Am I a Competitive Applicant for USAFA?

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Voyager3811

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Hi! I've been looking into applying to USAFA for quite some time, but it's kind of hard to judge my own performance and credentials, so I was hoping some people from here could give me some advice as to whether or not it's worth it to apply. And thanks to anyone who does!

So, I'll start by saying I have a 3.84 GPA. Likely relevant for one reason or another is that my freshman GPA was very poor, something like 3.5, but both my Sophomore and Junior GPAs have been quite good, 3.9 and 4.0 respectively. I'm also currently taking college courses, which I mention because I don't anticipate that USAFA coursework will be so difficult as to be impossible. I'm quite hardworking, I've never met a course load I couldn't make peace with eventually.

For the SAT, I haven't taken it because of the pandemic, but I test consistently between 1450-1500, and will hopefully continue to improve with practice. My PSAT was a 1380.
I either pass the CFA or I don't, but I'm on track to do just fine when school opens back up.

Here's my main concern, I don't do any varsity sports. I'm instead highly involved in a robotics program at my high school (FIRST, if you're curious), and highly involved with my church. I don't know if this is a dealbreaker given my low GPA. I have leadership experience from both, I spend a lot of time coordinating events, working with peers and outside companies, committees, and non-profits to do outreach for robotics. Similar for church, I plan a lot of things for my youth group, we do tons of volunteer stuff that I help to organize. Robotics is mostly the reason I don't have multiple extra curricular activities, at the height of 'build season' I put in 20-30 hours a week plus a job and school. Competitions involve traveling everywhere during February-April, including flying out to worlds. It's a huge time commitment, even during the summer.

Additional info if it's helpful: I'm the head of what we call our 'business team' (somewhat funny considering it's a robotics team, I know) and this past year I was put in charge of the Chairman's award. Winning Chairmans is akin to winning a competition, it's an analysis of a team's community impact, internal function, and connection with sponsors. We won this year, and not to sound arrogant at all, but obviously as lead I put in the most work, and was in charge of the essay that won the competition. If I hadn't pushed the essay the way I did, I don't think we would have won. I also presented for the team in front of the judges, wrote the script and organized the video submission. As the business lead, I organize in some capacity all our outreach events, from school to working with the NAVY in our area. In short, I work with my sub-team to do a lot of bureaucracy, talking, PR and sponsorships. Then I go around and tell everyone why they have to show up to the events I've planned if they want to win Chairmans : )
Also, I'm a girl, so I don't know if that'll help or hurt. Thanks again to anyone who reads this! All feedback is appreciated!
 
First of all, I wouldn't decide to apply on the basis of whether or not you'll be accepted. Especially if the information that you get regarding how competitive you are comes from this forum. If I were you, I would sit down and really think about what your goals are in life and how you want to achieve them. If the academy is where you really want to be, then apply! Also, while people on this forum can give you very (and I mean VERY) general tips and critiques, no one here can tell you specifics about how competitive you are because we do not have access to your LOR's, essays, nomination information, district competitiveness, SAT final scores, etc. If you do want to get in to the academy, put everything you have into your application and hope for the best!
 
Voyager3811 said:
Hi! I've been looking into applying to USAFA for quite some time, but it's kind of hard to judge my own performance and credentials, so I was hoping some people from here could give me some advice as to whether or not it's worth it to apply. And thanks to anyone who does!

So, I'll start by saying I have a 3.84 GPA. Likely relevant for one reason or another is that my freshman GPA was very poor, something like 3.5, but both my Sophomore and Junior GPAs have been quite good, 3.9 and 4.0 respectively. I'm also currently taking college courses, which I mention because I don't anticipate that USAFA coursework will be so difficult as to be impossible. I'm quite hardworking, I've never met a course load I couldn't make peace with eventually.

For the SAT, I haven't taken it because of the pandemic, but I test consistently between 1450-1500, and will hopefully continue to improve with practice. My PSAT was a 1380.
I either pass the CFA or I don't, but I'm on track to do just fine when school opens back up.

Here's my main concern, I don't do any varsity sports. I'm instead highly involved in a robotics program at my high school (FIRST, if you're curious), and highly involved with my church. I don't know if this is a dealbreaker given my low GPA. I have leadership experience from both, I spend a lot of time coordinating events, working with peers and outside companies, committees, and non-profits to do outreach for robotics. Similar for church, I plan a lot of things for my youth group, we do tons of volunteer stuff that I help to organize. Robotics is mostly the reason I don't have multiple extra curricular activities, at the height of 'build season' I put in 20-30 hours a week plus a job and school. Competitions involve traveling everywhere during February-April, including flying out to worlds. It's a huge time commitment, even during the summer.

Additional info if it's helpful: I'm the head of what we call our 'business team' (somewhat funny considering it's a robotics team, I know) and this past year I was put in charge of the Chairman's award. Winning Chairmans is akin to winning a competition, it's an analysis of a team's community impact, internal function, and connection with sponsors. We won this year, and not to sound arrogant at all, but obviously as lead I put in the most work, and was in charge of the essay that won the competition. If I hadn't pushed the essay the way I did, I don't think we would have won. I also presented for the team in front of the judges, wrote the script and organized the video submission. As the business lead, I organize in some capacity all our outreach events, from school to working with the NAVY in our area. In short, I work with my sub-team to do a lot of bureaucracy, talking, PR and sponsorships. Then I go around and tell everyone why they have to show up to the events I've planned if they want to win Chairmans : )
Also, I'm a girl, so I don't know if that'll help or hurt. Thanks again to anyone who reads this! All feedback is appreciated!
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So I'm not a graduate, I'm not a long time member here either, but I am going through the process right now. Here's my two sense.

