C/O 2025 Chances

[Raptor_Hopefull_2025]

Alright here’s another “what’re my chances thread”

I’m applying to the c/o 2025, and I was just wondering what my chances are, and possibly what to improve.

Note: I realize that no one knows what the true chances are, I’m just trying to entertain my extremely curious mind

I’m from MN if that helps at all

Here’s my stuff

3.93 UW GPA
Rank, 24/122
About half my Junior year and Senior year classes will be college courses (only advanced corses my HS has, and I will end up taking all the available college classes offered). Most of my classes I chose were STEM oriented.

ACT scores: 31 Eng, 30 Math, 25 Reading, 30 Sci
Note: I do realize my ACTs are low, and I know what I am doing wrong and am trying to correct it, plus I am starting tutoring. All I need is a test date

Football - 2 Varsity Letters, State appearances last two years

Robotics - Team Captain (1 of 5) Junior and Senior Year (as of now the only Captain for my Senior Year), Drive team for 2020 Season, came up with the original idea that won a Regional Creativity Award. We are starting a Middle School team this fall (FTC for those wondering), and I am going to hopefully be a mentor/Captain/Big Leader in its development. Also had big contributions to our Robot Freshman and Sophomore Year

Trapshooting Team - 3 Varsity Letters, Team Captain Junior and Senior Years (1 of 3). JV Team Coach Soohmore, Junior (JV season Canceled), and Senior Years. NRA Certified Level 1 Shotgun Coach. Our team has done very well in Conferences and has won Conference the last two years. Our state (which I was part of) team placed highly in State as well Nationals last year. I would have made Idv. state this year if not for COVID, and I was very close the Idv State last year. I also Trapshoot heavily throughout the summer

Student Council - 2 varsity Letters, 3 years counting Senior year. Officer Senior year, multiple committees led Junior and Sophomore year. With the Officer, I lost a very tight election (literally 1 vote) for President, but in the end I was appointed and Officer by our advisor. I believe that speaks to my leadership.

After School Mentoring Program - One day a week after school in the Winter. Pretty cool program for elementary Kids who are having troubles at home.

NHS (hopefully an officer this next year, we have not held elections yet)

I run Volleyball and Basketball scoreboards a few times a month in the winter.

Work - I work year round. Handyman/Odd Job/Landscaping Job in the summer, roughly 30 hrs a week. I also had a side Job in my 2019 Summer, and I somewhat continued it this summer.

I work at a Winter Rec place on weekends during the Winter.

I help out at the local Trapshooting Club as well.

Also do random Jobs for neighbors throughout the years like House/Dog Watching.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, and don’t be afraid to tear me apart!

 

[FlyFalcon]

Would you feel better or worse if I posted my profile as a fellow 2025?

 

[Raptor_Hopefull_2025]

Better

 

[BuckeyeDad20]

I think you know the standard answer on here...we don’t know, so keep working hard, try to get your ACT score and do what you can to improve your class rank. Your acrivites seem solid. Its going to come down to your competition for nominations and your competition in your demo.

That being said, your resume looks great. The only thing that I would wish for is a higher class rank. Top 10% would be good to see, but that is likely baked at this point. A great ACT would help.

As you know, nothing is guaranteed and there are a lot of variables. Continue to work and prep for your interviews. Also work on plan B and C. Good luck.

 

[BBQ-Devil]

Class rank also depends on your school profile (and many schools no longer rank). If 100% of the senior class is college-bound and the top 25% are going to ivies, then that looks different than if only 50% are college-bound and most go to small and/or community college. USAFA will ask for a profile from your college counselor and will have that information to add context to your class rank.

I also agree with the previous poster that improving your ACT or taking the SAT and getting a higher score can do nothing but help. USAFA is a STEM school and places a higher weight on the math portion of those standardized tests.

Good luck!

 

[FlyFalcon]

Better

Alright. It's probably not as good as yours but eh:

JROTC for four years: Executive officer, Flight commander, Deputy support chief, Chief support officer, and currently #3 in the command, Command Chief. Earned two national awards- sojourners and MOAA. Well over 300+ hours of community service. Planned and lead the military ball. My unit has earned jrotc distinguished unit the last 3 years, one of those with Merit.

