okay, tell me if you think I have a chance of being accepted. 3.0 GPA (not great I know) Eagle Scout AFJROTC -Rifle Team (commander) -Drill Team (Asst. Commander) Civil Air Patrol with Billy Mitchell Award Private Pilots License President of Sights and Sounds club (technical side of theater) Bowling Club Both parents are Air Force Officers Haven't taken SAT or ACT (still in 10th grade)
Hi! Okay...do you want it short or long? The "short" answer is: nobody can tell you. The "long" answer is...VERY long. Bottom line. A candidate is evaluated upon EVERYTHING they do: academic, athletic, community, church/synagogue/mosque/etc., etc...etc...NOTHING is overlooked and everything is evaluated. What will "say yes" or "say no" is different for each person. SO...what I'll tell you is this: YES, you can get in...if you score high enough. What is that? Depends upon you and all the other candidates. What I can tell you is this: a. Get your GPA up near 4.0; the higher the better, and nail the SAT/ACT b. TAKE THE HARD CLASSES! c. Be active in school and your community. You don't have to be a varsity star, but be active! d. ALWAYS be looking for a way to better yourself; never think you're "good enough" because in my military mind, you're not: ever! e. REREAD all above and live it! Steve USAFA ALO Class of 1983
flieger speaks excellent words of wisdom. Heed his advice. He will not steer you wrong. The biggest advantage you have going for you is Time. You have 3 semesters before they look at your grades. If you bust your butt and bring that gpa up past the 3.5; then you've got a great chance. If it's still a 3.0 at the end of your junior year, I can honestly say that academically, you'd have to ACE the ACT/SAT to become competitive. But if you raise your GPA, you've got a good chance. And for what it's worth; I don't know if the "Bowling Club" is treated the same as a varsity sport. If it isn't; you definitely want to get a varsity sport under your belt. Best of luck to you. Later.... Mike....
About raising the GPA... If I were on an admission board and I had an applicant tell me that once he found out about/had his sights set on the AFA his grade point went from 3.0 closer to 4.0 with some tough courses thrown in for good measure, I would know that he/she is goal oriented, motivated, and can rise to a challenge. Go get 'em!
study and take the SAT/ACT ASAP!! and take harder classes... that not only helps with USAFA and the admissions because they re-calculate your GPA, but also with your nominations and interviews. go ahead, NOW NOW NOW, and call your ALO. show him this enthusiasm.
Yes, take the ACT/SAT as soon as possible. The best advice son ever got from his high school counselor was "Take it early and take it often." He went from a 26 ACT composite the first time to a 32 the third and fourth time. His composite was the same for both the third and fourth time, but while one of his scores went down the fourth time, his science went up to a 33. USMA (and I assume the other SAs) take your highest sub-scores, so you do really benefit from taking it several times. Even if your composite stays the same, if something goes down, it doesn't hurt you if you raise another section - its beneficial!
Your leader ship and extracurricular involvement is incredible. as every one else said, study for the SAT/ACT and try to raise your gpa above 3.5. The other thing I would do is get into another sport (preferably a team sport) and try to get some community service under your belt. Hope this helps and if your not from Iowa best of luck, other wise I hope you choke because I am in 10th grade too LOL just kidding. I hope to be able to meet you in person at the afa. Go get em!
i am in the AJROTC, so i dont know what the AF has. If you have a physical training team, join it. It will help greatly when you take your fitness exam.
Definitely a lot of good advice here. But for those interested in the academy, and not specifically to the original poster; one thing I can not say enough times however, is that if you have to prepare for the military academy in such a way that it is totally foreign to your personality; then you may want to think hard if a military academy and military service truly is your calling. I'm not talking about working harder to improve on what you already do to make yourself more competitive. That's good. I'm speaking about doing what's not normally in your nature, for the sole purpose of trying to get into a military academy. Here is a short list of attributes that most military academy students share. It is not all inclusive and there are definitely some exceptions. But overall; if some/most of these attributes aren't what you're about because that's not who you are and you'd be this way normally; then please think hard about the academy as a school and being a military officer as a career. 1. Takes the most challenging classes offered to them in school and excels in them. 2. Very active in team sports. 3. Strives for positions of leadership 4. Naturally wants to be part of team activities. 5. Is very goal oriented. 6. Likes having authority over them, yet wants to be that authority themselves someday. 7. Enjoys helping others. (Doesn't matter if it's less fortunate, peers, team mates, etc...) 8. Has a positive attitude because they trust in the bigger picture. 9. Always puts the team ahead of themselves. 10. Love challenges; loves to be challenged; knows how to handle defeat to learn from. Many times, people come to the various forums and ask why is high school sports so important for the resume to the academy. Part of it is indeed about being physically fit. Athletics ensures that. But the main reason is because the academy and the military in general is the 'Ultimate Team" environment. Lives truly depend on the team attitude and environment. And the closest a person can come to this way of thinking and preparation for such teamwork is through team athletics. It can't be found with a part time or full time employment. It can't be found within most clubs or organizations. It can be found to a certain extent in activities such as girl/boy scouts, ROTC, CAP, etc... But it's not quite the same. The entire concept of winning, losing, crying, celebrating, SHARING; realizing that you can't do it by yourself, that it takes a team, that sometimes you aren't the best on the team to get the job done, to be able to curb your ego and pride and realize that you aren't in total control of accomplishing the goal, and mainly that you will give everything you have to the others on that team to ensure success. That is what the military is all about. And that is what a true team sport is about. The difference is that the military/academy takes it a little further and makes it a 24/7 way of life and not just a few hours a day. The military/academy is definitely not "A School" or "A Job". It's a way of life. It's something that you will always be part of that is larger than yourself. So definitely listen to the great advice that all these knowledgeable posters have provided. But realize that the perspective of the academy should not be; "I want to go to the academy, what do I need to do to get in?" It needs to be closer to; "This is the type of person I am, and these are the things I really enjoy and strive for. The academy seems like the perfect place to continue with this type of personality". And of course the desire to service one's country. But there's a lot of people who serve via enlisted; ROTC; OTS; and many Non-Military methods. And remember; this is an OPEN comment and not meant specifically for the original poster, but for anyone interested in attending the academy or military service in general. Best of luck. Mike...
Great post Christcorp. I agree with you completely. And I'm also happy because after reading that list I fit in it.
You're in 10th grade and HAVE your Private Pilot Certificate? or you're working on it? I thought the age requirement was 17, unless, your an older 10th grader? Anyway, it looks good, glad that I could put it on my app!
for the student pilot license you have to be 16 if i recall. i always remember the joke of how someone got their pilots license before they got their drivers license. "i can fly a plane but i can't drive a car yet"
I flew my first solo on my 16th b-day, requirement is age 16 to solo. 17 to receive your license. Unless you got held back or started school very late, NO WAY you could already have it.
I heard a story of a kid who flew his plane to an airport near his DMV toke his drivers test then flew home
do you fly at the academy, hornet? i know there is the aero club, but what other opportunities are there?
Nope. I did jump between 4dig and 3 dig year, but I didn't try for Wings of Green. I also didn't do soaring or try to become an IP. I will be doing the new powered flight program either this summer or during firstie year. The aero club does offer discounted rates to fly, dunno what they are though. Hardly have the time to even consider it personally!
