Appointments left?

AFABlue55

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Mar 27, 2015
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Hi everyone,

As with a lot of you I am still waiting to hear any news from the Academy. I was hoping this morning being the turn of the month but no luck!

From what I can tell the majority of appointments given out already came right around March 13th - 19th. My question is...and maybe some people experienced in the AFA's admissions history can provide some insight...how many appointments have gone out already and how many does the academy still have to give out?

Also with appointments still left to give out does anybody have any idea to when they will come out?

Thank you for the help! Even if some of these replies have repeated information it is still nice to read anything when waiting!
 
Hi everyone,

As with a lot of you I am still waiting to hear any news from the Academy. I was hoping this morning being the turn of the month but no luck!

From what I can tell the majority of appointments given out already came right around March 13th - 19th. My question is...and maybe some people experienced in the AFA's admissions history can provide some insight...how many appointments have gone out already and how many does the academy still have to give out?

Also with appointments still left to give out does anybody have any idea to when they will come out?

Thank you for the help! Even if some of these replies have repeated information it is still nice to read anything when waiting!

We just read the same thing. The majority of appointments were given out in March and April is for cadets who have reapplied and international students.
 
I know it's not what you want to hear, but you're asking questions that "Don't Have an Answer". I mean that literally. Some may say that there is an actual number out there of "How many appointments" have been given out. And that's true, there is a number. The part many people keep forgetting is: "Not all the people receiving an appointment will ACCEPT IT". You must realize, the air force academy is NOT every applicant's First Choice for college. It just happens to be ONE of their choices. And MANY will turn it down.

And that's why it's difficult to answer your question. Suppose the academy wants 1200 appointees this year. They give out 500 appointments initially. Then, within a couple of weeks, 100 people turn it down. So they give out some more, and the wait and so on. The reason this has to be done this way, is because if an individual with an offer has a nomination from "Senator Jone's" slate, and that's the slot and they turn it down; the academy will try to go back to that slate for a replacement. This doesn't always work out. Depending on timing, they may have to go straight to the national pool. It's very complicated.

A few years back, the academy basically gave out around 1700 appointments. Because they KNEW from years of experience, that approximately 500 would turn it down. Thereby, getting to the 1200 they wanted. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to bringing in a few more than they planned. (E.g. the poor economics in recent years has had less people turning it down). And because federal law states that only so many cadets can be at the academy and only so many can graduate, the academy has had to be more deliberate and accurate with their offers.

So basically, it's offer so many...... wait to see who accepts and turns down...... offer some more....... wait for acceptance and those who turn it down....... and so on; until they reach the number they want. This is why some people may find out about an offer in May. Point is, it is NOT UNCOMMON for 20-25% or even more, to TURN DOWN the appointment. On this forum, probably 98.934858% of the posters want the academy(ies) as their number 1 choice for college. Of the average 10,000 - 12,000 of those initially applying to the academy, probably only 50% actually want the academy as their #1 choice. By the time the academy gets down to their 2500-3500 qualified candidates, maybe only 70-75% want it as their #1 choice.

So, sorry if I can't give you a number. Hopefully people will understand that for MOST applicants, the academy is just like any other college. "It's ONE of their CHOICES". Not necessarily their #1. That means a lot of people accepting and turning down their appointments. That means reorganizing weekly.
 
I know it's not what you want to hear, but you're asking questions that "Don't Have an Answer". I mean that literally. Some may say that there is an actual number out there of "How many appointments" have been given out. And that's true, there is a number. The part many people keep forgetting is: "Not all the people receiving an appointment will ACCEPT IT". You must realize, the air force academy is NOT every applicant's First Choice for college. It just happens to be ONE of their choices. And MANY will turn it down.

