Questions/Personal Opinion

Wyofalcon

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
64
For what its worth I am a Cadet 4th Class here at the Academy. I just completed basic and am a few weeks into the school year. If anyone has any questions, or wants to know anything at all I will do my best to answer you. I just want to help get an accurate view out for those of you wanting to come, or parents of those wanting come.
 
Candidate Rigor

Thanks for the offer Dan!

Question I would have and perhaps many other perspective candidates and their parents is this:

1) Of those cadets you have interacted with, how many are "superstars" (you know, the ones with ACT scores above 30, GPA's of 4.0, walked on water the past 4 years in high school, etc.) as compared to more acedemically challenged cadets (ACTs in the 24 to 28 range, GPA's of 3.2 to 3.8, perhaps 1-2 leadership roles, varsity sport (letter winner for 1-2 years), perhaps Eagle Scout, etc.

Not recruited athletes mind you, just interested in the lower decile cadets.

A simple: "well, of the 12 cadets I know pretty well, 8 are what you call superstars, and 4 are more of the lower decile...".

2) How are those lower decile cadets doing acedemically? Do they seem in over their heads, do they regularly seek help from tutors and upperclass cadets? Are they involved in mandatory remedial academic study sessions?

Many thanks for your help and best of luck with your first year! Don't lose faith, focus on 1 day at at time if you have to...
 
Tgun; I will definitely let Daniel answer your question, but I just wanted to mention 2 things.

1) First thing going to the academy and going from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond, is people learn modesty. There is very little bragging about one's "High School Days".

2) Classes have only been in force for about 2 weeks. Not really enough time to see who's having a hard time academically.

Not answering for daniel. He may very well have had enough experience to answer your question. But at this stage, don't be surprised if not enough information is really available yet. But if you look at the class profile in the brochure (In my signature block), or the available class profiles found online for each past year; you'll see that the class average is pretty much the same each year. 3.86gpa average; 29-30 ACT average; how many with varsity letters; how many boy scouts; JrROTC, CAP, etc... It's like that every year pretty much.
 
For what its worth I am a Cadet 4th Class here at the Academy. I just completed basic and am a few weeks into the school year. If anyone has any questions, or wants to know anything at all I will do my best to answer you. I just want to help get an accurate view out for those of you wanting to come, or parents of those wanting come.

Congratulations on beating the BEAST.
Now that you're settled in and you're fall classes are set, do you have any regrets? are you satisfied with how the academic year schedule panned out for you?
If you were to cite a difference between the appointee that you were two months ago and the C4C that you are now what stands out? Would you have done anything different?
What would be your best advice to an appointee preparing to go for class of 2017?
 
Best guess... of the 25 cadets I know well 20 are average 1 is a superstar and 4 are less than average (by high school standards). However all of that is going off of HS academics, so far everyone seems to be doing well academically, it requires a lot of studying but effort is the key.

Thanks for the offer Dan!

Question I would have and perhaps many other perspective candidates and their parents is this:

1) Of those cadets you have interacted with, how many are "superstars" (you know, the ones with ACT scores above 30, GPA's of 4.0, walked on water the past 4 years in high school, etc.) as compared to more acedemically challenged cadets (ACTs in the 24 to 28 range, GPA's of 3.2 to 3.8, perhaps 1-2 leadership roles, varsity sport (letter winner for 1-2 years), perhaps Eagle Scout, etc.

Not recruited athletes mind you, just interested in the lower decile cadets.

A simple: "well, of the 12 cadets I know pretty well, 8 are what you call superstars, and 4 are more of the lower decile...".

2) How are those lower decile cadets doing acedemically? Do they seem in over their heads, do they regularly seek help from tutors and upperclass cadets? Are they involved in mandatory remedial academic study sessions?

Many thanks for your help and best of luck with your first year! Don't lose faith, focus on 1 day at at time if you have to...
 
Thank you. I only have regrets when I try to compare my life to my friends lives at regular college. That is something you cannot do, there is no comparison. I have a fairly good schedule but the course load is heavy, and only gets heavier. Honestly if I had the feel for this place, that I do now, back when I accepted I might not have come. Two months ago I looked at this place as if it where on an alter, now it doesn't seem that way. However, that's not to say that this is a bad place and at times I definitely remember why I came and that is the key. Keep something solid in your mind at all times that you can anchor yourself to when things get hard. You need a reason to stay. My best advice for a new appointee would be to Cowboy Up. There is absolutely no way to prepare for the EMOTIONAL strain basic will put you through, short of going through a previous basic. The first week is the worst... number 2 is bad also, as you finally settle in they swap your Cadre and they misery starts over. Now it seems like a blur, but I will always remember the EMOTIONAL, and MENTAL strain/drain I felt.

Congratulations on beating the BEAST.
Now that you're settled in and you're fall classes are set, do you have any regrets? are you satisfied with how the academic year schedule panned out for you?
If you were to cite a difference between the appointee that you were two months ago and the C4C that you are now what stands out? Would you have done anything different?
What would be your best advice to an appointee preparing to go for class of 2017?
 
As a cadet, comparing your life with those back home can be...interesting.
I was quite annoyed when my friend told me he decided to sleep in rather than go to class at 10AM...as I didn't have that choice, and had to get up before 5AM that day! Then again, as time went on, I realized I never had to worry about rent, tuition, balancing a job against class schedules, what food to buy, etc. That was all taken care of. Every decision involves trade-offs. Sure, you can go to a civilian college and not face some of the restrictions USAFA cadets face, but you will face issues they don't worry about.
 
