2023 Summer

Rolling_Thunder

Rolling_Thunder

USNA 2028 - Pending
Joined
Dec 7, 2022
Messages
43
I am currently a Junior in high school and recently I was thinking about doing the Summer Seminar but I recently was browsing this forum and found out about Boys State which really piqued my interest. In addition to those options there is also a summer program that the JROTC units in my county have called Cadet Officer Leadership Program, I did the program last summer so this summer I can be a Training Instructor for the camp. Which of these would look best on an Application and would be most developmentally beneficial?
 
MidCakePa said:
Prioritize Boys State or the JROTC program. Summer Seminar is an outreach program that the vast majority of cadets did NOT attend. It’s a great experience, but doing it doesn’t really affect admissions decisions.
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Ok, thanks.
 
I think one of the great things about summer seminar is it gives you a lot to discuss in your application about why usafa. If you don’t come from a military family and have little exposure to usafa, summer seminar helps your formulate the why beyond the typical service answer. So while admissions may not care that you attended, it may lead to a better essay, interview, etc. I can’t compare it to other summer options - my child did not do either of the things you mentioned - but I do think it can be very valuable.
 
Seniormom said:
So while admissions may not care that you attended, it may lead to a better essay, interview, etc.
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I did exactly this in my application. Nobody in my immediate family has served in the military so I explained in my essays how much I liked the summer seminar and how I could really see myself as a cadet at USAFA. I brought up my experience at USAFA summer seminar during every interview when they asked questions like "how do you know what serving is really like?"

Not sure if there is any correlation here, but I did get an LOA and nomination. Essays are a small part of the application, but I don't know what I would have talked about if I didn't go to USAFA summer seminar.
 
Boys State AND the Instructor position would be ideal. Hands on leadership as an instructor is tough to beat, and is a little bit different. Boys State is a no-brainer, if it's available, because it is a known quantity. USAFA summer seminar is really only useful as an outreach tool and has zero impact on admissions. Having said this, apply for everything, then make informed decisions about what is best for you. Also, apply for NASS, AIM, and SLE. Even though they are different academies, the experience will be similar. AIM is the real deal, by the way!

In "contradiction" to essays are a small part of the application, I would respectfully disagree. Based on my discussions with different admission officers, across the service academy spectrum, they really do take the essays to heart, and can easily be a discriminator. Make every word count. Grammar and spelling go without saying, but also make sure you are answering the questions. Also, there are no "optional" questions.

Good luck. It is about to get very busy, writing, CFA prep, etc.
 
T-37IP said:
Boys State AND the Instructor position would be ideal. Hands on leadership as an instructor is tough to beat, and is a little bit different. Boys State is a no-brainer, if it's available, because it is a known quantity. USAFA summer seminar is really only useful as an outreach tool and has zero impact on admissions. Having said this, apply for everything, then make informed decisions about what is best for you. Also, apply for NASS, AIM, and SLE. Even though they are different academies, the experience will be similar. AIM is the real deal, by the way!

In "contradiction" to essays are a small part of the application, I would respectfully disagree. Based on my discussions with different admission officers, across the service academy spectrum, they really do take the essays to heart, and can easily be a discriminator. Make every word count. Grammar and spelling go without saying, but also make sure you are answering the questions. Also, there are no "optional" questions.

Good luck. It is about to get very busy, writing, CFA prep, etc.
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I agree with doing both Boys State and Instructor, I am just worried that they will have intersecting dates and I might have to choose one or the other
 
Ask and get the dates for all 3. Chances are that they are not all the same week. SS has 2 options. It's still early enough to discuss JCLC with JROTC instructor to possibly influence when it will be held. I'm not positive, but I believe you can apply to neighboring states for Boys State if there is good reason. Do the planning now. Suggested priority- Boys State, SS, JCLC Cadre. You already have the JCLC experiance and hold an officer leadership position, right?
 
MDRDV said:
I'm not positive, but I believe you can apply to neighboring states for Boys State if there is good reason.
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Generally no. In the vast majority of cases, individual Legion Posts sponsor (pay) for slots at Boys State for their area (town, city, etc) and most
have one or more high schools that they work with to get their nominees. The mechanism to send out of state just is not there. Some states do have a means to "self nominate" but those are almost exclusively kids whose school is not "covered" for one reason or another by a Legion post.
At my Boys State, we usually get close to a thousand boys and for at least the last 5 years, they have all been from within the state.
 
MDRDV said:
Ask and get the dates for all 3. Chances are that they are not all the same week. SS has 2 options. It's still early enough to discuss JCLC with JROTC instructor to possibly influence when it will be held. I'm not positive, but I believe you can apply to neighboring states for Boys State if there is good reason. Do the planning now. Suggested priority- Boys State, SS, JCLC Cadre. You already have the JCLC experiance and hold an officer leadership position, right?
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I am getting promoted today and I did interviews for Command staff and since I was asked to start facilitating color guard and drill team practices it is likely I did get on my unit's command staff.
 
