Prep School VS University

AbigailPR2017

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
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38
As it is coming to the end of selections, I'm starting to review my other options for college in the fall. I was accepted to numerous private universities as well as Northwestern Prep in California. My question: would it be better to attend the prep school so that the Academy sees that you have been "prepped" to their standards, or would it be better to go to University and prep yourself physically and academically? Also, if I go to NWP and don't get in as a reapplicant, do the credits I've earned at NWP transfer to other universities or colleges.
 
I can tell you from personal experience that NWP is a fantastic, fantastic opportunity to grow in every aspect of your life. I would not trade the time I spent up on that little mountain top for anything, regardless of the outcome of my appointment to USAFA. Now; all of the official civilian prep schools would be a marvelous experience. Being a little biased: No school will prepare you for life, either civilian or military, as well as Northwester Preparatory (Pronounced Prepare-a-tory) will. The Durbecks are among the greatest people I have ever met in my entire life. Mr. and Mrs. D, along with the rest of the NWP staff, are fully committed to helping you accomplish your goals. I can also guarantee with 99.99% certainty that a semester at NWP will put you miles ahead of your non prepster competition. All of that being said: NWP is not an accredited academic facility. That being the case, you will not earn transferable credits. You will however, come to master your academics to a point where retaking the courses will seem like you are in pre-k all over again.
Besides the academic growth, you will grow as a person. Being cramped into a small(ish) dormitory with a group of random strangers forces you to learn how to adapt. This is a very valuable ability to have regardless where you are in life. I have maintained an extremely close friendship with the guys I met out on that itty bitty mountain top, and I plan on maintaining that friendship no matter what happens in my life.
Okay now that I rambled for so long let me condense this down. IF you are unfortunately not accepted into the class of 2017 AND you have an opportunity to attend NWP, TAKE IT! I promise you that you will not regret it. You will come to a point where, even when you are home, you will wake up saying to yourself: Oh Goody, Another Day in Which to Excel!!!
 
As it is coming to the end of selections, I'm starting to review my other options for college in the fall. I was accepted to numerous private universities as well as Northwestern Prep in California. My question: would it be better to attend the prep school so that the Academy sees that you have been "prepped" to their standards, or would it be better to go to University and prep yourself physically and academically? Also, if I go to NWP and don't get in as a reapplicant, do the credits I've earned at NWP transfer to other universities or colleges.

Hello Abigail,

PoppaPolski said well.
My DS couldn't make for the class of 2016.
But fortunately, he went to NWP with Falcon Foundation Scholarship,
and received appointment for the class of 2017.
However, even without FFS, chances are high as a free agent.
Mr. and Mrs. D are great.
Credits earned at NWP cannot be transferred to other universities or colleges.
But I would strongly recommend NWP.
The most important thing is, if the goal is USAFA, then NWP
will be very good choice for one year.
I believe my DS made many life time friends at NWP.
BTW, this game is not over yet, please wait for the good news.
 
My personal honest opinion: if you're going to a prep school with Falcon Foundation, take it. You'll get into the Academy unless there's fatal error on your part. If you don't have Falcon Foundation, go to a university. I haven't observed any advantage to self-prepping (most of them get the same result), it might be hard to stay motivated considering the quality of prep school compared to universities, it has the potential to pose an obstacle to your college plans if you don't get into the Academy, and most self preps say they'd be happier at a university.
 
I can tell you from personal experience that NWP is a fantastic, fantastic opportunity to grow in every aspect of your life. I would not trade the time I spent up on that little mountain top for anything, regardless of the outcome of my appoint to USAFA. Now; all of the official civilian prep schools would be a marvelous experience. Being a little biased: No school will prepare you for life, either civilian or military, as well as Northwester Preparatory (Pronounced Prepare-a-tory) will. The Durbecks are among the greatest people I have ever met in my entire life. Mr. and Mrs. D, along with the rest of the NWP staff, is fully commited to helping you accomplish your goals. I can also guarantee with 99.99% certainty that a semester at NWP will put you miles ahead of your non prepster competition. All of that being said: NWP is not an accredited academic facility. That being the case, you will not earn transferable credits. You will however, come to master your academics to a point where retaking the courses will seem like you are in pre-k all over again.
Besides the academic growth, you will grow as a person. Being cramped into a small(ish) dormitory with a group of random strangers forces you to learn how to adapt. This is a very valuable ability to have regardless where you are in life. I have maintained an extremely close friendship with the guys I met out on that itty bitty mountain top, and I plan on maintaining that friendship no matter what happens in my life.
Okay now that I rambled for so long let me condense this down. IF you are unfortunately not accepted into the class of 2017 AND you have an opportunity to attend NWP, TAKE IT! I promise you that you will not regret it. You will come to a point where, even when you are home, you will wake up saying to yourself: Oh Goody, Another Day in Which to Excel!!!

