Chances of Getting into USAFA/USNA?

M

maschneider93

USAFA 2025
Joined
Sep 29, 2020
Messages
124
Hi guys,
I am a high school senior applying to USAFA and USNA for their Classes of 2025. I wanted to post some of my credentials and see if anyone thought I had a chance at being appointed to either academy. Without further ado...

Academics:
-3.94/4.0 Unweighted GPA
-33 ACT (35 English, 35 Math, 30 Reading, 31 Science)
-NHS Member
-IB Diploma Candidate
-High Honor Roll every quarter of high school so far
-(I know this is vague but) every core class I am taking is the hardest available at my high school
-Scored 100 on Physics Regents Exam
-Scored 5 on AP World History: Modern Exam (I know these past two tests are not really considered in admissions but I added them to my academic achievements because they are rare and I was proud of them.)

Extracurriculars:
-Peer Tutor (anyone think this looks like a leadership position?)
-Vice President of History Bowl club
-Member of Math League club
-Trumpet in school band and community events
-Guitar in band with friends
-Spent days with West Virginia delegates at West Virginia Capitol

Athletics:
-JV Baseball 9th-10th, Varsity Baseball 11th-12th
-League & Tournament Bowling 10th-12th, Varsity Bowling 12th (only 12th for varsity because my school did not have a team until I "established" it this year, I am the only bowler, idk if this makes me the "captain" or not, would have begun varsity in 11th but driver's ed forced me to cancel the season)

Work:
-TA at local religious school 10th-11th
-Delivery driver 11th-present

I am currently training for the CFA and feel I am making progress. I probably would not pass it today but feel I will be ready well before my application deadlines.

Please let me know what you think about my resume and my admission chances to both academies. I really appreciate your help.:)
 
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Well, here’s the obligatory “no one knows your chances” which I assume you’ve seen on many different posts.

I will say that your academics seem very good, especially the ACT scores!!

Sports seem good. Will you be captain on the Baseball team? The bowling team might be seen as a “filler” since you are the only person on the team however.

One thing I can see is that there isn’t a lot of leadership “positions” like Pres. Captain, etc, granted you are VP of history bowl. I’m not sure on the bowling team captain, you should ask your ALO and/or Admissions about that one. However just because you don’t have “positions” doesn’t mean you don’t show leadership. It’s all in the explanation of those different activities or positions. For example your peer tutoring or days with West Virginia delegates could be excellent opportunities to expand on your leadership experiences and capabilities. So make sure to explain every little detail about what you did in those clubs and activities on your Activities Record!!

I wish you the best of luck, and hope to see you in June!
 
Raptor_Hopefull_2025 said:
Well, here’s the obligatory “no one knows your chances” which I assume you’ve seen on many different posts.

I will say that your academics seem very good, especially the ACT scores!!

Sports seem good. Will you be captain on the Baseball team? The bowling team might be seen as a “filler” since you are the only person on the team however.

One thing I can see is that there isn’t a lot of leadership “positions” like Pres. Captain, etc, granted you are VP of history bowl. I’m not sure on the bowling team captain, you should ask your ALO and/or Admissions about that one. However just because you don’t have “positions” doesn’t mean you don’t show leadership. It’s all in the explanation of those different activities or positions. For example your peer tutoring or days with West Virginia delegates could be excellent opportunities to expand on your leadership experiences and capabilities. So make sure to explain every little detail about what you did in those clubs and activities on your Activities Record!!

I wish you the best of luck, and hope to see you in June!
Click to expand...

thank you, and likewise!
 
You should be proud of your high school accomplishments. Thats a great GPA and the ACT is above the average so those put you in a good place. Class rank would be a good metric too.

Let me be direct. The rest of the resume reads like a ton of others out there. I told my DS when he was applying, the ACT, GPA and basic activities merely get you a ticket to the dance, they don't get you on the dance floor. After my DS telling me that my references were dated, we discussed my point. There are a lot of impressive men and women applying with similar stats to you. Your academic achievements are above the average accepted candidate and that is a great place to be. However, its not a compelling reason to give you a spot.

How can you demonstrate that you are a leader? Do you have the drive and passion to be successful at USAFA? What have done that makes you stand out from the rest of the top achievers applying? You need to be able to explain who you are in your essays and interviews to win them over. Have you overcome hardship or adversity? Do you have interesting life moments that demonstrate your character, drive or leadership? These are the unique aspects of you that need to come out. Do not be shy in your essays or interviews.

You have done very well in HS. Now look for ways to differentiate yourself in a field of hard-working, smart young people.
 
BuckeyeDad20 said:
You should be proud of your high school accomplishments. Thats a great GPA and the ACT is above the average so those put you in a good place. Class rank would be a good metric too.