Don't think about if it worth it, based on what you don't have. Most of us won't get in no matter how amazing we are. Think about this instead: Do I want to serve? Do I want to push my self? Do I want to go to the academy, including all of the hard ships? If you answered yes, then try. The worst case is they say no, you go in to ROTC and be the best Officer our service has ever seen.

You'll gain something through this experience I guarantee it. Maybe it's how to answer interview questions, or maybe you'll get more in shape.

This all comes from some one who's doing the process yet I honestly don't think I'll get in. I've got the varsity sports, the leadership in JROTC and in sports, the community service, a 3.82 GPA, AP classes, and working on a high ACT score, but I don't think I'll make it. However I'll never know if I don't put that fear aside a make them give a single reason why they should reject me. That's true for you too. Fight till you can't, and then take that and go win a battle somewhere else.

- from someone who's asked the same question at every step
 
Yes you are competitive. You seem like an impressive young woman. Your GPA is very good and the fact that it improved as you went through school is a good sign. Your PSAT score of 90+ perecntile suggests your SAT/ACT score will be strong.

Your activites and leadership are good as well.

That being said, this is a very competitive process and your success will also be affected by the area you are applying from.

Your lack of sports activity is a negative however, though not an eliminating factor. Candidates with no athletics likely get appointments each year. It means the rest of your candidate package will have to be that much stronger. You could run cross country in the fall, while one sport your last year might be slightly helpful, but would be seen for what it is likely. If it interests you, I would play a fall sport (if we even have them this year).

Bottomline is that you should focus on your package and try to strnegthen it as much as possible. Write great essays, practice for your interviews and develop a concise way to express who you are and why you are a great candidate. There is no silver bullet. Believe in yourself and do your best.
 
Non-varsity athletes comprise about 10% of a typical SA class. It’s a bit about physical fitness and athletic prowess — both greatly valued at SAs and on active duty.

But know that varsity sports participation also signals important traits and attributes: leadership, teamwork, discipline, perseverance, resilience, time management, competitiveness. So if you’re a candidate without varsity sports, it’s on you to demonstrate your possession of these aspects, obtained without athletics. They can come from experiences you already have — robotics and/or business team. In fact, they way you describe business team would be a great way to do so in your personal statement and interviews. Show how you made an impact, worked with others, overcame challenges and ultimately accomplished the mission.

You may not have broken a sweat or won a varsity letter, but it can show many of the valued qualities that SAs seek.
 
You only know if you apply. My son had similar stats, also a not so great freshman year. He did not play varsity sports but did have some leadership positions in a variety of activities. A lot may depend on the competitiveness of your area also. If you want to serve apply, also have a great Plan B.
 
Varsity sports are helpful, but not required. As others have pointed out, your stats are decent. People with much lower GPA are offered appointments each year because USAFA believes in the whole person concept. You are multi-dimensional and the acceptance criteria is more fluid than one would think. If it were binary, we could make a survey and you could receive an accurate prediction at the end -- this is not the case. You need to account for the 24 hours you have in a day. In the end, you are evaluated against the applicant pool -- first at the local level, and then again at the national level. Candidates who focus on what they control can go far - but that typically means you lead an active lifestyle in areas that showcase your talents and interests, and generally provide you with leadership opportunities and awards/accolades. The applicant pool contains all types - hard chargers to sloths. In general, the application process will weed out many of the uncommitted. Once the selections are made, some who (on paper) seemed like sure bets for an offer of admissions will not receive an offer. Focus on what you control, maximize the time and opportunities that you have, and assume others are outworking you and out achieving you. Don't be complacent.
 
You are definitely competitive and have some things that will make you stand out as well - crush the SAT and you'll be highly competitive. Average GPA is usually in the 3.85-3.9 range (I think my class was 3.87), so yours isn't particularly low.

For sports, go read this thread

Sports, and your academy application

This isn't in response to any particular thread of poster. I'm simply writing it in the hopes that any new people will find it when, or if they do a search on the topic. It seems that in recent years, more and more applicants are asking questions about sports, or rather the lack of sports, in...
www.serviceacademyforums.com
but it looks like you can easily make it clear you have gained the skills and experience that normally come from varsity sports through your robotics team. The difference is you'll have to do some work to get that point across in your application.

As others have said - the real question is do you WANT to go to USAFA? If the answer is yes, put in the effort, raise that SAT score and do the work to crush the essays and interviews. I sort of stumbled blindly through the application and into USAFA...but I am definitely the exception and not the rule. If you haven't done it yet - go read EVERYTHING on the USAFA website. You can find everything you need to know if you are competitive there, and more. Anything you can't find - use the search function here and you'll probably find it. Good luck! We need more women in STEM (from a female Air Force physicist :cool:)
 
Thank you everyone for the advice! I think you're all right about just applying and hoping for the best, and also about writing good essays. It's always great to hear other people's perspectives :)
 
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