Hello I am new to here and I have a couple of questions. Your input would be greatly

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DevilDog

15-Year Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
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676
Hi, I have been reading these forums since my son had indicated interest in the academies about a year ago.
I am a Marine, always will be, I was hoping my son would go to Annapolis to earn the EGA, but he is getting more interest from the AFA. I am fine either way, he would get a great education, and give back service to his country that has provided us with a great life.
Here is my question:
He is in 11th grade, Captain of the Football, and wrestling teams. He is an All-conference football player since 9th grade. Defensive MVP of his team in 10th and 11th grade. Most Valuable Wrestler as a 10th grader, State qualifier 9th and 10th grade, is ranked 6th in his weight class of now in 11th grade. Is considered one of the best D-Pole in the state in Lacrosse. Most likely will captain the lax team this spring.
He has a 4.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, 680 in math, 570 in verbal. Member of the National Honor Society, Vice President of his class in 10th grade, VP of the School in 11th grade. He is also hispanic.
I have signed him up for summer seminar but have not heard back yet. the thing that worries me is his class rank 17 of 117 at a competitive HS.
What do you think are his chances? What else can he do to improve them? I doubt he will move up much if at all in the class rank. One of his classmates has applied to MIT for early admission as an 11th grader, that is how competitive the school is.
 
Hes good. Everything is great! Just his verbal needs to come up a little. Everything is great, sports, academics, and leadership are all there.

Hint of advice: Let him do the process himself. You signing him up for SS and doing other things just makes things easier for him. It doesnt teach him anything. I did the whole process myself and have learned many things, that will last with me even if I dont get accepted. Imagine what I will learn at the academy :D


Lastly, thank you for your service to our country :D
 
flyersboy114 said:
Hes good. Everything is great! Just his verbal needs to come up a little. Everything is great, sports, academics, and leadership are all there.

Hint of advice: Let him do the process himself. You signing him up for SS and doing other things just makes things easier for him. It doesnt teach him anything. I did the whole process myself and have learned many things, that will last with me even if I dont get accepted. Imagine what I will learn at the academy :D


Lastly, thank you for your service to our country :D
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Thanks for your input. I really do not remember if I signed him up or he did it. He received an email from the local recruiting officer that he wants to sit with him to discuss the Summer Seminar and the AFA. He has also received some emails from the Lax coach, the last one said that he will be speaking to him soon. My son is really excited, he has been a leader on all his teams since 8th grade when he started playing Varsity sports for his HS.
When we went to academy night last spring, I left feeling that he is tailor made for the Air Force Academy.
 
Thats GREAT! So you have visited already, that is good. I usggest him to go to teachers and get letters of recomendation now. He will not need them for the academy process, but most likely the nomination process. This way he will not be scrambling to get them in the fall.
 
Yeah, his verbal needs a little boost, but other than that he sounds like a VERY strong candidate.
 
I wouldn't be concerned with his class rank. It sounds like if there are 16 other 11th graders with a gpa higher than a 4.4, then there's seriously something about that school. The school sends in a school profile that gets great consideration in the process of admission, where they'll see how the school stands. I agree he has to raise his verbal a little but thats it. (at least to 580, I think that's minimally competitive). In his athletics, he is GREAT, more than great. Get him involved in the community more.:thumb:
 
DevilDog,

Has "HE" contacted his Admission Liaison Officer? There's one assigned to EVERY high school in the nation. If he hasn't, I would HIGHLY encourage that he do so ASAP.

We ALO's are a fickle breed...we like to hear from interested folks early and often. Then we know that they are truly interested and then we devote our entire being to helping them.

If he hasn't met/spoken with his ALO and doesn't know how to find out who it is, he can either ask his guidance counselor or contact me directly at: flieger83@cox.net with his HS name, location (city, state) and I can get the information almost immediately.

Welcome to the "family" here!

Steve

Stephen E. Wood, Lt Col, USAFR
Deputy Liaison Officer Director for Arizona
 
flieger83 said:
DevilDog,

Has "HE" contacted his Admission Liaison Officer? There's one assigned to EVERY high school in the nation. If he hasn't, I would HIGHLY encourage that he do so ASAP.

We ALO's are a fickle breed...we like to hear from interested folks early and often. Then we know that they are truly interested and then we devote our entire being to helping them.

If he hasn't met/spoken with his ALO and doesn't know how to find out who it is, he can either ask his guidance counselor or contact me directly at: flieger83@cox.net with his HS name, location (city, state) and I can get the information almost immediately.

Welcome to the "family" here!

