Deferred

haleym said:
Don't be discouraged either way. I have a hard time believing that they would completely rule out a candidate they deemed competitive enough for EA and not compare them to the rest of the pool yet. LOAs and early acceptances are for those candidates that are literally super heroes and probably run off of hooah power and sunlight- for the rest of us, well, we get to wait!
Keep in mind that most candidates before you went through the same waiting process, and we all survived. Also know that a TWE isn't the end of the world- this is coming from someone who has received one before. I'm positive you are all great candidates and will find success if you really shoot for it no matter where you go. Hope for the best, but know that your worth is not based on that appointment. :thumb:
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This is very good advise. I know my son will be disappointed if he does not get into the Academy but we also know it is not the end all and have discussed this with him. He is also excited about his Plan B and C so I think he is prepared for whatever gets thrown his way.

I personally like to try to figure out the puzzle of what the AFA is doing with the admissions decisions. Especially this year since the EA is new so nobody has any prior info to go from. I have no clue what a deferred letter may mean or what no news may mean. But it is fun to try to figure out!

One thing I know for sure is everyone will have an answer come June.....
 
jnr said:
Blackbird, I'm confused by something. Did your DS receive the Falcon and Prep school offers the same year that the TWE was received or were they the result of reapplying the following year? I didn't think there was life after TWE in the same academic year.
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Okay. Here we go.

There are Preppies and Prepsters. Preppies attend the USAFA Prep School which is down the hill from the Academy. Preppies tend to be either prior enlisted, IC athletes, or diversity candidates but there are exceptions. My DS was not a Preppy so my knowledge is limited to what I have read on SAF.

Prepsters attend a civilian prep school and have some academic weakness in their application. They are close but not quite at the level required for admission. I'm not sure how many such schools there are in the US, but the Falcon Foundation supports the following prep schools:
  • Greystone
  • Kent School
  • Marion Military Institute
  • New Mexico Military Institute
  • Northwestern Prep
  • Randolph-Macon Academy
  • Wentworth Military academy
From what I can glean, the most commonly attended prep schools are NWP, MMI, and NMMI.

Preppies are either sponsored or free agents. Free agents pay their entire way and gain additional skills and knowledge during their year at the prep school but have to go through the entire admissions process again to gain entrance to USAFA. Sponsored preppies, also called Falcons, have received a scholarship from the Falcon Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that has a very successful track record of identifying candidates that will succeed at USAFA after an additional year of preparation. For instance, Gen. Welsh was a Falcon. The Falcon Foundation (FF) scholarship covers part of the cost of attending a year of prep school and while each prep school is slightly different, each Falcon will receive an appointment as long as they keep up their grades, stay out of trouble, receive a nomination, and meet the other basic admissions requirements (i.e. DODMERB, etc). As PIMA has said here many times, a Falcon's appointment is theirs to lose.

So my DS received a TWE in March followed by a FF scholarship offer and acceptance by NWP in May. He attended NWP the following Fall. Yes, his prep school experience "cost" him a year but his time at NWP was very beneficial. He improved his study skills, gain a bunch of great friends, and was much better prepared for USAFA. On I-Day he already knew some 60 C4C's who had been with him at NWP.

No additional application is required for either USAFAPS or FF. All USAFA candidates not receiving an appointment are considered.
 
Is the portal just the admissions page listing completed parts of the application, mailbox, and requires your SS and DOB to enter?
 
That would be it.

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Yes. Everything is reviewed by the panel and either they have not reviewed it, or you have an envelope in the mail. Whether that envelope is good or not I have no idea.
 
Hey guys -- don't be discouraged and don't start thinking TWE yet. Nomination deadlines haven't even come up! My daughter was appointed for the class of 2016 she was told that she was a great candidate for an LOA and had all her stuff done before Oct. 1, before the first board meeting. She had people checking on her application throughout and she was told that things looked good every single board meeting...and she got her appointment in late Feb. This year, they gave that early review process a name and thus heightened expectations, but I would be surprised if anything is really different in terms of how the powers that be make decisions. The bottom line is that there are many more very qualified people than appointments and USAFA will want to see the whole pool before making decisions. So be patient, enjoy the holidays and your senior year and don't obsess...it won't make things happen faster! :)
 
Realize that the academy used to only give 10% or so LOAs. Obviously, they changed their system somewhat, but in the past only the "superstars" would know early. Don't get discouraged if you don't make that cut, as most cadets never did.
 
Folks...

RELAX...I repeat: RELAX!

"Deferred" does NOT mean "denied, done, dead, deceased..." It means..."deferred." In other words...you move on to the next board.

