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Admissions website question. My son opened his in August and just has one essay left. He completed his CFA, but when he opened his app he had listed a JROTC instructor who ended up retiring before administering it. He now needs his other teacher to submit it but can’t find anywhere to enter his information so he can put in the score. Do you know if he needs to email someone or is just not seeing it somewhere?
 
@romempire Haha it was ALRIGHT. Some days were better than others. I wouldn’t go in expecting a 5 star meal everyday but most of it was decent. My favorite was always the Make Your Own Waffle Bar on Sundays. It’s been two years since I’ve last had a meal there so I’m not sure how much the food has changed.
 
@LastOne Hey! I would reach out to your Admissions Team (Team Blue or Team Silver). They should be able to help you get it fixed!
 
LastOne said:
Admissions website question. My son opened his in August and just has one essay left. He completed his CFA, but when he opened his app he had listed a JROTC instructor who ended up retiring before administering it. He now needs his other teacher to submit it but can’t find anywhere to enter his information so he can put in the score. Do you know if he needs to email someone or is just not seeing it somewhere?
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Email team blue or silver
 
Hey, tell me about getting "grocery" type items that are needed wanted, especially for women at USAFA? Skin care, shampoo, feminine needs, hair care etc? Is there a spot where they go on campus to get all these things, and is that available every weekend to get these items? Or do they get shipped in from family?

How do the females deal with having their periods during BCT or training when they are away from traditional bathrooms? Are they allowed to use the facilities as needed during this time? Anything you could shed light on this area would be great. Thanks
 
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montanamutti said:
Hey, tell me about getting "grocery" type items that are needed wanted, especially for women at USAFA? Skin care, shampoo, feminine needs, hair care etc? Is there a spot where they go on campus to get all these things, and is that available every weekend to get these items? Or do they get shipped in from family?

How do the females deal with having their periods during BCT or training when they are away from traditional bathrooms? Are they allowed to use the facilities as needed during this time? Anything you could shed light on this area would be great. Thanks
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During BCT they will have numerous trips to the C store (including one pretty soon after I day) so unless particular about certain brands consider packing travel sized personal care.

Cadre are always very understanding about periods. I have also heard sometimes during CST cadets have had to bury tampons etc.

I remember during my DD’s visit to USMA a fellow female cadet suggested going on the pill to avoid periods during basic training. I was horrified to hear this but I also like to keep an open mind. Clearly it’s a personal decision and anyone considering it of course should talk to a doctor. Given many females do not go to an OBGYN yet, it might be a good introduction. I would advise time to get acclimated to the pill as it may take several months to get used to.

DD ended up choosing USAFA (currently a C3C) and she is happy to answer any questions (she does not have an account here) if anyone wants to PM me. I also have a DS C1C.

(@runLikeAGirl I tried to PM you but you are not eligible yet)
 
nj2025 said:
During BCT they will have numerous trips to the C store (including one pretty soon after I day) so unless particular about certain brands consider packing travel sized personal care.

Cadre are always very understanding about periods. I have also heard sometimes during CST cadets have had to bury tampons etc.

I remember during my DD’s visit to USMA a fellow female cadet suggested going on the pill to avoid periods during basic training. I was horrified to hear this but I also like to keep an open mind. Clearly it’s a personal decision and anyone considering it of course should talk to a doctor. Given many females do not go to an OBGYN yet, it might be a good introduction. I would advise time to get acclimated to the pill as it may take several months to get used to.

DD ended up choosing USAFA (currently a C3C) and she is happy to answer any questions (she does not have an account here) if anyone wants to PM me. I also have a DS C1C.

(@runLikeAGirl I tried to PM you but you are not eligible yet)
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Thank you. I guess I need to post more so I can DM
 
nj2025 said:
During BCT they will have numerous trips to the C store (including one pretty soon after I day) so unless particular about certain brands consider packing travel sized personal care.

Cadre are always very understanding about periods. I have also heard sometimes during CST cadets have had to bury tampons etc.

I remember during my DD’s visit to USMA a fellow female cadet suggested going on the pill to avoid periods during basic training. I was horrified to hear this but I also like to keep an open mind. Clearly it’s a personal decision and anyone considering it of course should talk to a doctor. Given many females do not go to an OBGYN yet, it might be a good introduction. I would advise time to get acclimated to the pill as it may take several months to get used to.

