If you plan to reapply/apply, please consider this...

BlueStar

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I have been a longtime lurker on this forum. I currently have two cadets at USAFA. For those of you who recently received TWEs and are considering reapplication for next year, I want to offer a possible helpful suggestion – or at least something to seriously think about.

Every year, many applicants who seem to “have it all,” do not receive appointments. As others have commented, you will likely never know why you did not receive one. However, I have noticed something over these many years of reading that is worth mentioning. Please do not take this as criticism of the hard work so many have put in, only to be disappointed.

Over time, when you look at the qualifications in “chance me” and similar threads, you find that LOTS of applicants have very similar profiles. Naturally, that makes sense. Awesome scores, awesome grades, awesome activities, awesome leadership. But...they are all so ALIKE. Remember that the panel who ultimately makes appointment decisions has not met you personally. When so many great applicants all look alike on paper...what distinguishes one from another? How can they know that you have that “extra” quality that will make you succeed not only at USAFA, but also as a military leader? What makes you stand out from the rest? It can't “just be” all the awesome things above. Because so many great applicants have those in common.

As my children went through their high school years with their sights set on USAFA, I counseled them to think of developing a skill/pursuing an activity that would really stand out – something that was so uniquely qualifying that only a handful of applicants each year might have that skill set/experience. Something that demonstrated extreme commitment, initiative, required a minimum of a year of intense pursuit (ideally more) and was really hard to accomplish. And something that would demonstrate their understanding of the qualities and skill sets instrumental to our country's military future. For example – starting a highly successful charity, starting a successful business, opening a tutoring center, attaining a high degree of proficiency in a critical foreign language stressed by USAFA (higher proficiency than the average applicant), starting an outreach in the community, etc. In other words, finding something that not only did they enjoy, but also that would be a unique qualifier--- differentiating them from the rest of the highly qualified applicants. Obviously, you can't know for sure what other applicants are pursuing. But try to hypothesize on ideas that meet the criteria I outlined above, that are unlikely to be pursued by many.

For privacy reasons, I am not going to say what activities my kids pursued. But we eventually received feedback that the ones they chose were indeed rare among the applicant pool.

So if you are considering reapplying...or are looking forward to applying for the first time in the next couple of years...please consider this suggestion. Brainstorm possibilities with your parents, mentors, former military officers, and other experienced adults. And be willing to sacrifice a lot to achieve something really unique.
 
Bluestar makes a very important point. Just like "Any Job Interview", you need to stand out. WHY should you get an appointment? This isn't the University of Whereverthehell; where if you have a certain GPA and SAT/ACT score; "and the money"; you're pretty much guaranteed to get in. Each year, there is a HARD NUMBER that the academies have for how many appointments they will give out.

When the AVERAGE GPA of an appointee is 3.86 (unweighted) and the average ACT score is 30-31, and there's initially around 12,000 people applying, and they are only going to give around 1,200 appointments, you NEED TO PROVE why YOU should be one of those 1,200.

On a side note; for those who don't know, in it's simplest terms, about HALF of all the appointments are Semi-Structured where the academy has very little choice. Here's how it works.

1. There are 535 members of congress. 435 representative; and 100 senators. EACH has a NOMINATION LIST of 10 individuals who they gave nominations to. Not getting into some actual specifics, more than one nomination, some rare circumstances, etc. the academy MUST GIVE AN APPOINTMENT to at least one person on EACH of those 535 lists. That means, it's quite possible that the individual the academy selected off of the MOC list of 10 names from Alabama, could very easily have lower gpa's, lower test scores, etc. than someone on a different state's nomination list who DID NOT receive an appointment. Don't argue this point; ACCEPT IT. ALL CITIZENS in the USA pay taxes. Therefor, the academies (Army, Navy, Air Force), as a minimum, by federal law, must diversify their appointments so EACH DISTRICT/STATE has equal representation. The APPOINTEE from this MOC's list was competing ONLY against the other 9 applicants ON THAT Nomination Slate.

ok; that takes care of roughly 535 appointments out of 1,200 +/-. That leaves about 665 appointments left.

2. There are OTHER NOMINATION SLATES, that the academy MUST ALSO choose from. E.g. Presidential (For applicants who's parents are retired military). 100 appointments will come from here. There are also other nomination slates where appointments MUST BE GIVEN to someone on that list. Vice President, ROTC, etc.

To ROUND OFF numbers, lets say there are 165 appointments from these various nomination slates. Again; it doesn't matter if an APPOINTEE from one of these slates has lower scores or a weaker looking application. FOR THIS APPOINTMENT, there are competing against the OTHERS on that Nomination Slate. Just like the Members of Congress slates in #1 above. OK; that leaves approximately 500 remaining appointments.