And that's why it's difficult to answer your question. Suppose the academy wants 1200 appointees this year. They give out 500 appointments initially. Then, within a couple of weeks, 100 people turn it down. So they give out some more, and the wait and so on. The reason this has to be done this way, is because if an individual with an offer has a nomination from "Senator Jone's" slate, and that's the slot and they turn it down; the academy will try to go back to that slate for a replacement. This doesn't always work out. Depending on timing, they may have to go straight to the national pool. It's very complicated.

A few years back, the academy basically gave out around 1700 appointments. Because they KNEW from years of experience, that approximately 500 would turn it down. Thereby, getting to the 1200 they wanted. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to bringing in a few more than they planned. (E.g. the poor economics in recent years has had less people turning it down). And because federal law states that only so many cadets can be at the academy and only so many can graduate, the academy has had to be more deliberate and accurate with their offers.

So basically, it's offer so many...... wait to see who accepts and turns down...... offer some more....... wait for acceptance and those who turn it down....... and so on; until they reach the number they want. This is why some people may find out about an offer in May. Point is, it is NOT UNCOMMON for 20-25% or even more, to TURN DOWN the appointment. On this forum, probably 98.934858% of the posters want the academy(ies) as their number 1 choice for college. Of the average 10,000 - 12,000 of those initially applying to the academy, probably only 50% actually want the academy as their #1 choice. By the time the academy gets down to their 2500-3500 qualified candidates, maybe only 70-75% want it as their #1 choice.

So, sorry if I can't give you a number. Hopefully people will understand that for MOST applicants, the academy is just like any other college. "It's ONE of their CHOICES". Not necessarily their #1. That means a lot of people accepting and turning down their appointments. That means reorganizing weekly.

Thanks, Mike, for your encouraging words. My son's admissions counselor stated by April most of the appointments would go out and felt it would be soon. I know of a number of candidates over recent years who turned down appointments to the Academy. It just blows my mind that someone would go through all that trouble to turn it down, although I also know there are many reasons for doing so.

Along a similar vein, did the Presidential appointments go out as the same time as the Congressioanl?
 
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I am also waiting to hear back from USAFA it being my number one choice and all. I was asked to go to the senior Diversity Program back in September and went and even completed my application for early Action and got deferred to regular selection. Basically I have been waiting since November to hear back and quite frankly I'm to the point where I should just forget about it and go with my second choice but I am trying to keep hope alive. lol Is there any information that one could share that may still show that there should still be hope?
 
Thanks, Mike, for your encouraging words. My son's admissions counselor stated by April most of the appointments would go out and felt it would be soon. I know of a number of candidates over recent years who turned down appointments to the Academy. It just blows my mind that someone would go through all that trouble to turn it down, although I also know there are many reasons for doing so.

Along a similar vein, did the Presidential appointments go out as the same time as the Congressioanl?
I know it can be difficult to believe that someone would go to the all that trouble to turn an appointment to an SA down, but consider this...
Lots of us who applied to USAFA this year have the long term goal of serving in the military as an officer. Yes, we often prefer one branch over the others, but whatever will lead us to becoming officers, we'll take. For this reason, many of us (including myself) applied to and were accepted to more than one SA. Of coarse, we must choose only one. I tell you what, turning down an appointment to USMA was difficult, but if it meant accepting an appointment to USAFA, I was happy to do it! So it's not that anyone is throwing away an opportunity, it's that we are taking advantage of what we perceive to be a better one. In fact, I felt kind of good about declining an appointment to WP, because that meant that someone else got to pursue their dream of becoming an Army officer.
 
+1 on Bailey's post. As happy as I was at the time about my AFA appointment, and the fact that another hardworking candidate (who probably thought it was all over) would be receiving my USNA appointment instead of me, I was still just a little...sad...to have to turn down my USNA appointment. Even though the AFA has been my #1 choice all along, it seemed like such a shame to reject an opportunity I worked so hard for. However, as Bailey said, I declined USNA so that I could accept what I perceived to be a better opportunity for me (given my goals and interests). I wouldn't pass judgment on someone for declining an SA appointment, either. If they had the intellectual capacity to earn that appointment in the first place, then it's pretty certain that if they decline it, it will be for a very logical and well-thought-out reason.
 