Period.

I have gone over ALL the candidates in my state...there are a few LOA's....and ALL of them are recruited athletes. Now...I know some LOA's have gone out to non-athletes...but that's all!!

Deferred simply means you move to the next round of reviews/selections...

Until you have a BFE or TWE "IN YOUR HANDS" you have nothing more than fear or speculation and neither of those will make your day. Trust me, as one who's received BOTH in the past...it's just not worth the misery of worrying.

You've done superbly to get this far...you're still in the hunt...keep the finish line in sight, keep your backup plans in place, and ENJOY YOUR SENIOR YEAR!!! :thumb:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Thanks all for the grounding words of encouragement. They are much appreciated.

My DD has not heard anything either, but I'm not expecting any news just yet since she completed EA at the 11th hour.
 
EA advantage

flieger83 said:
Folks...

RELAX...I repeat: RELAX!

"Deferred" does NOT mean "denied, done, dead, deceased..." It means..."deferred." In other words...you move on to the next board.

Period.

I have gone over ALL the candidates in my state...there are a few LOA's....and ALL of them are recruited athletes. Now...I know some LOA's have gone out to non-athletes...but that's all!!

Deferred simply means you move to the next round of reviews/selections...

Until you have a BFE or TWE "IN YOUR HANDS" you have nothing more than fear or speculation and neither of those will make your day. Trust me, as one who's received BOTH in the past...it's just not worth the misery of worrying.

You've done superbly to get this far...you're still in the hunt...keep the finish line in sight, keep your backup plans in place, and ENJOY YOUR SENIOR YEAR!!! :thumb:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
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you comments are always appreciated, and seem to be accurate, appreciate them. In the letters from USAFA it comes through that EA applicatants will receive some sort of favorable position because of completing EA by 11/1. The question then is, how much does it count for? We can reason that if it comes down to a tie with the WCS, then the EA applicant should benefit, but really how much else does it matter? In the SA culture promptness is very important, could EA actually bump an applicant up more than just a tie-breaker situition? thx.
 
I can not sent you a private message.If would you like PM me your email so I can answer your question.
 
Ya, what's the purpose of only answering one person?

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jjlma said:
you comments are always appreciated, and seem to be accurate, appreciate them. In the letters from USAFA it comes through that EA applicatants will receive some sort of favorable position because of completing EA by 11/1. The question then is, how much does it count for? We can reason that if it comes down to a tie with the WCS, then the EA applicant should benefit, but really how much else does it matter? In the SA culture promptness is very important, could EA actually bump an applicant up more than just a tie-breaker situition? thx.
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You raise an excellent question that only a highly select few people could answer and unfortunately I'm not one of those.

I know some of them...and I actually spoke with one of them this morning. We didn't discuss this possibility but we did discuss the "EA" and the "Deferred" letter, etc., at length.

What I can say is this: if a candidate finished everything early and met the "EA" deadline, that is viewed favorably as showing the candidate is serious. Now...before anyone jumps on this and says "My DD/DS couldn't do XXX because of an injury, etc...etc...and they're serious, will it hurt them?" I will say RELAX...the person I spoke with this morning is "the one" that knows all, sees all, and does all. EVERYTHING is taken into account; much more than I knew and I've been an ALO for 18 years! So don't worry if missing the "EA" was beyond a candidates control...this person will know that!

I was told that the majority of EA candidates will be deferred; only a select few will receive an LOA or "appointment offer" early in the process. Now...here's the BIGGIE: that's MUCH more than in the past!! So this is a GOOD thing!!!

However...the majority of the class will be selected in the March/April timeframe.

BOTTOM LINE: IF your DS/DD received the "deferred" letter...no big deal!!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
interesting information

thx. for the information. if deferred then it means still on the radar and possible appointment depending on WCS and recommendation of panel review. If the review panel does a favorable review, which is 30% of the total score, then the candidate is competitive, as compared to an unfavorable review, which would generate a disqual. Other posts suggest, as you do, that most appointments occur in March, for the remaing pool:thumb:. The end result is to wait and see.
 
Early Action - No Deferral (yet?)

jjlma said:
thx. for the information. if deferred then it means still on the radar and possible appointment depending on WCS and recommendation of panel review. If the review panel does a favorable review, which is 30% of the total score, then the candidate is competitive, as compared to an unfavorable review, which would generate a disqual. Other posts suggest, as you do, that most appointments occur in March, for the remaing pool:thumb:. The end result is to wait and see.
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What does not receiving a deferral letter yet mean?
 