When you mean average academically it's about the averages published online right?
 
Thank you. I only have regrets when I try to compare my life to my friends lives at regular college. That is something you cannot do, there is no comparison. I have a fairly good schedule but the course load is heavy, and only gets heavier. Honestly if I had the feel for this place, that I do now, back when I accepted I might not have come. Two months ago I looked at this place as if it where on an alter, now it doesn't seem that way. However, that's not to say that this is a bad place and at times I definitely remember why I came and that is the key. Keep something solid in your mind at all times that you can anchor yourself to when things get hard. You need a reason to stay. My best advice for a new appointee would be to Cowboy Up. There is absolutely no way to prepare for the EMOTIONAL strain basic will put you through, short of going through a previous basic. The first week is the worst... number 2 is bad also, as you finally settle in they swap your Cadre and they misery starts over. Now it seems like a blur, but I will always remember the EMOTIONAL, and MENTAL strain/drain I felt.

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice.
May you have continued success and that the reason you stay be strong enough to tide you over for the next four years until you attain your goal.
 
Were there any moments during basic that you can look back on fondly, or at least without distaste. Perhaps a funny moment with classmates? Are there times when the cadre dont yell? What do you have to look forward to as the academic year starts? Thanks and congrats for finishing basic!!
 
Were there any moments during basic that you can look back on fondly, or at least without distaste. Perhaps a funny moment with classmates? Are there times when the cadre dont yell? What do you have to look forward to as the academic year starts? Thanks and congrats for finishing basic!!

There were absolutely funny moments and hilarious stories that I will always remember from basic, but there are no moments I look back on fondly. I will always be happy about accomplishing the things I accomplished, but never want to look back on it. Obviously they can't yell 24/7... but you will always get yelled at if you mess up, they'll never be your friends. As for the academic year, it's a totally different animal. I like it more, but a lot of people say it's way harder here. It totally depends on your out look, and whether you're able to "let it go in one ear and out the other".
 
There were absolutely funny moments and hilarious stories that I will always remember from basic, but there are no moments I look back on fondly. I will always be happy about accomplishing the things I accomplished, but never want to look back on it. Obviously they can't yell 24/7... but you will always get yelled at if you mess up, they'll never be your friends. As for the academic year, it's a totally different animal. I like it more, but a lot of people say it's way harder here. It totally depends on your out look, and whether you're able to "let it go in one ear and out the other".

I would like to add on to this. I haven't gone through BCT at USAFA, but I did just finish BMT at the prep school. (Shorter than USAFA's BMT) What Daniel said is spot on. I have talked with my friends here at the p and we generally agree that, looking back on BMT, it really did suck.

There were funny moments and things we said and did that we got in trouble for, but it's fun to laugh at it now. You can make it through BMT if you really set your mind to it and focus on your end goal. It's tough, but the feeling of accomplishment you get when it's all over is worth it.
 
Hi Daniel! Congrats on beating beast, I kept up with the pictures on the USAFA facebook, and it was a blast seeing everyone progress through everything and come out as true American Airmen.

This question may seem inconsequential, but nonetheless it's something I've been curious about for a while now: What do you or other cadets look forward to each day (as in a fun activity, sports, or even just sleep) if you have the time between all the workload? I bet leisure isn't a commonly used word in any service academy, but all work and no play makes jack a dull boy and all so...

Best of luck in everything, and thank you again for your time! We're all rooting for you guys!
 
I always looked forward to lunch and dinner but only after freshmen year!

Freshmen year I always looked forward to ACQ because I knew I could finally close my door and relax.
 
I am very good at time management and have every minute of every day planned from when I wake up to when I go to sleep. So far I have been able to stay on target every day with my schedule. I always make sure to give myself 30min to and hour before TAPS to just unwind... I look forward to that time. I also look forward the hour that I am in the weight room everyday. There are absolutely things to look forward to, its just all in perspective. As a civilian I would have thought that my best days here were horrible, but coming from Basic, those days actually look pretty good. Keep in mind that all of this is Squadron dependent, and although my squad is fairly restrictive other freshmen "22" probably have it worse. Also going to bed at TAPS is something I look forward too... my roommates goes to bed around 1 am most days and he hates it because sleep just means he is getting behind. I would say that if you can manage your time well then you can have quite a few different times of the day to look forward too. Sorry, long answer for a short question.

Hi Daniel! Congrats on beating beast, I kept up with the pictures on the USAFA facebook, and it was a blast seeing everyone progress through everything and come out as true American Airmen.

This question may seem inconsequential, but nonetheless it's something I've been curious about for a while now: What do you or other cadets look forward to each day (as in a fun activity, sports, or even just sleep) if you have the time between all the workload? I bet leisure isn't a commonly used word in any service academy, but all work and no play makes jack a dull boy and all so...

Best of luck in everything, and thank you again for your time! We're all rooting for you guys!
 
I'm sure after Recognition Lunch will be fine, right now its a lot of studying Contrails and being quizzed on knowledge before meals, but as a whole its not terrible. Dinner is at ease (relaxed, but no talking for 4-digs) so we enjoy dinner.

I always looked forward to lunch and dinner but only after freshmen year!

Freshmen year I always looked forward to ACQ because I knew I could finally close my door and relax.
 
Back
Top