Competitive District Advice

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workinhardkid

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Feb 20, 2019
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I'm a junior and applied for SS but just found out I was not selected. I'm so crushed right now as I think I've got a great resume already with very strong academics (all A's and only 1 B in college prep STEM), leadership (Eagle Scout, Team Captain, Boys State, many leadership positions) and athletics (Varsity Football, Baseball and Wrestling and 2nd in State). I've got no idea why I wasn't selected and am now concerned about chances of getting in. Is there any way to find out why so I can get better for acceptance? They say we are in one of the toughest districts in the country and that every year studs who could easily get noms in other districts get passed over here. What do I do? Move? Are there any tips for candidates who live in these very competitive districts? Is there a cap to number of candidates in a district to SS? Thank you everyone.
 
Moving doesn’t seem like a real option.

Apply to all academies. Apply to good schools. Apply to ROTC.

Do well on SATs/ACTs.

You will end up in a good position.

And fwiw ... my son didn’t go to SS for Naval Academy. It conflicted with boys state. Boys state is more important.
 
It is not the end of the world if you don't get in to USAFA the first try plenty of people who succeed there got in on their second, third or even fourth try. Just do the best you can and apply for every nominating source.

Additionally summer seminar has no bearing on if you get accepted to USAFA at all.
 
I’ve heard that very often USAFA offers SS spots to people who haven’t been exposed to what the Air Force Academy is all about and selection for summer seminar has NO correlation to acceptance into USAFA.
 
I know rejection can be disappointing. DS was waitlisted and then rejected from USAFA, USMA, and USCGA Summer Programs last year. He only got into NASS and was notified very late in the process. He was disappointed and worried at the time he may not be competitive enough for our area.

Fast forward to this year and he has an appointment to the USAFA and is currently CPR for the USNA. Not getting into Summer Seminar does not mean you are not competitive and will not get an appointment. SS is used as an outreach and marketing tool as much as anything else. Keep up the hard work and put the best package you can together!
 
I applied for and was rejected from AF Summer Seminar (though I got into NASS and SLE) then received an appointment to USAFA this past January! Keep your focus on your goal: an appointment to USAFA. Good luck!
 
Summer seminar has NO correlation to your potential for an appointment. At all. And I know your letter says that Bc DS wasn’t accepted to USAFA SS either. Take heed of those words. Believe them. Don’t think for a minute that you aren’t a viable candidate for an appointment Bc of SS. Thats simply an incorrect line of thinking. What I hear you saying, is that since you didn’t get into SS, that you won’t get an appointment. The criteria for entrance to SS is different than the criteria for offers of appointment. The process is COMPLETELY different as well!

It meant a lot to you to attend, being disappointed is fine. But don’t think for a second that this has any bearing on a future appointment. DS was rejected. He is a Plebe USNA ‘22!
 
I’m currently a senior and when I applied for SS I didn’t get in either. It wasn’t a huge deal anyway, I would have had to fly across the Atlantic as for me, Europe is home, and it would have conflicted with JROTC and Boy Scout arrangements I had made previously.

Summer seminar, at least from my knowledge, is designed to entice people to apply to the academies who might not have thought about it before. If you’re committed to applying and attending should you receive an appointment, they don’t need to send you to SS to sell you on the idea of attending an academy. Shake it off and keep pushing forward.

Just remember, you’re at the tip of the iceberg in the admissions process, it could be almost a year before you find out if you received a nomination or appointment. Some districts are competitive and some aren’t, but just remember, each congressman and senator can nominate 10 per SA. It sounds like you have good grades and some good leadership, and kudos on earning your Eagle (I’m one too). Just relax and focus on your application, and enjoy your junior year while it lasts and the college application rush begins.
 
Thanks everyone for the fast advice. I feel a lot better as it seemed seminar was an indicator of your competitiveness. I'm going to keep working hard so my resume is strong. My concern now is the ACT and also how my district has a reputation as being too competitive.
 