I am also waiting to hear back from USAFA it being my number one choice and all. I was asked to go to the senior Diversity Program back in September and went and even completed my application for early Action and got deferred to regular selection. Basically I have been waiting since November to hear back and quite frankly I'm to the point where I should just forget about it and go with my second choice but I am trying to keep hope alive. lol Is there any information that one could share that may still show that there should still be hope?
I think Christcorp summed it up pretty well. I know that the wait has been unsettling, but understand that there are many candidates who have waited much longer. I thought waiting two years was long, when one of my friends was rejected THREE TIMES before he was appointed and accepted his appointment! Crazy, right? But he didn't give up. And until you are too old to apply, there is HOPE. If USAFA is what you really want, remember that you still have a shot- even if you are not appointed this year. Maybe not the answer you want to hear, but it is the truth.
To those who are considering prep options (specifically Marion Military Institute in Alabama, my alma mater), I'd love to give you more info if you would like. Keep your heads up!
 
One of my friends currently at the prep school didn't hear back from USAFA until the end of April and didn't initially get in . It wasn't until the second or third week of May that she received news that she had gotten into the prep school.

I applied to all four academies (not USMMA) with the end result of having the opportunity to become a military officer. Back in July/August when the applications opened I would have been more than happy to just have one appointment offer. Applying to four SA's was a lot of work and explaining why I wanted a nomination to USAFA, USMA, and USNA was stressful but looking at the acceptance rates of the SA's, by applying to four, I was giving my self a better chance of receiving one appointment. Ivy League schools do the exact same thing: not very many students apply to just one. SA's target the similar students. I finished my application to USNA (excluding nomination) in August and didn't hear back until last week, waiting for news flat out sucks and I get where your coming from. I am grateful to have received appointments to all three and never thought that I would be in a position to choose. I declined my appointments to USAFA and USNA because I love the warrior mentality and the Army culture.

Hang in there and until you finally receive the TWE, there is still a chance and even then you can always reappply. If becoming an Air Force officer is your end goal, you'll find a away.
 
And as hard as it is to understand, not ALL of those turning down an Air Force Academy appointment are taking one to another academy. Close to 50% of the initial 10,000-12,000 applicants were also applying to a number of very prestigious civilian schools. Remember, the people on THIS forum are GUNG-HO Military. Meaning, the academy is probably your #1 choice. But lets say that 100 of you are actually posting on this forum. (It's LESS than that, but I'm making the numbers simple). That means, you 100 posters, represent 1% of the 10,000 initial applicants.

I've always told people who apply to the academies, that if you truly think you are the academic, leader, athletic, and EC type of applicant that should be able to make it into the academy.... then you SHOULD BE APPLYING ALSO to the other very Prestigious universities in the country. E.g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornel, Stanford, etc. The academies rank right up there WITH those schools. So it only makes sense, that if you are applying to the academy, then you're probably applying also to some really good schools. They are the same caliber of student. So it makes perfect sense to see an individual turn down the academy for Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Georgtown, William & Mary, Purdue, etc. The MAJORITY of people applying to the academies, ARE APPLYING to these other schools.

There are some that don't. Some that applied to the academy, and if that doesn't work out, then they'll choose to go to their local state college or CC college. Nothing wrong with that; it's usually because of a lack of knowledge on how to apply, get accepted, and pay for ANY school in the country you want to. But that's a different topic. Point is, the posters on this forum is a very small percentage of applicants. LESS than 1%. So because this forum is MORE PRO-Academy Military Lifestyle type people, it would seem natural to wonder WHY ANYONE would turn down an appointment. Truth is, you're in the minority. About 20-25% of all people offered an appointment would/will turn it down. That number is probably a little less, now that the academy doesn't dump as many appointments all at one time. Plus, using the EA, they can judge a little better. But just 4-5 years ago, the academy offered on average, 1700 appointments, knowing darn well, that 500 people would turn it down.

