How competitive am I?

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Panther32

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May 27, 2018
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hi I am a junior in high school right now. I want to apply for the AFA this year and would just like some insight as to how competitive I am. So my ACT is a 34 and my SAT is a 1380. My u weighted GPA is 4.0 and my weighted gpa is 4.19 (as of last semester). I’m varsity football and I run track in the spring. However, I am somewhat lacking in the leadership department. Because I kind of realized late that I wanted to attend AfA I have little. I volunteer annually at a little kids football camp as a coach (goes for a week every summer), I’m Vice President of the econ club at my school, I also volunteer at the Y all day fridays during the summer. Along with that I’m in NHS and plan on running for president or Vice President there. Finally I am participating in my school mentorship program that involves seniors helping sophomores. Also I have worked for 3 years during high school.

I would really appreciate some insight from people on my chances. I realize that the website talks about all this but after doing the research I haven’t found many definitive answers. And in every thread I read here I see kids with huge amounts of leadership that I obviously don’t have. Anyways I appreciate your time and advice.
 
Again, as everyone else states, it is hard to gauge competitiveness without evaluating your whole file- or the files of those you are competing against. However, I would make a concerted effort to be in a strong position to become a captain of your football or track team. This would provide a lot of leadership points, which you feel you are lacking. If you are not necessarily one the best few players on either team, then you will need to to show up to all of the voluntary workouts, exert leadership on the field, and help those who are struggling in practice. This seems to me to be one the most straightforward ways to bolster your leadership potential. Definitely work hard to become an NHS officer as well.
 
Panther32 said:
hi I am a junior in high school right now. I want to apply for the AFA this year and would just like some insight as to how competitive I am. So my ACT is a 34 and my SAT is a 1380. My u weighted GPA is 4.0 and my weighted gpa is 4.19 (as of last semester). I’m varsity football and I run track in the spring. However, I am somewhat lacking in the leadership department. Because I kind of realized late that I wanted to attend AfA I have little. I volunteer annually at a little kids football camp as a coach (goes for a week every summer), I’m Vice President of the econ club at my school, I also volunteer at the Y all day fridays during the summer. Along with that I’m in NHS and plan on running for president or Vice President there. Finally I am participating in my school mentorship program that involves seniors helping sophomores. Also I have worked for 3 years during high school.

I would really appreciate some insight from people on my chances. I realize that the website talks about all this but after doing the research I haven’t found many definitive answers. And in every thread I read here I see kids with huge amounts of leadership that I obviously don’t have. Anyways I appreciate your time and advice.
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Panther. SAs want candidates who are Scholar, Leader, Athlete, and Service to others oriented. So I would work on that right away, even though you are behind in L&A. If you did football and track for 3-4 years without team captain, I think that would be ok. Team Captain is normally given to Seniors so if you're not in the team's radar by now don't bet on it. You really cannot make up Athletic leadership at this point but you still have a shot at making up Leadership by stepping up at school club or class officer and going to Boys State in June/July in your state. Contact your local American Legion post to see if they can give you a place this summer. Boys State is the real ticket for you to Leadership. You can prove yourself athletically able by maxing out on CFA. I believe these are some of your best option to make up your weaknesses. Your Academic looks strong so I would invest much of your time to strengthen your weakest areas at this point: CFA and Leadership.
 
Work on your running time. That’s very important especially at USAFA. You will lose about 30 seconds on running time at AFA due to thin air. So AFA likes to see time under 7 minutes for men’s mile run.

I would also apply to USNA and to all Academies very early. Your ACT is strong enough to get on Academy’s radar early. And will be noticed by MOCs. They look for high test scores in screening out candidates. Principals are usually given to high testers with strong leadership and highly motivated candidates. 34 on ACT is the mark for the hugest WCS in Academics. SAs place highest emphasis on test scores. Forget retaking SAT. I wouldn’t waste time on that. I wouldn’t even submit SAT to SAs and civilian colleges. Save your parent’s money. ACT with Writing 9+ is a better and stronger test than SAT anyways.

I wouldn’t count on getting an LOA. It is given to very few. My humble estimate is about 30+ in each class for most SAs. If you decide to retake test, focus on ACT and try for perfect 36 or 35 on English and Math sections. This translates to 1600 SAT at the Naval Academy. USNA only evaluate English and Math on ACT and calibrate to SAT. Score above average in all sections of CFA and Boys State. In my humble opinion this may make your App from Good to exceptional.

Apply to ROTC Scholarship now as Plan B options. Apply by Sep no later to get on the first round with results released in early-to-mid November. AFROTC Type 1 is the only full scholarship. Less than 3-5 get full scholarship in any major out of 15,000 applicants. So you may want to apply with STEM Major.

Good luck!
 
The SAT and ACT are looked at equally by the academies. ACT scores are converted to SAT equivalents so that everyone has equal reference for scores. Your test scores are already very good so focus on the leadership. An officer spot in NHS will be a good addition.

If you are already a varsity athlete in both football and track I would not worry too much about the athletic portion. The altitude may be an issue for some people, but if you are in top shape there is not much effect. My son didn't lose any time on his running once he got to USAFA even coming from 500' home altitude.

Only apply to other academies if you truly want to attend them. I know many people suggest applying to all of them, but it is a very individual choice. My son applied only to USAFA because that is what he wanted. He got an LOA and was an early admit in December. Decide what YOU want, not what everyone else tells you.

Overall you look like a great candidate.

Stealth_81
 
CrewDad said:
Panther32 said:
hi I am a junior in high school right now. I want to apply for the AFA this year and would just like some insight as to how competitive I am. So my ACT is a 34 and my SAT is a 1380. My u weighted GPA is 4.0 and my weighted gpa is 4.19 (as of last semester). I’m varsity football and I run track in the spring. However, I am somewhat lacking in the leadership department. Because I kind of realized late that I wanted to attend AfA I have little. I volunteer annually at a little kids football camp as a coach (goes for a week every summer), I’m Vice President of the econ club at my school, I also volunteer at the Y all day fridays during the summer. Along with that I’m in NHS and plan on running for president or Vice President there. Finally I am participating in my school mentorship program that involves seniors helping sophomores. Also I have worked for 3 years during high school.

I would really appreciate some insight from people on my chances. I realize that the website talks about all this but after doing the research I haven’t found many definitive answers. And in every thread I read here I see kids with huge amounts of leadership that I obviously don’t have. Anyways I appreciate your time and advice.
Click to expand...

Panther. SAs want candidates who are Scholar, Leader, Athlete, and Service to others oriented. So I would work on that right away, even though you are behind in L&A. If you did football and track for 3-4 years without team captain, I think that would be ok. Team Captain is normally given to Seniors so if you're not in the team's radar by now don't bet on it. You really cannot make up Athletic leadership at this point but you still have a shot at making up Leadership by stepping up at school club or class officer and going to Boys State in June/July in your state. Contact your local American Legion post to see if they can give you a place this summer. Boys State is the real ticket for you to Leadership. You can prove yourself athletically able by maxing out on CFA. I believe these are some of your best option to make up your weaknesses. Your Academic looks strong so I would invest much of your time to strengthen your weakest areas at this point: CFA and Leadership.
Click to expand...
I ran cross county for the first time my senior year and became team captain.
 
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