Okay folks, I'm going to step in here.
The topic is an excellent one and as this week has seen a LARGE number of candidates for summer seminar selected, the discussion of "why, why not, etc.?" is a good one.
However the comment "...ahh the troubles of being a white male..." is NOT acceptable in this forum. For several reasons.
First, the obvious racial bias/connotation is just not what we're about. Opinions, while we're open to them all and we all have them, that focus upon racial bias with a "sour grapes" sound can very quickly be taken as a racial comment. We neither want nor need that!
Second, I'm going out on a limb here but I'm guessing I'm possibly the most knowledgeable in this forum (and I say that only because I've been doing it a tad longer than CC, he's also an expert in this field!) on the selection process/criteria at USAFA/RRS for summer seminar. I've actually participated in the selection process several times, including this week.
A SHORT summary, explaining that which I can, follows.
Summer Seminar is a recruiting tool. In that respect, it is aimed to bring in the best and brightest "potential" candidates for USAFA. It is not a "if you score XXX points, you will be selected over anyone with XXX-1 points." ALL candidates are evaluated using the "whole person" concept and that assigns value to ALL things being considered: grades, SAT/ACT/PSAT, school activities, outside school activities, familial background, school demographic (is your school a new school with no established history...so we need to look closer at you...maybe you'll be the first chosen, to build the interest in the school?) and so on...it is a VERY long process.
Do we select some candidates with "lesser appearing" records over others? Yes, of course we do; so do all other colleges/universities/scholarship programs/enter-the-name you wish here. Are some superb candidates NOT chosen while some candidates that are a bit lower on the scale selected? Yes. But understand, we give some candidates a bit of "favor" if they've had to endure/overcome some diverse situation.
Ahh..that word: DIVERSE. Note, I didn't say "diversity." MOST folks see/hear that word and assume: racial minority. And if they do they are WRONG. A "white anglo saxon male" can come from as diverse a background as can any other individual. It's the "diverse background" that the military will review; see how it shaped the individual, etc...and yes, that will be looked upon as a "bonus" for selection. Sometimes we give folks a chance simply because they have had to overcome some amazing challenge/difficulty, based upon what they faced.
The example I use actually occurred several years ago. We had a young man that lived with his LARGE family on the family farm in the midwest. From the time he could walk, he had farm chores to perform daily. He lived a good distance from town (I can't remember precisely, but it was something like 10-20 miles from anyplace).
When he was in Jr HS, his father was killed in a farming accident. He was the oldest of something like 6 or 7 kids. He immediately became "mom" while his mother ran the farm, with the help (occasionally) of friends/neighbors that would come to their farm to help. HE raised his siblings.
When he was old enough, he ran the farm: up before the sun, did his farm work, then off to school, immediately after school he had to return home to do farm work, finishing in the dark. While he did that, his mother worked 2 jobs in town, so his siblings all raised the younger kids.
When he applied for USAFA...he had NO sports, NO extracurriculars, NO anything other that school and farm work. And his GPA? Above 3.0 but not stellar...he simply had no time for anything but farm/family/school.
Yes, he was accepted to USAFA...as I recall, he was sent to the prep school where he excelled, and then up to USAFA where he excelled and graduated as a "blue chipper" with guaranteed grad school.
He was selected over others because of the diverse difficulties he faced and excelled at. FYI...his race had zero to do with it.
SO please...if you were not selected, don't try to second guess it. As an ALO, I can give you an idea of why, IMHO, you were or were not selected but that's all it would be.
Selection for summer seminar is NOT easy; the numbers applying are LARGE and we only pick @600 total.
Let's leave the comments about background/race/etc., out of an excellent discussion, okay?
Thank you!
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83