Steve

Stephen E. Wood, Lt Col, USAFR
Deputy Liaison Officer Director for Arizona
Click to expand...


thank you so much for your advice. He has met with the local ALO and he is meeting with him next Thursday the 16th. I will send him to a Summer Seminar, but does it make a difference if he goes to Navy since it is so much closer? Will it hurt his chance with the AFA? Thanks.
 
going to summer seminars wont help or hurt your chances for any other academy.. All it does is give you a glimpse into what life is like.. Actually, Most people at the academy didnt go to SS. Take it for what it's worth.. SS, i've heard, is a good deal if you get in
 
I would concur with HNeedle.

Summer Seminar is a good deal; and taking one over the other is not a biggie. If he's "more interested in USNA" than USAFA...then he should go there. If USAFA vs USNA...then I'd do USAFA's.

Why?

Because they DO keep track of who comes. Now...if he were stuck between choosing say, Boy's State and SS...I'd tell him to go to Boy's State: VERY prestigious.

But in the end...it's really up to him....

Either way, it will NOT hurt him in any way!
 
Verbal SAT is low

Start retaking the SAT, take the ACT, look into books and programs to bring up that score and start reading two books a week. Your son is going to kill the CFA and is already a leader-we need him the service!
 
One suggestion I can give to help with those scores is to go see the academy of choice, or both of them if you can afford it. My son's ACT scores were his weakest link, too. He brought his English score up a full 5 points (from a 23 to 28) after visiting USNA. Having the chance to really visit and talk with the midshipmen, marines, commanders, admissions, etc. helped to make it real. Sure, I could have forked over big bucks for a tutor, but I doubt the score would have moved as much as it did. The cost of the trip was well worth it. He studied his hinder off and the process of self-improvement became his passion.

He didn't really NEED to have a higher score to qualify for USNA, but now he's competitive for AFA too, and will accept an appointment from either.
 
DevilDog:

Thank you for your service to our nation.

Other than the low verbal score, it looks like he's an excellent candidate!

Good luck!
 
Devildog, Summer Seminar will let him see the some of the subtle differences between Academies. Daughter (Potterfan) went to both AFSS and NASS. She came back from Annapolis and said "Dad I could really see myself going to Navy and enjoying it, but after graduation I am not sure about the Navy".

She was raised with AF parents so there was a built in bias, but her visit taught her she could go to any of the Academies and be happy.
 
ds52262 said:
Devildog, Summer Seminar will let him see the some of the subtle differences between Academies. Daughter (Potterfan) went to both AFSS and NASS. She came back from Annapolis and said "Dad I could really see myself going to Navy and enjoying it, but after graduation I am not sure about the Navy".

She was raised with AF parents so there was a built in bias, but her visit taught her she could go to any of the Academies and be happy.
Click to expand...

The problem with sending to both SS is budget and schedule. I have two boys that are 15 months apart. Both will go to football camp, both will go to wrestling camp, and both will go to Lacrosse camp. My older son most likely will play Elite Team Lax which costs about $ 1,000.00 next summer also. Besides the money, where is the time?
 
It's about priorities. If you KNOW you want (or don't want) USAFA, SS is just a little boost. If you are trying to decide, it is worth quite a bit.
 
I understand DD money and time will always set the priorities. We were fortunate to be able to accomodate both at the same time. I'm a retired E8 with three daughters and wonder where it all goes too.

They do have some money available to help but don't know what the specifics are. I think Navy cost us about 1000 with airfare and everything. AF was much less but only because we are closer.
 
As someone who went to both the Air Force Academy SS and USNA SS, I think it was an invaluable experience. I live in Colorado, so going to the AFA did not cost nearly as much as going to Annapolis. But I was (possibly still am) torn between the two academies.

Going to both seminars allowed me to ask explicit questions and get truthful, direct answers from the cadets/plebes. Also, I had never "toured" either academy so going there was definite plus. Especially getting to stay in the rooms, eat in the hall, do PT, etc. Despite the fact that they don't represent academy life to its fullest (impossible to do in a week I'm sure), going to both allowed me to create my own pros/cons list that I keep in the rare occasion that I receive an appointment to both academies. Lastly, one of the most important things that I discovered by going to both seminars is that I would be happy attending either academy and serving in either branch.

As mentioned above, if you can afford them both then go for it! Best of luck!
 
SemperExcelsius, could you please describe some of the differences you saw during SS between USAFA and USNA? I went to USAFA SS and just accepted an appointment there, but curious about your opinion of the differences between the two academies.
 
My son had his first interview with the ALO, he came away feeling really good. The ALO told him he meets their standards, but suggested he try to get an office on the NHS. I don't know when he would have time for that. He also told my son that he would give his name to the football and wrestling coaches. He told my son that if he gets recruited to play any NCAA sport, that would be his life along with school and military, that he would not have time for the flying club or the parachute club.
My son told me he felt very comfortable and that he believes he will be recommended further. the ALO told him to keep him updated every couple of months with his Resume.
I am pretty pumped. I realize this is only the first step in a long process, but every journey starts with one step.
Thanks everybody for your input on this and all the other threads. I find them quite helpful and informative.
 
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