You should have seen the reaction on some of my son's teacher's and counselor's faces when he named the schools he TURNED DOWN. He was the opposite. He wanted the air force academy. (NEVER applied to any of the other 4 academies). But he did apply to 4+ other universities. Some, pretty prestigious. Got accepted to all of them. Some, full ride scholarships. He turned them all down for the air force academy. While Harvard wasn't one he applied to, can you imagine what people would say if you said you TURNED DOWN HARVARD??? Same as you wondering HOW someone would TURN DOWN an academy appointment.
 
Thanks for this information. I have a quick question regarding this. What if one Academy gives a student an appointment, but the other Academies haven't replied yet? Should he/she accept the offer from the one Academy offering thing appointment, and then wait to see if the other Academies offer an appointment later? Are they disqualified from accepting any other appointments if they have already accepted one from another Academy? I understand you can accept ROTC scholarships from the different branches, but can only activate one. I'm not sure how this works with the Academies...

Thank you in advance!



I know it's not what you want to hear, but you're asking questions that "Don't Have an Answer". I mean that literally. Some may say that there is an actual number out there of "How many appointments" have been given out. And that's true, there is a number. The part many people keep forgetting is: "Not all the people receiving an appointment will ACCEPT IT". You must realize, the air force academy is NOT every applicant's First Choice for college. It just happens to be ONE of their choices. And MANY will turn it down.

And that's why it's difficult to answer your question. Suppose the academy wants 1200 appointees this year. They give out 500 appointments initially. Then, within a couple of weeks, 100 people turn it down. So they give out some more, and the wait and so on. The reason this has to be done this way, is because if an individual with an offer has a nomination from "Senator Jone's" slate, and that's the slot and they turn it down; the academy will try to go back to that slate for a replacement. This doesn't always work out. Depending on timing, they may have to go straight to the national pool. It's very complicated.

A few years back, the academy basically gave out around 1700 appointments. Because they KNEW from years of experience, that approximately 500 would turn it down. Thereby, getting to the 1200 they wanted. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to bringing in a few more than they planned. (E.g. the poor economics in recent years has had less people turning it down). And because federal law states that only so many cadets can be at the academy and only so many can graduate, the academy has had to be more deliberate and accurate with their offers.

So basically, it's offer so many...... wait to see who accepts and turns down...... offer some more....... wait for acceptance and those who turn it down....... and so on; until they reach the number they want. This is why some people may find out about an offer in May. Point is, it is NOT UNCOMMON for 20-25% or even more, to TURN DOWN the appointment. On this forum, probably 98.934858% of the posters want the academy(ies) as their number 1 choice for college. Of the average 10,000 - 12,000 of those initially applying to the academy, probably only 50% actually want the academy as their #1 choice. By the time the academy gets down to their 2500-3500 qualified candidates, maybe only 70-75% want it as their #1 choice.

So, sorry if I can't give you a number. Hopefully people will understand that for MOST applicants, the academy is just like any other college. "It's ONE of their CHOICES". Not necessarily their #1. That means a lot of people accepting and turning down their appointments. That means reorganizing weekly.
 
And as hard as it is to understand, not ALL of those turning down an Air Force Academy appointment are taking one to another academy. Close to 50% of the initial 10,000-12,000 applicants were also applying to a number of very prestigious civilian schools. Remember, the people on THIS forum are GUNG-HO Military. Meaning, the academy is probably your #1 choice. But lets say that 100 of you are actually posting on this forum. (It's LESS than that, but I'm making the numbers simple). That means, you 100 posters, represent 1% of the 10,000 initial applicants.

