21 APR 2022 | Has anyone heard anything?

Our DD is still waiting as well. She emailed USAFA admissions two days ago notifying them of her acceptance to USMA and was wondering about a timeline. She received one back saying they are reviewing her materials and will hear back soon.
Years ago, my DS was in the same holding pattern. He ended up going to USMA. When my DS emailed his USAFA admissions rep regarding his USAFA status, he was told that he was "competitive"; however, he eventually learned that his package was never even scored. I assume that the admissions office didn't want to discourage my DS by telling him the truth. DS eventually got the small letter from USAFA and accepted his USMA appointment.
 
"Sponsored prep" as in Falcon Foundation Scholarship? If so, then Falcon Foundation pays 50%, prep school discounts 25%, and candidate is responsible for last 25%.

If USAFA Prep School, that's completely different. It is a separate facility located at USAFA. Since I don't have first-hand knowledge on how USAFA Prep School works, I'll leave that to others to weigh in.
USAFA Prep school is paid for, the CC are considered Active Duty.
 
Years ago, my DS was in the same holding pattern. He ended up going to USMA. When my DS emailed his USAFA admissions rep regarding his USAFA status, he was told that he was "competitive"; however, he eventually learned that his package was never even scored. I assume that the admissions office didn't want to discourage my DS by telling him the truth. DS eventually got the small letter from USAFA and accepted his USMA appointment.
Our DD informed us last night she is not going to USMA after originally accepting and is planning on going to UNI if USAFA doesn't admit her. The crazy thing is Air Force plays UNI for the season opener football game and that's parent's weekend at USAFA. My gut feeling is if she hasn't heard anything by now from USAFA it's probably not going to happen even though her waiver came through a couple of weeks ago. At least someone wanting to go to USMA will get a slot now.
 
Will the candidates that are still waiting get a chance to attend Prep School if they happen to not get in to USAFA?
 
Will the candidates that are still waiting get a chance to attend Prep School if they happen to not get in to USAFA?

Simply an observation and not an official position - it depends. Prep is not a consolation prize to direct entry. If a student is fully qualified for direct entry, but was not competitive in the various admissions rounds, they would simply receive a TWE and be encouraged to reapply. The on-campus USAFA Prep School has historically (unofficially) been used for prior enlisted, athletic recruits, and minority applicants who show great promise but otherwise need to boost academics prior to attending USAFA. The Falcon Foundation scholarships seem to cover others outside of those groups but are not limited to this.

In general, we see the mid-April release as the major announcement of direct entry and prep school decisions. Anyone still in the game today could go either way but have been predominantly late National Wait List pick-ups for direct entry. In my mind, I see applicants get sorted into several camps. Once sorted, it is unlikely you change buckets unless new information presents itself to the admissions board:

1) Direct entry selected - Send BFE
2) Desirable, Competitive but no seats on the bus right now - Soft No - Qualified, place on National Wait List - send TWE to encourage plan B
3) Desirable, Competitive but Prep required - Send offer for USAFA P-school or Falcon Foundation
4) Desirable, Competitive but Prep required, but no seats on the bus right now - Soft No - place on prep wait list - send TWE to encourage plan B
5) Hard No / Not Qualified- send a TWE to encourage plan B
 
Is there a date by which all candidates get either a BFE or a TWE?
Sadly - no, unless you count the start date of BCT which is the real end of the admissions cycle for each incoming class. In general, the last big round of activity occurs mid April. At this phase of the competition (aka admissions cycle), those who are firmly a No have received a TWE by now. Those who are a solid YES have received an appointment by now. Those who are on the fence are in limbo - some have received the TWE but could receive late notification of an appointment. The worst feeling is the group that has not received either. However, you can read into that positive meaning because you are still in the game and have not been ruled out yet.

When there are 1000 seats on the bus and you end up #1001, it is of little consolation to know you were so close but still failed to receive the outcome you were hoping for. Second place can feel like first loser in the game of college admissions if USAFA is your #1 school, or higher on your draft board than where you have been accepted so far.

Understand what is happening in the overall process right now. The school has X number of seats on the class of 2026 bus. They know Y have accepted (read - 95+% of seats) and that leaves Z seats left to fill. In some cases, they can draw off the National Wait List. In others, they may need to look at a particular nomination slate to re-compete amongst those still on the list who have not already turned down and appointment. Trust that this process is iterative and will continue right up until the start of BCT. Some guy or girl could literally receive a call just days before and hear "there is a seat on the bus for you if you want it, but we need to know in X hours and you would need to be on a plane in Y hours." - For the guy or girl who accepts that challenge, it is literally the best news they have ever heard in their life and they feel SO fortunate to have received the late call because it was a dream unachieved that miraculously became a reality and for them they are forever grateful.
 
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Thank you Shiner for your insight.
My DS is one of the candidates in "limbo" or riding the bubble and he has already started to execute his Plan B. We are assuming at some point if not selected for appointment/prep/Falcon Scholarship, that he will receive a TWE. Has this been the case historically for limbo candidates that do not get offered anything to receive a TWE on or around BCT start day in late June? I know anything is possible, just trying to get a little more clarity on the process. Thanks
 
Thank you Shiner for your insight.
My DS is one of the candidates in "limbo" or riding the bubble and he has already started to execute his Plan B. We are assuming at some point if not selected for appointment/prep/Falcon Scholarship, that he will receive a TWE. Has this been the case historically for limbo candidates that do not get offered anything to receive a TWE on or around BCT start day in late June? I know anything is possible, just trying to get a little more clarity on the process. Thanks
Right. Like is everything eventually closed out? Or will the portal just continue to say “Candidate Kit: 100% Thank you for submitting your candidate kit.” in perpetuity and you’ll know you didn’t get in because BCT starts and it still says that?
 
The BFE came from USMA today for our DD in the mail but she had declined the offer earlier this week as she is waiting for USAFA. It was a little gut wrenching for us to see yet she will go to a civilian university if she doesn’t make the cut. A co-worker told me a classmate of hers found out he got into USAFA on May 24th and graduated tops in his class there. We are holding out hope.
 
"Sponsored prep" as in Falcon Foundation Scholarship? If so, then Falcon Foundation pays 50%, prep school discounts 25%, and candidate is responsible for last 25%.

If USAFA Prep School, that's completely different. It is a separate facility located at USAFA. Since I don't have first-hand knowledge on how USAFA Prep School works, I'll leave that to others to weigh in.
Merchant Marine Academy prep school at NMMI
 
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