"Transfer" Student

djchoi0407 · Nov 12, 2012

This October, I came back from my anticipated campus tour and advising session at the United States Air Force Academy and everything from the breathtaking campus, discipline, and academics made me want to go to the Academy even more than I already did. Now on to the point.

I am a student at a community college so I would be a "transfer" applicant. I understand they do not accept any credits from an outside college and I am absolutely fine with that. From what I know, transfer and high school applicants are treated the same. I got my GED from South Korea but am planning to retake it because of a recommendation to from an Academy admissions counselor. I haven't taken my SAT or ACT yet but plan to get on that ASAP.

Here are my stats:

Spring 2011
English Composition 1 A
College Algebra A
Summer 2011
Public Speaking A
Fall 2011
Introduction to Business A
Principles of Macroeconomics A
Introduction to Literature A
Spring 2012
World History 1500-Present A
Honors English Composition 2 A
Honors College Trigonometry A
Fall 2012 (so far)
Calculus 1 A
General Chemistry 1 A
Humanities: Early Civilization A
Hatha Yoga A
Spring 2013 (registered)
Calculus 2
General Chemistry 2
US History 1945-Present
Tae Kwon Do

College GPA: 4.0
SAT/ACT: not yet
GED: not yet

1.President of STEM Discovery (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math club)
2.Member of Student Travel Committee
3.Member of Humanities Club
4.Engineer/Designer for Colorado Space Grant funded by NASA (will be published in school newspaper)
5.Volunteer Note-Taker for Humanities Course
6.Member of Phi Theta Kappa (national honors society for 2 year colleges)

I don't know if I omitted anything, but that seems about it. The main thing I am very worried about is that my college does not offer any sports programs and I know that it is vital to play a team sport of some kind. Even if I try to join a local sports team, I don't have, and can't afford, insurance. I don't know what else to write for now so I will post this and hope that something else comes to me later on! Any suggestions or tips? Thank you so much everybody!

P.S. My parents are separated and I live with my father. Because he has to work from 50 to 60 hours a week, I am expected to do all the housework (dishes, 3 meals, laundry, cleaning, etc.). Will that look good on my application, or do I even mention it at all? Thanks again!

Dad · Nov 12, 2012

djchoi0407 said:
This October, I came back from my anticipated campus tour and advising session at the United States Air Force Academy and everything from the breathtaking campus, discipline, and academics made me want to go to the Academy even more than I already did. Now on to the point.

I am a student at a community college so I would be a "transfer" applicant. I understand they do not accept any credits from an outside college and I am absolutely fine with that. From what I know, transfer and high school applicants are treated the same. I got my GED from South Korea but am planning to retake it because of a recommendation to from an Academy admissions counselor. I haven't taken my SAT or ACT yet but plan to get on that ASAP.

Here are my stats:

Spring 2011
English Composition 1 A
College Algebra A
Summer 2011
Public Speaking A
Fall 2011
Introduction to Business A
Principles of Macroeconomics A
Introduction to Literature A
Spring 2012
World History 1500-Present A
Honors English Composition 2 A
Honors College Trigonometry A
Fall 2012 (so far)
Calculus 1 A
General Chemistry 1 A
Humanities: Early Civilization A
Hatha Yoga A
Spring 2013 (registered)
Calculus 2
General Chemistry 2
US History 1945-Present
Tae Kwon Do

College GPA: 4.0
SAT/ACT: not yet
GED: not yet

1.President of STEM Discovery (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math club)
2.Member of Student Travel Committee
3.Member of Humanities Club
4.Engineer/Designer for Colorado Space Grant funded by NASA (will be published in school newspaper)
5.Volunteer Note-Taker for Humanities Course
6.Member of Phi Theta Kappa (national honors society for 2 year colleges)

I don't know if I omitted anything, but that seems about it. The main thing I am very worried about is that my college does not offer any sports programs and I know that it is vital to play a team sport of some kind. Even if I try to join a local sports team, I don't have, and can't afford, insurance. I don't know what else to write for now so I will post this and hope that something else comes to me later on! Any suggestions or tips? Thank you so much everybody!

