USAFA Waiting Thread C/O 2027

AdrianStonebreaker said:
The Navy sunk my DS’s battleship today. That’s really okay with him because he doesn’t want to get stuck on a boat. The kid wants to fly—for Air Force, of course! So here’s hoping for some good news in the next week or so!!!

We’re not giving up. We didn’t give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and we are not giving up because we got a lousy TWE from the Navy.

Who is with me? Blahahahahahahhahah!!!!
Click to expand...
Our DD was also declined Wed ):
 
CRS said:
Our DD was also declined Wed ):
Click to expand...
Keep an eye out for email's and still check the portal. Our DS was declined this time last year, then in early June he was offerend an appointment to the Prep school. He was already on to plan B and the AF Acad was completely out of his mind. No phone call, just an email and it only gave him 48 hours to accept. You never know.
 
Our DD is still waiting. Her USAFA submission deadline was way back in November. She's just been staring at a green 100% circle for months. Also, a buddy of mine down in MD...his DD is also waiting. No word, no movement for either of them. Interestingly, my DD's mindset is starting to shift now. She's getting excited about the bird-in-hand schools she has already been accepted to; and is talking less about USAFA...which was the dominant source of conversation all last year. If accepted to USAFA, she'll probably go....but rejection won't be the heartbreak I once thought it would be for her. It'll sting for an hour....then it'll be full speed ahead with plan B, and no looking back.
 
New to the forum. I don’t normally participate in forums but I figured we are all in this together.

Myself and my DD attended the Falcon Visitation Experience in early January of this year at the USAFA. It was a pretty awesome experience. My DD was housed in the dorms with current cadets and for 2 full days was allowed to experience a piece of the cadet life. The USAFA really brought out the red carpet for the kids and parents. Since then, however, it’s been crickets. She checks the portal every day. At this point I agree with the others, No news is GOOD news. She has a great plan B but some news from the USAFA would be nice.
 
Still waiting but moving forward with Plan B, afrotc. I have a feeling next week will be like the Naval academy was this week. The purge started Wednesday and continued thru today. Very little new appointments, almost all twe and waitlist. My ds made it thru the 1st day but got purged Thursday. Still some waiting which is odd as their deadline is tomorrow. This deadline was 21st then moved to 24th. I think we'll see a lot of posting when things start happening, just like navy forum.
 
My son is still waiting too!

USAFA has been his primary goal in the college process. His passion really came through in the discipline he showed preparing for the CFA. He was just lit up in the application process. That light has not really translated to his plan B colleges yet but he now warming up to/letting himself think about his other options. I did love the light in him and I hope he finds it in whatever opportunity he pursues.

Good luck to everyone on this roller coaster!!!
 
I’m expecting a lot TWE’s next week, too. My DS is talking more and more about Plan B, too, which is good. I’m still perplexed about the number of self-reported forum appointments now vs last year. Hoping there are still more to come.
 
raw
 
That aou
LongestYearEver said:
Brand new to this forum! Y’all rock! Just chiming in as my DS is still waiting. He got a Senator nom for USNA and a HSSP Type 1 for AFROTC. USAFA is just down the road from us and is really his dream. We visited Auburn over Spring Break and chose to accept admission there and applied/deposited $ for housing etc. and he really likes the ROTC detachment there. I saw others here have the same “back up plan”! War Eagle!

On 4/3 we decided to check his USAFA portal to see if it just closes or what since he did not receive a nomination for USAFA, and there was a green check at the top stating that a Vice-Presidential Nomination was received!!??

Does anyone have insight on this?
Click to expand...
That sounds incredible! Good luck!
 
DD still waiting! It has been a long process but her plan B is still a pretty good option. I wish you all the best and hope good news is yet to come!
 
Been waiting since November! Medically disqualified but the code is pointless in my opinion and I have no doubt I'll get a waiver if offered an appointment. Just taking it one day at a time I guess 😂
 
The thing I am slightly confused about is I never secured a nomination, yet somehow I haven’t received a TWE yet. Is this a good sign of something to come, or has the academy just not had time to send me the TWE yet?
 
FAR Cadet said:
The thing I am slightly confused about is I never secured a nomination, yet somehow I haven’t received a TWE yet. Is this a good sign of something to come, or has the academy just not had time to send me the TWE yet?
Click to expand...
None of us know, of course. But if it follows anything like the Navy, my guess is that they’ll be sending out tons of TWEs this week and sprinkle in a few appointments. Again, it’s really just my guess and just like you, we’re hoping for good news.
Unlike the waves in March, there hasn’t been any buzz about getting early notification calls from MOCs lately. Regardless, I’m thinking almost everyone will know this week and I wish you the very best of luck!
 
