Falcon Scholarships

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usafamama

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Jan 20, 2017
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Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum but wanted give a little information for those who don't know what a Falcon Scholarship is. Our son applied to the USAFA last year and instead of being given an appointment, received 1 of 60 Falcon Scholarships for the Academy. When we were waiting to hear of our son's appointment, we came across forums with people talking about the Falcon Scholarship, but we skipped over that as it did not pertain to us (or so we thought). If we had known what a Falcon Scholarship was, as we do now, it would have been our hope for our son to receive this rather than an immediate appointment. The reason for this is it has prepared him academically, physically, and mentally. He chose one of the 6 Prep Schools and has thrived there. That extra year to mature, really focus on and excel at academics and physical fitness has been such a blessing. So, if your son or daughter receives a Falcon Scholarship, don't despair. You should consider them lucky! Our son feels very confident that he will make a smooth transition into the USAFA. I hope this helps.
 
I am a current Falcon Scholar at MMI. If anyone has any questions I would love to be able to answer them to the best of my ability!
 
USNAMA2022hopefull said:
What were your stats coming out of high school if you don't mind sharing?
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I graduated high school with a 3.6 unweighted GPA in a very competitive college-prep high school with a history of high acceptance rates to the academy. My high school sent three direct to the academies (2 USAFA, 1 USMA), two to USAFAPS, and one Falcon (me) out of my graduating class of just 210 students. I took a heavy course load in AP and Honors level classes. My ACT is a 30 Composite with a 26 in English and math, 33 in Science Reasoning, and a 36 in Reading. I had heavy leadership throughout high school, being the president of two clubs (both of which I restructured), a varsity track athlete, an Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader within my troop, and an assistant manager with a company, on top of numerous other smaller leadership positions I held.
If I had to guess anything that got me the scholarship, it would have to be the leadership. It's pretty hit or miss on these scholarships, I've found. However, we have another Falcon at Marion that graduated with a fairly low (by Academy standards) GPA and few upper-level classes, but a leadership record that few could challenge. We also have Falcons who had pretty high GPA's but mediocre leadership profiles. It would seem that we all have something pretty unique about each and every one of us that probably got us where we needed to be.
 
BoundByHonor said:
I graduated high school with a 3.6 unweighted GPA in a very competitive college-prep high school with a history of high acceptance rates to the academy. My high school sent three direct to the academies (2 USAFA, 1 USMA), two to USAFAPS, and one Falcon (me) out of my graduating class of just 210 students. I took a heavy course load in AP and Honors level classes. My ACT is a 30 Composite with a 26 in English and math, 33 in Science Reasoning, and a 36 in Reading. I had heavy leadership throughout high school, being the president of two clubs (both of which I restructured), a varsity track athlete, an Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader within my troop, and an assistant manager with a company, on top of numerous other smaller leadership positions I held.
If I had to guess anything that got me the scholarship, it would have to be the leadership. It's pretty hit or miss on these scholarships, I've found. However, we have another Falcon at Marion that graduated with a fairly low (by Academy standards) GPA and few upper-level classes, but a leadership record that few could challenge. We also have Falcons who had pretty high GPA's but mediocre leadership profiles. It would seem that we all have something pretty unique about each and every one of us that probably got us where we needed to be.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you I was really confused about who got that option because prep school was for academic support. Thanks for sharing
 
usafamama said:
Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum but wanted give a little information for those who don't know what a Falcon Scholarship is. Our son applied to the USAFA last year and instead of being given an appointment, received 1 of 60 Falcon Scholarships for the Academy. When we were waiting to hear of our son's appointment, we came across forums with people talking about the Falcon Scholarship, but we skipped over that as it did not pertain to us (or so we thought). If we had known what a Falcon Scholarship was, as we do now, it would have been our hope for our son to receive this rather than an immediate appointment. The reason for this is it has prepared him academically, physically, and mentally. He chose one of the 6 Prep Schools and has thrived there. That extra year to mature, really focus on and excel at academics and physical fitness has been such a blessing. So, if your son or daughter receives a Falcon Scholarship, don't despair. You should consider them lucky! Our son feels very confident that he will make a smooth transition into the USAFA. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

My son did not get accepted when he applied for the USAFA Class of 2020. He went with Plan B and is a freshman at UT. He is also in the AFROTC there. He reapplied and was accepted in November for the USAFA Class of 2021. Besides AFROTC at UT, he is taking a full load of classes (Calculus, Chemistry, Physics), and is active in their running club. There is no doubt this year will make him much more prepared for the USAFA in many different ways. Maturity, physical strength, academics, and what he learns in AFROTC. Plus being only an hour away helps his mom with the apron strings!

