Longtime lurker and finally joined; I feel like I already "know" many of the frequent helpful posters. DS is a junior and has been interested in USAFA since junior high so I found this awhile ago to educate myself. We do not have much military background but I have learned a lot from this site and other research. We live in IL Dist 6 and I know that's a competitive area. DS will apply to USAFA and USNA and most likely AFROTC and NROTC as backup plans. Other school choices are TBD at this point. He wants to major in aerospace engineering. Strong GPA, ACT, lots of AP, cross country, Eagle scout, CAP, community service, etc. I have passed on a lot of information that I have learned from reading this forum to him, and know that there are so many talented candidates. All he can do is try his best and see what fate has in store. However, as a very planning orientated mom, I can see it will be a stressful ride. I look forward to learning more and hopefully contributing to the community at some point in the future.