A Letter... But Not the One

Received a letter in the mail today. It thanked me for applying and said I should receive my decision no later than May 1st. So now I have another date to count down to. They didn't say why they pushed it back. Dad thinks that something probably happened to their computers and they got behind. I've had a couple people mention to me at school that they consider this cruel and unusual punishment. And I almost agree with them.
Well, now back to waiting.

Still Waiting

Three days have passed and I have still yet to hear a word. I called CGA after school today but only recieved their answering machine. I left a message and hopefully they'll get back to me. Dad says this is a really busy time for the academy and it might take them a while to get through to me. Again I'm at a stand still there's not much I can do right now.

Ta Daa...

So I got home from school in a rush today. As soon as I got on my property, I dropped my school bag and ran to the mailbox. Magazine for mom, bills for dad, penpal for sister. NO letter from CGA. I went inside and checked my email. Still nothing. My parents say that the mail is off a day or so. So I'll give them a few more days before freaking out and calling CGA.
Oh and I still haven't recieved that interview...

Two Weeks and Counting...

Little more than two more weeks until I receive my decision from the US Coast Guard Academy. I'm now getting extremely nervous and haveing serious doubts that I can get in. I called CGA about a week ago to request an interview with an admissions person. The women on the phone said they would put a note in my file and someone would get back to me about setting a date... No one's called. This is why I'm stressing. If there's only two weeks left til I hear back from CGA, will there be any time for my interview. Interviews are optional but recommended for CGA. I'm hoping this interview might help with admission, making it look like I'm really interested in going there (which I really am). This is so frustrating. I don't want to call CGA because I don't want them to think of my as an annoying person.
Err. I guess I just have to wait and see what happens.

Email Reply

I received an email from an admissions person, Mrs. Homiski. She writes very clear, saying that they have yet to receive my PFE and if I have a copy, I can fax it to them. I was in AP Environmental Science class at the time.(Our teacher had emailed us some articles to be environmentally friendly.) After class, I rushed to the Gym where the PE teachers officers were. I knocked on the door and my substitute PE teacher opened it. "Hi, I'm applying to the US Coast Guard Academy."
She replied. "Didn't I already give you the envelope?" I sighed. Then I went on to describe to her how my original teacher hadn't included my PFE form. Finally she was able to find it in a stack of papers on the desk. I thanked her and ran out to get to my next class on time. After school I ran to the Guidance office and asked if they could fax the paper to the Academy. Luckily they could. When I got home, I sent a email back to Mrs. Homiski saying I had sent it. Now I know everything truly is completed and turned it.

Checking...

So I checked my status again, and with relief, I found that they had processed my transcript and teacher recommendations. But my PFE (Physical Fitness Exam) was still unshaded. So I sent an email to the admissions office because I didn't want them to think I hadn't sent it. I explained to them about my PE teacher being absent and me not being able to reach her. I don't want to get in trouble for not sending it, when I have no control over my teachers absence.
Dad says I should call the admissions office, but the last time I did that I was sent through to the maintenance department. Ugh. I hope I hear from them soon.

How Dare They!

I went on to www.cga.edu and check my status on what items they have received. What was strange was that they hadn't received my recommendations or transcript. I had given it to my guidance counselor about a week ago. They hadn't sent out my stuff til today's mail. And my deadline is March 1, 3 days away! As my mom says, this could cost me my career because acceptance is first come first serve. Hopefully they'll accept it if it's postmarked before March 1st. I can't believe they did that. I thought they were always suppose to be prompt about this stuff.
Stress is finally befalling me. Teachers are cramming from where they procrastinated earlier in the year. Pretty soon I'll have to be studying for the AP exams. And now this.
What more could happen?

A Letter...

I came home from school and found a thin letter from CGA at my desk. It's too soon. They haven't had the time to look through all my stuff. I ripped the envolpe open. The results of your medical examination have been recieved and evaluated. You are found to be unqualified for the service academey you are applying to... What a blow. I bet I know why. It's probably my eyes. I can't read distance that well. And that eye doctor I went to was a complete idiot. Oh well, the letter then finished off saying that I couldn't do anything about it until after they finished reviewing my application and they'd send more information after they had finished.
Don't worry, I still have a chance of getting in.

Finished, Done, Completed

I have completed everything required to apply to the US Coast Guard Academy. I've done essay, gotten physicals, asked teachers for evaluations. And I'm done! No more work. Now I just have to wait for them to review my application. That, I think is the hardest part.

3 Down 0 To Go

I've finished and sent off my three essays that are required. Dad's be really at me with revising them. I swear I have about a zillion different copies. I'm just glad their done and over with. Now I just need to submit my teacher evaluations. I'm still working on finding my PE teacher. I haven't seen her since my test with her. Hmmm. As long as I have the evaluations sent by the end of the month, I'll be fine (deadline is March 1). I'm almost done and then I can relax til I get some kind of answer.