I've always told people who apply to the academies, that if you truly think you are the academic, leader, athletic, and EC type of applicant that should be able to make it into the academy.... then you SHOULD BE APPLYING ALSO to the other very Prestigious universities in the country. E.g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornel, Stanford, etc. The academies rank right up there WITH those schools. So it only makes sense, that if you are applying to the academy, then you're probably applying also to some really good schools. They are the same caliber of student. So it makes perfect sense to see an individual turn down the academy for Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Georgtown, William & Mary, Purdue, etc. The MAJORITY of people applying to the academies, ARE APPLYING to these other schools.

There are some that don't. Some that applied to the academy, and if that doesn't work out, then they'll choose to go to their local state college or CC college. Nothing wrong with that; it's usually because of a lack of knowledge on how to apply, get accepted, and pay for ANY school in the country you want to. But that's a different topic. Point is, the posters on this forum is a very small percentage of applicants. LESS than 1%. So because this forum is MORE PRO-Academy Military Lifestyle type people, it would seem natural to wonder WHY ANYONE would turn down an appointment. Truth is, you're in the minority. About 20-25% of all people offered an appointment would/will turn it down. That number is probably a little less, now that the academy doesn't dump as many appointments all at one time. Plus, using the EA, they can judge a little better. But just 4-5 years ago, the academy offered on average, 1700 appointments, knowing darn well, that 500 people would turn it down.

You should have seen the reaction on some of my son's teacher's and counselor's faces when he named the schools he TURNED DOWN. He was the opposite. He wanted the air force academy. (NEVER applied to any of the other 4 academies). But he did apply to 4+ other universities. Some, pretty prestigious. Got accepted to all of them. Some, full ride scholarships. He turned them all down for the air force academy. While Harvard wasn't one he applied to, can you imagine what people would say if you said you TURNED DOWN HARVARD??? Same as you wondering HOW someone would TURN DOWN an academy appointment.
And as hard as it is to understand, not ALL of those turning down an Air Force Academy appointment are taking one to another academy. Close to 50% of the initial 10,000-12,000 applicants were also applying to a number of very prestigious civilian schools. Remember, the people on THIS forum are GUNG-HO Military. Meaning, the academy is probably your #1 choice. But lets say that 100 of you are actually posting on this forum. (It's LESS than that, but I'm making the numbers simple). That means, you 100 posters, represent 1% of the 10,000 initial applicants.

I've always told people who apply to the academies, that if you truly think you are the academic, leader, athletic, and EC type of applicant that should be able to make it into the academy.... then you SHOULD BE APPLYING ALSO to the other very Prestigious universities in the country. E.g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornel, Stanford, etc. The academies rank right up there WITH those schools. So it only makes sense, that if you are applying to the academy, then you're probably applying also to some really good schools. They are the same caliber of student. So it makes perfect sense to see an individual turn down the academy for Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Georgtown, William & Mary, Purdue, etc. The MAJORITY of people applying to the academies, ARE APPLYING to these other schools.

There are some that don't. Some that applied to the academy, and if that doesn't work out, then they'll choose to go to their local state college or CC college. Nothing wrong with that; it's usually because of a lack of knowledge on how to apply, get accepted, and pay for ANY school in the country you want to. But that's a different topic. Point is, the posters on this forum is a very small percentage of applicants. LESS than 1%. So because this forum is MORE PRO-Academy Military Lifestyle type people, it would seem natural to wonder WHY ANYONE would turn down an appointment. Truth is, you're in the minority. About 20-25% of all people offered an appointment would/will turn it down. That number is probably a little less, now that the academy doesn't dump as many appointments all at one time. Plus, using the EA, they can judge a little better. But just 4-5 years ago, the academy offered on average, 1700 appointments, knowing darn well, that 500 people would turn it down.

