Letter from academy admissions

New note from academy on line

Hi
No my DS site still shows "Your Status:" is "Candidate".
Regards
John
 
John41057 said:
This showed up today on DS Online Application Status page.

IMPORTANT NOTE – As the USAF Academy begins the process of appointing students to the Class of 2017, our Academy Board has begun making early offers of appointment. However, these offers are extremely limited with the majority of offers of appointment to the Academy being made during the month of March for candidates who have completed all phases of the application process. If you have questions on your status, please contact your Admissions counselor.
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Same thing showed up on my portal. Not a recruited athlete. But this is my second time around. I think this is on every one's portal.
 
USAFA Candidate Web Site

Hi
Yes, this is what I also thought when I saw it this morning.
Regards
 
Dad said:
No. It means that fewer will be given. USAFA has always been stingy regarding LOAs. Now they are being even stingier.
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There is a risk in losing some of the best and the brightest with this (as you say) "stingier" approach. Less LOA's are one thing but a super late big fat envelop (BFE) for nearly everyone will turn away a certain percentage of highly qualified students. I predict that the late offer date causes students to hang their hat on other fantastic opportunities to get the stress over with. Unfortunately this delayed approach causes family loyalties to shift and it opens doors for other great schools (and coaches for recruited athletes) to elbow their way in.

I remember all of us being asked by friends and family in March "so has your DS decided yet?" Answer: "No, we haven't heard from the USAFA." I bet we said that a few hundred times. And then the same questions started to be asked.

Luckily we visited serviceacademyforum.com and I read the words of forum member "Insider" (academy admission employee) who explained that the reason for the delays were simply because they were overloaded. (Insider: your active involvement in this forum is appreciated.):thumb: I now could explain to my DS that this wasn't anything personal and he didn't have to feel he was going to be passed over. Like many of you, my DS worked tirelessly for years. I got the feeling he was frustrated that he didn't get even an inkle from admissions as to how he stacked up.

Parents and students you may not feel the "love" and it doesn't mean that you have anything to worry about. As an example, our DS was a three sport athlete (captain in 2), was #1 ranked out of 6xx students, boys state, full time college student in 11th and 12th grade receiving all A's in every class since 8th grade including a few engineering level classes. He was a chemistry and calculus tutor in college working 20 hours a week at 17 years old, etc. He had great interviews as well and he got a top notch "Academic Composite Score" at the academy which picks the scholars program students.

In summary, it may not matter how well you stack up as to why you don't know your status until late March. If last years class is any indication of this years offering procedure, you may not find out until the very last moment. Don't take it personal and the long delay doesn't have anything to do with them not wanting you. My DS nearly went two other directions for college but he is absolutely delighted that he chose the USAFA. It's worth the wait so hang in there and don't read into why you have not gotten an offer because you probably won't know until late March. As others have said, it is a roller coaster ride. For my DS, it was well worth the effort and the wait.
 
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MN-Dad-2016 said:
There is a risk in losing some of the best and the brightest with this (as you say) "stingier" approach. Less LOA's are one thing but a super late big fat envelop (BFE) for nearly everyone will turn away a certain percentage of highly qualified students. I predict that the late offer date causes students to hang their hat on other fantastic opportunities to get the stress over with. Unfortunately this delayed approach causes family loyalties to shift and it opens doors for other great schools (and coaches for recruited athletes) to elbow their way in.
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I know a kid from last year that did change his mind due to this. He had another academy offer but was waiting on his first choice USAFA. Things drug out so long with a lack of feedback that he changed his mind. His perception was that the AF was disorganised and perhaps that was not where he wanted to be. Managing perceptions is a big deal in all walks of life.
My guess is USAFA will run a process that appears smoother this year.
 