I've done XC for 3 years (this being the third if season), and Track for four. Co-Captain of the XC. Been to state once for XC. All- Conference runner. My times are: 19:59(5k), 6:16(mile) and 2.42(4x 800m due to season cut short)

Currently head Alter server for my church. Been for 3 years. I've got over 50 hours of community service with the church.

GPA is: 3.82 unweighted
Rank: 44/ 224
NHS member
I'll be taking the ACT on Saturday. On practice tests earning between a 29-32.
I've taken AP World Cultures, AP American History ( scored a 3 ugh), Honors Bio, and will be taking AP Physics, Trig and Pre-Calcus this year.
Helped plan homecoming, and worked with the musicals and plays the last two years to help on show nights

 

[UnitedStatesAircraft5]

I'd like some feedback on mine too. (Mine is a bit unique)

GPA is 3.7 (UW)
My school does not rank
I earned straight A's junior year including in AP Physics 1 and Tig/Pre-Calc, I'll be taking AP Physics C and AP Calculus AB senior year.

I don't 'work' but have a TON of volunteer hours throughout all grades in high school on a historical merchant ship (side note: I'm also applying to USMMA so they'll definitely appreciate this)--I will have well over +1,000 hours by the time I apply. This has really been my main extracurricular throughout high school. But....I've been so dedicated to this that I ended up not doing a ton of other stuff like JROTC or lots of sports-not sure if this will help or hurt me. On several occasions, we/I actually helped train Sea Cadet and Boy Scout programs even though I was never actually a part of them

Additionally;

Sophomore year I did YMCA Youth & Government and was an Altar Server at church

Junior Year I earned a varsity letter, had a large role in my school's drama production, did FIRST Robotics, and continued being an Altar Server.

I'm also a current NHS member and am going to try to go for some sort of officer position either with my class or NHS this fall.

I'm working on preparing myself for the SAT and CFA, I don't have either of those scores yet.

 

[USAFA_86]

Well if we're all posting stats, here are mine:

- 4.0 unweighted GPA with a 34 ACT
- My school does not rank
- 4 AP classes taken last year: AP Calc AB, AP Language and composition, AP US history, and AP Chemistry (I scored all 4's and a 5 on Chemistry)
- 3 year volunteer at the local nursing home and I was promoted to oversee all high school volunteers
- Community service club vice president and representative at the state conference
- 2 years on the debate team (next year will be 3) and have gone to the state tournament both years
- 2020 debate captain
- football for three years (I am switching to XC this fall to become a better runner)
- tennis for three years (next year will be 4)
- NHS member
- Peer mentor at my school (I tutor underclassmen who are struggling in their studies)
- Founding member of the anti-suicide program at our school
- I started a service project in my community where people write letters to deployed soldiers
- I do a lot of work at my Church (lead summer camps / participate in youth ministry)
- I work part time in the summer

Only thing I wish I would have done differently is join CAP or JROTC

 

[BuckeyeDad20]

Blunt response to AirCraft5:

3.7 good not great for this level of competition, but how your school ranks amongst others could be a factor. Also, was the GPA on an upward trajectory? Sounds like it was - that is a good sign. Crush your SAT/ACT score to show your ability to handle the curriculum.

Service hours - No service hours would be a red flag, otherwise, I think everyone in this group has service hours these days. I don't know if having 1,000 vs 200 matters to the selection committee.

NHS - I don't really know why people list this. It is a function of your GPA at every school I know of so it is not a differentiator imho. If you have a leadership position in it then that's different.

Demonstration of your leadership seems lacking. Sports Captain, Officer position or other would help. Be able to explain how you demonstrated leadership in the activities you were involved with - you don't need a title to exhibit leadership.

I have no idea of your odds. Yo should be proud of your accomplishments and continue to work hard and develop Plan B and C. If you want it, then push for it as hard as you can and don't let anyone bring you down. Look for ways to differentiate yourself in your interviews and essays.

