?'s concerning reapplying/competitiveness/dodmerb

J.McC

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
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7
I apologize if I posted this in the wrong section, everything is kind of connected in a way. A lot of this will also be hypothetical situations so that I know what to do in the future.
I also apologize for the fact that it's so long, only some of it is word vomit, I promise. From reading other threads and seeing questions posed to the OP, I decided to answer those questions prematurely so I can have my questions answered more efficiently.

Today while talking to an Air Force recruiter about reapplying, he informed me that, "You have already missed the deadline for the academy. You have to submit by December of your junior year." I checked a thread about reapplying which said it was possible to do so and I was wondering if someone could clarify if it is possible to reapply for me?

Everything below is assuming that the above answer is a yes, so that I can get any questions I have out of the way without making several posts.
I applied to the AFA for the class of 2017, but I caught a snag at the medical area concerning my skin and do not think my waiver will go through in time/get approved. While filling out my application I decided that more is better, which was probably bad, because DoDMERB is now under the impression that I have a skin allergy to the sun.
In the event that I am reinstated as medically qualified, but for whatever reason am not competitive enough or the waiver does not come through in time, if I reapply, will I need to restate my medical issues as before and go through the waiver process again, or will they be able to pull this information from my last application?

I am also between going to community college and a university. Will the academy have a preference between the two? My issue is that if I attend a university, I don't want to be $40k in debt if I get accepted to the academy, while at the CC I have two years of tuition free.

Lastly, how do I keep competitive in college? As for sports, I was only in a sport one year during high school and don't exactly qualify for college level athletics.

The Specs:
ACT English: 25
ACT Math: 24
ACT Reading: 31
ACT SR: 27
GPA:4.06
My school does not rank, but I am in the top 5% of 268 students.

I could not figure out a neat way to configure the classes I have taken so I did it by core subjects.
Classes: (Name)(Grade level) *Denotes college level and/or 5.0

English: Honors English 1(9), Honors English 2(10), Adv Comp & Lit(11)*, AP Lit/English (12)*
I paid for my English classes as a college credit so that I will not have to retake them in college. Will it look bad if I am taking no English in college, or will the academy understand that I already have the hours?

Math: Algebra 1(8), Geometry(9), Algebra 2/Trig(10), Pre-Calculus(11), Calculus(12)*
The Algebra 1 class was offered as an accelerated math class at the junior high I attended and counted as a high school credit, which is why I listed it.

Science: Honors Physical Science(9), Biology(10), Chemistry(10), Anatomy(11)*, AP Chemistry 2(12)*, Physics(12), Geology (12)
Science is my favorite subject, which is why I took 3 science classes my senior year as opposed to art classes. My 10th grade year, I was able to take double up and take Chemistry early because of my placement and grade in the Honors Physical Science class. Also, my 11th grade year myself and two other friends were the first juniors to skip Biology 2 and go directly into Anatomy, what used to be a class only for seniors.



As for history and foreign language, my school does not offer accelerated history classes for free, so I only took the minimum required. My school also only offers 2 years of any foreign language class. Between French and Spanish, I decided to take Spanish.

Student Council: 4 years (treasurer 1 year, secretary 1 year)
National Honor Society: 3 years
Spanish Club: 3 years
Teens For Christ: 1 year
Soccer: 1 year
Gay Straight Alliance: 1 year. I went to meetings on and off a few years but have only been committed to meetings for 1.

Employment: I had an internship from May-August of 2012 which later turned into a job for the same establishment. The job is weekends only from August-October, and then any day during the summer season.

Physical:
Basketball throw: 31 feet
Pull ups: 7
Shuttle Run: 9.3
Situps: 73
Pushups: 50
Mile: 11:32

I maxed out on my pull ups and pushups, I just wish I could say the same for the other categories. It's definitely apparent to me that I need to work on my mile, but in my terrible defense, I can run a mile in under 9 minutes when I'm not tested before hand.

Thanks in advance for reading all of this and replying.
Jessica
 
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Today while talking to an Air Force recruiter about reapplying, he informed me that, "You have already missed the deadline for the academy. You have to submit by December of your junior year."
Junior year?
 
Okay to clarify, you can apply until the age of 23.

Also, ARE you allergic to the sun? If so then you might have more hurdles. If you just had a really bad sunburn one time and put it on DoDMERB, then you will still proabably have hurdles but less so.

