Applying after high school?

Hello, after reading some of the posts on this forum, I believe I am totally unqualified. I am in good physical shape and decent in school ( 690 math 590 reading on SAT). But I have absolutely no extra curricular activities, plus I have not been able to play sports to do a broken foot and broken arm suffered right after each other.

So my question is...can I take a year off after graduating (I am a high school senior now) and then apply? If so, what extra curricular activities/ leadership positions can I get into?

And If I want to apply post high school, do I have to go back to my high school after graduating to get my teacher evaluations and transcripts?

Hopefully you applied this year, since you never know who they'll accept/offer prep school to. Judging from your post though, it sounds like you haven't applied yet and it's way too late now.
Your best bet is probably to do a year at community college taking classes similar to the ones you would take your first year at the academy. Try to get all As and Bs (mostly As) to show them that you'll be able to handle the academy academically despite poor standardized test scores. There aren't a lot of leadership positions available to college freshmen, but you might want to look into volunteering and getting a job. I believe you have to go back to HS to get your transcript, but they'll care a lot more about your first semester college grades. As far as teacher evaluations, these can come either from your HS teachers or your college professors. Pick the people who know you the best and will give you the best recommendation. If you weren't able to get involved in sports because of injury, note that somewhere on your application. Try to get involved in some sort of sport during college if at all possible, and make sure you have excellent CFA scores to show them you'll be able to keep up physically. Another option is enlisting in the AF as they send some of their active duty enlisted men every year. However, that's a very risky option because if you don't get in, you still have to serve in the AF x number of years. Good luck to you, hopefully we'll both be Class of '15

Thanks for the response brother.

Ya, I have already applied for this year, but will take the year off regardless to heal and take care of some stuff back home.

I was also wondering if I can get my high school teacher evaluations now, and hold on to them and use them to apply next year. Is that possible?

Good advice so far. One note, you could get your teacher recommendations ahead of time for MOCs, but the ones for AFA are online. You will want to make sure you have your teachers email and contact information. You can also use teachers at college - it is your choice. My son is at prep school and has used both.

Something else to look into is participating in ROTC at college. This gives you some insight and shows you are interested in a career in the military.

Your college classes should mimic the classes the are taken by the 4 digs - Calc, Chem, Composition, Political Science. You should also shoot to do really well on the CFA to show you are fit.

Best of Luck!

dryden92 said:

Thanks for the response brother.

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More like sister, actually. No worries though lol.
Like Jackson1989 said, some of your recommendations will be online so you can't do those early. Those three have to be from your 11th or 12th grade english, math, and science teachers. You can include extra letters of recommendation (I think 3?) with your application and those might not have to be online, but I'm not sure, maybe someone else knows.
Also, you can take the SAT again in college if you think your reading score will improve (your math score is already pretty good), but it's definitely not something you *need* do.

tallbutshort said:

Those three have to be from your 11th or 12th grade english, math, and science teachers.

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Thanks for the help, and sorry for the mix up lol.

What happens if my old high school teachers retire or I am unable to reach them in 1-2 years? Can I substitute their evaluation for my college professor's?

If they retire, you can still have them write your evaluations (as long as they are still willing of course). Just make sure you get their personal email address so you still have a way of communicating them. But yes, you can get your college professors to write you letters of recommendation instead. But keep in mind that, depending on where you go to college, your high school teachers would probably know you better.

You may want to consider a prep school specifically designed to help you get an appointment. Here is a link to one in Texas---not sure where you are.


http://www.greystoneprepschool.net/


This is off their home page:

Is it your dream to attend one of the five federal service academies and serve your country as a military leader? If so, are you a high school student or recent graduate considering an academy? Are you currently in the academy application process and looking for a back-up plan just in case you are turned down? Have you applied to an academy, been turned down and are now searching for your Plan B? Are you an academy foundation sponsored candidate searching for an approved academy prep program? If you see yourself in one of the situations above, the Greystone experience has helped many others just like you earn their academy appointments.

Thanks for all the responses everyone, I just have one more question.

Is it easy(or even possible) to transfer from a university to the academy if I get accepted?

That would depend upon your definition of transfer. You can't transfer any credits from your previous college and you will still have to spend four years at the academy. However, you can validate certain courses by taking tests given by that department during the summer before your first year. So if you do well in your college classes and on the validation tests, you'll either be put in the next class in that subject (so you could start in like Calc III instead of Calc I) or else placed in an accelerated version of the course (i think you have to take accelerated chem, you can't completely avoid it).