Accepted to USAFA Prep School!

And when you turn 18 you can use a citizen's right to vote to influence/change your MOC that oversee this methodology. Or...you could commission through a means other than the SAs and when you reach the top of the food chain address your problems from within.

Life is not always fair. Welcome to adulthood.:cool:

I agree. Stop complaining, it will do you no good if you do enter the Academy. Just do your absolute best to get in and pray it's enough.
 
You can take it as complaining if you want, but I have been raised to address and seek solutions to problems placed in my path. I could bury my head in the sand and think , " Oh boy, that' s not right but thats just the way it is".
However, the other suggestion from aglass seems to be more of a solution (voting and becoming active). Further, I thought the mention of this to all that read the board is another service I can offer. Because the more votes the more politicians (Academy leaders) will listen. BTW, You would be surprised how many people I mention this to that do not realize this nonsense is going on!
 
RobMD,

You made a comment and I'm just quoting a portion here:

"I am very upset and unsure how to deal with the possibility of not being selected for either the academy or prep school. As a citizen of this great country I have a problem with this methodology." (Italic's are mine)

I can relate to this comment VERY well as that was me in 1978. I was "not selected" for USAFA/USNA/USMA that year. I was offered a 4-yr full-ride AFROTC scholarship to the school of my choice and the opportunity to attend the USMA Prep School.

LATE in the process, I received a letter from the Falcon Foundation about possibly attending a "private" prep school where they would pay a portion of the costs, I'd have to pay the rest. No guarantee's were made, just the suggestion that I consider it.

I lived at the AFA then so I went to my neighbors (VERY high up in the food chain at USAFA then) and asked and they all said, basically, this: "...they're willing to send you someplace to prepare to re-apply to the academy. Do you think they do that with someone they're not VERY interested in?"

So...I took that route...a year that DID NOT COUNT for college credit, nothing. Long days of study: Math, English, basic sciences, and more English, word memorization and tests daily, etc...etc... And we took every SAT and ACT offered. And my SAT scores climbed big-time!

In the end...I was offered appointments to: USAFA, USMA, USNA.

It took an extra year, was well worth it, and I achieved my end goal. I'm like you, I also "...address and seek solutions to problems placed in my path."

Don't worry about things you can't control: you focus upon the END GOAL: APPOINTMENT! :thumb: You can affect your grades, your CFA, your SAT/ACT scores...you can't affect the selection process or timing.

Press on!!! With determination and hard work, amazing things are possible!!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Rob: Unfortunately, you're making it sound, or you're assuming, that the process is: or can be: a lot simpler than it's being explained. It is some much more complicated, that explaining it in a paragraph or two is not practical. But let me address a couple of issues in the "Process".

1. Appointments are not just broken into categories of race, sex, or other demographic. The demographic also includes, "BY LAW", representation by state. All states' citizens pay taxes to fund the academy and military. That is why approximately 1/2 of a class receiving appointments, will be getting appointments from representative and senator nominations. So that all states are equally represented. Does that mean that an appointee from Arizona may be "Less Qualified" than a Non-appointee from California? Yes it does. But part of the reason for this law is to ensure equal representation. Not all the appointees happen to come from California, Texas, Florida, etc... because that is where the majority of the population lives, and it's such a small selection. 14-17% of applications.

2. The academies have decades upon decades of experience in what the applications look like. They want the whole person concept. Academics, physically fit, medically.... BUT, they also want leadership, team work experience, volunteer time, club and organization involvement, etc... I have personally had individuals who were physically and medically qualified, with a 4.0gpa and 31+ACT type academics, who DIDN'T receive an appointment. They did however get accepted to Yale, Brown, Penn, and other high end schools. Basically, they were all academic and nothing else. The military doesn't want this type of person. Unfortunately, many people think that if you are an "A" student, and can pass a medical physical and are physically fit, then you are 3Q (Triple Qualified) and should be a shoe in. Well, there's a lot more to being a cadet and military officer than your grades.

