Just a few questions

[Lhester97]

Hi, I'm hoping to join the class of 2015, and have a few questions regarding it

1) How competitive do you think I would be? I have about a 3.6 unweighted gpa, I'll graduate with 9 ap classes, I'm on varsity Lacrosse, 32 ACT, I'm XO in Army JROTC and I'm involved in the community/church

I know my gpa isn't amazing, but I've been to the Academy two different times for the fencing sports camp, and I've been told I will still be competitive by cadets(so I don't know how reliable that actually is)


2) Assuming I have my application ready by the earlier date, when would I know whether or not I will receive an appointment?

3) How much weight is put on the CFA results? I've taken it once for practice, and scored above average on everything except for pull-ups(I'm working on them now, should be above the mean soon) so I assume I will do reasonably well compared to others

That's all for now, though I will most likely ask a few more questions as I think about them. Thanks!

 

[Texasrocks]

Looks competitive to me. But it will depend on how you stack up in your district slate.

I would reach out to the lax coach, he can tell you if you will be a recruited athlete which would only help. The CFA % is listed on another thread somewhere.

 

[cdh50193]

1. You are pretty competetive, especially with that JROTC it's a big plus.

2. Letters of Assurance are usually given out as early as August if your file is outstanding regardless of Nomination or CFA, but don't rely on that. Normal admissions can be distributed anywhere from October to March. But the faster you complete your file, the quicker.

3. CFA corporates 10% of your total file.
60% Academics (Half of that on GPA/Class ranking/Difficulties of classes, etc. and the other half on SATs/ACTs.
40% Extra curriculars (Involving Leadership activities ,Student body government, Church communities, Athletics etc.)

 

[Christcorp]

lhester: Click on the link at the bottom of my signature. It says brochure. It's the 2008-2009 brochure, but it's still basically the same information. I'll be posting a link to the newer one when I have time. Anyway; most of your answers can be found in there.

While CDH50193 might have some experience with the other service academies, the air force isn't exactly the same. LOA's aren't given out until at least about the 1st part of October. That's because your file won't even be reviewed until at least september. And your file WON'T be reviewed, unless it's 100% complete. That includes the CFA test. The army does indeed offer LOA's earlier, and doesn't require your application to be completed. The air force does require a 100% complete application. The only thing that can be pending, for an LOA, is your medical DODMRB physical and your nomination. The rest of the application must be 100% complete.

The brochure will also show you the 60-20-20 breakdown on how they score you; academically, Extra Curricular, Review board/CFA, etc... Plus, most of the other information you might be asking for will probably be answered there.

As far as how competitive you are, no one can truly answer that. Sorry, but that's the facts. The main thing is: you have a 0% chance of getting an appointment if you don't apply. After that, there are way too many variables. FWIW: I know 1st hand of a 3.95 gpa applicant, with a 31ACT composite, who DID NOT receive an appointment. And I have seen applicants with a 3.70 gpa and 28ACT GET an appointment. The biggest variable is the state and district that you are in. That is your PRIMARY COMPETITION. You only compete against other applicants in a different state, if you don't receive the primary nomination and slot for your district and state. Then you move on to the general pool of applicants. If you look in the brochure I linked to, it even breaks down how all the nominations are done.

The only thing I can say is: Do the best you can on the CFA; finish the application as soon as possible and submit it; get your nomination lined up with your members of congress; and have an honest and sincere interview. Keep taking the ACT/SAT as many times as you can afford; and keep doing well in your classes. And contact your ALO and academy counselor every time you have a change to your application, such an any additional leadership roles, sports, new clubs, volunteer time, etc... Best of luck to you. And click on the brochure at the bottom of my name below. Good luck. Mike....

 

[Pima]

Mike as always is right on the mark.

There is only one guarantee anyone here or any other site can give you about your chances.

You have a 100% chance of not getting an appointment if you don't apply!

Best of luck!

 

[AVT]

I believe the letter of recommendations go under the review board category, but does anyone know how significant they are in the application?
The evaluations, interview, and writing samples all seem to equate only to 10% and 20% with the CFA.

 

[Christcorp]

Realize that board reviews are done by humans. Pretty close to 99% of applicants, who are considered competitive with high gpa's and ACT/SAT scores, are generally the type of student that teachers give good recommendations about. It's usually the 1.x -2.5 gpa where letters of recommendation may be a little sketchy. Basically, the review board is looking for key negative words on your recommendations. If they don't see those words, then basically you ace that area. Key negative words are some like "Attitude", "Problem", "Issues", "Conflicts", etc... if they see these words, they go pretty deep to ensure the individual isn't a "Problem Child". But if it's the generic "I highly recommend ....."; which about 99% of letter are; they simply mark it off as complete. In other words, because I am a more articulate individual and can write a letter of recommendation that would have you want to adopt the applicant, doesn't mean the applicant I wrote for is going to get more points than the average sounding letter.