You had me until this statement ^^.
I've met a couple dozen AFA students. They come from a variety of backgrounds as designed. I don't believe I've been introduced to any former Preppies. Yet not one of the direct entry students that I've met are "cookie cutter clones"? Quite the opposite.
If the AF needs a diverse set of leaders of character that are smart but not necessarily in the top %, why do they need to pay >$400K per copy by sending them 1st to the USAFAPS? It's an honest question. If it was my checkbook and I was paying $400K per copy to develop leaders of character, I'd prefer brilliant well rounded (diverse) leaders. If I understand the Academy concept, they are looking for elite student that also can be a leader with an additional criteria that they are athletic. That's also why they have the Scholars program. They want the "best and the brightest". Correct?
You may of heard the joking expression that some people are so well rounded, that no part of them is incredibly sharp.
The entire wing falls under that well rounded category. So IMHO, ROTC is going to also turn out a lot of smart leaders as well. But at $120K per copy.
Please don't take my post in the wrong context. For starters I would not have a snow balls chance in H_ll of getting into USAFA. So I strongly predict you were academically smarter and a better athlete than I. My broader point is what is wrong with leaving a standard in place. You set the bar and that's it. If you cannot pass for whatever reason, go off to college somewhere else for a year, re-take your ACT and re-apply. With your described situation above, you would have been admitted because you took advanced college classes. Some students in fact get into USAFA using this described approach. Better yet, if they could not make the grade in a college without the stress that USAFA applies, then they didn't waste their time and washout. This approach seems more logical to me. If it is learned that you churn out equal quality leaders by reducing the test scores, then let's re-set the bar lower.