Chances for Usafa?

soccerboy97

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2015
Messages
24
I was just curious about how my chances for admission. I received a LOA for westpoint, and USAFA paid for me to visit for a week this fall. I thought that I had a good chance, but im not sure. I can provide more details if necessary.
 
Well we can't give any good advice if we don't have stats. And even then we can't necesarily tell you your chances but only really give you advice.
 
For an example of how not to ask a serious question, I offer this:

I want to be a rock star and got an offer to record my album from columbia records. Decca records invited me to their place, paid for me to come even. Do you think I either will take me and will I be a star?

Soccer, can you tell anything at all about my chances? Maybe a little - like one place will probably take me if I am all squared away, and one place seems interested enough to give me a tour.
 
Nice job on the LOA and paid visit! Those things indicate that you are a good candidate. However if you want us to give you a guesstimate of your chances we need more information like CFA, GPA, ACT and extracurriculars.
 
Sorry for the Lack of detail

Act:27-28
E:27
M:28
R:26
S:30
CFA: My liaison told me I passed, Im a guy
Throw:60'
Pullups:10
Shuttle:8.8
pushups:55
situps:76
run:7:39
Extra:
Debate-(helped start a team at my new school and a student coach; 2 time nat. qualifier)
Soccer( 4 years)
Basketball(2 years)
Wrestling (2 years) state champion team, runner up the next
football 1 year
SGA VP
Sophomore Class President
Internship at Major State university
98th percentile on National Spanish Exam
3 weeks in Spain only speaking spanish
 
With the diversity visit, if you meet the minimum academic requirents, you are probably a shoe in.

Totally an opinion.
 
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Sorry for the Lack of detail

Act:27-28
E:27
M:28
R:26
S:30
CFA: My liaison told me I passed, Im a guy
Throw:60'
Pullups:10
Shuttle:8.8
pushups:55
situps:76
run:7:39
Extra:
Debate-(helped start a team at my new school and a student coach; 2 time nat. qualifier)
Soccer( 4 years)
Basketball(2 years)
Wrestling (2 years) state champion team, runner up the next
football 1 year
SGA VP
Sophomore Class President
Internship at Major State university
98th percentile on National Spanish Exam
3 weeks in Spain only speaking spanish

So did you ever receive the appointment?
 
So did you ever receive the appointment?


@HardWorker,
Looks like he got in.
I found his post and am pasting it below.. FYI...

"I have been blessed to have a pretty awesome problem. I received an appointment to USMA in January, and I got a LOA in August. I applied to USAFA and liked it a lot but a lot later than West Point. My congresswoman called me last week and told me that USAFA wants to give me an appointment, but they want to know where I stand because they knew I got into West Point already. It seems like to me that USAFA asked them to change their slate for moe, because originally I did not receive an appointment to USAFA, and my district's nominations have been decided for at least 4months now. I have to tell them my decision tommorow, and I'm still undecided. I want to do international relations after. Does anyone know about Foreign Area officers in the army. Also, which academy is more chill/less hoohah because I am pretty laid back(but motivated). I also posted this in the USAFA forum to get both sides.

Last edited: Mar 13, 2016
soccerboy97, Mar 13, 2016"
 
@HardWorker,
Looks like he got in.
I found his post and am pasting it below.. FYI...

"I have been blessed to have a pretty awesome problem. I received an appointment to USMA in January, and I got a LOA in August. I applied to USAFA and liked it a lot but a lot later than West Point. My congresswoman called me last week and told me that USAFA wants to give me an appointment, but they want to know where I stand because they knew I got into West Point already. It seems like to me that USAFA asked them to change their slate for moe, because originally I did not receive an appointment to USAFA, and my district's nominations have been decided for at least 4months now. I have to tell them my decision tommorow, and I'm still undecided. I want to do international relations after. Does anyone know about Foreign Area officers in the army. Also, which academy is more chill/less hoohah because I am pretty laid back(but motivated). I also posted this in the USAFA forum to get both sides.

Last edited: Mar 13, 2016
soccerboy97, Mar 13, 2016"

Thank you for directing me to this information!
 
Does this still happen...USAFA paying for a whole week visit (travel, lodging. rental car, food)? That is serious recruitment right there. It's a huge let down if the someone took the offer and still went to another SA.
 
Does this still happen...USAFA paying for a whole week visit (travel, lodging. rental car, food)? That is serious recruitment right there. It's a huge let down if the someone took the offer and still went to another SA.
I'm going out on a limb. soccerboy97 was recruited for sports and I congratulate him for his accomplishments. I'll walk farther out on the limb and say soccer. That said, I've never really understood why USAFA (as well as other colleges) will exclusively pay for sporting recruitment visits, including parents, and not pay for the top recruits in all categories. Now if it was a high revenue and visible sport like mens football, I can understand the argument. Putting it another way, I bet the farm that USAFA didn't roll out the red carpet by using paid visits for their top academic students (who are also athletic) in an attempt to recruit them to attend USAFA. Frankly, the top academic students help build the schools brainiac image. Without the brains, a group of athletic students with ACT scores of 28 will not have the same school prestige and image. Certainly, I am not faulting any parent or student who is recruited. I'd ABSOLUTELY be taking that trip. But those recruitment actions (sports only and many times lost revenue sports) don't seem logical to me.
 