3. All those applicants WITH a nomination, who did NOT receive an appointment from one of those slates mentioned above, WILL be grouped together into one big pool. Some call it the "National Pool". Some call it by different names. This pool is made up of about 2,000 - 3,000 QUALIFIED applicants. The initial 12,000 interested individuals usually drops to about 6,000 SERIOUS applicants. That drops down to about 4000-5000 individuals who receive a nomination. (The 535 nominees mentioned in #1 above, has some DUPLICATE nominees who are on more than one MOC list). Out of the 4000-5000 nominees, it will drop down to the 2000-3000 qualified individuals. Take out the 700 appointments already given out, and that means 500 appointments remaining, with up to around 2300-2500 individuals competing in the "National Pool".

WHY should YOU get the appointment? I, and other ALO/BGO/MALO will tell you plenty of stories of the 4.0gpa and 35-36ACT applicant who DID NOT RECEIVE AN APPOINTMENT. Remember; the academy is not a "SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM". It's an institution designed to BUILD and DEVELOP MILITARY LEADERS. You need to prove why you are SPECIAL. Why you are DIFFERENT. Why you are OFFICER MATERIAL. Why you ARE A LEADER. etc.

There are 2 caveats to this:
1. The coast guard doesn't require nominations. But, they also only have about 300 appointees each year.
2. The merchant marine academy DOES require a nomination, but they too only bring in about 250-275 appointees each year.

FWIW: A lot of people FORGET ABOUT the coast guard and merchant marine academies. Depending on your motivation, goals, etc. for serving in the military as a commissioned officer, depending where you live, depending on your academic/leadership/athletic/etc. strengths; the coast guard and merchant marine academies can actually be a lot easier to get into. Less appointments, but generally less applicants too. And if by chance, you're one of only 5 applicants from your state, you could have a better chance than competing with 100-200 from your state applying to air force, army, or navy.

Best of luck

Mike
 
I remember a prospective candidate once asked me about acquiring more leadership positions, specifically about how to gain leadership experience if there were only limited opportunities available. I suggested that if the leadership position that they wanted didn't exist, then they should create it. I personally did that on at least one occasion in HS that I can remember: "Sir, I know we haven't done this in the past, but I'd like to be an official XYZ mentor. May I serve in that role for this organization?" Boom--+1 leadership credential and interview talking point. I am not advocating "title-hunting" (collecting important-sounding but empty leadership titles), but I think it definitely helps as an appointee to see potential unfilled opportunities for leadership and take the initiative to fill the void.

Anyway, just $0.02 from a former appointee who has been incredibly blessed and is now 16 days from Ring Dance. I am not an ALO or an expert, but I felt this idea helped me personally and wanted to pass it on. Good luck to everyone who reads this!
 
Do what you love, work hard, and make good grades. Know what your peers are doing to be competitive for service academies, but don't do stuff simply to enhance your resume. Some will get appointed, others will not. There are so many factors that come into play - not the least of which is simply where you live.

I am not suggesting that there won't be points in time where if given a choice you might select the option that 'best prepares' you for a service academy, but my DD did nothing to prepare to apply to USNA and USAFA. She didn't even realize she wanted to go to an SA until after her junior year was finished. She was a great student, a D1 level athlete in 2 sports (but not good enough to be blue chipped by the SA's), and was an active leader in a number of clubs/organizations. It just turned out that who she was turned out to be a great fit for what SAs were looking for in a candidate.
 
A little tidbit of information. A link to Top 100 LOWEST Acceptance Rate Colleges.

The military academies are a bit unique in how they select applicants. Also, that while maybe 12,000 show an initial interest; maybe only 6,000-7500 will actually apply. Plus; there are qualification factors that are unique to the military. But having said that, some people don't realize that just because you want to attend a military academy, means you will. There's a lot of 4.0gpa students who apply to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. that don't get accepted there either.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/lowest-acceptance-rate
 
The military academies are a bit unique in how they select applicants...

The other big gorilla in the room that everyone seems to overlook or don't have insight into is DODMERB. I don't know of any other school out there that reqires you to have anything more than a pulse to get accepted. In fact, I'm sure it's against some federal law if you were refused because you didn't meet a certian physical standard. The Service Academies are the expection.
 
The military academies are a bit unique in how they select applicants...

The other big gorilla in the room that everyone seems to overlook or don't have insight into is DODMERB. I don't know of any other school out there that reqires you to have anything more than a pulse to get accepted. In fact, I'm sure it's against some federal law if you were refused because you didn't meet a certian physical standard. The Service Academies are the expection.

Yes, this Plus passing the CFA !
Definitely not your typical college......
 
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