Can I get in??

E

edog719

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Joined
Apr 6, 2021
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6
I am a Jr. in high school and wondering if I can get in, or if my grades are good enough. I don’t know my ovr GPA I am still trying to get it but my gpa for my freshman year was 2.75, sophomore was 3.00 and right now I have a 3.5. And will try to get a 4.0 next year. I don’t know if these grades are good enough. I am in football so that’s a extra curricular activity I’m in. Did the ACT last month, haven’t got my scores back and that’s where I’m at right now. Any recommendations ?
 
In general, the student resume you have described is lower than those who have historically been accepted. This is not to mean there is no chance, but the stats you have provided do not tell the entire story.

1) You have time, and if you are not accepted in your first year of application, you can keep trying.
2) Would your athletic skills make you someone a Division 1 football program would seek to recruit? If so, this makes for more potential options through prep-school or direct.
3) Is your ACT an out-of-this-world score? TBD
4) The GPA is likely above 3.0 and we assume these grades are unweighted -- are you taking honors/AP/IB classes?
5) Everyone tries for a 4.0 but try and hope are not a plan for success. What you have done in the past is not working you will need to do something different to achieve something different.

If nothing changes, an unweighted and on-level High School GPA of 3.5 with a single sport as an EC with no leadership role and average performance level will find it difficult to achieve a USAFA appointment.

The great news is that you have this summer and next semester to move the needle. From a leadership perspective - you have a couple of months to demonstrate an impact in some area. From an academic perspective - I would focus on the ACT or SAT because you can make up for past transgressions academically with a rock star score. From a fitness perspective - you have football and time to practice for the CFA.
 
edog719 said:
I am a Jr. in high school and wondering if I can get in, or if my grades are good enough. I don’t know my ovr GPA I am still trying to get it but my gpa for my freshman year was 2.75, sophomore was 3.00 and right now I have a 3.5. And will try to get a 4.0 next year. I don’t know if these grades are good enough. I am in football so that’s a extra curricular activity I’m in. Did the ACT last month, haven’t got my scores back and that’s where I’m at right now. Any recommendations ?
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This is one of the types of posts that are more seen in the forums. What people are going to tell you here is to give the academy the best application that you can. I suggest that you to go to the academy admissions website and see the averages for GPAs and CFAs (@shiner gave some great advice for these). One last thing, you are also going to be told that no one here can tell you if you can get in or not. Just make sure to turn in the best app!

For me this process was a combination of faith + excellence. You hope for the best and you do the best!
 
You are about to get 20 response saying that we don't know. You won't really know until you you try.

You can look at https://www.usafa.edu/app/uploads/Grad_Class_Profile_2019.pdf and compare yourself to see if you think you match up favorably and assess your own odds.

Some things to keep in mind:

  • No one knows your odds except that they are zero if you don't try.
  • You may not be a textbook applicant that matches that profile perfectly and that is fine. You may have qualities that are sought after by the academy and can still earn a spot.
  • Even if you are not selected to the Academy, you might be a great Prep school candidate and get in that way.
  • If you do not get in on your first try, you can reapply in College and maybe you will have great college grades to show.
It is not easy to get in and the competition is strong.

If you are worried that you can spend a lot of time in this process and get turned down - that is something everyone deals with. If it is not worth the hassle to you, then you should probably re-think your direction because that would sound ike you don't really want it.
 
shiner said:
In general, the student resume you have described is lower than those who have historically been accepted. This is not to mean there is no chance, but the stats you have provided do not tell the entire story.

1) You have time, and if you are not accepted in your first year of application, you can keep trying.
2) Would your athletic skills make you someone a Division 1 football program would seek to recruit? If so, this makes for more potential options through prep-school or direct.
3) Is your ACT an out-of-this-world score? TBD
4) The GPA is likely above 3.0 and we assume these grades are unweighted -- are you taking honors/AP/IB classes?
5) Everyone tries for a 4.0 but try and hope are not a plan for success. What you have done in the past is not working you will need to do something different to achieve something different.

If nothing changes, an unweighted and on-level High School GPA of 3.5 with a single sport as an EC with no leadership role and average performance level will find it difficult to achieve a USAFA appointment.

The great news is that you have this summer and next semester to move the needle. From a leadership perspective - you have a couple of months to demonstrate an impact in some area. From an academic perspective - I would focus on the ACT or SAT because you can make up for past transgressions academically with a rock star score. From a fitness perspective - you have football and time to practice for the CFA.
Click to expand...
what are leadership roles ? And how can I get one? And to answer your question about football no I am not a d1 player
 
Leadership Roles include things like:

Team Captain (sports, debate, etc)
Club President (or executive staff) - think NHS, School Paper, etc
Student Government
Civil Air Patrol Roles
JROTC Roles
Leader of a charity operation or other similar role
(this is just a few of the more traditional ones - others exist)

You want to demonstrate that you have shown enough ability/character to your peers and or adults around that you are someone who can lead others. You also want to demonstrate that you have learned something about leading others. They don't expect you to be Patton, but they are looking for someone who shows the qualities of a leader.
 
Always remember, you are never out until you try. Some people with stats far higher than the averages don't get in every year. You just have to hope that they see something about you that separates you from the others.
 
I've seen this said in other threads, so it doesn't mean if you check all the required boxes, you'll be offered an appointment. 4.0 GPA, check, 36 ACT, check, now where's the LOA? If you look through the forums, you'll find many of the answers you need.
 
usafacellist2026 said:
I've seen this said in other threads, so it doesn't mean if you check all the required boxes, you'll be offered an appointment. 4.0 GPA, check, 36 ACT, check, now where's the LOA? If you look through the forums, you'll find many of the answers you need.
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, I’ve literally just found out about USAFA yesterday, but what’s a LOA?
 
edog719 said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, I’ve literally just found out about USAFA yesterday, but what’s a LOA?
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Letter of Assurance

Make sure to check the acronym list for anything you are unsure of. It's a big help because these forums are full of acronyms.

The Acronym List

1/C – 1st Classman or Senior 2/C – 2nd Classman or junior 3/C – 3rd Classman or sophomore 3Q – Triple Qualified - Informal term for being qualified physically (CFA), academically (GPA and test scores), and medically (DoDMERB) 4/C – 4th Classman or freshman A&F – Accounting and Finance ABCT –...
www.serviceacademyforums.com
 
Another leadership role that many people overlook is Boys' State. I was selected for it last year, but unfortunately could not attend due to COVID. It supposedly gives you as many WCS points as Eagle Scout does. I was appointed to USAFA and USCGA for the class going in this year. Still waiting on USMA. Feel free to PM me any questions you might have
 
jokey02 said:
Another leadership role that many people overlook is Boys' State. I was selected for it last year, but unfortunately could not attend due to COVID. It supposedly gives you as many WCS points as Eagle Scout does. I was appointed to USAFA and USCGA for the class going in this year. Still waiting on USMA. Feel free to PM me any questions you might have
Click to expand...
Great point @jokey02!

@edog719, Boys State is only available between the junior and senior year. If you are interested in Boys State, get in touch with your local American Legion Post ASAP. More info about the program can be found here:
https://www.legion.org/boysnation/about
 
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