3. The military/academy's experience also shows over time, that the diversity they are looking for, goes beyond the "Old School" mentality that revolved around "Affirmative Action" and race/sex based filling of slots. Just like the academy looks at the "Whole Person" concept, that is what they are also looking for beyond the academy, in the "Real Military". They want their officers and military members to have a well rounded environment involved with working, living, teams, etc... made up of the same environment that our country is made up of. The diversity they choose from is NOT JUST RACE and SEX. It is poverty. It's single parent upbringing. It's the individual who demonstrates the OBVIOUS POTENTIAL to be the 4.0gpa student, but because they also worked 40+ hours a week, they have a 3.6gpa. But their ACT/SAT and other indicators demonstrate that given similar opportunity, they'd have excelled. It includes overcoming other major obstacles such as being 1st generation American. 1st person in their family who is attempting to attend a post high school education; and they had no support or role models motivating them. Point is: The military wants a well rounded military officer. One that can use their experiences with their past and the backgrounds of their peers, classmates, etc... that they've worked with, to make them better managers, supervisors, commanders, etc... when dealing with the diverse individuals with unique background. Again, it's NOT JUST RACE and SEX. This well rounded individual is developed through their experiences with others who have different backgrounds and experiences.

4. Finally; with the prep-school; these are individuals that generally have a single area that is not on par with their other areas. Maybe they are a 4.0gpa, sports, teams, etc... but they have a 20 ACT. "Maybe they simply suck at standardized tests". Maybe it's the enlisted person who's been out of high school for a few years and WON'T MAKE IT academically going straight to the academy. The academy requests "School profiles" from ALL APPLICANTS. Maybe a pre-school selectee is someone who's HS school profile shows LESS than 10% of each graduating class attending college, and demonstrates that their education system at that school sucks, and maybe this individual's 3.4gpa and 25ACT has demonstrated the potential (Based on interviews, recommendations from teachers, etc...) that they would have been a 4.0 at such and such a school.

In other words: The prep-school and the academy selections and appointments are not as simple as "RANK EVERYONE AND SELECT THE TOP 1400 APPLICANTS". That's not possible. How do you hard-score leadership, sports, team involvement, volunteering, etc... How do you compare directly the student who took 3 AP classes each year, to the person who was in the IB program and took ALL Upper level classes, to the person who had NO AP or IB classes available at their school. In their quest for "REAL DIVERSITY" (Beyond race/sex), how do you gauge or compare the 1st generation American applicant, who works 40+ hours a week, helping to support his single mother and 3 brothers/sisters, while taking grandma to dialysis once a weak, etc... and their 3.70gpa with the applicant who has a traditional family life, summer job at the pool/beach, who's involved with Meals on Wheels, is captain of the football team or drum major in the marching band, is also class president/secretary/etc...???

You can't simply take all those who are physically and medically qualified; and rank them academically by their gpa and ACT/SAT scores; and pick the first 1400 applicants. The military doesn't want just academics; and comparing academics from 50 states and thousands of school districts isn't that clear cut. Sorry, if you think it IS as simple as you believe it to be, but it isn't. And sorry if you believe that the only demographics involved is race and sex. There's so much more to it. Including the 1st half of the class being allocated to Congressional/State nominees, to ensure equal representation among the nation's citizens.
 
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I agree - well said. Nearly all competitive institutions routinely reject applicants, who on paper, meet standards for admission, and who likely would perform well. A large applicant pool allows you to chose candidates who bring unique perspectives, backgrounds, talents and experiences that collectively adds to vitality to the group and makes the class and institution stronger.

We routinely have 275 to 300 applicants for 2 or 3 positions a year and it becomes a fools game to try to rank these people in a straight numerical order. You pick out what appears to be the top 50 and then try to decide who would contribute most to the program. And sometimes it's the kid from Pakistan rather than the one that went to an Ivy.

So if you are applying to an elite national university, LAC, or service academy... solid grades and SAT scores gets you a "look." But you can't assume a score of 1430 on the SAT as a guarantee of admission anywhere. Those that look at the USNWR rankings and middle SAT range are often disappointed when their application doesn't seem to jive with what should be a simple formula. CC is full of these every year.
 
Something candidates and parents of these perfect candidates may forget is that they do not see their whole application. The teachers,counselors, and BGO recommendations are private as far as I know. Those parts of the app could shed a non-positive light on an application that the candiate is not aware of. So, they may feel they are the "most qualified" yet that may not be necessarily so. Just something to think about if you feel jilted by the imperect system. It might not be the system,but you.
 
NavyMid: where do you think you'll wind up?

CC: you are right on there. While your "numbers" might get you a look-see, it is your entire package that get you in.
 
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