Your resume looks pretty good! Of course my opinion of your resume doesn't matter... I would ask your ALO about the waiver thing, (NOT a recruiter.) Recruiters typically know more about enlistment options, whereas ALOs know A LOT about the Academy.

If you don't get into the class of 2017, there is always the prep school option. I applied to the class of 2016 but did not get an appointment. I ended up recieving a Falcon Foundation scholarship (you are automatically considered for it) and went to Northwestern Prepatory School in CA. In Feb. I recieved my appointment for the class of 2017! For more info on NWP and other prep schools, check out the "prep school" section on the forums or some of the threads specifically about prep schools and/or the Falcon Foundation Scholarship.

If you do not get an appointment this year and want to improve yourself for reapplying, I would definitely encourage you into trying to get all of your ACT scores in the 30s. Maybe try taking the SAT too beacuse sometimes people like that test better.

Also, as you know, work on that mile time. Yes, you're tired from the previous events but that's how everything will be at the Academy, just on a much greater scale.

feel free to PM me
 
At a quick glance, ACT scores need to improve. Our ALO told us the min ACT number is 25 for AFA, but as others have stated, above 30 in every area ( especially math) will make you competitive. Try to improve using the ACT prep book, or see if there is a good tutor in your area.

CFA, run time needs some work, I beleive the average for AFA is around 7:30 Great pullup & pushup scores!!! With a bit of practice you should be able max the situps. I have 2 daughters, one who will commission as an Army 2 LT this summer, the second one who is a USMA/USAFA Class of 2017 Candidate and has an Army ROTC scholarship as a back up plan. I watch both of them go from low scores in CFA/APFT to exceeding expectations. All it takes is determination.:thumb:

Good luck.
 
First of all, thanks for the feedback.

@aglages No idea, that's just what he told me

@bmw17
Thank you for clarifying, I was pretty sure about that but the recruiter made me second guess.
No I'm not allergic to the sun, it was me freaking out over the weird sunburns I had gotten a summer or so ago. I've never gotten them before so I decided to go 2 summers with out any sunscreen. When I did get the sunburns they did not look like other people's sunburn so I was confused by it is all. I just need to actually wear sunscreen and I'm fine.
I'll have to look into the prep school thing, I'll make sure to check it out thanks.
I'm also definitely going to retake the ACT, it's been awhile since I took geometry so I struggled on the math section a lot.

@WIT84 Thanks for the encouragement, and since you both mentioned the CFA and ACT aspect I can tell it's very important to work on so I'll put them at the top of my list.

As for anyone else who takes a peek at this thread, here's some questions I still need answered =]

I am also between going to community college and a university. Will the academy have a preference between the two? My issue is that if I attend a university, I don't want to be $40k in debt if I get accepted to the academy, while at the CC I have two years of tuition free.

Lastly, how do I keep competitive in college? As for sports, I was only in a sport one year during high school and don't exactly qualify for college level athletics.
 
..if I reapply, will I need to restate my medical issues as before and go through the waiver process again, or will they be able to pull this information from my last application?
I believe your DoDMERB approval is good for two years. So you should not need to be reviewed again by DoDMERB for the next application.....assuming you've passed this time and/or received the necessary waiver(s).
@aglages No idea, that's just what he told me
As mentioned by another poster, deal with your ALO and not an AF Recruiter. Their expertise and goals are different.
I am also between going to community college and a university. Will the academy have a preference between the two?
Either is fine as long as you take the same classes as you would during your Doolie (Freshman) year at USAFA. Physics, Calculus, Foreign Language, English, Chemistry. I believe USAFA wants to see that you are capable of doing well in these subjects.
Lastly, how do I keep competitive in college? As for sports, I was only in a sport one year during high school and don't exactly qualify for college level athletics.
This may be an advantage to attending a university over community college if your CC does not offer AFROTC. Participating in AFROTC will help in demonstrating (and possibly improving) your physical fitness and leadership abilities. Also provides another potential nomination source. Not a deal breaker if your CC does not offer ROTC, but something to consider. I'm not sure the advantage is worth $40K in debt though. Surely there are more affordable public universities available to you for less than $40K annually? Check to see if your CC has a cross-town agreement with an AFROTC Detachment.
Just my opinion....
 
@aglages Thanks for such a great response!
It's good to know that if I get it waived I won't have to worry about it again.

