can i get in

esa193

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2009
Messages
2
hey guys
im currently a 16 year old kid attending MacArthur high school on long island ny (entering 11th grade)
and what i wondering is what i need to get into the air force academy
my grandfather fought in ww2 in the air core and always told me such amazing story's and i wish to follow in his foot steps
so what can help me get into the academy
as of right now i have a gpa in the high 80s
i wrestle all year round and i have a job but what else should i be doing
and what type of sat scores are they looking for?
 
Hello

From what I know of this site, no one can tell you if you can get in. There are to many factors that go into determine your chances of getting in that no one can tell you. What we can tell you is what you can do better at so that you increase your chances of getting accepted.

The high school grade point average of the Class of 2013 is 3.86. I'm not exactly sure what a "gpa in the high 80's converts to," but I think It is about a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. It certainly wouldn't hurt increasing your gpa as much as possible. Starting this year, the academy would really like seeing you take some difficult class (AP, honors, college).

College entrance score average for the SAT is 1,294 (That is just Math and Verbal, so you need to get 650 or above on each). I would recommend getting some kind of study guide (from collegeboard, kaplan, etc., there are tons of good ones out there) and study as much as possible. Take as many practice tests as you can, I took two every week for 2 months prior to my SAT. You can take it as many times as you need and the Academy will take your highest score. You may also want to try the ACT, I have heard that some people are better at the ACT.

In addition to academics, getting some extracurriculars will help you out a lot. Sounds like you are doing good at sports. If you haven't gotten a varsity letter in wrestling yet, try your best to get one. Also, Try to become team captin. The Academy likes seeing well-rounded individuals. Try to find a club or group where you can practice leadership (e.g. boy scouts, CAP, JROTC, School President, etc.). The Academy wants to see you excel in a leadership position.

If you already have really good upper body strength from wrestling, start running now. The altitude is over 7000ft and if you are not in shape, it will be he** for you.

One last thing that might help you out that I wish I had done. Start writing down reasons that you want to go to the academy. You have to be your only motivator: not your family, pride, financial status, or any other reason except just being passionate about wanting to become an officer in the United States Air Force.

I hope this helps you out. Just try to get involved. Try to do stuff that will tell the Academy that you are not just an average student.

Brian Andre
 
The only way not to get in is to not apply!

The one additional I would add is NY is a competitive state, they typically don't hand out multiple noms, in other words you might get one from your Cong, but not from the sens. The reason is they like to spread the wealth. If you took your PSATs last yr than just place a zero behing it and that should be near your SAT score.

Also take both ACT and SAT, unless you hit it out of the ballpark right a way, i.e. 35 on ACT or a 1500+ on the SAT.

You could also go to the www.usafa.af.mil website it has a lot of info for prospective students. You can find the ALO for your area and give them a call to get personal feedback.
 
im trying hard to get my grades up
and as for wrestling im already on varsity (10th grade up i started)
and btw where 8 time county champs in a row so that might help
i run a lot and snowboard as much as possible so im good with altatude
as for sat the prep class begins in sept every morning before school
reason one best tec in the world
reason two hope to get into the space program
reason three support my country
reason four make my grandpa proud
 
You should want to go to the Academy for you, not for anyone else. If you are self motivated about going to the Academy and will do anything possible to get in then you will. As you will find out reading other "chances" threads, no one can tell you. There are just too many variables that go into it (grades,test scores,ec's, compitition, nominations). Since you are going into your junior year like I'am you should contact your ALO as soon as possoble about getting into the Academy. He will help you through the process more then anyone else and will give you good advice on what you need to do so that you can get in. He will help you alot!
 
One thing to realize about contacting your ALO as a jr, he/she may or may not give you much time. They will probably meet up with you 1, but not a lot. In our sons area the ALO had 7 candidates. The part of being an ALO is volunteer and typically on top of their real job. They meet with candidates during the summer to assist them in writing their essays, and their resumes. Ours met with DS about 3 x, which meant he was meeting with 2 candidates on avg a week for the entire summer. ALO's also write their own recs that are a part of the WCS. Plus they are in contact with the regionals regarding your files.

In our area our ALO was also in charge of the kids applying for ROTC scholarships.

