Okay...truth time on the prep school.
The folks that get into the prep school are selected based upon the following criteria:
a. Enlisted members of the military with USAF a priority
b. Recruited athletes
c. Minority members
d. The rest of the candidate pool
That's it. The enlisted force typically has up to 50 slots +/-. After that the class is filled per the list above.
FYI...the academy also offers prep scholarships via the Falcon Foundation to other schools around the nation to highly qualified candidates. The AFA picks them and notifies them separately.
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
Northwestern Prep '78-'79, Falcon Foundation Scholar