Is there any possibility of me being accepted?

S

starbird

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Nov 23, 2018
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hello!

I’m typing this at 12am running on 0 hours of sleep so I’m sorry if my grammar is excruciating

I’m 20 years old (born july 25th 1998) and I’m really interested in attending usafa. I’m a high school dropout so I never thought it would be possible for me to go there. originally, I was planning to get my GED & see a recruiter to enlist. but I read online that there was a slight chance I could actually get into the academy. I’m wondering what I can do to improve my chances? All I really have now is my GED and literally nothing else. It’s probably ridiculous to have such high hopes considering the fact that ged holders have to have 50 afqt score to even be considered to join the airforce. I really don’t want mistakes I made as a careless teenager to define my whole life and the airforce is the reason I even got my ged in the first place. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
I offer no opinion on you chances of being accepted. But one thing about your post jumps out at me: “I really don’t want mistakes I made as a careless teenager to define my whole life...”

They don’t. Period. They are just part of your journey. Part of your story. Part of what gets your along the path of life to whatever destiny is yours!!

USAFA isn’t the ONLY way to serve. Lots of other options: DS #1 is currently looking into the Air Guard. Sights set on becoming an officer an different route than his younger bro (a Plebe). He is on a different path, but has the same excitement and passion. And this Thanksgiving, I am so thankful each are happy, healthy and passionate about their lives.

You haven’t defined your whole life by mistakes as a teen. You past experiences are the building blocks of who you are becoming!!! Best wishes!
 
starbird said:
hello!

I’m typing this at 12am running on 0 hours of sleep so I’m sorry if my grammar is excruciating

I’m 20 years old (born july 25th 1998) and I’m really interested in attending usafa. I’m a high school dropout so I never thought it would be possible for me to go there. originally, I was planning to get my GED & see a recruiter to enlist. but I read online that there was a slight chance I could actually get into the academy. I’m wondering what I can do to improve my chances? All I really have now is my GED and literally nothing else. It’s probably ridiculous to have such high hopes considering the fact that ged holders have to have 50 afqt score to even be considered to join the airforce. I really don’t want mistakes I made as a careless teenager to define my whole life and the airforce is the reason I even got my ged in the first place. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...

You are young and really just starting life. Your past does not have to define you. I commend you for getting your GED. The service academy life is very intense and it's been a little while since you have been in school. I would recommend you taking the SAT or ACT to see how you score because it takes a minimum of 1200 for the SAT for the academy. Do you have a local college where you can attend? I would suggest taking classes there to get back into school life. You may need to take remedial classes to get you where you need to be academically. It will also give you a small taste of college life and for you to decide if college life is really for you. At 18 I had no idea of what I wanted to do and took a couple of years to decide that. I started college at 20 and readjusting to school like to a little time.

Best of luck to you.
 
Good advice from @justdoit19. Is there any possibility? Maybe. But let’s try to expand your thinking a bit.

I presume your real goal is not just to attend USAFA but to serve as a commissioned officer. So you should explore the most plausible paths to that goal, not just the USAFA route, which is probably the most difficult way. You can attend a civilian college and join ROTC. You can attend a civilian college and apply for OCS. Or you can enlist, be a standout and aim for USAFA from there.

One youthful mistake is taking an overly narrow view of your options. A mature approach would be to consider a broader set and explore both the most plausible option as well as the “reach for the stars” version. Best wishes.
 
IF and it is a big IF it would be possible for you to be accepted, the major obstacle that you will face is your age. As a GED holder, it is almost a certainty that you'd need to go to USAFA Prep first which adds a year and considering the timeframe, you'd need to get into Prep for the next class and the majority of that class is going to be filled from the current group of applicants of which you are not a member. If you're serious about this, you'd need to get your application for USAFA in ASAP an if (big IF) the admissions people are thoroughly impressed by you, they MIGHT get you into the next prep class. The option of enlisting and hopefully getting into Prep from enlisted status is pretty much closed to you at this point due to timing. There just isn't enough time for you to enlist, go to boot camp and on to an assignment, apply and still make it into the next prep class.
 
starbird said:
hello!

I’m typing this at 12am running on 0 hours of sleep so I’m sorry if my grammar is excruciating

I’m 20 years old (born july 25th 1998) and I’m really interested in attending usafa. I’m a high school dropout so I never thought it would be possible for me to go there. originally, I was planning to get my GED & see a recruiter to enlist. but I read online that there was a slight chance I could actually get into the academy. I’m wondering what I can do to improve my chances? All I really have now is my GED and literally nothing else. It’s probably ridiculous to have such high hopes considering the fact that ged holders have to have 50 afqt score to even be considered to join the airforce. I really don’t want mistakes I made as a careless teenager to define my whole life and the airforce is the reason I even got my ged in the first place. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Take the SAT/ACT and if you score really high you can become a candidate. In your essay you can explain that the teenage years do not define who you are now. They may very well see that as potential for you and give you a prep school slot.
 
