How am I doing?

[Luke2019]

Hey, I am currently a sophomore in high school graduating in 2019 and I want to apply to the Air Force Academy, but I want to get an idea of where I am right now and if there is more I could be doing in the next couple of years before I apply.

For academics, I rank 17 out of 521 in my class right now (Within the top four percent) with a weighted GPA of 4.17 and unweighted GPA of 3.94. I haven't taken any tests yet but I plan on doing well on the PSAT coming up and all the other tests later on. I also plan on taking both advanced physics, chemistry, and pre calculus and calculus later on in high school.

For extracurricular activities, I've played soccer my whole life and am currently the starting goalie on my high school JV team and have a good chance of starting varsity my junior/senior years. I play club soccer when I am not playing for the high school, so it is year around for me. I also play alto saxophone in my school's top concert band, jazz band, and I am a section leader in marching band. Additionally, I take AFJROTC and am a class leader and am part of the staff team in academics, meaning I take time to help tutor and help people with problems they might have with school.

As my fitness goes for the CFA, I have a lot to work on before I take it but I am still a sophomore so I have some time. My mile time is around 5:55 and I can do about 80 crunches in two minutes so I think I will be fine for those, but what really kills me is the pull ups and push ups. Right now I struggle to even do a single pull up, and even when I jump up to the bar, I still struggle to keep myself there. I can also only do around 20 push ups with correct form, so I know I need to work on my fitness so I can get the best score possible on the CFA.

So overall how do I look at the moment for a sophomore? Where should I and how can I improve?(Obviously the push ups and pull ups)And are there any other activities, classes, or sports that I should get into?

 

[usafa2022]

I'm only a year older than you so I'm not the most knowledgeable person on here, but it looks fine so far. Just make sure you study a lot for the ACT and go for National Merit next fall. And sign up for as many AP/Honors classes as you can. For pushups, it's just a matter of doing more of them, and there are lots of resources on this site and others for specific workouts and training plans. As for pullups, many people on SAF have recommended doing negatives (look it up if you don't know what they are) if you can't do a full rep yet. That's also something to search these forums for. Good luck!

 

[raimius]

Academics and ECs look strong. Work on the fitness stuff. I was in a similar situation (although my run time wasn't that good). I wound up on athletic probation at the academy. That's not fun. Avoid it!

 

[Daretodream]

If possible start taking the ACT/SAT as soon as possible. The SAs superscore so waiting to try post high scores does not really help you. Give yourself as many opportunities as possible to score high. Continue to work on leadership and consider applying to summer seminar at the end of this year. You might also look into whether your MOC holds an Academy Day and let them know of your interest. Build the relationships where possible with people who play a part in process like the MOC and ALO.

 

[Badge250]

Your stats look good. Maybe aim for captain of your soccer team. It would be a great experience in leadership. Also you might want to think about something in the summer, when you are eligible: Summer Seminar or Boy's State. As for the pull-ups, my son put a pull up bar over his bedroom door and did pull-ups while going in and coming out. He would also do some planned sessions of pull ups throughout the week (push ups too). This helped him dramatically during the year of his application and leading up to the CFA.