Class of 2016-Mailbox Stalkers Club

I *was* doing really well with March/April in mind... and then I started seeing people on here getting BFE's, etc... so it gives you false hope about *maybe* your DS getting one too.

I really appreciate the conversation about having a Plan B and Plan C. We live in TX and I feel like my DS is drowning in a sea of amazing applicants. Of course, he's positive he'll get in... during his interview with the AFROTC at the end the interviewer said "Good Luck at the Academy" - I told him, the AFROTC interviewer doesn't know anything.

This is just a great place to say what's on your mind, since no one I know in RL is going through this process. My friends don't truly understand what it's like. And my one friend with a son at the USAFA had his LOA in December! He's a 2013 grad.

Our plan's in order of precedence.

Plan A -USAFA
Plan B- USNA
Plan C- AFROTC
Plan D- Community College for two years.

We've saved for college for 13 years, but if you recall it was 1999 when we put our lump sum in and well that was a high in the market... so our investments haven't done so well. We can't afford a four year. Hopefully our third child (who's three) - we started his fund at birth... will fair better.

Till then - I will continue to hover around the mailbox... pray for a phone call from MOC or be magically surprised on day when I log on to the portal.
 
Thanks, Pima! Your explanations and information are invaluable. Honestly, my DS is handling it better than I am, although he is anxious as well. Both his ALO and also someone from the Admissions office, who had called him to obtain some additional information and follow up to make sure he got his application completed by the deadline, both told him he should hear something in February. I have endeavored to dissuade him from expecting anything in Feb., however. For my DS, in his particular circumstances, although he does have plans B & C, getting accepted to the Academy is a "once in a lifetime" golden opportunity, so, hopefully, we can be forgiven for being excited and anxious.....
 
Hi all, just checking in to the stalkers club, for the 3rd year in a row! DD has presidential and Congressional nomination, as well as acceptance to USNA and an NROTC scholarship, but USAFA remains her #1 choice! She's in a great situation, but still nerve racking when her #1 is still looming out there!
 
falconchic88 said:
Hi all, just checking in to the stalkers club, for the 3rd year in a row! DD has presidential and Congressional nomination, as well as acceptance to USNA and an NROTC scholarship, but USAFA remains her #1 choice! She's in a great situation, but still nerve racking when her #1 is still looming out there!
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yes, nerve-wracking is a good description! hang in there!
 
Just wondering.....Does the QNV letter come in the TWE or are these two separate things all together? And if a candidate gets a QNV is he/she still in the running if someone doesn't accept their appointment? Or do they wait to send QNV letters after all slots have been filled and accepted?
 
Thanks Pima

"Hurry up and wait..." I always look at the forum with hopes for encouraging words, always anxious. As soon as I saw that term it took me back to my own AF service, and recalled the many times I either said that, or heard it. It put a smile on my face, and reminded me that it's still the AF, and that term will probably still be true in the year 3000. Thanks for the smile!:thumb:
 
usafa2012mom said:
Just wondering.....Does the QNV letter come in the TWE or are these two separate things all together? And if a candidate gets a QNV is he/she still in the running if someone doesn't accept their appointment? Or do they wait to send QNV letters after all slots have been filled and accepted?
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In our case with DD, she got the TWE and yes this had the QNV. At the time we had expected it. The medical remedial kept coming and coming and just seemed there was no way it was going to clear. I want to say back in 2010 we got the TWE in April. We had written off USAFA as a possibility and were following up on plan B. On May 2nd, 2010, her USAFA counselor called and asked if she was going to accept her appointment. At that point we were totally confused, got put on hold for a few minutes and he came back on and said that as of May 2nd she had an appointment. They wanted an answer in 5 days at that point. She made the decision to attend USAFA, even after we had put down payments on plan B. Eventually we cleared the medical remedial and she in now a member of the class of 2014. She had a Presidential nomination only, we had not even gotten congressional's as we were new and uninformed. I will say that DD had a 2290 on her SAT's though, 800 written, 800 critical reading and 690 Math. She even took the CFA twice, as she did not do well the first time. I have to assume she came off the NWL, but don't know for sure. Of course there were slightly over 1400 admitted to the class of 2014. Ours is not a typical story however, so I don't want to give false hope. It does happen though.
 
usafa2012mom said:
Just wondering.....Does the QNV letter come in the TWE or are these two separate things all together? And if a candidate gets a QNV is he/she still in the running if someone doesn't accept their appointment? Or do they wait to send QNV letters after all slots have been filled and accepted?
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The TWE brings the QNV letter. Last year (this year is different) one poster recieved the QNV letter and a phone call from his MOC 3 minutes later saying he was in.

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=17897&page=127
see post #1267

It is possible, but very rare to get a slot after the QNV letter.

Good luck and happy stalking. :thumb:
 
What is TWE? (I googled to no avail). OK QNV, means they would have gotten in if there was a vacancy? Thx in advance.
 
CristalLee said:
What is TWE? (I googled to no avail). OK QNV, means they would have gotten in if there was a vacancy? Thx in advance.
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TWE = thin white envelope (bad)
QNV = Qualified, No vacancy
BFE = Big fat envelope (contains offer of appointment)
 
Got it thanks - I think i'm gonna stop checking the mail all together.

