Ask Us (current cadets) Anything

100% your choice. Of course, every department will push you to choose their major (and mine is obviously the best), but you can choose. If you struggle in the basic calc classes, your ac advisor may dissuade you from engineering, but it's ultimately your decision.
 
In addition to what BlahuKahuna said, most academic advisors will not let you declare until your sophomore year.

Take your freshman year classes and see what really interests you. You might be surprised that you're interested in something you hadn't thought of before.

I'm taking Astronautical Engineering right now, and I really enjoy it. It's one of my best classes as well. If I had taken it freshman year I definitely would have considered Astro for my major.
 
My DS is a preppie, with just over a month to go. It looks as though you were both preppies. When did you find out that you were accepted to the Academy? Any soothing words to calm my nerves??
 
Momof4 said:
My DS is a preppie, with just over a month to go. It looks as though you were both preppies. When did you find out that you were accepted to the Academy? Any soothing words to calm my nerves??
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If your DS has kept his nose clean he will be fine! I think we found out early May, but AFrpaso might remember better.
 
LFry94 said:
If your DS has kept his nose clean he will be fine! I think we found out early May, but AFrpaso might remember better.
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I only remember it being a very late notification. May sounds about right.

As for my major, initially I was Astro. I switched to Math going into my junior year because I realized I did not want to be a developmental engineer for the AF but rather an analyst. There were a lot of factors which contributed to my decisions but the main points are that I wanted a foundational degree in something techy which the AF would want enough to all but guarantee that my AFSC will be analyst after graduation. Analysts often attend graduate school, which is another goal of mine, and make a comfortable living in the civilian sector after they separate.

I learned that I was not pilot qualified near the end of sophomore year.
 
LFry94 said:
Free.


Management for two reasons.
1. There are a lot of things demanding for your time at the academy, which makes academics many times more difficult than in high school. Management is a major that's harder to fail.
2. Eventually, I'd like to work in business. The academy has one of the best undergraduate management programs in the US.


Just put in for my AFSC preferences today. #1 choice is contracting


Not most, but a lot.


Yes, it is! I did not apply for it, so I cannot give you details, though.
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Padre: Why did you choose contracting? DS is looking into this field and wants to maybe follow in my footsteps as a civilian contracting officer in the air force.
 
dreamusafa said:
Padre: Why did you choose contracting? DS is looking into this field and wants to maybe follow in my footsteps as a civilian contracting officer in the air force.
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I chose contracting because I'm interested in business after the Air Force and I believe contracting would give me useful experience. I'm currently planning on 20 years, but I want to leave my options open for now.

I'm also very interested in space ops. It's pretty high up on my AFSC list.
 
How much leave do you guys get now? As in how many free weekends per month (if you had to estimate)? I have heard that it has become easier to get passes, can you say whether or not that is true?
 
20ta said:
How much leave do you guys get now? As in how many free weekends per month (if you had to estimate)? I have heard that it has become easier to get passes, can you say whether or not that is true?
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Weekend passes are a little different than leave- passes include staying in the local area, and paperwork is required to leave a 150 mile radius. Leave is applicable to things like summer break. As far as free weekends go, it depends. In the fall, a lot of weekends are dedicated to Falcon Football in addition to training weekends. I would say that on average you probably have two "blue" (free) weekends a month. Four degrees are restricted until Parent's Weekend, and may be restricted on weeks that they don't pass their knowledge tests. Additionally, things change from year to year, so my knowledge on this may be limited a bit. Hope this helps!
 
I'm still waiting to hear back, but if I end up not getting accepted is Northwestern Prep a good plan B? Do you guys know of people that went there and are doing well at the academy now?

Thanks
 
kylieM said:
I'm still waiting to hear back, but if I end up not getting accepted is Northwestern Prep a good plan B? Do you guys know of people that went there and are doing well at the academy now?

Thanks
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NWP worked out pretty well for me. I fixed my study skills out there, made some amazing friends, and really set myself up to have a pretty wild experience out here. Let me know if you have questions about NWP.
 
I am still waiting, no TWE or appointment yet. Does the long wait mean that I could possibly get into the AFA prep is there still the chance to get into the academy this year? You went to the AFA prep, so I guess my question is how late did you hear that you were accepted into the prep school?
 
BlahuKahuna said:
NWP worked out pretty well for me. I fixed my study skills out there, made some amazing friends, and really set myself up to have a pretty wild experience out here. Let me know if you have questions about NWP.
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It's awesome that you went there! Regarding NWP, did you do the second semester at a civilian college? And how was that? Are the NWP guys the ones that wear the Hawaiian shirts to I-Day?
 
Yes. The men and women in Hawaiian shirts on I-Day are NWP prepsters. DS, who is graduating in June, stood on the footprints for I think 3 or 4 full cycles due to his Hawaiian shirt but that is the tradition and he gained alot by his NWP experience including lifelong friendships. As an example, his roommate at Intel school this August will be NWP squadmate.
 
I reported to I-day in my ABU boots (We were told to so cadre could differentiate preppies from directs) and thankfully I didn't get held up at all. They did make me move up to the front with all of the other preppies on my bus, though.

kylieM said:
I am still waiting, no TWE or appointment yet. Does the long wait mean that I could possibly get into the AFA prep is there still the chance to get into the academy this year? You went to the AFA prep, so I guess my question is how late did you hear that you were accepted into the prep school?
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I received the TWE in the mail and 2 weeks later is when I received the prep school appointment in my portal.
 
kylieM said:
It's awesome that you went there! Regarding NWP, did you do the second semester at a civilian college? And how was that? Are the NWP guys the ones that wear the Hawaiian shirts to I-Day?
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Yep, second semester at a state university. The combination of the two experiences (fairly regimented and directed at NWP, much more open at civilian school) was arguably the best way I could have prepared for USAFA. I'm still close with a few of my friends from the semester at "real college", and I'm definitely very connected to the massive NWP network here. I'm friends with my class of NWP prepsters, of course, but one of my closest friends and mentors is a 2016 NWP'r who really took me under her wing when I was a 4* solely because of our similar experiences in California.

And I will never, ever, ever, regret wearing my Hawaiian shirt on I-Day.
 
Sorry if this has been asked before. Who gets to wear the flight suits as a cadet?
 
Every cadet is issued a flight suit (I got mine early in my first semester). Flight suits are worn for airmanship activities and (generally) as the UOD (Uniform of the Day) on Fridays if it's not freezing cold.
 
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