Academyblueprint.com by Sam Eckholm Thoughts and reviews?

unkown1961 said:
What does he charge? If it's a couple of hundred dollars, the assistance could be worth it, especially for a non-military family.
I wonder if he offers reductions based on family income. His services could benefit qualified applicants from school districts in poorer neighborhoods without any surrounding military association.
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I agree with this depending on the family. I’ve met and helped out some families that were clueless about SA and/or the military, in general, and had no idea what the process entails. I just did it as a friend, but I could see getting paid for that kind of knowledge and time. If it is just designed to be guide during the process, proof-read essays, prep for interviews, etc., it makes sense to me. If it claims it can give an advantage to secure an appointment, I’m not so sure about that. If $299 is his price, that doesn’t seem bad for families who want guidance and have that money to spend. I would say most of us on this forum (candidates and parents), wouldn’t need or want to use his program.
 
HopefulParentTexas said:
I'm considering signing up my DS for Academyblueprint.com, a service run by Sam Eckholm. I'd love to hear from anyone who's actually used it.

If you've tried it, what was your experience like? Did you find the resources and guidance effective? And, of course, do you think it was worth the investment? Any pros, cons, or insights would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
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As someone with no family in the military, I found SAF and other free resources (like FB etc ) to be plenty. If you are proactive and put in the energy, then it is not hard to navigate.

How you spend your money is a personal thing. This may be unconfirmed but someone may have said certain services screen out clients (i.e. applicant is not competitive.)
 
unkown1961 said:
What does he charge? If it's a couple of hundred dollars, the assistance could be worth it, especially for a non-military family.
I wonder if he offers reductions based on family income. His services could benefit qualified applicants from school districts in poorer neighborhoods without any surrounding military association.
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I offer that information for free, as does every ALO, every B&GO, every USMA FFR...
 
time2 said:
Glancing at the homepage of the website listed by the OP shows $299. Any sort of video or written materials will have a 'shelf-life' and things about the SA application process can change from year to year. Others suggesting you buy some book should also look at when it was published to see if the information is still current/accurate.
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299? That's kinda high maybe I'm being a bit judgemental cause I'm in the place and get paid but that's a lot for something not a guarantee. No application is the same and with year to year changes? I don't know, I don't think he worked in admissions and there's no secret sauce either way.

I interviewed well and had a person who wrote for Colonels look over my essays. All of that could have been found for a fee if I wasn't as lucky as I am with my support system.

My application looked like another other, heck, even less so. I didn't have 4.0 or the #1 act scores. Paying 300 dollars is better spent (I think) for retaking the act, taking act prep, interview prep, writing assistance. Heck all of that and still have money left over. Plus these things would translate outside of usafa. Interviews, and essays are needed for workplace and other college essays.

I get it, I would have done almost anything , payed thousands to get in here if I knew for sure it was a guarantee, but nothing is. It's about the applicant and their skill sets. Thankfully usafa likes different skills, unfortunately usafa likes different skills meaning there no "perfect application".

So he's allowed to charge that amount, it's his business. I just a bit shocked. I know ivy League help programs are even worse about their costs.
 
Agreed that paid assistance programs are, or should be, unnecessary. For someone that is intelligent, motivated, and willing to invest the time, navigating the nomination/application process is pretty straight forward.

Of course, we get all sorts of individuals asking questions that are easily answered by a simple internet query. For those people, the paid service may indeed be necessary.
 
A1Janitor said:
Eh.

I would like to see a nonprofit develop this material and give it out free to the poorer neighborhoods and to all candidates seeking to serve our country.
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There’s a nonprofit called Service to School (S2S) that helps with service members and veterans applying to college and grad schools. I have several friends from my university that used S2S’s advisors to help them prepare their applications for my university’s college, law school, or business school. Then, they volunteered to be advisors for S2S for future applicants. It’s free too I believe
 
This forum helped me help DS navigate. Heck back then I assumed you had to participate in branch specific JROTC to qualify to apply for a ROTC scholarship. Look how far I've come!!!

The cost of learning from seasoned good people on the forum? Share some recipes and random bacon thoughts occasionally. Pay it forward when you know more or have been there and have the t-shirt.

I would say the money would be better spent on a pull up bar for the bedroom door, a 5 foot dry erase board to track due dates and deliverables, and a binder to notate all communications and who you spoke with, where and when you requested a test score to be sent or another deliverable for your applications.

I won't denigrate those that are choosing to charge for guidance. Time is valuable and I can see why they may choose to recoup some of their time. However, if it is just videos and material guidance, they had to generate it once, and they charge each time they disseminate. Seems kind of 'meh' to me.

Also, I would encourage all applicants or those interested in applying to reach out to your BGO, AFO, or FFR sooner rather than later. Great resources available.
 
HopefulParentTexas said:
I'm considering signing up my DS for Academyblueprint.com, a service run by Sam Eckholm. I'd love to hear from anyone who's actually used it.

If you've tried it, what was your experience like? Did you find the resources and guidance effective? And, of course, do you think it was worth the investment? Any pros, cons, or insights would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
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Love it, love it, love it!! it is not expensive and and totally worth it for our Air Force family of 25 years Inspiring and fun video course for my son who found it helpful. He is now at USAF😎
 
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