Falcon Scholarship

T

TimFlyer

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It appears the Falcon Scholarship is a nice way of the AF saying we like ya But we want some more academics.
So if that's the case and the Falcon Scholars are as close as you can get to being nominated - why doesn't the AF pull from these kids after all the Declines by other kids to the academy?
The Falcon scholarship is close to a full ride and all but a guarantee in the next year
 
TimFlyer said:
It appears the Falcon Scholarship is a nice way of the AF saying we like ya But we want some more academics.
So if that's the case and the Falcon Scholars are as close as you can get to being nominated - why doesn't the AF pull from these kids after all the Declines by other kids to the academy?
The Falcon scholarship is close to a full ride and all but a guarantee in the next year
Click to expand...

Because then they wouldn’t have the extra year of academics that the Academy has judged them to need. There are a lot of fully qualified candidates who didn’t get appointments and don’t need an academics boost and they can pull from those if needed.

Stealth_81
 
TimFlyer said:
It appears the Falcon Scholarship is a nice way of the AF saying we like ya But we want some more academics.
So if that's the case and the Falcon Scholars are as close as you can get to being nominated - why doesn't the AF pull from these kids after all the Declines by other kids to the academy?
The Falcon scholarship is close to a full ride and all but a guarantee in the next year
Click to expand...
because they deemed you not academically ready yet. If they were just to pass you through to the academy you'd probably struggle.
 
It may be that the cadet needs other areas strengthened, and not just academics. My daughter is a Falcon and some of the students she is with have amazing academic records, perfect SAT/ACT scores but lacked in the physical component.
 
Do you know how they choose between a Falcon scholarship vs USAFA prep? Are statistics the same on getting an appointment the next year? I know it's not guaranteed.
 
My DS has all the accolades you can think of but his SAT was 660 math and 580 verbal and suspect this was the backbreaker.
He is a White male so that doesn't help the cause.
 
TimFlyer said:
He is a White male so that doesn't help the cause.
Click to expand...

It doesn’t hurt, either. Your son’s test scores are sub-par. That’s the truth. The Academy is giving him a huge opportunity, at their expense, to improve and get admitted next year. I cannot see why you have a problem with this. The academics at USAFA are harsh. My older son had amazing test scores and gpa and he was crushed by the academics his doolie year to the point that he dropped his sport to focus on classes. Take the help that USAFA is offering.

Stealth_81
 
Veridicalride said:
Do you know how they choose between a Falcon scholarship vs USAFA prep? Are statistics the same on getting an appointment the next year? I know it's not guaranteed.
Click to expand...

From the Falcon Foundation website:

Young people are automatically eligible for a Falcon Scholarship by first applying to USAFA. The USAFA Office of Admissions then identifies potential recipients of the Falcon Foundation scholarship from a pool of direct entry applicants who are qualified, but not competitive for entering the next class at USAFA. Those applicants who are deemed qualified but not competitive are rank ordered and contacted for consideration of a Falcon Foundation Scholarship.

I don't believe that students who are offered USAFA prep are determined to be qualified for USAFA when they are offered a spot.

Here is a link to recent Falcon performance:
 
My daughter was a Falcon this year at NWP and some Falcon Foundation officers came to visit with the students there. It was explained that Falcons are deemed to be slightly deficient in one maybe more areas, but are close enough to correct it on their own at an outside prep school. USAFA Prep school students have a bit more to work on and the academy wants them to work on it under their guidance. Both are fantastic opportunities and with hard work, the students can reach their goal of attending USAFA.
 
TimFlyer said:
My DS has all the accolades you can think of but his SAT was 660 math and 580 verbal and suspect this was the backbreaker.
He is a White male so that doesn't help the cause.
Click to expand...
A high SAT score is an accolade, arguably being given significant weight in USAFA admission decisions. Suggesting an unsupported race related reason seems inaccurate and unproductive.
 
My Daughter got a Falcon Scholarship.
I will admit that Our first reaction wasn't excitement it was a bit of a bland "wow".
but in truth it was just perfect.
DD was still legally 16 when "DODMERB portal closed" in September and when applications went out to our Senators/Congress members.

So yes another year t o physically mature was a good strategy.
She got to experience a mix of barracks living and college social downtime.
She took advantage of the opportunity of the lost cost tuition and upon leaving will have earned her Assoc in Arts degree.
Major heavy load of courses and studying until lights. Improved on her ACT test score too.

I appreciated seeing her more often than if she had gone to straight to USAFA, every two months I had her for about 5days or so.

Grateful for the FS opportunity.
Now heading to the Academy in June.
 