Time For The Test

I scheduled my physcial test with my PE teacher for yesturday. I thought the weather was going to be pretty good. Ended up that it started to rain as I was finishing my running. I think I scored well. The whole test is out of 300 point and I got 151 points (you need 134 points for them to look at your application).I managed to do 19 push-ups and 64 curl-ups. I'm very proud of myself with the 1 1/2 mile run. I did it in 13:42 minutes. Normally I get about 14 minutes.
So now I'm almost done with my application. I just need to submit there evaluations nad the test results, then finish off my essays but that's another day.

PS: I got accepted to Susquehanna University!

An Apple A Day, Keeps The Doctor Away

Had my physical today. This time I remembered to bring my ID card. It wasn't a long exam, maybe about 45 minutes. Here's what I went through:
First the nurse had me do a hearing test and then I had to read a paragraph. Next she took my weight and height. Also I had to give a urine sample(Yuk!). After that I waited for the doctor to arrive. Now, women, it might be a little uncomfortble, but for the physical, a strip down is required. I'm not sure what they do for men. When the doc arrived, he (the nurse was also present) looked at my eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Next came a balance check and reflexes. Then he did that test where he presses down on your belly for any discomfort. Finally,(and I know, not the most fun) a brest check, for any lumps or such.
That was about it. Time flew and before I knew it, I was done. Two other guys came in but I was the only girl(Go me!). Now all that's left for me to do is my essays. Better get those done.

Note To Self...

Always make sure you have your ID card with you. Just learn to carry it around with you now, then you won't forget it when you really need it. Thursday my mom took me into the city to get my physical done for the Coast Guard application. We drove 45 minutes down to the doctor's office. Parking 3 long blocks away, we walked in the snow to the office. The elevator ride made me motion sickness and we had to go 12 floors up. We get to the receptionists desk and Mom turns to me and says, "Do you have your ID card?" Ah shit! I'm so used to my mother reminding me to do things. Without an ID they won't do the physical. That was such a waste of time and it was all my fault. I should have remembered to bring my ID but I didn't. Now I'm rescheduled to get the physical done next Thursday. I'll write then and tell you how it goes.

About CGA

That's Coast Guard Academy to all you non-military folk out there. This is my dream college that I am currently working hard at getting into. I thought I'd use this post to give you a few facts about CGA.
*It is the smallest of the 5 military academies
*There is no cost for attending, that's right, but there is a requied 5 years of service to the Coast Guard after Graduation
*It is highly selective. Only a little more that 250 students go accepted in last year. (There's an average of a 1 in 10 chance of getting in.)
*There's under 1000 students enrolled and CGA is represented from 49 states and 10 foreign nation.
*The majors you can consider: Civil Engineering, Electric Engineering, Government, Management, Marie and Environmental Sciences(That's what I want to do), Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marie Engineering, Operations Research and Computer Analysis
If your interested in learning more, you can check out the website at www.cga.edu.

You Got To Get Physical...

You have to do a lot of running in the Coast Guard, well, the military in general does a lot of running. Physical fitness is also another biggy. The Coast Guard Academy requires a physical test sort that needs to be done with your PE teacher/Coach. It includes 2 minutes of curl ups, a 2 minute cadence of push ups, and running 1 mile and 1/2.
I want to get a good time on my running so I've started running 1 mile and 1/2 after school to build up my stamina and it hurts. I'm not an athletic person, I'm more of a activities girl. I ran Monday and I still hurt from that. I don't know how I'm going to walk tomorrow, I can barely walk up and down the stairs now. Also the weather is getting colder so it's harder to run consistently. Push ups and curl ups are easier 'cause they can be done indoors during bad weather. I'm not really worried about that part of the test.
On a happier note, I finally submitted my online applications for Susquehanna and La Salle University. I'm definitely happy about that. One less thing for me to worry about. It's done and over with.

How It Began

I grew up in a military family. My dad was a colonial before he retired and my mom resigned her commission at my birth. There's been no other thing I've wanted to do than to go into the military. But with the Iraqi war, my parents were scared I'd be sent over seas and would not support my plans for the Army. So I had to make other plans. A friend of the family suggested the Coast Guard Academy. If you've heard of West Point, the Army academy, or Annapolis, the Navy academy, that's what the Coast Guard Academy is. Only not as intense. But don't think it's a wimpy part of the military. Their not called Home Land Security for nothing. The Coast Guard of the personal who search ships coming in and out of the ports. They are the search and rescue teams during bad storms that keep the Navy at dock. Just because the Coast Guard is small doesn't mean it doesn't have a big bite. So I looked into it and have decided that is going to be my first choice for college, with Susquehanna University coming in second and La Salle University in third.
This is my journey through the sweat and the tears. Can you keep up?