P.S. My parents are separated and I live with my father. Because he has to work from 50 to 60 hours a week, I am expected to do all the housework (dishes, 3 meals, laundry, cleaning, etc.). Will that look good on my application, or do I even mention it at all? Thanks again!

Welcome to forums. It does seem like your stats do show an absence of sports. That is not a dealbreaker, especially if you explain your situation in your essay and with your ALO. You will, however, have to make up for it with the rest of your application. Make sure you are in decent shape as you must take a Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) administered by a PE teacher or ALO. Keep your grades up and try and find some time for additional volunteer and leadership opportunities. I mean STEM president is great, but you may need more to make your package more competitive. Also, if you are the first in your family to go to college, the Academy will take that into consideration as well. Best wishes.

djchoi0407 · Nov 13, 2012

Thank you!

Dad,

Thank you very much for the welcome and prompt reply! I have really pushed myself to get into the best physical shape possible and got to a 7:30 mile, 37 push-ups (non-stop), 40 modified sit-ups, and 7 pull-ups. I definitely have a long ways to go! Reading the Air Force Academy Candidate Book definitely helps with my motivation, determination, and basic knowledge about the Academy though.
I do have a few questions regarding your reply though if you don't mind. An ALO is assigned to me once I complete the application process, is that correct? On the USAFA website, it states that college students should take a full-load in math, lab-based science, English, and History courses. Do you think I should take one more course in my Spring 2013 semester to make it 18 credits to be more competitive, or would they understand that I have to be the mother figure in my house and not be able to handle any more?

Thanks!

GoArmyBeatNavy · Nov 13, 2012

djchoi0407 said:
Dad,

I do have a few questions regarding your reply though if you don't mind. An ALO is assigned to me once I complete the application process, is that correct? On the USAFA website, it states that college students should take a full-load in math, lab-based science, English, and History courses. Do you think I should take one more course in my Spring 2013 semester to make it 18 credits to be more competitive, or would they understand that I have to be the mother figure in my house and not be able to handle any more?

Thanks!

Service Academies will look hard at your high school performance as well.

Dad · Nov 13, 2012

djchoi0407 said:
Dad,

Thank you very much for the welcome and prompt reply! I have really pushed myself to get into the best physical shape possible and got to a 7:30 mile, 37 push-ups (non-stop), 40 modified sit-ups, and 7 pull-ups. I definitely have a long ways to go! Reading the Air Force Academy Candidate Book definitely helps with my motivation, determination, and basic knowledge about the Academy though.
I do have a few questions regarding your reply though if you don't mind. An ALO is assigned to me once I complete the application process, is that correct? On the USAFA website, it states that college students should take a full-load in math, lab-based science, English, and History courses. Do you think I should take one more course in my Spring 2013 semester to make it 18 credits to be more competitive, or would they understand that I have to be the mother figure in my house and not be able to handle any more?

Thanks!

GoArmyBeatNavy is correct about high school performance counting. You said you earned a GED in South Korea, so your high school record will be hard to follow, but Admissions will know how to make it as fair as possible. Regarding your ALO, you may contact him/her at anytime. Go to the admissions page (http://www.academyadmissions.com/) and find in the lower right hand corner the ALO Lookup. Remember that ALOs are NOT paid to be ALOs and have busy, full-time jobs. It may take a while for them to get back to you. They should be able to answer most of your questions. Regarding your schedule, it would be best to take the courses most similar to the Academy 4* (freshman) and if you're in your 2nd year try to continue with courses that are rigorous and relavant to your choice of career. You should take a full load of classes (I think 16 hours is average). You also need to have plans B, C, and D lined up as the competition for appointments is very keen.

Best wishes on your journey. We (the forum community) will try to accurately respond to your questions as you progress. If you are applying for the class of 2017, you have a lot of work to do (start your application, select your letter of recommendation writers, secure a nomination, write your essay, and complete your CFA). The window of applying to some congressmen ended on October 31st. You need to get on those IMMEDIATELY if you want to meet their deadlines.