It is my belief that the Falcon Foundation Scholarship is what most everyone here is saying. It is a year of prep to get a desired candidate to become more likely to succeed at the Academy. The question often asked by those offered a FS is why was I selected for this and not a direct appointment? That answer unless obvious may never be known. It is more important to accept the FS and do well at prep knowing you are extremely likely to be offered an appointment the following year. You will also be much better prepared for success at the USAFA. I believe most anyone who went that route has zero regrets, quite the contrary imo.
It has been said to be the “Golden Ticket “ to USAFA, which it essentially is as long as you also secure a Nomination as well. If attending USAFA is your goal for commissioning, this is a great route to take if offered (the same can be said for other SA offers of prep for your choosing).
DS was offered a FS via phone call a few years ago in July. He had applied to USAFA but had no Nomination. His overall application was not lacking in any area, so while the year of prep wouldn’t hurt, it wasn’t necessary as he seemed fully qualified. While that’s only my opinion, stats are stats and if that is the only reason they use and offer the FS is based on qualifications or lack of, it should be that black and white . He had scholarship offers to other schools and a 4 year AROTC from 1st board. So my belief was he simply didn’t have a NOM and they still wanted him.
When the phone call came from USAFA I took the call. The lady explained what the FS was and that DS had to accept or decline the offer on the spot. I thanked her very much for the offer and explained DS was at BEAST and would have to decline. We chuckled and had a short Military Branch smack talk session before our final humble and kind exchange of words.
So like Appointments, so is Prep school FS, there is a lot going on behind the curtain to shape each class. We will never know the answers to the millions of questions about the process, but the SAF certainly shines an entertaining light on it with these discussions!

From the link provided above for the Falcon Foundation Scholarship website:

Falcon Foundation Mission
The mission of the Falcon Foundation is to further the opportunity for highly motivated, exceptional, young men and women to attend the United States Air Force Academy through the award of Falcon Foundation Scholarships at junior college and preparatory schools, enabling them to pursue a career in the United States Air Force.
 
caernarvonkjaer said:
A high SAT score is an accolade, arguably being given significant weight in USAFA admission decisions. Suggesting an unsupported race related reason seems inaccurate and unproductive.
Click to expand...


If your insinuating the academies are not in tune with a diversified class than your not informed. It's a fact the all the academies work to be diverse and the last thing they want is a school full of privileged white males, hence being a white male is the most competitive category.
That's coming from the General.
 
Veridicalride said:
Do you know how they choose between a Falcon scholarship vs USAFA prep? Are statistics the same on getting an appointment the next year? I know it's not guaranteed.
Click to expand...
According to an email from my USAFA Counselor, "The Falcon Foundation Scholarship program boasts a 95% acceptance rate into the next year’s incoming class of cadets at USAFA. "
 
TimFlyer said:
If your insinuating the academies are not in tune with a diversified class than your not informed. It's a fact the all the academies work to be diverse and the last thing they want is a school full of privileged white males, hence being a white male is the most competitive category.
That's coming from the General.
Click to expand...
I am said nothing of the sort. USAFA, like many US colleges and universities, is underrepresented in most diversity metrics. I haven't looked at Falcon Scholarships, but would be surprised if Caucasian received anything less than a competitive share of that pie.

What I am saying, is that you do everyone involved a disservice by suggesting your kid's chances are lessened by being Caucasian. My older son got a 1460 on his SAT, has a 4.4 GPA, is a lifelong Scout and was a state qualifier in wrestling this year. Pretty average around here. He's in the waiting-to-hear pile for this year. The last thought on my mind is to suggest a racially motivated theory to suggest why.

Look, I don't need a social justice argument. That's what Facebook is for, I guess. You're entitled to your opinion as am I. My younger kid studies 4 hours a day right now for his SAT at the end of the month. You want your kids to be competitive, I'd suggest a similar strategy.

Best of luck!
 
shock-n-awe said:
It is my belief that the Falcon Foundation Scholarship is what most everyone here is saying. It is a year of prep to get a desired candidate to become more likely to succeed at the Academy. The question often asked by those offered a FS is why was I selected for this and not a direct appointment? That answer unless obvious may never be known. It is more important to accept the FS and do well at prep knowing you are extremely likely to be offered an appointment the following year. You will also be much better prepared for success at the USAFA. I believe most anyone who went that route has zero regrets, quite the contrary imo.
It has been said to be the “Golden Ticket “ to USAFA, which it essentially is as long as you also secure a Nomination as well. If attending USAFA is your goal for commissioning, this is a great route to take if offered (the same can be said for other SA offers of prep for your choosing).
DS was offered a FS via phone call a few years ago in July. He had applied to USAFA but had no Nomination. His overall application was not lacking in any area, so while the year of prep wouldn’t hurt, it wasn’t necessary as he seemed fully qualified. While that’s only my opinion, stats are stats and if that is the only reason they use and offer the FS is based on qualifications or lack of, it should be that black and white . He had scholarship offers to other schools and a 4 year AROTC from 1st board. So my belief was he simply didn’t have a NOM and they still wanted him.
When the phone call came from USAFA I took the call. The lady explained what the FS was and that DS had to accept or decline the offer on the spot. I thanked her very much for the offer and explained DS was at BEAST and would have to decline. We chuckled and had a short Military Branch smack talk session before our final humble and kind exchange of words.
So like Appointments, so is Prep school FS, there is a lot going on behind the curtain to shape each class. We will never know the answers to the millions of questions about the process, but the SAF certainly shines an entertaining light on it with these discussions!
Click to expand...

My DS fell into this same category - He received the nomination and appointed to USMA for the Class of 2024, but did not get the nomination to USAFA. They reached out to him recently to offer him a FF scholarship which he kindly declined. It just wasn't meant to be for him.
 
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