Any long term thing to do to improve my chances?
- Thread starter Odin
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skiergirl24
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2018
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- 155
Leadership opportunities. That's the biggest thing that sets people apart. Show the Academy that you've made a positive impact in your community, sports team, church, whatever it might be. You're going into high school- get plugged into some clubs that you're passionate about and if there aren't any, start one! If you're involved in sports, keep working hard, be a team player, work your way towards being a captain and taking on leadership positions. CAP and JROTC are great programs that you could look into.
If you want to get a feel for numbers, there's class profiles with average test scores, etc that you can find online, or by searching this forum. Check out the CFA (fitness test) requirements and set some goals early. Every year, people put that off and end up failing it and being disqualified as a result. Also, check out the medical requirements.
Work hard in school. Set goals for yourself early. Take the most challenging classes available that you can manage with everything else. You can always take PSATs, SATs, ACTs early so you get a feel for where you're at, and where you want to be in a few years. When it's time to take those tests, buckle down and practice.
Push yourself. Develop good time management skills early. Read the academyadmissions.com website which will have lots of details about what they're looking for in a cadet.
Finally, enjoy high school! Don't spend your time trying to be the best at everything all the time. USAFA wants well rounded cadets. High school goes by quick, so make the most of your time- you get out what you put in.
You're young, and the application process is a ways away, but you can definitely start training yourself mentally and physically to apply and to hopefully someday become a cadet at USAFA. Best of luck to you.
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2017
- Messages
- 10,667
When you attend high school, make connections with teachers/administrators/staff. You will need letters of recommendation from people who know you...so be known. Sometimes that can be a bit challenging in a larger school. If you are leading organizations this may take care of itself but be prudent in developing relationships so people can attest to your character/personality/essence when providing a LOR. Be the person they want to help.
Your 11th grade Math and English teachers will provide an online evaluation (separate from a LOR), so keep that in mind (DS didn’t take an 11th grade English, wasn’t planning in a 12th grade either but had to first semester in order to meet the English evaluation criteria. Also had to wait to submit his application until that part could be completed. If that makes sense). Your counselor will also evaluate you. Make connections!
Another thing to do is to meet with your counselor to establish a 4 year course work plan that fits what USAFA is looking for. It’s too late to change your class resume once you are actually applying. And a bummer to find out you missed an opportunity (like DS did with English, but it all worked out for him). It’s super great you are looking into this early!!!
Your 11th grade Math and English teachers will provide an online evaluation (separate from a LOR), so keep that in mind (DS didn’t take an 11th grade English, wasn’t planning in a 12th grade either but had to first semester in order to meet the English evaluation criteria. Also had to wait to submit his application until that part could be completed. If that makes sense). Your counselor will also evaluate you. Make connections!
Another thing to do is to meet with your counselor to establish a 4 year course work plan that fits what USAFA is looking for. It’s too late to change your class resume once you are actually applying. And a bummer to find out you missed an opportunity (like DS did with English, but it all worked out for him). It’s super great you are looking into this early!!!