Poppa could not have said it any better.

The connection the Durbecks have, the friends you will meet, and the skills you learn at NWP - you will not find at any other school. You will get as much as you put out. The days are long, and memorizing 2,000+ vocab words - verbatim - may seem a bit ridiculous, but it is all for a reason.

The majority of prepsters there are Free Agents and do just as well as their scholarship buddies. If you work hard, good things will happen.

Oh Goody! Another Day in Which to Excel!
 
I couldn't agree more with my classmates SDK and PoppaPolski. NWP was such a good experience that, in hindsight, I am actually happy that I got the thin, white envelope last year.

Personally, I did have a Falcon Foundation scholarship so I was essentially guaranteed a spot for the class of 2017. As SDK said, however, the majority of the students DID NOT have a scholarship! Many of these "free agents" will be attending a SA next year and several more are still waiting (anxiously) to hear.

The Durbecks are wonderful and they make it their business to help you get into the service academy of your choice. At a university, there won't be that type of help for you. Also, the Academy knows the Durbecks and the reputation of NWP. Gen. Gould (current superintendent of USAFA) and Col. Benyshek (director of admissions) both came and visited us at NWP last fall! These are opportunities that you probably wouldn't be able to find at a university.

As someone already said, you don't get credit for the classes you take at NWP but you do become SO much more prepared for wherever you end up!

At NWP you make so many friends who have similar interests as you. On I-day, I will be reporting (in a Hawaiian shirt) with so many of my friends from NWP. Having these friendships already is going to be so helpful, especially as we go through BCT.

Final thought: If going to the Air Force Academy is really what you want to do, call Mrs. D and look into going to NWP.
 
NWP 100%

My classmates hit the nail on the head! But remember NWP is not a guarantee of an appointment you will be expected to give your very best. I can also say that if you give 110% at NWP you should be proud no matter what happens. I recommend you pick up the phone and talk to Mr. and Mrs. D!!!

OH GOODY! ANOTHER DAY IN WHICH TO EXCEL!!!
 
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I'm not going to tell you how awesome NWP is, because my classmates beat me to it...

but it really comes down to what you want. If you're not on scholarship but plan on reapplying to USAFA, NWP can be a really good option. It's an awesome (and incredibly talented!) group to belong to, and I know that I'm much better prepared than I was this time last year.

I have a friend who reapplied from a university and just received an appointment, and I have a TON of NWP friends (Falcons and free agents) who I'll be seeing again in June. I'm a huge believer in NWP, but it's certainly not the only way to get to USAFA as a re-applicant.

PM me if you have any questions, and call Mrs Durbeck!
 
If you have a ROTC type 1 or 2 scholarship, would you still have gone to NWP?
Would a year at a AFROTC detachment in college and then reapply be a better option?
 
Options

Strong performance at a University, ROTC detachment or Prep school will strongly benefit your chances of an appointment. From experience the networking and opportunities you get at NWP will be unparalleled many of which are the same admissions people that will be reviewing your file so that is always a perk. But like I said strong performance wherever you go will be crucial!
 
I turned down a type 1 AFROTC commander's leadership scholarship early in the application process last year and then a type 7 scholarship when I found out about the FF scholarship. Easiest decision I made... I know a handful of NWP Falcons who turned down AFROTC scholarships and at least one free agent who turned one down. He received an appointment this week, so I know he feels it was worth it. But like I said earlier, I have a friend who received an appointment recently while on an AFROTC scholarship. I would be really interested to see statistics about appointments for all reapplicants...
 
CAP prep recommendation

If anyone has any information on how the CAP prep school recommendation works, I would appreciate the information.
 