You should have seen the reaction on some of my son's teacher's and counselor's faces when he named the schools he TURNED DOWN. He was the opposite. He wanted the air force academy. (NEVER applied to any of the other 4 academies). But he did apply to 4+ other universities. Some, pretty prestigious. Got accepted to all of them. Some, full ride scholarships. He turned them all down for the air force academy. While Harvard wasn't one he applied to, can you imagine what people would say if you said you TURNED DOWN HARVARD??? Same as you wondering HOW someone would TURN DOWN an academy appointment.
I know it's not what you want to hear, but you're asking questions that "Don't Have an Answer". I mean that literally. Some may say that there is an actual number out there of "How many appointments" have been given out. And that's true, there is a number. The part many people keep forgetting is: "Not all the people receiving an appointment will ACCEPT IT". You must realize, the air force academy is NOT every applicant's First Choice for college. It just happens to be ONE of their choices. And MANY will turn it down.

And that's why it's difficult to answer your question. Suppose the academy wants 1200 appointees this year. They give out 500 appointments initially. Then, within a couple of weeks, 100 people turn it down. So they give out some more, and the wait and so on. The reason this has to be done this way, is because if an individual with an offer has a nomination from "Senator Jone's" slate, and that's the slot and they turn it down; the academy will try to go back to that slate for a replacement. This doesn't always work out. Depending on timing, they may have to go straight to the national pool. It's very complicated.

A few years back, the academy basically gave out around 1700 appointments. Because they KNEW from years of experience, that approximately 500 would turn it down. Thereby, getting to the 1200 they wanted. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to bringing in a few more than they planned. (E.g. the poor economics in recent years has had less people turning it down). And because federal law states that only so many cadets can be at the academy and only so many can graduate, the academy has had to be more deliberate and accurate with their offers.

So basically, it's offer so many...... wait to see who accepts and turns down...... offer some more....... wait for acceptance and those who turn it down....... and so on; until they reach the number they want. This is why some people may find out about an offer in May. Point is, it is NOT UNCOMMON for 20-25% or even more, to TURN DOWN the appointment. On this forum, probably 98.934858% of the posters want the academy(ies) as their number 1 choice for college. Of the average 10,000 - 12,000 of those initially applying to the academy, probably only 50% actually want the academy as their #1 choice. By the time the academy gets down to their 2500-3500 qualified candidates, maybe only 70-75% want it as their #1 choice.

So, sorry if I can't give you a number. Hopefully people will understand that for MOST applicants, the academy is just like any other college. "It's ONE of their CHOICES". Not necessarily their #1. That means a lot of people accepting and turning down their appointments. That means reorganizing weekly.
Agreed with Chirstcorp; my DS applied to AFA (only SA he applied) and several other universities, plus AFROTC scholarship as well. AFA is his #1 choice; if he had gotten the appointment in December, it would save him and us (myself & Dad) lot of headache so he didn't have to write many essays during Christmas break; instead, he got the appointment on Jan 15th; two weeks ago regular decisions came in from universities; he were offered admission to Yale and Duke with type 1 AFROTC scholarship. He's still set on AFA which made us so proud, but also a little ambivalent....
 
I know it can be difficult to believe that someone would go to the all that trouble to turn an appointment to an SA down, but consider this...
Lots of us who applied to USAFA this year have the long term goal of serving in the military as an officer. Yes, we often prefer one branch over the others, but whatever will lead us to becoming officers, we'll take. For this reason, many of us (including myself) applied to and were accepted to more than one SA. Of coarse, we must choose only one. I tell you what, turning down an appointment to USMA was difficult, but if it meant accepting an appointment to USAFA, I was happy to do it! So it's not that anyone is throwing away an opportunity, it's that we are taking advantage of what we perceive to be a better one. In fact, I felt kind of good about declining an appointment to WP, because that meant that someone else got to pursue their dream of becoming an Army officer.
My son's #1 school was USAFA and #2 was USMA. He received an appointment to USAFA in December and promptly accepted. He then received an appointment to USMA in January, the day before his 18th birthday. He waited a few weeks to decline, but realized someone else out there is waiting on pins and needles to hear from USMA and he wanted them to have that feeling he'd had. However, as you said, my son found that clicking on the button to decline was the hardest thing he's ever done. Who actually turns down an academy appointment, right? The only reason for him was an academy appointment to his #1 school.
 