DD ended up choosing USAFA (currently a C3C) and she is happy to answer any questions (she does not have an account here) if anyone wants to PM me. I also have a DS C1C.

(@runLikeAGirl I tried to PM you but you are not eligible yet)
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Haha I can't figure out how to be eligible to do that!
 
Raptor22 said:
Hey! I’m a relatively recent grad of USAFA (2022) and happy to answer any questions you may have about any aspects of USAFA and the Air Force! I remember being on this forum all the time so any way that I can help I am happy to! Little bit about me:

Lifelong dream was to graduate from USAFA and become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. I applied during my senior year of high school and received my rejection letter in April 2017. I went to Marion Military Institute as a self-prep in the Service Academy Program for year and received my appointment in April 2018. I can’t say enough great things about that program and highly highly highly recommend it if you are serious about going to ANY Service Academy! Lt Col Bowen is the man!!! Graduated from USAFA in 2022 and spent a little under a year as an Admissions Advisor for USAFA before heading to pilot training. Finished up pilot training and got assigned to fly the C-130J!

Again, ask away and I am happy to help!

The entire journey was all super worth it so don’t give up if this is what you want to do!!
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Thank you for making yourself available! This is very appreciated. Just curious about the academic rigor…I am a little worried about my son managing such a demanding academic load on top of all the training. He also is being recruited for a sport. Are there good tutors easily available for most all classes and is there time in a normal day or in the evening to get this kind of support? What about foreign language classes?
He had Spanish in high school but did not do so great.
 
@nj2025 Thanks for your help with that one!

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@Momofcadet There are a ton of academic resources at USAFA. Extra Instruction or “EI” is HUGE and is time that you can schedule 1-on-1 with your instructor to get help. They encourage this and if you are willing to put in the work then they are more than willing to help! Instructors normally let their students know at the beginning of the semester when they are available for EI. You can get EI for ANY class. Another resource is the Quantitative (?) Reasoning Center and the Writing Center. The QRC offers STEM help and the Writing Centers offers help with paper writing. I remember the French department had tutors during certain times that you could go and get help from. The other cadets in the squadron are also usually willing to help! I wouldn’t worry about being able to succeed…just know it is on the cadet to put in the work! Plenty of people graduate each year and if I made it through then ANYONE can! I hope this helps!
 
Hello, I have a question concerning getting accepted to The prep school for the Air Force academy and my question is regarding the academic requirements. When I was in high school I was not aware of the beneficial factors a good gpa and excelling in high school acedimics but since I’ve graduated and join the Air Force I’ve realized all the opurtunites that are in my grasp and I’ve become fixated on joining the Air Force academy. I was curious if there is still a chance of getting accepted because I know if i got that far I’m a truly competent enough to thrive in that environment. And if you can give me any pointers on how I would make up for my low gpa and i am willing to do anything to strengthen my application as much as possible.@Raptor22
 
@Jcoop123 Hello! If you are an enlisted Airman or Guardian then you can apply to USAFA through the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development (LEAD) program. USAFA is always looking for bright enlisted members to bring into the Cadet Wing and eventually commission as officers. One of the biggest things is that is cannot be past your 23rd birthday on July 1st of the year that you would enter the Academy or past your 22nd birthday on July 1st of the year that you would enter the Prep School.

Some things that I would recommend if you are planning to apply:

-Let your leadership know ASAP. They can set you up on a good path and can give you opportunities that will let you demonstrate your leadership.

-Enroll in some college course and DO WELL. Solid grades in college STEM courses can potentially help to offset a poor high school academic record.

-Take the SAT and/or ACT if you have not done so already and score well. This can also help your case academically.

-Volunteer for stuff around the base. If someone in your chain of command needs a volunteer to do something then be that volunteer. This will show initiative and give your leadership the ability to write strong recommendations for you.

-Keep up with your physical fitness.

If you haven’t done so check out the link below for USAFA’s LEAD Program:

www.academyadmissions.com

Enlisted Airmen | U.S. Air Force Academy

The LEAD Program offers Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard Airmen and Guardians appointments to the Air Force Academy and the Academy Prep School.
www.academyadmissions.com www.academyadmissions.com


This website has everything you need to get your application started and figure out what you need to do.