At Navy, it's the independent non-profit Naval Academy Athletic Assn (NAAA) that funds recruiting visits, coaching salaries, stadium improvements, builds athletic facilities, buys gear, pays for travel, runs revenue-producing events and ticket sales, owns logo rights, etc. No tax-payer or USNA budget funds. NAAA's mission is to promote and support NCAA Div I sports. They have no mission to recruit academically, except to work closely with USNA Admissions on potential candidates.
USNA Admissions probably has a small recruitment budget. They run NASS, oversee non-athletic CVWs, do recruiting presentations in under-represented areas, and so on.
The revenues raised by NAAA, including donations, ensure a consistent level of financial support for NCAA athletic programs, independent of govt funding.
I suspect USAFA has a similar arrangement, the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation (AFAAC). You can see the similarities:
www.navysports.com
http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/ot/afa-athletic-corporation.html

The theories of why varsity athletes are attractive to service academies has been cussed and discussed on many threads here over the years. It's part of the whole candidate theory and the art and science of SA admissions.
 
Reading this post has me a little concerned for my DD. How much does being athlete factor if academics are average. She is not being recruited but is a current D1 Scholarship athlete. Her application is complete with Nomination just waiting on a decision. Here are the basics of her stats:
-3.5 College gpa (Bio, Chem, Calc, and English courses taken)
-28 ACT
-Throw: 44'
- Pullups: 2
- Shuttle: 8.9
- pushups: 40
- situps: 92
- run: 6:18
 
I bet the farm that USAFA didn't roll out the red carpet by using paid visits for their top academic students (who are also athletic) in an attempt to recruit them to attend USAFA.

As an FYI - I am pretty sure that all of the SAs have programs where they roll out the red carpet for their best diversity applicants. I know that USMA has a program where the candidate and family member are provided a visit that is more in depth and longer than a typical overnight visit offered to LOA, LOE and accepted applicants.
 
Reading this post has me a little concerned for my DD. How much does being athlete factor if academics are average. She is not being recruited but is a current D1 Scholarship athlete. Her application is complete with Nomination just waiting on a decision. Here are the basics of her stats:
-3.5 College gpa (Bio, Chem, Calc, and English courses taken)
-28 ACT
-Throw: 44'
- Pullups: 2
- Shuttle: 8.9
- pushups: 40
- situps: 92
- run: 6:18
Your DD's stats are very similar to mine. :)
I'm sure her athletic ability will be taken into account since USAFA looks for the "whole person" candidate. The academy's website also says that academics make up 55% of your score, and extracurriculars (athletic and nonathletic) make up 20%. And then the CFA factors in, as well as leadership abilities, as far as I can tell.
 
Your DD's stats are very similar to mine. :)
I'm sure her athletic ability will be taken into account since USAFA looks for the "whole person" candidate. The academy's website also says that academics make up 55% of your score, and extracurriculars (athletic and nonathletic) make up 20%. And then the CFA factors in, as well as leadership abilities, as far as I can tell.
Well I hope you both get good news! She has quite a bit more on her resume especially from high school. With most the candidates coming from high school its hard to get a idea of what carries more weight for college applicants college record or high school. And then the fact that she is not being recruited, she is under a current LOI and NCAA prohibits her from talking to any other coaches until she submits a release.
 
"Diversity."

Remember folks: it's not always what you think it is at an SA.
 
At Navy, it's the independent non-profit Naval Academy Athletic Assn (NAAA) that funds recruiting visits, coaching salaries, stadium improvements, builds athletic facilities, buys gear, pays for travel, runs revenue-producing events and ticket sales, owns logo rights, etc. No tax-payer or USNA budget funds. NAAA's mission is to promote and support NCAA Div I sports. They have no mission to recruit academically, except to work closely with USNA Admissions on potential candidates.
USNA Admissions probably has a small recruitment budget. They run NASS, oversee non-athletic CVWs, do recruiting presentations in under-represented areas, and so on.
The revenues raised by NAAA, including donations, ensure a consistent level of financial support for NCAA athletic programs, independent of govt funding.
I suspect USAFA has a similar arrangement, the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation (AFAAC). You can see the similarities:
www.navysports.com
http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/ot/afa-athletic-corporation.html

The theories of why varsity athletes are attractive to service academies has been cussed and discussed on many threads here over the years. It's part of the whole candidate theory and the art and science of SA admissions.
Great post. Your explanation makes a lot of sense and is logical (NCAA driven etc etc). :)
 
I had no idea, until I arrived at USNA for duty (I didn't go there), that was how all that was funded, and not from tax-payer money. Similarly, all those Foundation prep scholarships - funded by the independent non-profit USNA Alumni Association Foundation, no tax-payer dollars.
 
I had no idea, until I arrived at USNA for duty (I didn't go there), that was how all that was funded, and not from tax-payer money. Similarly, all those Foundation prep scholarships - funded by the independent non-profit USNA Alumni Association Foundation, no tax-payer dollars.
Good point to mention.

Our son went to the Aspen Institute a few times and overseas to study. The funds came from AOG $$'s (no taxpayer $$'s). When academy students call for fundraisers, we learned that we can steer donated $$'s to the programs of our choice. So as you might guess, we wanted our donation to specifically go into academic enrichment programs and not necessarily the football team (as an example). Of course, there is nothing wrong with giving to the football team. But we wanted to direct the $$'s in a different bucket.
 
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