I know it can be difficult to believe that someone would go to the all that trouble to turn an appointment to an SA down, but consider this...
Lots of us who applied to USAFA this year have the long term goal of serving in the military as an officer. Yes, we often prefer one branch over the others, but whatever will lead us to becoming officers, we'll take. For this reason, many of us (including myself) applied to and were accepted to more than one SA. Of coarse, we must choose only one. I tell you what, turning down an appointment to USMA was difficult, but if it meant accepting an appointment to USAFA, I was happy to do it! So it's not that anyone is throwing away an opportunity, it's that we are taking advantage of what we perceive to be a better one. In fact, I felt kind of good about declining an appointment to WP, because that meant that someone else got to pursue their dream of becoming an Army officer.

Couldn't agree more! I applied to USAFA USNA USCGA and USMA and was so lucky to get into all of them. USAFA was number 1 from the start.. But it was my last acceptance. My first one was USNA in October and I was Being very impatient and was actually going to sign in December. However, I held on and was so humbled to get an appointment from USAFA in Feb! It took me two weeks after the final academy answer came in to finally decide but I'm so glad I'm going to USFAFA and I'm so happy that other people just as qualified will get to go to the other academies!!
 
I know it's not what you want to hear, but you're asking questions that "Don't Have an Answer". I mean that literally. Some may say that there is an actual number out there of "How many appointments" have been given out. And that's true, there is a number. The part many people keep forgetting is: "Not all the people receiving an appointment will ACCEPT IT". You must realize, the air force academy is NOT every applicant's First Choice for college. It just happens to be ONE of their choices. And MANY will turn it down.

And that's why it's difficult to answer your question. Suppose the academy wants 1200 appointees this year. They give out 500 appointments initially. Then, within a couple of weeks, 100 people turn it down. So they give out some more, and the wait and so on. The reason this has to be done this way, is because if an individual with an offer has a nomination from "Senator Jone's" slate, and that's the slot and they turn it down; the academy will try to go back to that slate for a replacement. This doesn't always work out. Depending on timing, they may have to go straight to the national pool. It's very complicated.

A few years back, the academy basically gave out around 1700 appointments. Because they KNEW from years of experience, that approximately 500 would turn it down. Thereby, getting to the 1200 they wanted. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads to bringing in a few more than they planned. (E.g. the poor economics in recent years has had less people turning it down). And because federal law states that only so many cadets can be at the academy and only so many can graduate, the academy has had to be more deliberate and accurate with their offers.

So basically, it's offer so many...... wait to see who accepts and turns down...... offer some more....... wait for acceptance and those who turn it down....... and so on; until they reach the number they want. This is why some people may find out about an offer in May. Point is, it is NOT UNCOMMON for 20-25% or even more, to TURN DOWN the appointment. On this forum, probably 98.934858% of the posters want the academy(ies) as their number 1 choice for college. Of the average 10,000 - 12,000 of those initially applying to the academy, probably only 50% actually want the academy as their #1 choice. By the time the academy gets down to their 2500-3500 qualified candidates, maybe only 70-75% want it as their #1 choice.

So, sorry if I can't give you a number. Hopefully people will understand that for MOST applicants, the academy is just like any other college. "It's ONE of their CHOICES". Not necessarily their #1. That means a lot of people accepting and turning down their appointments. That means reorganizing weekly.
As always, an expert response, stated in a way that helps people understand, and relax if even for just a minute...
 
I am also waiting to hear back from USAFA it being my number one choice and all. I was asked to go to the senior Diversity Program back in September and went and even completed my application for early Action and got deferred to regular selection. Basically I have been waiting since November to hear back and quite frankly I'm to the point where I should just forget about it and go with my second choice but I am trying to keep hope alive. lol Is there any information that one could share that may still show that there should still be hope?
Believe me, I know first hand, there is still hope.
 
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