So after a lot of thinking about my future over the past school year, I have decided that I want to be an officer in the Air Force. I want to have a meaningful impact on society and help protect the nation in any way I can. And the more research I do and the more cadets I talk to, the more I also want to attend the Academy. I understand I am very late in the game to be starting this process, as some people have spent their whole high school careers preparing their resumes.
I applied to Summer Seminar and was denied, so I am a little bummed. I know that it apparently has no indication of my chances of receiving an appointment, but I can’t help but ask if I am about to get involved in a long process that I stand no chance in.
I understand that nobody can predict chances, but what I am looking for is some guidance as to whether I am competitive or at least heading in the right direction.
Academics:
-GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.8 weighted
-Class Rank: Top 5% out of over 700 students
-Will have taken 13 AP classes by end of Senior Year
-PSAT: 200 (68 CR, 71 M, 61 W)
I am scheduled to take the SAT for the first time in April and have been studying, so I believe I will be scoring 2000+. If I push myself I believe I can score 2200+ by fall of Senior year.
Leadership/Activities:
-AFJROTC. I am very active in my unit (tons of awards and clubs within it) and have been an officer since sophomore year. I am currently the highest ranking junior in a unit with over 300 cadets, and I have a legitimate chance of being the commander next year.
Also I will be able to receive a nomination from my SASI, so I at least know that I will have a nomination going forward into the admissions process.
-National Honor Society. I am a committee member and am running for an officer position for senior year. I believe I have a good chance of being elected President or Vice President or Secretary.
-Debate. I am a national qualifier in debate and have many awards from competing. I will also be my team’s captain next year.
-National Beta Club. I am a committee chair and organize community service events for members.
Community Service/Work:
-Over 350 service hours as of today, hopefully near 500 by the time I graduate.
-I intern at a local political office (politics is one of my interests).
-I have either a summer internship or job lined up for this summer.
Athletics:
This is by far the weakest part of my application. I realized the importance of sports too late, and so I have never done any JV or Varsity sports in school. I know this puts me at a disadvantage and based on this http://www.academyadmissions.com/admissions/advice-to-applicants/all-applicants/ I know that about 79% of entering students have varsity athletic letters. And I am sure even more have played sports without necessarily earning a letter.
-If the rest of my package (academics, leadership, community service, etc.) is on point or better, will that make up for my weakness in this section?
Here is what I have done:
-Martial arts. I started in middle school and continued into Freshman year. I stopped going to maintain my academics and leadership positions, but I have returned to my former studio and am planning to continue it year-round (so grades 9, 11, 12)
-My school created an ultimate frisbee club this year that I participate in regularly. We play weekly and set games up like a tournament. I will continue this next year as well.
I work out regularly and I know that by the time I test, I will be able to meet and exceed the averages for the CFA.
-I am planning to try out for the cross country team this fall, but I have no idea if I will even make the Varsity or JV team since my school is very competitive.
-I am also planning to try out for the wrestling team, but again I have no idea if I will make the team.
Thank you for reading all of this, please let me know whether you think I am competitive for an appointment and if there is anything I can do to increase my competitiveness.
I applied to Summer Seminar and was denied, so I am a little bummed. I know that it apparently has no indication of my chances of receiving an appointment, but I can’t help but ask if I am about to get involved in a long process that I stand no chance in.
I understand that nobody can predict chances, but what I am looking for is some guidance as to whether I am competitive or at least heading in the right direction.
Academics:
-GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.8 weighted
-Class Rank: Top 5% out of over 700 students
-Will have taken 13 AP classes by end of Senior Year
-PSAT: 200 (68 CR, 71 M, 61 W)
I am scheduled to take the SAT for the first time in April and have been studying, so I believe I will be scoring 2000+. If I push myself I believe I can score 2200+ by fall of Senior year.
Leadership/Activities:
-AFJROTC. I am very active in my unit (tons of awards and clubs within it) and have been an officer since sophomore year. I am currently the highest ranking junior in a unit with over 300 cadets, and I have a legitimate chance of being the commander next year.
Also I will be able to receive a nomination from my SASI, so I at least know that I will have a nomination going forward into the admissions process.
-National Honor Society. I am a committee member and am running for an officer position for senior year. I believe I have a good chance of being elected President or Vice President or Secretary.
-Debate. I am a national qualifier in debate and have many awards from competing. I will also be my team’s captain next year.
-National Beta Club. I am a committee chair and organize community service events for members.
Community Service/Work:
-Over 350 service hours as of today, hopefully near 500 by the time I graduate.
-I intern at a local political office (politics is one of my interests).
-I have either a summer internship or job lined up for this summer.
Athletics:
This is by far the weakest part of my application. I realized the importance of sports too late, and so I have never done any JV or Varsity sports in school. I know this puts me at a disadvantage and based on this http://www.academyadmissions.com/admissions/advice-to-applicants/all-applicants/ I know that about 79% of entering students have varsity athletic letters. And I am sure even more have played sports without necessarily earning a letter.
-If the rest of my package (academics, leadership, community service, etc.) is on point or better, will that make up for my weakness in this section?
Here is what I have done:
-Martial arts. I started in middle school and continued into Freshman year. I stopped going to maintain my academics and leadership positions, but I have returned to my former studio and am planning to continue it year-round (so grades 9, 11, 12)
-My school created an ultimate frisbee club this year that I participate in regularly. We play weekly and set games up like a tournament. I will continue this next year as well.
I work out regularly and I know that by the time I test, I will be able to meet and exceed the averages for the CFA.
-I am planning to try out for the cross country team this fall, but I have no idea if I will even make the Varsity or JV team since my school is very competitive.
-I am also planning to try out for the wrestling team, but again I have no idea if I will make the team.
Thank you for reading all of this, please let me know whether you think I am competitive for an appointment and if there is anything I can do to increase my competitiveness.