Probably that you have not yet been reviewed. It MAY also mean there's an envelope in the mail, but I'm not 100% on that one

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I'm thinking Jayceguy is probably correct.

But again...no worries. The ONLY letter that should worry anyone right now...

Begins with a statement something like this:

"...While you qualifications are excellent, at this time you do not meet the requirements of USAFA for admission and with the projected achievement levels currently in place, it is not believed you will qualify. Therefore it is my sad duty to inform you that you will not be receiving an appointment to the USAFA..."

I can't remember exactly how my TWE read...remember, that was in early 1978!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
I rarely "Add" anything to what Flieger writes, because,,,, let's be honest, he knows what he's talking about. What I'm adding here is partially for the other posters in the thread, but also for those lurking who may be in the cycle next year.

The "main" purpose of the EA program, is because "Most" applicants in the past, had to wait until April-May to find out if they received an appointment. That was hard on a lot of individuals. Especially those who had outstanding offers from other universities and even some of the other academies. The air force knew they were probably missing out on some highly qualified applicants. To "HELP" with "SOME" of these applicants, and possibly keep them interested in the air force academy, they came out with the EA program. Prior to cutbacks, sequester, and other financial issues; the academy didn't need the EA process. They more freely gave out LOA's to mega highly qualified (No Brainer Club) applicants who had their application 100% complete by September/October, and were simply waiting on a nomination or their DODMRB to be completed. Likewise; some individuals who already had nominations, like presidential, even received a FULL APPOINTMENT as early as October or November.

Now; because they really can't give out so many LOA's and Appointments so early, because they have to be TIGHTER on how many eventually receive an appointment, they have the EA as a "Compromise". But not necessarily as a guarantee for the applicant. But more of a way to give them an idea of how they stand. THUS; not making them wait til april or may to either turn down other options and hold out for the academy if it's their first choice; and equally, to not lose an opportunity given by another university or academy if the air force academy doesn't look as promising as they had hoped. There are SOME LOA's, but those are extremely rare. Mostly for athletics, because most athletics have commitment around February. AKA "Signing Day". If you commit to a school, academies excluded, you can't just change your mind. The academies need to let qualified candidates who are also recruited athletes, know that the academy is still interested in them. So SOME LOA's are given out. But even an LOA isn't a guarantee of an appointment.

The key to the EA is that when someone becomes an applicant early and given EA status, it's really just saying you've taken enough initiative, that if you complete your application early, the academy promises to give you an idea early of how you stand. You don't get any extra points for being EA. It might help "Impress" your MOC in giving you a nomination. Deferred, as best as I can gather from my meetings, simply means your application is pretty much in line with most other applicants. You aren't part of the "No Brainer Club"; but you're also not part of the "Sorry, thanks for trying". (Better known as the TWE "Thin White Envelope"). Basically, deferred means the same as if there was no such thing as EA.

I tried to express this a lot during the summer. It doesn't take a lot for a person to be classified as EA. The academy doesn't have that much information about you. Based on self reported information, they've basically determined that you should be advanced to "Candidate Status". Basically; ANYONE in candidate status; prior to November, was EA.

I'm not writing any of this to pop anyone's bubble who thought because they had EA status, that were somehow special. I'm mainly writing this to explain that just because you haven't received an appointment, or were deferred, doesn't mean you're NOT SPECIAL. It simply means that your completed application didn't put you into the top 1% crowd. Notice, I didn't say top 10%. But top 1%. Remember; more than 12,000 individuals will start off applying. In the end, about 9-10% will walk into the academy the end of june. 10% of THOSE, (The 1% i'm talking about), might know about an actual appointment earlier than normal.

Finally; when the EA program started, the academy mentioned being able to let EA applicants, who finished by November, that they'd know something by January. (I believe the middle). There's a lot of reasons for "Deferred" or nothing at all. ALL APPOINTEES MUST have a nomination. Many MOC's are just NOW doing their interviews and won't give nominations until the beginning of January. The Academy MUST give about half of the appointments slotted against the MOC. Which means, they might want to give YOU the appointment today; but you might not get a nomination. Or maybe your MOC Prioritizes their nominations and the academy MUST take the individual the MOC says to. That doesn't mean you won't possibly get an appointment, but the academy might have to give you the appointment from the OTHER HALF of the appointments. AKA (National Pool).

So, as Flieger stated, relax. The ONLY LETTER you should be concerned with, is one that says basically. "Thanks, but no thanks". And they are pretty clear in that letter. Not much ambiguity. ANY other letter about deferring or similar, isn't a NO. Best of luck. Mike.....
 
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