, but studied hard and did much better on the SAT. The worst they can do is say no. Get on their website (usna.edu) and order yourself a Pre-Candidate questionaire (if that's what they still call it). Good luck!

 

[Thisguy]

Also, if I don't get in and enlist in the Marine Corps, can you apply to NAPS/USNA strait out of training?

I would assume there is a buffer time...not to mention needing a CO's endorsement.

Don't forget you can always transfer from another college after your freshman year (though you'll still need to do 4 years at USNA). I'd imagine that'd be a quicker route than enlisting first.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Enlisting in the Navy or USMC doesn't help your chances of getting in, it just provides a different avenue. If you didn't get in right out of HS, you're very unlikely to get picked up right out of Great Mistakes.

 

[MrSaturn]

For some perspective about 1/6 of my classmates in my company had a year of college before going to USNA. Its not a big deal. Many of them did better than I did too

I could have validated a class but decided not to and retook it. Easy A, good review, and gave me time to study my rates, meals, and days. The guy who validated 10 courses graduated the same day I did.

My advice, if you want to be an officer dont enlist to become one. Here is what I would do:

1) Do well in school
2) Do extracurriculars become well rounded
3) Stay fit... do a sport
4) Apply early, attend summer seminar if you can... I did not attend it
5) Apply to other colleges that you would like to go to. Keep options open
6) IF: you dont get accepted to USNA/NAPS choose a college you would like to attend. If there is a ROTC program. Make that an activity.
7) After a year if you want to you can apply to USNA again. In the mean time take hard science classes. Think english, math, physics, world history and chemistry. Keep doing extracurriculars. Show leadership.
8) repeat 7 until you graduate or get accepted into USNA
9) If you now have a degree and not commissioned through ROTC. Look into OCS.

BUT im not you :icon_tong

 

[phrogpilot73]

Also, if I don't get in and enlist in the Marine Corps, can you apply to NAPS/USNA strait out of training?

Yes. But it doesn't necessarily mean you will get in.

I would assume there is a buffer time...not to mention needing a CO's endorsement.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

You're wrong. My second application to USNA was started before I went to boot camp, but was finished while I was in boot camp. I thought I had completed my application, but a rep from USNA called my parents and told them that I now had additional paperwork to do since I was enlisted. Dad thought about it for quite some time, and finally decided to call down to Parris Island. While most parents don't get very far calling Parris Island, by identifying himself as a Navy Capt - he was able to be forwarded to and speak with my Company Commander, Series Commander, and Senior Drill Instructor. I had no idea this happened, until I got called into my SDI's office. "So you wanna be a squid" is how the conversation started, and it went downhill from there. I got a lot of flak from the Drill Instructors (every morning - "Where's my little Zero!" and I had to report to the Quarterdeck), but my Company Commander (a USNA grad himself) made sure all the paperwork was done, and done correctly. I did not get in that time however. My grades were SO bad, that I needed more time in the military to show that I wasn't a giant POS.

Flash forward to youngster year, and I'm walking out of gate 1 into DTA for liberty. I walk past a Marine Major, stop turn around and say "excuse me sir, were you the Company Commander for Lima Company on Parris Island in January of '92?" He was there for a wedding. It's a small military, and an even smaller Corps.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Also, if I don't get in and enlist in the Marine Corps, can you apply to NAPS/USNA strait out of training?

I believe you have to be enlisted for at least a year before you can apply. I can't find a reference for that but I specifically remember hearing it when I applied. I was Navy though, so I don't know if it would be any different for the Marines.