Adding to your AFA application

[2026]

Good morning!
My DS has finished his Candidate Kit and it has been submitted.
I wanted to clarify how he can add activities, awards, notable events to his application. I think I recall they can be emailed to the admissions counselors/team? Is it best to gather a couple at a time and send along? He is assigned to Team Blue: is it best to construct an email and send to his Team?
Also asking because he recently had a question about his application and he emailed his Evaluator ALO and that person said to direct his questions to his Mentor ALO….but we have not heard back from them.
And on that note: when is it customary for the Mentor ALO to reach out? They have been in email contact in the past but he is just waiting for next steps from that Mentor ALO.
PS: my DS is at one of those activities now which is why he cannot ask for himself.
Thank you in advance for guidance!

 

[2025 hopeful]

Last year, my dd sent an e-mail to the admission counselor when she needed to add an item to her application. She tried not to send too many e-mails and generally would send an e-mail when she had a few items that either needed to be added or clarified on her application. (ie receiving transcripts from more than 1 high school)

The mentor ALO reached out to her early in the process to introduce himself and generally did not contact her unless she contacted him with a question. She would send an e-mail/text and if she heard no response in a week, she would follow up with him or the admissions counselor to get an answer. There was only a few times and it was only if she had questions that was not included in any of the directions. She did reach out to the mentor ALO along the way, just to keep him informed of her process and they did have a chat before the evaluator interviewed her.

I can't recall if the evaluator ALO reached out to her to set up an appointment for an interview (or vice versa) but it was once her application was complete (perhaps she was just waiting on DODMERB, but everything else was complete). I will say I think it was beneficial for her to have her interview early before the school year and well before her due date and before the ALO had many interviews. The ALO was able to do a thorough interview and submit the results in plenty of time.

 

[2026]

Last year, my dd sent an e-mail to the admission counselor when she needed to add an item to her application. She tried not to send too many e-mails and generally would send an e-mail when she had a few items that either needed to be added or clarified on her application. (ie receiving transcripts from more than 1 high school)

The mentor ALO reached out to her early in the process to introduce himself and generally did not contact her unless she contacted him with a question. She would send an e-mail/text and if she heard no response in a week, she would follow up with him or the admissions counselor to get an answer. There was only a few times and it was only if she had questions that was not included in any of the directions. She did reach out to the mentor ALO along the way, just to keep him informed of her process and they did have a chat before the evaluator interviewed her.

I can't recall if the evaluator ALO reached out to her to set up an appointment for an interview (or vice versa) but it was once her application was complete (perhaps she was just waiting on DODMERB, but everything else was complete). I will say I think it was beneficial for her to have her interview early before the school year and well before her due date and before the ALO had many interviews. The ALO was able to do a thorough interview and submit the results in plenty of time.

Thank you for the reply. That sounds like a plan for sending along important additions to his application. Right now we are at the mercy of his HS counselor in terms of submitting the required forms: mostly everything else is scheduled or completed. He too would like to interview as soon as able to get it completed before the busyness of senior year is upon him.
Thank you again!

 

[Waddy60]

Good morning!
My DS has finished his Candidate Kit and it has been submitted.
I wanted to clarify how he can add activities, awards, notable events to his application. I think I recall they can be emailed to the admissions counselors/team? Is it best to gather a couple at a time and send along? He is assigned to Team Blue: is it best to construct an email and send to his Team?
Also asking because he recently had a question about his application and he emailed his Evaluator ALO and that person said to direct his questions to his Mentor ALO….but we have not heard back from them.
And on that note: when is it customary for the Mentor ALO to reach out? They have been in email contact in the past but he is just waiting for next steps from that Mentor ALO.
PS: my DS is at one of those activities now which is why he cannot ask for himself.
Thank you in advance for guidance!

Look at his Instructions to Candidates. It says (in bold print and underlined) that a resume is required with his Candidate Activities Record (USAFA Form 147). That is where he can add activities, awards and notable events to his application. Make sure it isn't just a laundry list, but says what he did in that organization and the positive effect his membership had. Keep the resume and provide it to your evaluator ALO so he has a starting point for his interview. The more you help the evaluator, the better a picture he can provide to Admissions. Your son can contact the Blue Team with any questions he has. They are often more in tune with recent events and changes to the application process, but ALO's are fully trained and should be able to help you. Don't wait for the mentor ALO to call you - call or message him (or her). They exist to help you and your son through this rather complicated and lengthy application process. If the mentor isn't doing his job, don't feel bad about letting the Blue Team know. This is about your son's future and he deserves a good mentor.

 

[shiner]

@2026 - do not expect the Mentor ALO to initiate contact. In your case, you initiated contact and that is great. If they fail to respond within a reasonable amount of time, there are escalation options. Depending on the region, the ALO's assigned territory, and the ALO's full time job, there are opportunities for things to get missed. If you have a phone number - have your son make the phone call and preach the value of picking up the phone in a world full of email backlog.

Let's assume you don't have a phone number and the ALO fails to respond within a few business days.
Step 1) Write again and see if you get a response within a few days

Step 2a) If we know your ALO region, we could find our way to the unit commander for a polite nudge to even see if the ALO is working this admissions cycle and/or if there is a better contact the candidate should engage.

Step 2b) The other option would be to contact the evaluator alo (again) and politely ask them to escalate from the inside because the named point of contact has been unresponsive.

 

[2026]

Thank you both for your replies. We will keep these in mind as these days progress.
Again I appreciate the insight and step-by-step of how to tackle it. Very helpful!