One thing that's coming into starker focus for me (as I gather anecdotal information from conversations with the parents of other applicants, newspaper articles, and this forum) is that I completely underestimated USAFA's emphasis on sports and athletics as a precursor for admission. I'm pretty certain a TWE is in our future this week. Like many parents here might be doing, I'm already conducting a "post-mortem" to determine where my DD probably came up short....and it can only come down to her relatively modest participation in organized sports. 10 AP classes in high school, 9 honors classes, Calculus course completed (A-) at the community college over the summer between junior and senor year. Absolute straight A's at the end of every semester...not one B on her report card ever. Civil Air Patrol Master Sgt and "Cadet of the Year" award last year. Completed Girls State, USAFA Summer seminar, Coast Guard AIM, and Civil Air Patrol encampment last summer. 2 summers of employment that required Red Cross certification. Swim team at a summer swim club....but not at school, and not "lettered" in any way. SAT was right in the middle of their bell curve (50 percent scored higher, and 50 percent lower). Every conversation with a parent (at summer seminar and CG AIM, or just via networking) starts with "What sports does your child play?" Conversations are never about the rigors of our kids' schoolwork. The academies don't want super-star students with stellar leadership qualities. They want superior students who are physically competitive, aggressive, and channel their ambition with laser like focus. I assumed the Academy would value a productive and inspiring collaborator as much as a competitor. I don't believe that anymore. A solid academic record will get your foot in the door. But sports and athletics will distinguish an applicant over everything else.
 
Sqwak7700 said:
One thing that's coming into starker focus for me (as I gather anecdotal information from conversations with the parents of other applicants, newspaper articles, and this forum) is that I completely underestimated USAFA's emphasis on sports and athletics as a precursor for admission. I'm pretty certain a TWE is in our future this week. Like many parents here might be doing, I'm already conducting a "post-mortem" to determine where my DD probably came up short....and it can only come down to her relatively modest participation in organized sports. 10 AP classes in high school, 9 honors classes, Calculus course completed (A-) at the community college over the summer between junior and senor year. Absolute straight A's at the end of every semester...not one B on her report card ever. Civil Air Patrol Master Sgt and "Cadet of the Year" award last year. Completed Girls State, USAFA Summer seminar, Coast Guard AIM, and Civil Air Patrol encampment last summer. 2 summers of employment that required Red Cross certification. Swim team at a summer swim club....but not at school, and not "lettered" in any way. SAT was right in the middle of their bell curve (50 percent scored higher, and 50 percent lower). Every conversation with a parent (at summer seminar and CG AIM, or just via networking) starts with "What sports does your child play?" Conversations are never about the rigors of our kids' schoolwork. The academies don't want super-star students with stellar leadership qualities. They want superior students who are physically competitive, aggressive, and channel their ambition with laser like focus. I assumed the Academy would value a productive and inspiring collaborator as much as a competitor. I don't believe that anymore. A solid academic record will get your foot in the door. But sports and athletics will distinguish an applicant over everything else.
Click to expand...
Your DD sounds like an incredible candidate. Better grades, extracurriculars, etc, than my DS. I’m expecting a TWE this week for my DS. His athletics are incredibly high, all-state varsity player, team captain, etc.

All that said, I think his biggest weakness was testing. It’s difficult to compare students at different schools, but testing cuts through all that. I think the importance of ACT/SAT are over emphasized, but it is a way to differentiate.
It was my experience that extremely high level of academics does not make a better officer. Quite honestly, the best aviators in my many years of AF service were average students. However, USAFA is a STEM school for the most part and high level academics will generally excel in Engineering.
It’s tough separating such phenomenal candidates, so I understand the importance placed on testing.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Your DD sounds like an exceptional individual. Her resume is top notch. While the odds may be lower now at this point, it’s not over yet! Can’t do anything but hope the best and plan for the worst.
 
Tigers2023 said:
Your DD sounds like an incredible candidate. Better grades, extracurriculars, etc, than my DS. I’m expecting a TWE this week for my DS. His athletics are incredibly high, all-state varsity player, team captain, etc.