I'm an AF Wife of 20 years and there's more acronym's I don't know!!!
 
usafa2012mom said:
Just wondering.....Does the QNV letter come in the TWE or are these two separate things all together? And if a candidate gets a QNV is he/she still in the running if someone doesn't accept their appointment? Or do they wait to send QNV letters after all slots have been filled and accepted?
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Posted the first week of April last year, and taken from the Academy Admission Facebook page:

"1) Does USAFA have a waitlist for Appointments.
NO! USAFA does not have a waitlist program.
2) How many Qualified No Vacancy letters went out:
USAFA sent out close to 1100 Qualified No Vacancy letters.
3) Around how many of the 1,100 are generally given appointments due to people turning down USAFA?
Less than 1% of the 1,100 QNV's will be given appointments due to people turning down USAFA"

The QNV (Qualified, No Vacancy) will arrive in a TWE (thin white envelope). Apparently, last year the TWEs were sent out late May-early April time frame. As you can see from above, there is a only a very small chance of an appointment being offered after a QNV being issued. One thing to keep in mind, however, is sometimes a 'second' TWE arrives with a Prep appointment or a Falcon Scholarship offer. It ain't over 'til it's over, as they say, and over appears to be June 28, the day BCT starts. The following is another quote from the Academy Admissions Facebook page: "However, as is normal, students can receive an appointment all the way up to just prior to the start date of Basic Cadet Training which is June 28th."
 
DS has not gotten anything from AFA but a post card saying he got a nomination..his file has said complete and candidate since September I believe.... Long long wait...:frown:
 
jagabiti said:
DS has not gotten anything from AFA but a post card saying he got a nomination..his file has said complete and candidate since September I believe.... Long long wait...:frown:
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They likely have sent out appointment offers to all the recruited athletes, so as to minimize the risk of them accepting offers elsewhere. Same thing with the applicants with the very highest qualifications, knowing that some of the offers of appointment will be turned down for various reasons. They need to be extra careful this year, as the Class of 2016 will be the smallest AFA class in over 40 years, and they cannot assume they will have a large number of appointments turned down, as in previous years. I believe we will continue to see a few postings regarding BFEs received the rest of February, but the bulk of the offers of appointment will not be coming out until after March 1. They will likely come out in "waves" of 200-300 (doubtless no more than 400) at a time during March and early April, then they will re assess how many slots they have left. Prep and Falcon letters won't start until Mid April and likely run through May. I believe they will try to come as close as possible to the target number of 1050, without going over, so it would not surprise me that we have a higher number of "late appointments, possibly early to mid June, than in previous years.

This means that, for some of us, the waiting just goes on and on. I don't believe the TWEs will be sent out until they have substantially completed the offers of appointment (April).
 
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Just found this on a different thread, posted in December. It is supposed to be a quote that was on a candidate's Portal:

IMPORTANT NOTE – Due to recent Secretary of the Air Force mandates, the number of appointments for the Class of 2016 will be the smallest in recent history. As a result, respective candidate appointment information will not be provided until the later part of March and final notifications will not be completed until the first week of April. Admissions appreciates your understanding and patience. (Emphasis added by me)

Has anyone else seen this on their portal?
 
2bornot2b said:
Just found this on a different thread, posted in December. It is supposed to be a quote that was on a candidate's Portal:

IMPORTANT NOTE – Due to recent Secretary of the Air Force mandates, the number of appointments for the Class of 2016 will be the smallest in recent history. As a result, respective candidate appointment information will not be provided until the later part of March and final notifications will not be completed until the first week of April. Admissions appreciates your understanding and patience. (Emphasis added by me)

Has anyone else seen this on their portal?
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Yes, it's on all USAFA candidate's portals. I'm pretty sure it disappears if you recieve an offer of appointment. :rolleyes:
 
It actually does not disappear when you have been offered an appointment. I received an appointment and mine still says that.
 
DS does caremifnit stays or goes on his portal....just as long as he gets appointed! Lol:thumb:
 
2bornot2b said:
They likely have sent out appointment offers to all the recruited athletes, so as to minimize the risk of them accepting offers elsewhere. Same thing with the applicants with the very highest qualifications, knowing that some of the offers of appointment will be turned down for various reasons. They need to be extra careful this year, as the Class of 2016 will be the smallest AFA class in over 40 years, and they cannot assume they will have a large number of appointments turned down, as in previous years. I believe we will continue to see a few postings regarding BFEs received the rest of February, but the bulk of the offers of appointment will not be coming out until after March 1. They will likely come out in "waves" of 200-300 (doubtless no more than 400) at a time during March and early April, then they will re assess how many slots they have left. Prep and Falcon letters won't start until Mid April and likely run through May. I believe they will try to come as close as possible to the target number of 1050, without going over, so it would not surprise me that we have a higher number of "late appointments, possibly early to mid June, than in previous years.

This means that, for some of us, the waiting just goes on and on. I don't believe the TWEs will be sent out until they have substantially completed the offers of appointment (April).
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The Prep and Falcon letters I was referring to above would be the "new" appointments to AFA Prep or Falcon Scholarship recipients. I was not referring to current Preppies. It is my understanding that the majority of Preppies will receive appointments. If you are a current Preppie, please post and let us know when you get your BFE.
 
Jumping in to admit... I too am a mailbox stalker! I'm trying not to wish this precious time with DS away, but can't wait to find out if he will be appointed or not. He has dreamed of going to the USAFA since he was eight years old. He has done all he could do to get accepted. Now...we wait!

Thanks for creating this thread and for all of the helpful comments posted here. It's comforting to have an online community for support! Prayers to you all!
 
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