Spend every spare minute preparing for AND taking the SAT / ACT over and over until your scores promote themselves.
 
workinhardkid said:
I'm a junior and applied for SS but just found out I was not selected. I'm so crushed right now as I think I've got a great resume already with very strong academics (all A's and only 1 B in college prep STEM), leadership (Eagle Scout, Team Captain, Boys State, many leadership positions) and athletics (Varsity Football, Baseball and Wrestling and 2nd in State). I've got no idea why I wasn't selected and am now concerned about chances of getting in. Is there any way to find out why so I can get better for acceptance? They say we are in one of the toughest districts in the country and that every year studs who could easily get noms in other districts get passed over here. What do I do? Move? Are there any tips for candidates who live in these very competitive districts? Is there a cap to number of candidates in a district to SS? Thank you everyone.
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I am not trying to be flippant but a 36 on the ACT normally gets you in. Being in a very competitive district is a curse. There are huge difference in the districts and the cadets that come from them. We were told there are some districts where no one even applies. In some districts hundreds of children apply. Problem is you don't know where the less competitive districts are and no one will tell you. So you have to embrace the situation and go out and take it. You have to make your application so strong that you can not be denied. In our district the cadets winning the slate got 36 and 35 on their ACT in the last two years. It can be done.
 
Don’t be focused on how competitive other candidates are, be focused on making yourself well-rounded. When you eventually start the application be ready to boss the interviews and do well on the CFA because doing well on those can put you above another applicant. Also, maybe try joining some clubs at school and doing some volunteer service because it looks like that is the only thing lacking in your resume.

Good Luck!
 
If goal is to commission and serve there are a lot of paths from here to there - check them all out - ROTC , Prep Schools ...
 
My DD was accepted to SLE and USAFA SS. Just waiting on USNA SS now. But now that I am reading that it has no bearing on her as a candidate, should she even go?
 
katieg said:
My DD was accepted to SLE and USAFA SS. Just waiting on USNA SS now. But now that I am reading that it has no bearing on her as a candidate, should she even go?
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Yes of course!

It will expose her to life at an academy and she will come out of that experience either loving it or hating it. The summer programs are more of a recruiting tool for candidates to get more exposure to the academies, but just because your daughter received acceptances to the programs doesn’t mean she will be accepted to the academies themselves.
 
HB2019 said:
katieg said:
My DD was accepted to SLE and USAFA SS. Just waiting on USNA SS now. But now that I am reading that it has no bearing on her as a candidate, should she even go?
Click to expand...
Yes of course!

It will expose her to life at an academy and she will come out of that experience either loving it or hating it. The summer programs are more of a recruiting tool for candidates to get more exposure to the academies, but just because your daughter received acceptances to the programs doesn’t mean she will be accepted to the academies themselves.
Click to expand...

Yes, I understand it doesn’t mean she will be accepted to any of the academies. Just wondering if we should spend the summer improving her profile ie: service hours, internships, etc.
 
The more she knows about an SA by actually being there, talking to the assigned cadets who were are a few steps ahead on the journey, getting a feel for the place, and just a taste of military immersion, the more she will be able to make her decision if the military is what she wants for the next 9 years. Or if the SA is the path for her, compared to college ROTC.

Many do the SA summer program at multiple SAs, Boys’ or Girls’ State, and many other activities.

She may come home saying definitely not for me, or maybe, or not this service, or sign me up right now, these are my people, this is my place.
 
@katieg There is plenty of time in the summer for volunteer work, internships, studying for SAT scores, etc. The fact of the matter is that the summer programs are a fantastic experience that will show your daughter the daily life at the academies. She will also have the opportunity to take the CFA which she should train hard for to impress the people watching her.

I got rejected from the USNA and USAFA summer programs, but I did get an invitation to a candidate visit weekend which was the best weekend of my life.
 
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