Before Junior Year

H

HighFlyer97

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Nov 3, 2021
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I’m currently a freshman in high school, and I’ve wanted to attend USAFA since the summer going into 8th grade. I understand the application process starts junior year, but are there any things I should be doing besides volunteer, grades, extracurriculars, etc? Any tips from grads?
 
I was similar to you. I focused mainly on grades, sports and leadership positions in clubs (create a club if there isn't one you like). If I had had the means, I would have tried to fit in flight lessons. Also, pay attention to opportunities in the summer. I know it made a big difference in my resume to have solid additional experiences in the summer. Take advantages of leadership camps and fight to get to competitive opportunities like Boys State, HOBY, etc. Don't forget to have fun though. High school is a blast if you make the most of it. Don't just be focused on what's next or checking the boxes. Do the stuff that you'll really enjoy, and you'll be far more successful with it.
 
Not volunteer as much as leadership. There is no place on the application nor in the interview does volunteering come up. Take the most challenging classes, STEM heavy, excel in athletics, and leadership. Team captain, club president, scouts, venture crew, Boys/Girls state. Lifeguarding is a job with lots of responsibility. Talk to your school and see if they can put you in touch with the local ALO, they can really help guide you. By the way, these are all things you really need to do for any elite program. Good luck.
 
CameronE said:
I’m currently a freshman in high school, and I’ve wanted to attend USAFA since the summer going into 8th grade. I understand the application process starts junior year, but are there any things I should be doing besides volunteer, grades, extracurriculars, etc? Any tips from grads?
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Not a USAFA grad- current high school junior here. Don't be afraid to send people emails and make phone calls if you have a question for them- chances are they'll remember you for it. Don't decide for yourself that you're too young, don't have the right experience/grades etc for a position or activity, let the people who are qualified to decide that make that decision. The worst they can say is no, and you have a chance if you ask. If you don't ask, it's not happening.
 
Look at the summer seminar opportunities at USAFA (as well as the other academies) that occur the summer after junior year.
 
A few thoughts....
Enjoy High School, you can be both a competitive candidate and enjoy high school
Explore your passions, leadership is great, but it is incredibly easy to see through some of the positions people have, choose positions you genuinely care about.
Sports, most USAFA cadets have played at the varsity level in high school and there is extreme value in dedicating yourself to something, but find something you enjoy.
My personal opinion is having a job is great, I personally wouldn't worry about what kind or responsibility level, but working also teaches you things, and there are a lot of skills you will learn.
Feel free to send me a dm if you want more specific info.
 
Clar said:
A few thoughts....
Enjoy High School, you can be both a competitive candidate and enjoy high school
Explore your passions, leadership is great, but it is incredibly easy to see through some of the positions people have, choose positions you genuinely care about.
Sports, most USAFA cadets have played at the varsity level in high school and there is extreme value in dedicating yourself to something, but find something you enjoy.
My personal opinion is having a job is great, I personally wouldn't worry about what kind or responsibility level, but working also teaches you things, and there are a lot of skills you will learn.
Feel free to send me a dm if you want more specific info.
Click to expand...
I can’t DM yet, but I see often about the varsity sports. I wrestled in middle school, and recently quit as my coach wanted me to start cutting upwards of 10 pounds on the HS team. What good alternatives are there for playing a school sport? I am also getting a job at a restaurant soon. Thanks!
 
I didn't start my varsity sport until Sophomore year, so definitely would recommend trying a new sport. It's not a USAFA requirement, and best I can tell varsity sports have been trending marginally down, but still around that 70-80% range.
 
Track and Cross country are sports where one can find "success" through sheet hard work and they prep you for the CFA and Beast.
 
T-37IP said:
Not volunteer as much as leadership. There is no place on the application nor in the interview does volunteering come up. Take the most challenging classes, STEM heavy, excel in athletics, and leadership. Team captain, club president, scouts, venture crew, Boys/Girls state. Lifeguarding is a job with lots of responsibility. Talk to your school and see if they can put you in touch with the local ALO, they can really help guide you. By the way, these are all things you really need to do for any elite program. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Things must have changed. My 2017 grad had a pretty impressive resume, including volunteer work. He was an equestrian and volunteered every Friday at a horse camp for special needs children helping them ride. His ALO really enjoyed talking with him about that.
 
I’d say definitely try to find a sport you LOVE to pursue aggressively. Volleyball would be a good choice. I always have to recommend tennis- it’s incredibly fun and very skill based so if you really work at it you can improve VERY fast as long as you get some good lessons initially to get you on the right track. I coach HS tennis and many of our top varsity picked up a racket their first time freshman year, and in one case their JUNIOR year (that player just finished playing 4 years of college tennis!)

The point is, find a sport and leadership activity you love and will WANT to work at (if you haven’t considered CAP, it might be worth a look if you want some leadership experience)

Also- I agree volunteering is over emphasized here. It’s great if it’s LEADERSHIP but I had very few volunteer hours and was still accepted very early, with an LOA in October and my appointment in early December. I chose to focus on tennis, music and grades

Good luck!
 
Renegado said:
Things must have changed. My 2017 grad had a pretty impressive resume, including volunteer work. He was an equestrian and volunteered every Friday at a horse camp for special needs children helping them ride. His ALO really enjoyed talking with him about that.
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Certainly something to talk about, but not specifically asked for, anywhere. Academics, athletics, leadership. That is straight from the Sup.
 
As USAFA10s noted, look into Civil Air Patrol or Sea Cadets. Both are great programs, but units vary across the country. Visit a few and see which is a good fit for you. You should be able to find details online for the closest ones in your area. Good luck!
 
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