Rolling_Thunder said:
I am getting promoted today and I did interviews for Command staff and since I was asked to start facilitating color guard and drill team practices it is likely I did get on my unit's command staff.
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I ended up getting promoted to Mission Support Squadron Commander and I got promoted to 2nd Lt. I did forget to mention that I got best in flight at COLP so I think that might be notable
 
OldRetSWO said:
Generally no. In the vast majority of cases, individual Legion Posts sponsor (pay) for slots at Boys State for their area (town, city, etc) and most
have one or more high schools that they work with to get their nominees. The mechanism to send out of state just is not there. Some states do have a means to "self nominate" but those are almost exclusively kids whose school is not "covered" for one reason or another by a Legion post.
At my Boys State, we usually get close to a thousand boys and for at least the last 5 years, they have all been from within the state.
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I talked to my counselor and she didn't know anything about boy's state or had any emails or info on it. What does self-nominating entail? I have already made an account to sign up for it if that's what it is and now I am just deciding on whether or not I am going to do Boy's State or CLC Cadre.
 
Rolling_Thunder said:
I talked to my counselor and she didn't know anything about boy's state or had any emails or info on it. What does self-nominating entail? I have already made an account to sign up for it if that's what it is and now I am just deciding on whether or not I am going to do Boy's State or CLC Cadre.
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Contact your local American Legion post. Our local post allows self-nomination as well as nominations by community members (coaches, scout leaders, pastors, etc.) and parents. As a homeschooling mom, I've been able to nominate both my boys in the last couple of years. I was able to get all of the info through the post Boys State coordinator.
 
Rolling_Thunder said:
I talked to my counselor and she didn't know anything about boy's state or had any emails or info on it. What does self-nominating entail? I have already made an account to sign up for it if that's what it is and now I am just deciding on whether or not I am going to do Boy's State or CLC Cadre.
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Contact your local American Legion. Each post sponsors citizens to Boys and Girls State. Fill out the application for your state's Boys State AND talk to your American Legion. It is shocking schools aren't aware of / don't promote Boys and Girls State.
 
T-37IP said:
Contact your local American Legion. Each post sponsors citizens to Boys and Girls State. Fill out the application for your state's Boys State AND talk to your American Legion. It is shocking schools aren't aware of / don't promote Boys and Girls State.
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Thanks!
 
T-37IP said:
Contact your local American Legion. Each post sponsors citizens to Boys and Girls State. Fill out the application for your state's Boys State AND talk to your American Legion. It is shocking schools aren't aware of / don't promote Boys and Girls State.
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If I had to choose between being an instructor for COLP or Boys state, which would be better for me to do since I've heard that COLP is being held the week after school ends which is June 14 and Boy's state in my State is being held that same week
 
Rolling_Thunder said:
If I had to choose between being an instructor for COLP or Boys state, which would be better for me to do since I've heard that COLP is being held the week after school ends which is June 14 and Boy's state in my State is being held that same week
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I've never heard of COLP but based on your original post, it is a county level event. Boys State is a State Level Event.
Not all states/areas have JROTC but Boys State is recognized and regarded well by the SAs.
My state's Boys State has a Service Academy seminar which gets reps from each academy plus the national guard and ROTC reps as well as
a college fair immediately afterward.
.
The choice is yours though.
 
I hope you are applying to all three. Your selection and non-selection will likely make the 'decisions' for you. If you are fortunate enough to earn all three, then I recommend Boys State. And then COLT staff member over attending the seminar. Good luck with your applications!
 
T-37IP said:
Contact your local American Legion. Each post sponsors citizens to Boys and Girls State. Fill out the application for your state's Boys State AND talk to your American Legion. It is shocking schools aren't aware of / don't promote Boys and Girls State.
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I was able to get a sponsor from my nearby American Legion post. I just need to fill out the application for Boy's State
 
Seniormom said:
I think one of the great things about summer seminar is it gives you a lot to discuss in your application about why usafa. If you don’t come from a military family and have little exposure to usafa, summer seminar helps your formulate the why beyond the typical service answer. So while admissions may not care that you attended, it may lead to a better essay, interview, etc. I can’t compare it to other summer options - my child did not do either of the things you mentioned - but I do think it can be very valuable.
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I agree that summer seminar gives you an opportunity to write about your experience at the Academy. My DS did it last year and it solidified his desire to attend the USAFA and he was able to include that in his essay. It also might give you an idea about how competitive you are so far. A smaller percentage of applicants get into the summer seminar than the USAFA (from statistics I have read). My son was waitlisted last year for summer seminar, but eventually received a spot. This gave us a glimmer of hope. Fast forward to this year and he has received an appointment. He did not do Boy's State, but I do know that it is supposed to be a good thing to do for applicants. I think the key is to have leadership experience.
 
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