 

[BuckeyeDad20]

#USAFA_86:

Your stats are very similar to my DS who is in BCT right now:
GPA: 4.0
ACT: 35
Debate Team Captain: 4 years
Rugby 4 years, Track 2
Service hours, NHS, etc - you did more service work than he did though
Class Captain and House Captain (student body position) - you have VP of another club though so similar

Only other things were:
Boys State
Private Pilot License

Practice for your interviews, write strong essays, have a hook or differentiator that shows why you should be given the opportunity and you should be very competitive. Of course, it all depends on your competition, but keep working hard, don't screw up or be stupid between now and next summer and I like your odds.

 

[USAFA_86]

#USAFA_86:

Your stats are very similar to my DS who is in BCT right now:
GPA: 4.0
ACT: 35
Debate Team Captain: 4 years
Rugby 4 years, Track 2
Service hours, NHS, etc - you did more service work than he did though
Class Captain and House Captain (student body position) - you have VP of another club though so similar

Only other things were:
Boys State
Private Pilot License

Practice for your interviews, write strong essays, have a hook or differentiator that shows why you should be given the opportunity and you should be very competitive. Of course, it all depends on your competition, but keep working hard, don't screw up or be stupid between now and next summer and I like your odds.

Thank you! I was scheduled to attend boys state and Summer Seminar, but they were cancelled. Also, my school has this dumb rule where you can only hold a certain number of leadership positions. I am maxed out so I was denied the opportunity of a student body leadership position and NHS officer.

 

[UnitedStatesAircraft5]

Blunt response to AirCraft5:

3.7 good not great for this level of competition, but how your school ranks amongst others could be a factor. Also, was the GPA on an upward trajectory? Sounds like it was - that is a good sign. Crush your SAT/ACT score to show your ability to handle the curriculum.

Service hours - No service hours would be a red flag, otherwise, I think everyone in this group has service hours these days. I don't know if having 1,000 vs 200 matters to the selection committee.

NHS - I don't really know why people list this. It is a function of your GPA at every school I know of so it is not a differentiator imho. If you have a leadership position in it then that's different.

Demonstration of your leadership seems lacking. Sports Captain, Officer position or other would help. Be able to explain how you demonstrated leadership in the activities you were involved with - you don't need a title to exhibit leadership.

I have no idea of your odds. Yo should be proud of your accomplishments and continue to work hard and develop Plan B and C. If you want it, then push for it as hard as you can and don't let anyone bring you down. Look for ways to differentiate yourself in your interviews and essays.

Yes, my unweighted junior year GPA was a 4.0 (4.36 weighted). Overall, junior year was my best in terms of grades and extracurriculars. Would attaining an officer position in my senior year with NHS and/or my student council help significantly?

 

[BuckeyeDad20]

#Aircraft5, I have no idea how these things get weighted. Would an officer position help? Yes. But, its important that you can articulate how you were a leader. The title alone is likely helpful, but what would be significantly better is if you could explain what you learned in that position. How did you grow as a leader. They are not looking just to check boxes, they want to see that you were a leader.

I think thats one reason why sports team captain is a strong position. To get that position it is likely a combination of what your peers and your coaches saw as leadership and in an activity that many cane understand. For student clubs, its a little less obvious what the leadership role actually taught you. A lot of clubs don't too much so how can a review board be sure? So you need to explain how it challenged you. For instance, my DS was Debate Captain and discussed what it was like trying to lead the team when 1) Debate is basically like doing extra homework, and 2) they were a new team and lost a lot. He learned that there were times to lead by increasing enthusiasm and trying to have fun and other times he had to bring down the hammer and hold people accountable while maintaining morale. He realized that as the leader, he didn't have the luxury of complaining or whining because he had to lead by example. Learning to motivate and lead that group was great experience for him. He didn't come out of it as Gen Patton or anything, but it started him on the path of being a leader and made him both a better follower and a better leader.