"Either is fine as long as you take the same classes as you would during your Doolie (Freshman) year at USAFA. Physics, Calculus, Foreign Language, English, Chemistry. I believe USAFA wants to see that you are capable of doing well in these subjects."

I plan on taking Physics, Calculus, and Chemistry during college because I'm going for an engineering degree so that works out well, and Foreign Language shouldn't be an issue, but English is. I paid for my English classes as a college credit so that I will not have to retake them in college. Will it look bad if I am taking no English in college, or will the academy understand that I already have the hours?

"This may be an advantage to attending a university over community college if your CC does not offer AFROTC. Participating in AFROTC will help in demonstrating (and possibly improving) your physical fitness and leadership abilities. Also provides another potential nomination source. Not a deal breaker if your CC does not offer ROTC, but something to consider. I'm not sure the advantage is worth $40K in debt though. Surely there are more affordable public universities available to you for less than $40K annually? Check to see if your CC has a cross-town agreement with an AFROTC Detachment."

The AFROTC is another factor yes, my mom wants me to go to a university because it offers it, however I am unsure if the CC does. And I did not explain as in depth as I meant to when it came to the $40K for tuition. That would be roughly the cost of attending 2 years of college at a university.
Something I'm considering is going to a CC for 2 years for free, then transfer to a university for the remainder of college. This way, if I get accepted during those first 2 years I won't be in the hole. However, I am unsure what sort of activities the CC offers to keep me competitive enough for the AFA to consider me. Heck, I'm unsure of any activities which would keep me competitive besides AFROTC. I am also unsure of if the university will allow me into their AFROTC as a transfer student if I am 2 years behind their program.
 
@aglages Thanks for such a great response!
You're welcome!
Will it look bad if I am taking no English in college, or will the academy understand that I already have the hours?
I'm sure it will be fine.
..I am unsure if the CC does..
..Something I'm considering is going to a CC for 2 years for free, then transfer to a university for the remainder of college..
..I am unsure what sort of activities the CC offers to keep me competitive enough for the AFA to consider me. Heck, I'm unsure of any activities which would keep me competitive besides AFROTC. I am also unsure of if the university will allow me into their AFROTC as a transfer student if I am 2 years behind their program.
I understand your reasons for attending CC. Responsible money management is a good idea regardless of whether you are appointed to USAFA or not. That said, you need to identify your priorities and balance those with your financial considerations. If your primary interest is receiving a commission and becoming an officer in the AF then you need to focus on the best way to achieve that goal....while at the same time enhancing your "chances" of receiving an Appointment to USAFA.

IMHO - your greatest/best chance of being commissioned in the AF and also receiving an Appointment is to join AFROTC at an affordable university/college AND doing well academically, physically and being active within that Detachment. Is it possible to do that through your local CC? I don't know, and it doesn't sound as though you do either. Might be best to find out before we speculate on that course any further.

One other area that needs to be addressed is transferring from one college to another while enrolled in AFROTC. I am not an expert in this particular subject but from I've read from others...it is possible to do. How likely AFROTC is to approve that REQUEST is dependent on a number of factors such as whether you are staying within the same Detachment and whether your major and CGPA is desirable by the AF. Keep in mind that whenever you are asking AFROTC to approve ANY change (such as changing colleges, majors or Detachments) your are taking a BIG risk that your request will be denied and you will be out of AFROTC. Just be aware that there is a substantial risk involved.

Keep in mind that you need a recommendation from your AFROTC Detachment Commander for SFT during your second semester of your Sophomore year. You probably want as much continuity during this period as possible so that your efforts (from the prior 3 semesters) within the Detachment are recognized by the Detachment Commander. BTW - this is the same person that is responsible for your USAFA recommendation when you submit THAT application after your Fall Freshman semester.

To summarize: My advice is that you join AFROTC at a Detachment that you can be part of for at least two years (preferably all 4). Notify the Detachment Commander on the first day of your intent to reapply to USAFA and ask his/her help in the process. Put forth as much effort as possible to excel in AFROTC with the intention of eventually commissioning through THAT program. If you are appointed to USAFA, then your AFROTC experience and college credits will be a great foundation for your Doolie year. If not, then you will still be on an excellent path to what is hopefully your ultimate goal....to be commissioned an AF officer.

Good Luck!:thumb:
 
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