Let me know if you have any other questions!
 
@Raptor22 Thank you for the great information! I reviewed the timeline of when you submitted your USAFA application for the second time. How did you get your Math, English, and Consular evaluations when you applied the second time, considering you had just started at Marion Military Institute on July 31, 2017, and began your USAFA application in July 2017? I might follow a similar path as yours, but I'm unsure how to handle the Math and English evaluation part of the USAFA application.
Also, did you look into Northwestern Preparatory School (California) when you were researching for military school?
Thank you
 
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@timgoodman Hey! I don’t remember for sure but I’m pretty sure I let my teachers at Marion know at the beginning of the semester (maybe even mid-semester) that I needed them done. They know that they have a ton of Service Academy students so they know how the flow goes. Work hard and demonstrate that you are a good student early so that they can give you a good evaluation! Truthfully, I never really gave NWP a serious thought because I wanted the school work that I was doing to count for college credit. As far as I know, and I could definitely be wrong, the program at NWP does not count for college credit. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good program though…in fact, many people speak very highly of it! In my mind, if I had not gotten into the Academy again, I could’ve stayed at Marion and finished my associates or finished my bachelor’s degree somewhere else. I will say though, my plan was to keep applying until I was too old. It just depends on what you want. Some people end up going to a regular university or community college for a year before going to USAFA. There is not one defined path to success!

I hope this helps!
 
And just to clarify…ANY of the Service Academy Prep programs around the country can get you to a Service Academy. Just depends on how hard you are willing to work.
 
Raptor22 said:
@AFNoel Hello! Great questions, I’ll start with the timeline one:

*I went to Summer Seminar and after coming back from that I was dedicated to doing whatever it took to get to USAFA. Therefore, I only looked at schools with Service Academy Prep programs.*

- Fall 2016 (Senior Year HS): Accepted to Marion Military Institute…literally didn’t think about it again until Spring 2017.

- April 17, 2017 (Senior Year HS): Received rejection letter from USAFA. Decided same day I was going to Marion. (To be fair, I actually only ended up applying to USAFA and Marion for my college options. I got into another Military College, Wentworth, but it closed a few months later).

- July 2017: Restarted application to USAFA for the Class of 2022. Pretty sure I restarted on the first day that it opened.

- July 31, 2017: Reported to Marion (I had never been there before so it was a complete shot in the dark). I was able to walk on to the Cross Country Team and we had to show up about a week earlier than everyone else. *I didn’t play any sports in HS so I think doing a college sport was HUGE for my application.*

Fall 2017: Completed most of my application for USAFA. I had to wait for my first semester transcripts from Marion to be sent to USAFA for it to be fully completed.

April 14, 2018: Received my appointment to USAFA!!!

June 28, 2018: Reported to USAFA

May 25, 2022: GRADUATED FROM USAFA!!


The class load was pretty similar to what you are going to see at USAFA. First Semester I took: Chemistry, Physics, College Algebra, English, Air Force ROTC, Math ACT/SAT Prep, and Reading ACT/SAT Prep. Service Academy Prep Physical Training and Cross Country also counted as classes as well. Second Semester was more or less the same with the only changes being no ACT/SAT prep classes, Trigonometry instead of Algebra, and Cross Country was over. *In high school, I DID NOT DO WELL in Math. Freshman year, I got a C in Geometry Honors first semester and a D second semester. Sophomore year I got a D in Algebra II Honors first semester and an F second semester…and yes, the Academy saw it. When I got to Marion, I got an A in College Algebra which I also think really helped my case because it showed that I could handle college level math.*

Marion has all of the resources there to help get you an appointment to any Academy. However, YOU have to put in the work. ALL of the staff/faculty there are all willing to help and want to see you succeed. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Lt Col Bowen (Service Academy Program Director), is the man!!!

In the event that you don’t get in to USAFA, take an honest look at your application and figure out where you can strengthen it. Go to Marion and put in the work and I think you will find success.

I hope that answers your questions (not sure if I really answered the last one) and please let me know if you have more!
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Thank you sooo much this is exactly what I have been looking for!!!
 
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