So, it's not about filling in boxes. Expressing how your activities prepare you for USAFA and Active Duty are more important than listing them.

 

[WT Door]

Joint input here. Your “chances” improve once your application is completed. Might I suggest that you slide over to the USNA forum and peruse the sticky entitled “USNA Admissions FAQs---What are my Chances”. Just substitute “AFA” and “ALO” in the places of “USNA” and ”BGO” to get a feel of the “chance” discussion as there are some parallels in the application process. Consult your specific SA if in doubt. One other gentle suggestion. Resist the urge to compare yourself with other “chancers”. It’ll either make you vain or bitter. Good Luck to all aspirants.

 

[ders_dad]

I don’t know what District you’re in (and don’t want to know) but I suspect your ACTs need to come up. Minnesota SA applicants typically have very high ACTs compared to the national pool (this is a generalization but it means your competition will be kids with 34-35 range). You need to shoot for that range, to be competitive. Air Force seems a bit more popular in MN than Navy or Army. Minnesota cadets/mids are often at the very top of their SA classes (e.g., top grad for 2020 Navy was from MN). It’s almost always about your competition within your state and district. ACT is something you can control.

 

[Voyager3811]

Ayyyee! @Raptor_Hopefull_2025 are you in FIRST? Also drive team? Idk how competitive your team is but it's certainly a feat on mine! I guess ya'll compete in completely different districts than us west-coasters (Detroit for worlds I assume?) but still cool

Also, I'm no expert obviously, but you look like you have a great case, if you know how to put all your leadership and skills into words during essays and interviews. I'd double down on what @ders_dad said, again not knowledgeable on USAFA specifics, but MN is extremely competitive when it comes to SAT/ACT scores and academics. So I'd put better ACT scores at the top of your list because your high-ish scores now suggest that you could easily improve to the 34+ range with some good ol' hard work and dedication. Also reading is definitely dragging your average down, so I'd study that without ignoring the fact that math is the most easily improved portion (most drill-able skill). The fact that your high school lacks a lot of college preparatory courses means that the ACT is probably the easiest way for you to demonstrate you're capable academically.

From what I've gathered studying the USAFA process, general charisma (i.e. ability to be engaging and clear in interviews, and over text in essays) is also a decently important factor, so consider if you're already going to be good at that or if that's a point where you could improve. I definitely got a lot better at interviewing when I was preparing for chairman's this past year, so despite popular belief it's less of an innate gift and more a practicable skill.
You're certainly more qualified than me, if it makes you feel better

 

[Raptor_Hopefull_2025]

Ayyyee! @Raptor_Hopefull_2025 are you in FIRST? Also drive team? Idk how competitive your team is but it's certainly a feat on mine! I guess ya'll compete in completely different districts than us west-coasters (Detroit for worlds I assume?) but still cool

Also, I'm no expert obviously, but you look like you have a great case, if you know how to put all your leadership and skills into words during essays and interviews. I'd double down on what @ders_dad said, again not knowledgeable on USAFA specifics, but MN is extremely competitive when it comes to SAT/ACT scores and academics. So I'd put better ACT scores at the top of your list because your high-ish scores now suggest that you could easily improve to the 34+ range with some good ol' hard work and dedication. Also reading is definitely dragging your average down, so I'd study that without ignoring the fact that math is the most easily improved portion (most drill-able skill). The fact that your high school lacks a lot of college preparatory courses means that the ACT is probably the easiest way for you to demonstrate you're capable academically.

From what I've gathered studying the USAFA process, general charisma (i.e. ability to be engaging and clear in interviews, and over text in essays) is also a decently important factor, so consider if you're already going to be good at that or if that's a point where you could improve. I definitely got a lot better at interviewing when I was preparing for chairman's this past year, so despite popular belief it's less of an innate gift and more a practicable skill.
You're certainly more qualified than me, if it makes you feel better

Yea I do FIRST! Detroit for Worlds. Kinda bummed about the same theme for 2021 but eh we’ll make a better robot

Yea for sure on the ACT, that’s the thing I’ve stressed about recently and I’ve been doing a lot. My last ACT I jumped from a 25 Eng to 31!!! So defiantly some promise there.

