Drive to receive your appointment?

[ParkCore]

Out of curiosity, what kept you continuing to pursue your appointment and topple the hardships you faced along the way?
My thought has been and still is that someone out there wants this thing as bad as I, but they probably aren't feeling like they want the easy way out. So with that said, that's always driven me because I know that if I don't continue to work hard, someone else will take my spot just as easily.


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[navalaviator]

For me, I just kept the statistics and my dream in mind. The majority of applicants drop out because the process is too "daunting" and they just don't want to out forth the work. I didn't want to be the "majority" and continued toward my goal. I've also always wanted to be an Air Force officer and attending the Academy has been my dream dream for years. Bottom line, You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, so stick with the process and keep your head up. It won't be easy, but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end! Good luck!

 

[Jayceguy]

The application is probably the easiest part. Nothing really all that difficult. If the academies are your #1 goal, the apps are just steps (many), nothing too hard to do.

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[NargleSlayer]

I just told myself to think of my life in a bigger perspective and analyze what I wanted to accomplish in the long run. I told myself I wanted to do something worthwhile with my life and something beyond myself (I have always liked volunteering around my community.. stuff like that).

I then told myself that getting a bachelor's degree from USAFA is only four years of my life out of the approximate 80 years that a person will live... why not suck it up and take just one more year to better myself in all aspects of my life to hopefully get admitted to next years class.

My dad said civilian school is nostalgic for the first two years and then almost everyone kind of gets over it for the last two years. I can see it in social networking... My classmates that entered just this year to a civilian university are all gung hoe about getting to the hottest social scenes, concerts, etc.. But then the people that are about to graduate from a civilian univeristy don't post many social things. I'll see them more with their family and they talk about careers. This helps me not get sucked into the idea that i'm "missing out on something" as social networking usually makes you feel.

So (hypothetically) if you go to a civilian university for just one year, work hard, and get admitted to a service academy, you can have that nostalgic 1 year at a university and then make the decision to move on to the SA route, which in the long run seems so much more rewarding.

 

[LineInTheSand]

I didn't apply to USAFA, but the other applications I had were similar, so I decided to comment.

The application is the "easy" part, with regard to the academy life. They are more involved than most civilian schools, but they're pretty straight forward.

But the time you apply to an academy, you've already done the work to either be accepted or rejected, all that's left is presenting the person you've become.

I honestly thought the extra steps made it feel a little more special once I was finally accepted. I had the extra drive because a high school classmate of mine (one of my great friends) was applying to USNA. With highs come lows. My friend wasn't accepted to USNA, and found out close to the same time I heard from USNA.... he didn't tell me because he didn't want to rain on my parade, but I felt bad for him. He was great, got a NROTC scholarship to VMI. Eventually due to some health issues he lost the scholarship, but got a Army ROTC scholarship and is now flying Kiowa's for the Army. I feel like he and I went through that long process together, and we had a bit of a bond because of it (you'll feel an even stronger bond with classmates from an academy you graduate with).

Anyway, when you apply, you've done what you could already, now it's about showing it.