Let me be direct. The rest of the resume reads like a ton of others out there. I told my DS when he was applying, the ACT, GPA and basic activities merely get you a ticket to the dance, they don't get you on the dance floor. After my DS telling me that my references were dated, we discussed my point. There are a lot of impressive men and women applying with similar stats to you. Your academic achievements are above the average accepted candidate and that is a great place to be. However, its not a compelling reason to give you a spot.

How can you demonstrate that you are a leader? Do you have the drive and passion to be successful at USAFA? What have done that makes you stand out from the rest of the top achievers applying? You need to be able to explain who you are in your essays and interviews to win them over. Have you overcome hardship or adversity? Do you have interesting life moments that demonstrate your character, drive or leadership? These are the unique aspects of you that need to come out. Do not be shy in your essays or interviews.

You have done very well in HS. Now look for ways to differentiate yourself in a field of hard-working, smart young people.
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that is great advice, thank you. I will keep it in mind.
 
Good luck with the IB program! I remember staying up til 3-4am trying to finish off those internal assessments haha - you'll be well prepped for freshman year academics at USAFA for sure.
 
You don't have to answer to us, but here are some thinking questions for you to answer:

ACT is really good, especially because E35 and M35. I repeat, M35 is excellent! Kuddos to you for having a very strong anchoring score. Is there any short story there for you to explain how you went about getting a test score in this cycle? Bottom line: You DID. Not coulda woulda shoulda. Is there a story there?

Agree with @BuckeyeDad20 , not to sound harsh, but I agree as written, they don't wow me. Put another way, you look like 1 of 1,000 rectangular legos but aren't (as written) an eyeball, claw, dumpster tool that is a must-have piece. Again, it might be the way you just listed on SAF for brevity, but it's difficult to see what you consider "anchoring" activities. The bowling ball thing sounds more like you are just one person bowling.

However, the one that really caught my attention was this:
Delivery driver, 11th to present

Is that as in, pizza delivery? Was it? How many hours? Required to support household, like pay the light bill or put food on the table, self-support the car expenses, etc? That sounds like a tough, thankless underpaid job. You are responsible for making timely deliveries - regardless of the circumstances, traffic, ability to locate apartment #, etc. You get screwed on tips. You might work very late night shifts driving. You have to adhere to company standards, safety standards, Covid world, dealing with difficult people. There are so many essay themes to pizza delivery drivers, I personally love it.
 
HCopter said:
You don't have to answer to us, but here are some thinking questions for you to answer:

ACT is really good, especially because E35 and M35. I repeat, M35 is excellent! Kuddos to you for having a very strong anchoring score. Is there any short story there for you to explain how you went about getting a test score in this cycle? Bottom line: You DID. Not coulda woulda shoulda. Is there a story there?

Agree with @BuckeyeDad20 , not to sound harsh, but I agree as written, they don't wow me. Put another way, you look like 1 of 1,000 rectangular legos but aren't (as written) an eyeball, claw, dumpster tool that is a must-have piece. Again, it might be the way you just listed on SAF for brevity, but it's difficult to see what you consider "anchoring" activities. The bowling ball thing sounds more like you are just one person bowling.

However, the one that really caught my attention was this:
Delivery driver, 11th to present

Is that as in, pizza delivery? Was it? How many hours? Required to support household, like pay the light bill or put food on the table, self-support the car expenses, etc? That sounds like a tough, thankless underpaid job. You are responsible for making timely deliveries - regardless of the circumstances, traffic, ability to locate apartment #, etc. You get screwed on tips. You might work very late night shifts driving. You have to adhere to company standards, safety standards, Covid world, dealing with difficult people. There are so many essay themes to pizza delivery drivers, I personally love it.
Click to expand...
I hold this job as well, and didn't even look at it this way. Thank you for this.
 
N
maschneider93 said:
Hi guys,
I am a high school senior applying to USAFA and USNA for their Classes of 2025. I wanted to post some of my credentials and see if anyone thought I had a chance at being appointed to either academy. Without further ado...

Academics:
-3.94/4.0 Unweighted GPA
-33 ACT (35 English, 35 Math, 30 Reading, 31 Science)
-NHS Member
-IB Diploma Candidate
-High Honor Roll every quarter of high school so far
-(I know this is vague but) every core class I am taking is the hardest available at my high school
-Scored 100 on Physics Regents Exam
-Scored 5 on AP World History: Modern Exam (I know these past two tests are not really considered in admissions but I added them to my academic achievements because they are rare and I was proud of them.)