I am a numbers person.

I have no bone in this fight, thus I am not going to try to find out the % of ROTC cadets that get appointed compared to prep.

I would suggest to the OP to research that for decision making process.

I.E. If prep has 90% and AFROTC has 90%, wouldn't it be a factor? 1 yr at prep and can't transfer credits if not appointed compared to 1 yr at AFROTC and on track to graduate the same yr.

Now if prep is 90% and AFROTC is 75%, that is a different story.

Everyone that attended prep loved it as far as I can read, but it shouldn't be about personal emotions. It should be about if you want AFA, which route is better from a numbers perspective.

Talk to your ALO, talk to the det at the college you have as plan B. Talk to your MOC staff to find out if they place emphasis on re-applicants. Some MOCs do. I know one in specific that gives principal to re-applicants.

I do agree if you get the falcon scholarship that prep is probably the best option, even over AFROTC scholarship. However, I am not sure I agree that if you don't get it, but get an AFROTC scholarship it is the best option.

I would want to see those stats.
 
I do agree if you get the falcon scholarship that prep is probably the best option, even over AFROTC scholarship. However, I am not sure I agree that if you don't get it, but get an AFROTC scholarship it is the best option.
I completely agree with this. If you get a FF scholarship take it but if you want to serve as an officer in the AF and have a AFROTC scholarship but no FF scholarship you should take the AFROTC scholarship.
 
If anyone has any information on how the CAP prep school recommendation works, I would appreciate the information.

The CAP scholarship cycle (which includes the USAFA Prep recommendation) opens up on December 1st and closes on January 15th each year.
My understanding is that CAP submits a list of highly recommended cadets to the Academy of which one (or possibly several) are admitted to the prep school.
To be eligible to apply for any scholarship you must be an active member, and have received the Mitchell award.

Unfortunately, I can't post any links on the forum yet. However, you can find more detailed information by searching "CAP Scholarships" and selecting USAFA prep under the first listing.

I hope this helps.:thumb:
 
If anyone has any information on how the CAP prep school recommendation works, I would appreciate the information.

Basically how it says it works on the CAP website...I received this last year. USAFAPS reserves at least one slot for a CAP cadet each year, but there are usually more than one at prep or in the academy.
 
The CAP scholarship cycle (which includes the USAFA Prep recommendation) opens up on December 1st and closes on January 15th each year.
My understanding is that CAP submits a list of highly recommended cadets to the Academy of which one (or possibly several) are admitted to the prep school.
To be eligible to apply for any scholarship you must be an active member, and have received the Mitchell award.

Unfortunately, I can't post any links on the forum yet. However, you can find more detailed information by searching "CAP Scholarships" and selecting USAFA prep under the first listing.

I hope this helps.:thumb:


The only reason I ask is because I just recieved one. I know HOW to get it, I just dont know how it really works in comparison to anything else.
 
FWIW,

The reason why Packer and I are saying take the AFROTC scholarship if you don't get Falcon, is because of the fact if you are not appointed next yr., you will still commission 4 yrs from now.
~~~You will have the tuition paid compared to a prepster for 4 yrs.
~~~ You will graduate in 17.

Take prep non-falcon, financially where will you be? Again, numbers and stats...if Prep non-scholarship are appointed at a 90% rate and AFROTC scholarship at 75%. That is clear. However, if prep non-falcon are 75% and AFROTC non-scholarship than it is not clear cut.

That would truly be a personal choice---gut check.

For some the risk is worth it, and we all will be behind you cheering and supporting your decision.

For others, it is not worth the 1 yr risk, and we all will be supporting and cheering you regarding your decision.

However, I will say this as a wife and a Mom. I followed Bullet around the world for 21 yrs. There were times he was offered A or B assignments, both were unique, both had good and bad.

1/2 of our friends said take it. 1/2 of our friends said your NUTS to take it.

In the end Bullet always did the same thing over and over again. Made his choice for what was good for him, and worked on Plan B at the same time.

We are not you. Our opinions are opinions. It should not sway you in anyway or manner. This is your life, not ours. You have to step up to the plate sooner or later because you are the one living the life, just like Bullet did when he had two options.

Don't follow our lives. Follow your life!

You need to trust your gut.
 
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