So yeah, not getting into the USAFA right out of high school is not the end of the world. Might be a blessing in disguise.
 
Excellent thread and great information. Something very important about this thread, is that there are many reasons why someone may be offered a prep school/falcon scholarship. Most think it's strictly because of academics. Many times, this is true. Someone with great ACT/SAT scores, and even a good GPA, but they keep getting C's in Math. Maybe someone with excellent ACT/SAT scores, but has a 3.3 gpa. Or the other way around, and the individual has a 4.0 gpa in high level classes, but they have a 25 act. Academics are definitely the main reason for being offered a Prep/falcon slot.

But don't believe these are the only reasons. The bottom line is; the academy sees in an applicant; especially on how their ALO does their rating and report on the individual; a very promising applicant. Someone they feel will make a great cadet, and better yet, an outstanding Air Force officer. BUT..... there's something about their application that just isn't as stellar as they'd like. Yes, usually it's academics. But it could just as easily be leadership. They were never in charge of anything. Never the captain of a team. Never a class officer. Never a leader of a club. The list goes on. Maybe they have satisfactory academics, maybe even played 1 sport for their high school years, but they really didn't have the leadership or other SOCIAL EXPERIENCES that the academy is looking for. The prep/falcon may be all this individual needs to excel and have a full resume/application.

Remember; contrary to what many want to believe, the academy is looking for the best "WELL ROUNDED INDIVIDUALS". They DON'T WANT the 4.0gpa IB student, with 36 ACT, and NO SPORTS, CLUBS, LEADERSHIP, etc. This is not a well rounded person. They also don't want the 3 sports all state athlete, who is the class president, member of 3 clubs, has 300 hours of volunteering, yet only has a 2.5gpa and a 21 ACT. This individual is unlikely to be able to handle the academic challenges of the academy. Of course, sometimes the academy gets lucky and they get a few of the "NO BRAINERS". The 4.0gpa IB/AP student; 33-36 ACT; ranked #1 in the class; 3 varsity sports; captain of said sports; also a class officer; involved in 2-3 other clubs/EC activities; has 200-300 hours of volunteer time; went to boy/girl's state; does time with their community; accepted to EVERY COLLEGE they apply to; etc. These applicants exist too.

So definitely, if you are offered a Prep/Falcon slot instead of a direct entry into the academy........ ACCEPT IT!!! This is the academy's way of saying that accept for probably 1 minor thing on your application, they think you'll make a great cadet and military officer. Of course, this assumes the academy is your #1 choice. If the academy is #2, and Purdue, Georgetown, University of Florida, or the University of Whereverthehellyouappliedto; is your first choice, and you got accepted there; then definitely turn down the prep/falcon and take your #1 choice. Yes, believe it or not, the various military academies are not every applicant's FIRST CHOICE. HUNDREDS of applicants TURN DOWN APPOINTMENTS every year. That's why it takes numerous months to finish up giving appointments. They have to see who says "NO THANK YOU", and then they give that slot to someone else. It can be a very complicated process.

So if you receive a Prep/Falcon offer, consider yourself fortunate and blessed. The academy sees something in you. ONE CAVEAT: Sometimes, the reason you didn't receive an appointment, is simply because there weren't enough slots. Definitely apply again next year. If you have the 3.8+ gpa, 30+ ACT, sports, leadership, volunteering, clubs, etc. It's still possible not to get an appointment. But there's also very little chance you'll get a Prep/Falcon offer either. Basically, you're over-qualified. Basically, it isn't that the prep/falcon recipient is BETTER than the great overall applicant who didn't receive an appointment. Just that there weren't enough slots. And a Prep/Falcon slot doesn't guarantee anyone an appointment the following year. The norm is around 70-80%. That's why they are so selective. Best of luck.
 
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