Brand new here-Rising 9th grader wanting to attend USAFA

H

HawktoSF

New Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
2
Hello-I just learned of this forum today. My son finished 8th grade well. I realize I'm lucky for someone to have mentioned this to me today. Where do I start in knowing what to do to help him be prepared to be an excellent candidate for the USAFA? I have not yet registered him for his 9th-grade classes so I have a little flexibility. But I'm also curious about clubs and extracurriculars. Also, his high school does not have an ROTC program and based on what I've asked of other schools, he is unable to participate in ROTC at other local schools. Any advice would be appreciated here.
 
HawktoSF said:
Hello-I just learned of this forum today. My son finished 8th grade well. I realize I'm lucky for someone to have mentioned this to me today. Where do I start in knowing what to do to help him be prepared to be an excellent candidate for the USAFA? I have not yet registered him for his 9th-grade classes so I have a little flexibility. But I'm also curious about clubs and extracurriculars. Also, his high school does not have an ROTC program and based on what I've asked of other schools, he is unable to participate in ROTC at other local schools. Any advice would be appreciated here.
Click to expand...
Welcome! This is a supportive community.

Your son’s first step - he should own as much of the process as he can as he starts down this path - is to research the primary source, USAFA.edu. Read every page, link, hamburger menu item. Most questions are answered. If he is just going into 9th grade, this is the perfect time for him to do the research on paths to a commission as a military officer and the available career paths.

He should do the same for the other 4 Federal academies, USMA, USNA, USCGA, USMMA, so he can rule them in or out of consideration.
He can look into college ROTC programs and scholarships for the services of interest. I would say the majority of candidates have multiple alternate plans if they are not offered an appointment to a service academy on the first attempt. A good percentage of SA classes are college re-applicants.

Your elected officials, Senators and Representative, have web pages devoted to their SA nomination process. Your son can educate himself there. Some offer virtual or F2F info sessions. It’s not too early for your son to be a fly on the wall at those.

There will be medical qualification hurdles to overcome during the application cycle. If your son had/has an IEP, accommodations, certain medications and diagnoses, there are timelines for when those must no longer be in effect. You and your son may want to go to the DODMERB website. Read all the items on the left-hand side, FAQs, the process, the workflow diagram, etc. Parents are good resources for critical medical history.

The SAs evaluate the candidate using the “whole person” approach, generally speaking. It’s not just good grades and test scores. It’s leadership, athletics, etc. Your son can use the Search function here on SAF to look for “Chance Me” and “Stats” threads to see the range of what the competition will bring to the table. He is at a good place to make thoughtful decisions now about classes and activities.

If his school does not have JROTC, don’t worry about it. There are plenty of ways to build out a solid application in terms of leadership activities. Look around for a Sea Cadet group. Yes, it’s Navy-oriented, but there is military culture and leadership learning opportunity.
www.seacadets.org

Become a Cadet in the US Navy’s youth development program

Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Do you want to prove that greatness has no age? Become a cadet in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps
www.seacadets.org www.seacadets.org

And oh yes - as you browse the forums, take full advantage of The Acronym List on the home page.
 
Last edited:
Everything that @Capt MJ said is spot on. Him not being able to participate in JROTC is not a problem in any way, many schools don't offer that opportunity, and many individuals who end up at any of the SAs or in ROTC never participated in JROTC.

Another good first step would be letting your DS select and register for their own classes.
 
Hi @HawktoSF IRT the "I have not yet registered him for his 9th-grade classes so I have a little flexibility" comment, does DS go to or will he go to a private school?

Not all public schools are the same I'm sure, but I betcha most do class assignments in March/April not only for the student but for staffing purposes.
 
Devil Doc-he will go to a public school. He is not registered because he is still in a pool of applicants for a much-coveted charter school with a STEM focus, but it's unlikely he will get in. Either way, his regular high school is a very good one academically, its just super huge. So, as soon as the pool dissolves, I will register him.
 
HawktoSF said:
Devil Doc-he will go to a public school. He is not registered because he is still in a pool of applicants for a much-coveted charter school with a STEM focus, but it's unlikely he will get in. Either way, his regular high school is a very good one academically, its just super huge. So, as soon as the pool dissolves, I will register him.
Click to expand...
Gotcha, that makes sense. Welcome Aboard
 
nrotcmid23 said:
Everything that @Capt MJ said is spot on. Him not being able to participate in JROTC is not a problem in any way, many schools don't offer that opportunity, and many individuals who end up at any of the SAs or in ROTC never participated in JROTC.

Another good first step would be letting your DS select and register for their own classes.
Click to expand...
if USAFA is his goal check out Civil Air Patrol... He is young enough he could earn the coveted Spaatz if he joined this summer and kept spot on with promotions.
 
Big picture, he should focus on academics, leadership/team experience, and athletics (in that priority order).
The first years of high school are where to build a strong foundation. Fortunately, doing that will set him up for many excellent school options.
 
Great advice above. I’ll add a couple things that are also important, especially in a big school.

Establish relationships. With teachers, staff, administration. He should be the person that they want to recommend to go to a SA. When the time comes, They will be evaluating him. And/or potentially writing LOR’s. To do so, he can’t be the kid in the back of the classroom they don’t notice. Or one that doesn’t contribute to his classroom/school.

Also meeting with his academic/college counselor early on and letting them know his intentions is a good idea. They may or may not know much about the application process...that’s also good to know! But they will also be a resource for him.

Another recommendation would be to actually visit each SA he is interested in, if possible. Schedule a meeting with admissions if y’all are able. And of course, if possible, attend their summer recruiting programs.

And lastly, as mom to mom advice, would be to tread lightly early on. Help him have a broader picture than only a SA. Every year we read heartbreaking stories of kiddos that have prepared for this dream since middle school, who are great candidates, who don’t receive an appointment. There is MORE to your high school years than a SA appointment! Make sure, as a mom, that there are other focuses, especially early on. That he has fun, friends, and an enjoyable time. There is a very high likelihood that he will not receive an appointment and what a sad thing, if that’s ALL you focused on. Make sure and help him focus on other things, too.

Good luck. Didn’t have a SA on our radar as a ‘rising freshman’. THAT is a marathon!
 
Welcome to the dream! When my son (C3C) was that age, we found the USAFA website to be very helpful, specific, and well organized. You may have heard about “3 Q + a nomination”? The USAFA website breaks it all down. There are even workout plans, checklists and videos to watch. That’s a good start!
If JROTC is not an option, maybe you can find a Civil Air Patrol squadron, SeaCadets, or Boy Scouts Troop to join?
 
I second the suggestion to look into CAP - it's a great alternative when ROTC isn't an option, and in some ways is better because the schedule is usually much more compatible with school sports and you really get out what you put in. There are a lot of opportunities nation wide. I wish I would have known about it sooner, but even joining summer before junior year, I still learned and gained SO much from the program.

I also highly recommend reading through everything on the USAFA admissions page (your son - not necessarily you, but you can too) as it will really help both highlight what is important to the academies as well as give a lot of info about the academy itself.

Finally, use the search function on this forum - there is SO much information here chances are you will find the answers to most of your questions here if you look.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top