As others mentioned it is going to be tough. However, if you dont try I can guarantee you wont get in. Take the SAT/ACT test and see what you can do. If you score high and can show that you are someone who is turning their life around, who knows whey make like the underdog story. Lets say your past hurts you and they say no, you can still go to civilian college and go through Rotc. You can still have a great military career going that route. If you do great at Rotc and in college and USAFA is still a goal, you can apply again. There is nothing better than showing experience and when you apply again you can show them that you are are kicking butt in college. What you did in high school wont make a difference as you can show that you are smart and mature enough to handle a course load that is comparable to what they have at the academy
 
I have no idea what your chances are, I would think that would all depend on your ACT and what else you can put in your applications that would bolster your resume.
I will say this.
30 years ago, I was in a similar situation...I was a horrible student in HS, just didn’t apply myself at all. I wasn’t dumb, just a severe lack of motivation. Somehow I graduated...and because I wanted to get out of my hometown, I joined the Army. I choose infantry so that I was guaranteed a duty station of Hawaii.
I took the ASFAB and did well enough that I could have done better pretty much any job I wanted, but being 17 and ignorant, I wanted Hawaii at all cost.
Without ever inquiring about it, 6 months in, I get a letter saying that I had been offered a spot at the WestPoint prep school.
While I didn’t attend, because I was engaged, it could be an option for you possibly. Later in life, I regretted that decision...still happily married though.
My oldest son is in Navy now, in the Nuke Pipeline and I know that there were a number of his cohorts who enlisted with an assured option at the USNA prep as a condition of their enlistment.
Not that they are assured a placement, just that they have a shot at it.
 
BoCoMoRex said:
I have no idea what your chances are, I would think that would all depend on your ACT and what else you can put in your applications that would bolster your resume.
I will say this.
30 years ago, I was in a similar situation...I was a horrible student in HS, just didn’t apply myself at all. I wasn’t dumb, just a severe lack of motivation. Somehow I graduated...and because I wanted to get out of my hometown, I joined the Army. I choose infantry so that I was guaranteed a duty station of Hawaii.
I took the ASFAB and did well enough that I could have done better pretty much any job I wanted, but being 17 and ignorant, I wanted Hawaii at all cost.
Without ever inquiring about it, 6 months in, I get a letter saying that I had been offered a spot at the WestPoint prep school.
While I didn’t attend, because I was engaged, it could be an option for you possibly. Later in life, I regretted that decision...still happily married though.
My oldest son is in Navy now, in the Nuke Pipeline and I know that there were a number of his cohorts who enlisted with an assured option at the USNA prep as a condition of their enlistment.
Not that they are assured a placement, just that they have a shot at it.
Click to expand...
You must have aced that test
 
ASVAB....I meant.
I don’t remember it being outstanding or anything.
I always chalked it up to the Army wanting to pull some candidates from a “different” set of people...?
I might have fit that bill, for other reasons too, or maybe I was nominated by my command... I have no idea.
They were a little pissed at me for not calling off my wedding, but at 17, everyone was.
 
BoCoMoRex said:
I know that there were a number of his cohorts who enlisted with an assured option at the USNA prep as a condition of their enlistment.
Click to expand...

Perhaps better if this discussion were on the Navy page, but I would like to hear more about "an assured option of USNA Prep as a condition of enlistment." Color me skeptical, as this would be way to circumvent a very competitive admissions process.

The original purpose of NAPS (and the other Academy prep schools) was to provide a pathway to the Service Academy for promising young enlisted personnel. The theory was to provide an additional year of academic preparation to help get through the Academy. NAPS is still the most common route from Enlisted to USNA, but I suspect that it is really only a small percentage of the class now. Successful completion of the NAPS program is an almost (nothing is 100%) guarantee for Appointment.

That being said, I have never heard of any program where the enlistment contract guarantees NAPS. If such an animal exists, I'd love to see the criteria for review and approval. I'm sure that many a recruiter has waved the prospect of a chance at NAPS as inducement too enlist, but that candidate would still have to apply and compete with the other sailors, get command endorsement, etc. before he/she gets into NAPS.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Perhaps better if this discussion were on the Navy page, but I would like to hear more about "an assured option of USNA Prep as a condition of enlistment." Color me skeptical, as this would be way to circumvent a very competitive admissions process.

The original purpose of NAPS (and the other Academy prep schools) was to provide a pathway to the Service Academy for promising young enlisted personnel. The theory was to provide an additional year of academic preparation to help get through the Academy. NAPS is still the most common route from Enlisted to USNA, but I suspect that it is really only a small percentage of the class now. Successful completion of the NAPS program is an almost (nothing is 100%) guarantee for Appointment.

That being said, I have never heard of any program where the enlistment contract guarantees NAPS. If such an animal exists, I'd love to see the criteria for review and approval. I'm sure that many a recruiter has waved the prospect of a chance at NAPS as inducement too enlist, but that candidate would still have to apply and compete with the other sailors, get command endorsement, etc. before he/she gets into NAPS.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don’t know much about it at all. My son told me there were a group of sailors in his Nuke program that had this as an option. I said I didn’t think it was an assured appointment, just an assured shot at it...but I didn’t ask much, so I don’t know the details.
I guess I could be totally wrong?
 
Kind of sounds similar to the claims I occasionally hear from people when they ask about DS at WP. Some will say they could’ve went to SA X but chose elsewhere. Or I was recruited athlete to an Academy but went elsewhere. Sometimes even things like my dad and MOC were buds and could’ve gotten me in the Academy but......
You get the point, many claims, but no substance
 
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