Waiting for appointment

Hi
I have had the same conversations with other parents both with DS or DD in or trying to get an appointment. Having to wait so long places a heavy strain on the family. So many of the kids are at the top of the ladder and other offers are on the table. I know how important the academy is to my DS. Maybe the academy is waiting for all the applications to be reviewed so as to get the best pick? I just wish it went faster!!
Regards
John
 
John41057 said:
Hi
I have had the same conversations with other parents both with DS or DD in or trying to get an appointment. Having to wait so long places a heavy strain on the family. So many of the kids are at the top of the ladder and other offers are on the table. I know how important the academy is to my DS. Maybe the academy is waiting for all the applications to be reviewed so as to get the best pick? I just wish it went faster!!
Regards
John
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According to "Insider" (academy admissions employee that posts on this forum) it's related to the overall bandwidth of that department. If I was to read between the lines, they are short on staff.
 
Also, the later into the application season you get, the more applications there are to go through (reason they are swamped). Hence, why it is often recommended to have it completed early in the process. Example: early on they may have a 1000 complete to go through. Towards the end there could be 5000 to go through and rack and stack. You only do yourself a favor having it completed earlier. Granted most must still wait on the nomination process. Our family has done it both ways. DD's was way late, she didn't find out until May 2 (originally wait listed) USAFA was not her first choice but she loves it there, DS had his done within a month of the start of school his senior year (appointment received Oct 31, 2011). It was much less stressful in one aspect with my son, but then there were other worries-injuries, grades, a multitude of parental things.
Waiting for the BFE can be as stressful as you want to make it. Most students have until May 1st to make their college decisions. Of course, special offers may not remain that long, but I would venture a guess that if you contacted the schools in question and asked for an extension as a reasonable request, most would hold it.
 
Insider did indicate that there were departmental bandwidth constraints last year but did he say that there are those same constraints for this year?

Of course, the admissions process is what it is. Our family went through the long process twice. First year was the TWE in March and then a Falcon letter in May. Last year the Falcon Scholars were just about the last to receive their appointments . . . on May 1. The resulting roller coaster ride was just a bit stressful. I kept saying surely the appointment would come in March or April. But Mrs. Blackbird was confident in May. After the previous year of waiting until May, she was said " I won't be fooled again into hoping to hear anything early." She is wise!

But DS seems to have settled in nicely, enjoyed Jack's Valley, had a good GPA after midterms, and the appointment wait was worth it and is also becoming a dim memory.
 
kdc246 said:
Waiting for the BFE can be as stressful as you want to make it. Most students have until May 1st to make their college decisions. Of course, special offers may not remain that long, but I would venture a guess that if you contacted the schools in question and asked for an extension as a reasonable request, most would hold it.
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This is very true. Some will work with you, and some won't. When our son was waiting, he had it narrowed down to USAFA (plan A), Rice, Northwestern, (both plan B), and MSOE (plan C). He had his LOA but had not gotten a nomination, yet. He contacted each of the others to let them know that he was still interested, but was waiting on USAFA. Northwestern outright said that they weren't waiting. Rice was very cooperative and extended their offer deadline until much later than they had originally said. Son had accepted his appointment by then and asked them if we could pay a deposit to hold his spot (Plan B), but they declined. MSOE on the other hand was very willing to wait and allowed us to pay a housing deposit to hold his spot and scholarship money all they way up to the first day of classes at MSOE which was after BCT was done. Fortunately, he didn't need the spot at MSOE and we lost the $200. Cheap insurance and no stress because we knew he had options.

Agreeing with Blackbird....It all seems to be a distant memory now. So much more has happened that waiting for the appointment was a very small bump compared to what will come.

Stealth_81
 
Loa for athletes and gifted students

Hi
Maybe this is why the LOA goes out to athletes and truly gifted students. I know my DS has some amazing offers to play his sport, but he knows for him the academy is the best decision he will ever make. Let’s hope the LOA is in the mail today, tomorrow, sooooooon!!
Regards
John
 
Then, there are those students like my TwinA, who received the LOA in October, the Nom around late Dec, but didn't put in his paperwork until Orientation which was in April (they should re-instate that; it was great for parents and incomings as well).

For most of the students waiting to hear from all the colleges, the wait from December through April can be excruciating, and almost as difficult for the parents who have been squirreling away money for years to meet the demands of tuition, r&b, etc. It can be agonizing for the whole family.

I do remember that feeling of anxiety - and then the rejoicing and heartbreak which followed here and at other sites.
 
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