Application and 4/c school year questions

Pulsar99

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Aug 18, 2015
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Application Questions:

How much does the Physical Fitness score affect your chances for application?
I am currently a junior and work very hard in school. I am very involved in the Civil Air Patrol and am Cadet Commander of my squadron. I am working toward my private pilot's licence and strongly interested in pursuing an aviation career in the Coast Guard. I noticed the average PFE score for incoming cadets was in the 210-40s. Though I do exercise regularly and participate in a couple sports, I would not say this is my strong spot. My weakness is running long distances.


How does homeschooling change the application process?
I read the FAQ section on the USCGA website. It states that for the math and english instructor recommendations, it is recommended that one take courses at community colleges and have those instructors or private tutors write the recommendations. How does this work for people who don't really have access to a community college or have private tutors?


4/c School Year Questions


How accurately does AIM portray certain aspects of life at the academy?

For someone who is a little more familiar with the nonsense that sometimes goes on at Cadet training camps, which is harder, Swab summer or Freshman year?

What is the atmosphere of Freshman Year?




From your experience, during the first year at the academy, do people who are primarily self-motivated become dependent on the situation for their motivation to go on (get down in the dumps the whole year) or do they seem to cope well and become even more motivated to accomplish their goals through the stress?
 
How much does the Physical Fitness score affect your chances for application?
I am currently a junior and work very hard in school. I am very involved in the Civil Air Patrol and am Cadet Commander of my squadron. I am working toward my private pilot's licence and strongly interested in pursuing an aviation career in the Coast Guard. I noticed the average PFE score for incoming cadets was in the 210-40s. Though I do exercise regularly and participate in a couple sports, I would not say this is my strong spot. My weakness is running long distances.

PFE's are significant in that you have to meet the required standards. A higher PFE Score helps to make your application more solid in removing any doubt that you may not be physically fit. Things like CAP, ROTC, and a pilots license all show determination and potential leadership and add to the overall view of your application. Work out and increase your distance running. (1.5 miles - 2 miles) You can find the standards online.

How does homeschooling change the application process?
I read the FAQ section on the USCGA website. It states that for the math and english instructor recommendations, it is recommended that one take courses at community colleges and have those instructors or private tutors write the recommendations. How does this work for people who don't really have access to a community college or have private tutors?

Every year, there are Homeschoolers that receive appointments. It would depend on how rigorous your home school course load is. Remember, you will have to justify a very rigorous load in order to be competitive with others. ACT/SAT scores are also very important in demonstrating your academic success.

To answer your questions on 4/C year. I think most will agree it is difficult. It is often said that the hard part begins when Swab Summer is over. While AIM is a good (but very small) taste of Swab Summer, it does little to prepare you for the difficulty of the Academic year. 4/C's have set of rules and regulations that are unique to 4/C year. (Squaring meals, "bussing" to classes, bracing up all the time, just to name a few). Add this to the 19+ credit course load of Semester 1 and 2 and that makes for a really tough year.

Not sure how to answer your last question... I'd say it depends on the individual. Many stay motivated and many get down on their situation at some point in time during Freshman year. (Probably many points in time). Honestly, some become so overwhelmed that they fall too far behind to recover and end up being disenrolled. Time management and prioritization are the keys to survival at any Service Academy I'd say.

Best of luck to you.
 
Everything Grevar said is correct, so I'm not going to add to that.

Your most difficult question is the last one. Depending on how your homeschooling is set up, you may not have been exposed to working in groups. The teamwork and support needed to make it through that 4/C year (and the following years) will come from your classmates. If you don't have that group experience (if for instance, you come from a very rural area necessitating home schooling), you will either find it great, or a little off-putting. Loners can have a hard time. And there will be times when CGA will get you down. The saying is "Terrible place to be, great place to be from". If you find the support group for each of your classes, and the right sports, you can make it. After my son's 4/C year, and he had started 3/C classes, and all the 4/C stuff was behind him, he said "It's not easier, but it's better." Keep that in mind. It will never get easier. But it will prepare you for life in the fleet.
 
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