All that said, I think his biggest weakness was testing. It’s difficult to compare students at different schools, but testing cuts through all that. I think the importance of ACT/SAT are over emphasized, but it is a way to differentiate.
It was my experience that extremely high level of academics does not make a better officer. Quite honestly, the best aviators in my many years of AF service were average students. However, USAFA is a STEM school for the most part and high level academics will generally excel in Engineering.
It’s tough separating such phenomenal candidates, so I understand the importance placed on testing.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Your DD sounds like an exceptional individual. Her resume is top notch. While the odds may be lower now at this point, it’s not over yet! Can’t do anything but hope the best and plan for the worst.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your response. I read it with acute interest since we have some things in common. I am also a retired military aviator! And I agree that the best pilots didn't need to be the best students. Rather, they needed to practice the best CRM (crew resource management...names vary among institutions). The strongest pilots I've met combined superb airmanship skills with a healthy dose of humility. Some of the worst pilots I've worked with were extremely smart individuals, but completely lacking in any humility or modesty. The results ranged from "mildly annoying to fly with" to "downright dangerous."

My DD and I have come to the slow recognition that her lack of athletic prowess (and her petite form...she's 5'6" and 110 lbs) will probably not serve her well at USAFA. Example....We were at Yokota AFB for spring break (on a vacation) and I tried to imagine my daughter leading, motivating, and encouraging the recruits and airmen that we saw on base. The military has changed a lot since I got out 10 years ago. The military bearing, appearance, professionalism, weight standards, and even hygiene have all suffered in the intervening years. My experience at Yokota was a wake-up call....I couldn't really imagine my daughter being able to inspire and motivate many of those troops. She would probably have better luck building teams of engineers at Google than she would supervising watchstanders at a USAF command. The silver lining of all this is that she is going to be mostly immune to the sting of a TWE from USAFA next week. It'll probably bother me more than her. At this point, she might even decline an appointment.

I hope you get good news. It would be a thrilling to receive an appointment. But if his outcome is TWE, I also hope that he has a good backup plan that he can get excited about and quickly pivot towards with eagerness. Our "backup" plan has emerged as the new primary plan, and we're excited about it.
 
Sqwak7700 said:
Thanks for your response. I read it with acute interest since we have some things in common. I am also a retired military aviator! And I agree that the best pilots didn't need to be the best students. Rather, they needed to practice the best CRM (crew resource management...names vary among institutions). The strongest pilots I've met combined superb airmanship skills with a healthy dose of humility. Some of the worst pilots I've worked with were extremely smart individuals, but completely lacking in any humility or modesty. The results ranged from "mildly annoying to fly with" to "downright dangerous."

My DD and I have come to the slow recognition that her lack of athletic prowess (and her petite form...she's 5'6" and 110 lbs) will probably not serve her well at USAFA. Example....We were at Yokota AFB for spring break (on a vacation) and I tried to imagine my daughter leading, motivating, and encouraging the recruits and airmen that we saw on base. The military has changed a lot since I got out 10 years ago. The military bearing, appearance, professionalism, weight standards, and even hygiene have all suffered in the intervening years. My experience at Yokota was a wake-up call....I couldn't really imagine my daughter being able to inspire and motivate many of those troops. She would probably have better luck building teams of engineers at Google than she would supervising watchstanders at a USAF command. The silver lining of all this is that she is going to be mostly immune to the sting of a TWE from USAFA next week. It'll probably bother me more than her. At this point, she might even decline an appointment.

I hope you get good news. It would be a thrilling to receive an appointment. But if his outcome is TWE, I also hope that he has a good backup plan that he can get excited about and quickly pivot towards with eagerness. Our "backup" plan has emerged as the new primary plan, and we're excited about it.
Click to expand...
Much like your DD, my son has committed to the backup plan. And similarly, I’m not sure he’d accept an appointment. But I’d certainly like him to have the opportunity.

Thinking back, one of the better leaders I encountered in a long AF career was a very petite female. She was tough as nails and earned respect due to her incredible work ethic and humility. She was an outstanding pilot. So don’t underestimate her!!!

My DS is still trying to decide his path. He’s considering business or aviation. I want him to determine his own path, but I think he’d be a solid pilot. And, if it were me, I’d pass on USAFA and get my ratings at Auburn. You’ll start your career job much earlier that way. But he needs to find his own path so I’m fine whichever path he decides.

Best of luck to you and your DD. Wherever she goes, I’m sure she will have an incredible career!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top