Extracurriculars:
-Peer Tutor (anyone think this looks like a leadership position?)
-Vice President of History Bowl club
-Member of Math League club
-Trumpet in school band and community events
-Guitar in band with friends
-Spent days with West Virginia delegates at West Virginia Capitol

Athletics:
-JV Baseball 9th-10th, Varsity Baseball 11th-12th
-League & Tournament Bowling 10th-12th, Varsity Bowling 12th (only 12th for varsity because my school did not have a team until I "established" it this year, I am the only bowler, idk if this makes me the "captain" or not, would have begun varsity in 11th but driver's ed forced me to cancel the season)

Work:
-TA at local religious school 10th-11th
-Delivery driver 11th-present

I am currently training for the CFA and feel I am making progress. I probably would not pass it today but feel I will be ready well before my application deadlines.

Please let me know what you think about my resume and my admission chances to both academies. I really appreciate your help.:)
Click to expand...
maschneider93 said:
Hi guys,
I am a high school senior applying to USAFA and USNA for their Classes of 2025. I wanted to post some of my credentials and see if anyone thought I had a chance at being appointed to either academy. Without further ado...

Academics:
-3.94/4.0 Unweighted GPA
-33 ACT (35 English, 35 Math, 30 Reading, 31 Science)
-NHS Member
-IB Diploma Candidate
-High Honor Roll every quarter of high school so far
-(I know this is vague but) every core class I am taking is the hardest available at my high school
-Scored 100 on Physics Regents Exam
-Scored 5 on AP World History: Modern Exam (I know these past two tests are not really considered in admissions but I added them to my academic achievements because they are rare and I was proud of them.)

Extracurriculars:
-Peer Tutor (anyone think this looks like a leadership position?)
-Vice President of History Bowl club
-Member of Math League club
-Trumpet in school band and community events
-Guitar in band with friends
-Spent days with West Virginia delegates at West Virginia Capitol

Athletics:
-JV Baseball 9th-10th, Varsity Baseball 11th-12th
-League & Tournament Bowling 10th-12th, Varsity Bowling 12th (only 12th for varsity because my school did not have a team until I "established" it this year, I am the only bowler, idk if this makes me the "captain" or not, would have begun varsity in 11th but driver's ed forced me to cancel the season)

Work:
-TA at local religious school 10th-11th
-Delivery driver 11th-present

I am currently training for the CFA and feel I am making progress. I probably would not pass it today but feel I will be ready well before my application deadlines.

Please let me know what you think about my resume and my admission chances to both academies. I really appreciate your help.:)
Click to expand...
Not going to lie that's pretty impressive for an IB student. IB is hard to balance sometimes
 
maschneider93 said:
Senior year IB classes are:
Bio SL
TOK Year 2
Math HL Year 2
French SL Year 2
20th century history HL Year 2
English HL Year 2
Everything is hardest available
Click to expand...
nice I take
TOK
Eng sl
math hl
phy hl
chem hl
econ hl
and Spanish sl
 
JP51 said:
nice I take
TOK
Eng sl
math hl
phy hl
chem hl
econ hl
and Spanish sl
Click to expand...
Wow 2 sciences? 2 year courses for hL? We only offer sl sciences to fit them into a single year. Believe me, I would’ve wanted to take physics so much more than bio this year but it wasn’t offered :(
 
I'm reading your IB course options and find myself a bit envious. Our son's high school only offered limited dual credit via the local community college. Our small rural school offers zero in terms of AP or IB courses. You should have a solid foundation moving forward.
 
maschneider93 said:
Wow 2 sciences? 2 year courses for hL? We only offer sl sciences to fit them into a single year. Believe me, I would’ve wanted to take physics so much more than bio this year but it wasn’t offered :(
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm quite lucky that my school offers a wide variety of all courses. But with all these classes it gets overwhelming.
 
Heatherg21 said:
I'm reading your IB course options and find myself a bit envious. Our son's high school only offered limited dual credit via the local community college. Our small rural school offers zero in terms of AP or IB courses. You should have a solid foundation moving forward.
Click to expand...
Yea, but people tend to take things for granted at my school and it's a shame that they don't cherish what they have.
 
Obviously there is no clear answer to what your chances are, but you application looks a lot better than mine did and I’m currently a doolie.
 
kevs said:
Obviously there is no clear answer to what your chances are, but you application looks a lot better than mine did and I’m currently a doolie.
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That’s actually really reassuring, thank you! What do you think was your most attractive quality/part of application that earned you an appointment?
 
maschneider93 said:
That’s actually really reassuring, thank you! What do you think was your most attractive quality/part of application that earned you an appointment?
Click to expand...
I think my grades were definitely my strongest part of my application. I graduated with a 4.45 GPA but my extracurriculars were average at best. Just community service and sports. Your academics look good and extracurriculars look great. Also, when writing your essays, try to connect them to either the AF core values or USAFA honor code, that’s what I did and I think that helped out my application. When writing your essays, also write them in a way that makes it seem like the Air Force is investing in you, and if they offer you an appointment, they will benefit from you going to USAFA.
 
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