As you can see that takes up a lot of time. I would expect them to give you tips to fix the wholes they see in your application, to discuss why you want to go, etc. , but that is about it. I would not bank on much more.

Could be totally wrong.
 
Esa, you sound like you are on your way - but with some work to do.

I did some quicky figuring and your GPA on a 4.0 scale. If you have an 87%, that gives you about a 3.48 (some of you tech types can check my math). If the typical cadet has a 3.86/4.0, you need to bump up your average to about 96%. You can do it, but it will require some dedication.

Also, remember, the Academy wants the whole package: academics, athletics, leadership, dedication, etc. Work hard at all you do!

This might sound a little "nit-picky" but I am always uneasy when kids post "can I get in" threads, but their spelling is bad and their approach looks sloppy. Sorry!
 
One thing to realize about contacting your ALO as a jr, he/she may or may not give you much time. They will probably meet up with you 1, but not a lot. In our sons area the ALO had 7 candidates. The part of being an ALO is volunteer and typically on top of their real job. They meet with candidates during the summer to assist them in writing their essays, and their resumes. Ours met with DS about 3 x, which meant he was meeting with 2 candidates on avg a week for the entire summer. ALO's also write their own recs that are a part of the WCS. Plus they are in contact with the regionals regarding your files.

In our area our ALO was also in charge of the kids applying for ROTC scholarships.

As you can see that takes up a lot of time. I would expect them to give you tips to fix the wholes they see in your application, to discuss why you want to go, etc. , but that is about it. I would not bank on much more.

Could be totally wrong.

Pima's pretty correct here; that's the typical position an ALO finds themselves in.

We're "volunteers" for this position. It's actually an unpaid AF Reserve position where nobody is assigned; you have to volunteer, be screened by a BUNCH of folks, and then be offered the position.

That being said...I don't know any ALO that won't answer your questions if you contact them; it just may take a little time.

For "general" questions, you can contact me directly (flieger83@cox.net) and I'll help any way I can. But for "area specific" information I'd have to defer to an ALO in your area.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
hey guys
im currently a 16 year old kid attending MacArthur high school on long island ny (entering 11th grade)
and what i wondering is what i need to get into the air force academy
my grandfather fought in ww2 in the air core and always told me such amazing story's and i wish to follow in his foot steps
so what can help me get into the academy
as of right now i have a gpa in the high 80s
i wrestle all year round and i have a job but what else should i be doing
and what type of sat scores are they looking for?


hey im in the same boat as you!
my grades are in the high 80's too!
ive been stalking the application requirment page and theres alot more then good grades! your endurance level has to be amazing. now im a girl and there standards for us are a tad lower then the boys level (so the website says) but ive spoken with a few people who attend or have attended and they've told me that alot of it is based on extra curriculars!

i graduate high school in 2011 and if i wanna make it i need to start getting ready now! getting in shape:biggrin:
 
You need to see the big pic.

YOUR PAR is 60%
YOUR ECs are 20%
YOUR CFA, recs are 20%

Not to be mean, but high 80's will hurt since the PAR equals 60%. GOOD NEWS you have this yr and the majority of next yr to buckle down and bring them up to the 90's.

The avg gpa is in the 3.6+ range. On a 4.0 scale that is 90. Now add into the fact that they have their own weight method, in other words a 90 in honors English is not the same to them as a 90 in AP/IB/ICSE.

SAT you want to be in the 1300+ range for M and V, because 1300 is the median. Ideally you want to be closer to a 1400. It's all about the points!

Take a real hard look at the incoming class profile of 13 and be honest to yourself, are you in the lower, middle or upper level academically. Don't rationalize ECs or CFA, because in the end of the day they are still weighted less tha the PAR. On the same hand don't believe that all you need is a perfect SAT and class valedictorian to get in. It is called the Whole Candidate Score for a reason, if only one part meant more it would be named the Part Candidate Score If you are in the middle than strive harder, the gains you make will increase your WCS. If you are lower, don't rest on your laurels, keep pushing.

It is important that you take the most difficult course load that you can handle. I.E. you can take honors or AP. Honors you consider an easy A, AP easy B, but with work an A. Even the B in AP will give you more points than the A because you pushed yourself to take the harder course.
 
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