How's My Progress?

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LemonZest

5-Year Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2013
Messages
6
I'm applying to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and both Air Force and Navy ROTC Scholarships. My main worry is the CFA and how I'll do on it. These are my current unofficial scores:

Basketball Throw: 60 ft.
Pull-Ups: 4
Shuttle Run: 8.9
Modified Sit-Ups: 95
Push-Ups: 45
One Mile Run: 6:50

I have time to wait another few months before taking the official CFA, and I'm currently working on specifically Pull-Ups and Push-Ups, so I may be able to raise those scores a little bit more.
Academically, my GPA is 3.94 unweighted and 4.27 weighted. I got a 33 combined on the ACT, and a 2080 or 1400 (without writing) cumulative score on the SAT.
I have achieved the General Billy Mitchell Award in Civil Air Patrol and I plan to achieve the Amelia Earhart Award before I graduate.

Overall, how do I look? How are my chances of getting into any of the universities and/or scholarships I mentioned earlier? Any advice or further information you can give me would be very much appreciated.
 
LemonZest said:
I'm applying to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and both Air Force and Navy ROTC Scholarships. My main worry is the CFA and how I'll do on it. These are my current unofficial scores:

Basketball Throw: 60 ft.
Pull-Ups: 4
Shuttle Run: 8.9
Modified Sit-Ups: 95
Push-Ups: 45
One Mile Run: 6:50

I have time to wait another few months before taking the official CFA, and I'm currently working on specifically Pull-Ups and Push-Ups, so I may be able to raise those scores a little bit more.
Academically, my GPA is 3.94 unweighted and 4.27 weighted. I got a 33 combined on the ACT, and a 2080 or 1400 (without writing) cumulative score on the SAT.
I have achieved the General Billy Mitchell Award in Civil Air Patrol and I plan to achieve the Amelia Earhart Award before I graduate.

Overall, how do I look? How are my chances of getting into any of the universities and/or scholarships I mentioned earlier? Any advice or further information you can give me would be very much appreciated.
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For the xROTC programs a lot depends on what your planned major is. You definitely need to keep working on pullups but you'll get there if you work hard at it. Do you have a pullup bar at home where you can do pullups anytime to pass the bar? Also, for NROTC at least, I'm assuming you will pursue Navy Option and last i checked they do not require any physical fitness test but that could have changed again as they used to require it. The events for NROTC, if they have it, and Army ROTC (just data point) are different than the CFA and I would recommend not using the CFA score for those programs. I don't know about AFROTC physical requirements. See the Golden Knights Battalion web site as to why. If you're pursuing Marine Option then you really need to work on the pullups and prep for a 3 mile run.
 
kinnem said:
For the xROTC programs a lot depends on what your planned major is. You definitely need to keep working on pullups but you'll get there if you work hard at it. Do you have a pullup bar at home where you can do pullups anytime to pass the bar? Also, for NROTC at least, I'm assuming you will pursue Navy Option and last i checked they do not require any physical fitness test but that could have changed again as they used to require it. The events for NROTC, if they have it, and Army ROTC (just data point) are different than the CFA and I would recommend not using the CFA score for those programs. I don't know about AFROTC physical requirements. See the Golden Knights Battalion web site as to why. If you're pursuing Marine Option then you really need to work on the pullups and prep for a 3 mile run.
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Thanks for the input! I don't currently have a pullup bar at home, but I was planning on getting one relatively soon, so I could just slam out a few pullups every time I pass it.
For your reference, my planned major is Aerospace Engineering.
 
Can't tell for sure, but with the Amelia Earhart mention, I wonder if this is a young lady. If so, those CFA scores are great! 4 pullups is way up there for a female. The other numbers are great too.

If you're a young man, your numbers on the CFA could be higher. Shuttle run and sit ups are good, the BB Throw OK, and the run is acceptable. Pull ups are low and pushups should be increased,.

Your academics however are stellar. I think your scores would be very competitive and above the average.