Yea you’re defiantly right on the Charisma thing. My Father was Career AF as a 135 Pilot so I’ve defiantly learned a lot about the AF and it’s inner workings and stuff through him and his friends that I’ve talked to. Best piece of advice I can give to anyone looking into the AF or is just starting is to get VERY WELL CONNECTED. Being connected can sometimes help you in a pinch or even help you get a promotion, and part of being connected is being charismatic. Defiantly something I have worked on in my HS career

But ya I’m definitely workin on that ACT. Good luck to you in the next season, and especially with Chairman’s! And Good luck with your app, I’m sure you’ll make it!

 

[Raptor_Hopefull_2025]

Class rank also depends on your school profile (and many schools no longer rank). If 100% of the senior class is college-bound and the top 25% are going to ivies, then that looks different than if only 50% are college-bound and most go to small and/or community college. USAFA will ask for a profile from your college counselor and will have that information to add context to your class rank.

I also agree with the previous poster that improving your ACT or taking the SAT and getting a higher score can do nothing but help. USAFA is a STEM school and places a higher weight on the math portion of those standardized tests.

Good luck!

Joint input here. Your “chances” improve once your application is completed. Might I suggest that you slide over to the USNA forum and peruse the sticky entitled “USNA Admissions FAQs---What are my Chances”. Just substitute “AFA” and “ALO” in the places of “USNA” and ”BGO” to get a feel of the “chance” discussion as there are some parallels in the application process. Consult your specific SA if in doubt. One other gentle suggestion. Resist the urge to compare yourself with other “chancers”. It’ll either make you vain or bitter. Good Luck to all aspirants.

I don’t know what District you’re in (and don’t want to know) but I suspect your ACTs need to come up. Minnesota SA applicants typically have very high ACTs compared to the national pool (this is a generalization but it means your competition will be kids with 34-35 range). You need to shoot for that range, to be competitive. Air Force seems a bit more popular in MN than Navy or Army. Minnesota cadets/mids are often at the very top of their SA classes (e.g., top grad for 2020 Navy was from MN). It’s almost always about your competition within your state and district. ACT is something you can control.

I think you know the standard answer on here...we don’t know, so keep working hard, try to get your ACT score and do what you can to improve your class rank. Your acrivites seem solid. Its going to come down to your competition for nominations and your competition in your demo.

That being said, your resume looks great. The only thing that I would wish for is a higher class rank. Top 10% would be good to see, but that is likely baked at this point. A great ACT would help.

As you know, nothing is guaranteed and there are a lot of variables. Continue to work and prep for your interviews. Also work on plan B and C. Good luck.

Yea for sure! I believe my ACT is my weakest point right now, so defiantly something I’ve been and am currently working on right now, especially since it’s the most heavily weighted thing. Definitely confirmed here with the advice given, which is good!

I would have to say that the top cadets are from Minnesota likely due to the fact that most of us up here have an insane work ethic

Definitely looking into B and C, hopefully I’ll get into a good Engineering School like MIT, Penn State, or even Texas U or A&M, with a AFROTC Scholarship if SAs don’t work out this year, and then apply next year!

 

[rr33h]

what state are you from that you can take the act this weekend all my tests have been cancelled repeatedly, I know most schools are going test optional for our class but I doubt service academies will, also I have no clue how they will weigh candidates differently considering some states (like ny for me) may not even be going back in September. I think everything's up in the air right now which is concerning but I guess by this time next year everything will be figured out. best of luck your stats look great hope to see you in class of 25 as well

 

[Nbravs]

what state are you from that you can take the act this weekend all my tests have been cancelled repeatedly, I know most schools are going test optional for our class but I doubt service academies will, also I have no clue how they will weigh candidates differently considering some states (like ny for me) may not even be going back in September. I think everything's up in the air right now which is concerning but I guess by this time next year everything will be figured out. best of luck your stats look great hope to see you in class of 25 as well

What NY District are you from?