Good luck, and please forgive me if you are not female.:smile:
 
Maplerock said:
Can't tell for sure, but with the Amelia Earhart mention, I wonder if this is a young lady. If so, those CFA scores are great! 4 pullups is way up there for a female. The other numbers are great too.

If you're a young man, your numbers on the CFA could be higher. Shuttle run and sit ups are good, the BB Throw OK, and the run is acceptable. Pull ups are low and pushups should be increased,.

Your academics however are stellar. I think your scores would be very competitive and above the average.

Good luck, and please forgive me if you are not female.:smile:
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Good point Maplerock. I was assuming this was a male.
 
Maplerock said:
Can't tell for sure, but with the Amelia Earhart mention, I wonder if this is a young lady. If so, those CFA scores are great! 4 pullups is way up there for a female. The other numbers are great too.

If you're a young man, your numbers on the CFA could be higher. Shuttle run and sit ups are good, the BB Throw OK, and the run is acceptable. Pull ups are low and pushups should be increased,.

Your academics however are stellar. I think your scores would be very competitive and above the average.

Good luck, and please forgive me if you are not female.:smile:
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Aha, thanks for mentioning that, yes I would like to point out I AM a male. The Amelia Earhart Award is the award received for achieving the rank of Cadet Captain in Civil Air Patrol.
 
LemonZest said:
Aha, thanks for mentioning that, yes I would like to point out I AM a male.
Click to expand...

In that case, your upper body strength is lacking. Admissions process aside, you'd be in danger of being PRT unsat at USNA.

Get pushups to 60 or so, and pullups to 10 or so. I'd approximate that most entering male plebes are able to do at least that much.

Run is acceptable, but could be a bit faster. Try to cut at least 20 seconds off of that mile.

If you're going Marine Option NROTC, you will definitely need to improve your upper body strength and your run time significantly for the PFT.

Academically, you look like an outstanding candidate. The rest depends on your ECAs and sports.
 
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I am not dogging or criticizing you. So don't read into what I am about to post. When a person asks how am I doing or what are my chances, they are really asking: have I met the minimum standards? Or, did I do well enough? I don't answer those questions for applicants. Not here or for those I interview for the academy or applying to ROTC or Harvard.

My question back is: is that your best? I don't believe in doing good enough. I only believe in doing your best. Could you throw the basketball 61 feet or more? Can you do 1 more pull up? Can you knock down 1 more second off of your run? If you can to any of those questions, then you haven't done your best. My response then is obvious. Do better. If with all honest you say that there is no way, by the time I must do the CFA, that I can improve at all on anything, then you have said that you have indeed done your very best. You can't do any better.

If then, you have done your very best, then you have no need to ask how you are doing or what your chances are. You can't improve it. The academy will have to take what you give them because that's all you have. You have nothing left to give. You don't aim for a 3.85 GPA because that is the average. You aim for a 4.0 and do your very best. Maybe your very best is a 3.9. Maybe its a 3.4. But only you can say if you've done your very best or if you could do better. If you settle for anything less than your best, then you will never do your best. Whatever you accomplish in life, you should want to improve on it. Until you realize to yourself that you are simply incapable of improving. That you've reached your personal maximum capabilities. Then, it doesn't matter what anyone else says. You know you've done your best. Same with trying to cut corners and not doing a task properly. If you don't have time to do something right, when will you have time to do it over again?

Again, not dogging you. Simply saying, you don't need to ask how your doing. You know if its your best or not. If its not your best, then do better. If it is your best, then there's nothing to improve on, so it doesn't matter if someone tells you to improve on something. The only reason to ask how youre doing, is if your only interested in doing "enough" to get by. Or if you feel you don't want to waste your time applying if you don't think you have a chance. I even encourage those with a 3.2 GPA to apply to the academies and other universities. Its the whole person. But I also tell them to ask themselves if what they present is in fact their very best and not what they think is all they need to get by. Best of luck to you.
 
Your pushups need to improve a lot.....they almost should double. They're looked at, alongside situps and the run, with more emphasis than the other events.
 
Thank you everyone for your advice and input! And a special thanks to Christcorp, I very much appreciate the length and detail of your response, and the time you put into it!
 
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