loa AND nominations?

Unitedstates AFA 2013

You might try to educate your folks as to just how much their chosen profession and yours overlap. Flight surgeon is just one option. There is an Aerospace Medical research lab at Wright-Pat and USAF School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks. There are an increasing number of astronauts who are also medical doctors. All have "wings." The USAFA is a great place to start. The "human factors" of flight is a big deal in the USAF and there are several career fields.

And, I'm not implying you should stretch the truth or tell them you want to be a doc, if that's not where your interests lie. But, the Air Force is more -- much more -- than just "flying planes and shooting people."
 
Parental support

Hi Unitedstates AFA 2013:

I am really new to this board.. but I am a Mom.. I think Raptor Dad gave great advice.. the soft touch approach with your parents.. accentuating the positive things the AF has done.. do a little research on things that you know they like.. medical.. technological etc. the military in general has done so much to "advance" us (where would we be without our GPS devices??).. you know your parents best. slow and easy. If you are respectful and go at it slowly maybe they will be more likely to come around. Of course it depends on your relationship with them.. but I think we all love our kids so much and want the "best" for them.. that sometimes we cannot see that "our best" is not "thee best". I wanted to be really careful with mine.. that I did not want it for her more than she did. The big test was summer seminar. She went out and came back and was so happy. Before SS, she liked the "idea" of the AFA, but when she came back.. she felt she had found her niche. We live in an area where I would say that Patriotism is not paramount.. and so she stuggles everyday with classmates and teachers that are not proud to be Americans (bluntly put). However my daughter was born in Gettysburg, PA (civil war hospt.. not kidding) and turned 18 on Nov. 4th.. election day...and she wants to serve her country..so AFA.. seems right up her alley.

I think sometimes we see our kids grow up and then it comes time for them to make their own decisions, and it is hard for us.
We are not a military family.. so this is all new for me as well. But keep going forward with diligence and respect and your parents will probably come around when they see that your are serious about it. I wish you the very very best.
 
I think it's also important to let your parents know that they can only control your future so much... after all, it's your future and you need to go where your heart desires :wink:
 
Realize that there are BOTH extremes. For what it's worth, my son never spent 1 second or wrote 1 post on ANY forums or online sites. He does the Myspace and facebook stuff with his friends, but he never goes near forums. I, being the techno-geek, came to this site, college confidential, and others, like many looking for a particular answer to a question. It had to do with summer seminar. After finding the answer, someone asked a question concerning the academy and I provided them with an answer. One thing lead to another and I'm still here. I don't spend as much time on the sites any longer. Usually just in the fall when there are questions that I might have some assistance with. But I think it's great if BOTH the applicant and their parents can get involved. My son was spoiled. He was brought up in a military family and has been around the military his whole life. He really didn't have too many questions about the academy or military life. It's something he's wanted for a very long time. Congrats again on all the LOA's and nominations. Good luck in the selection process. later... Mike....
 
Thanks, you all have great points. My parents and I pretty much talked about this and they still don't want me getting an appointment, but wont do anything to stop me from going (it'll be like a huge guilt-trip come march). I don't blame them, though, they have a different view of the military. You mentioned that you can go into medicine in the military, and that's one of the many reasons why I think it's so great. If ever I change my mind while still in the academy, many of my bases are covered and I could pretty much do whatever I prefer after (although I doubt that many things would distract me from wanting to fly fighter planes. I'd be happy flying a Thunderbird, even)

p.s.- I'm a guy.
 
For what it's worth; if you do real well academically at the academy, you can apply to go right into graduate school. We have some seniors this year who have applied to medical and law school and have been accepted. You owe a few more years onto your commitment after you are done with that school, but if that's what you want, then it's definitely available. But just like applying to ANY graduate/doctoral education program, you need to be excellent in your undergraduate program. Realize that the air force academy's education is compared many times with that of the Ivy League schools. It's really that good. Every student takes upper math, science, engineering type classes. That's why even those who in their junior/senior year major in history, art, english, etc.... still get a B.S. degree and not a B.A. degree. So, maintaining that uber GPA is difficult. But it can be done and is very rewarding if you want to immediately continue onto a graduate/doctoral program. Best of luck to you. later.... mike....
 
Christcorp-

can you go into medical school then if you choose to major in like literature or humanities? that seems kind of hard to see, I would probably choose biology if I wanted to head down that road. And what do you mean by having to serve extra years of service? Wouldn't you still have to serve the 5 active and then the 3 (or is it 2) reserve, but later on since you have to wait to get out of medical school? So instead of finishing reserve when youre 29, you'd have to finish it 3 years later (or even later if you chose to specialize?)
 
My point about majoring in history, art, etc... was to point out that because everyone, no matter the major, must take the math and sciences; that everyone gets a B.S. degree and not a B.A. If you want medical school, I would advise against majoring in Art History. Later... Mike....
 
You can actually major in anything you want and apply to medical school. You just need to have the necessary courses. At the academies you have Chem, Cal and Physics anyway, you just need to make sure you get in Organic Chem.

Going from any academy into medical school virtually ensures you will be serving for a long long time - about 15 years or so, so you should just plan to make a career of it.
Depending on which program you choose your years of service just keep piling on.
 
Just_a_mom; you are 100% correct. I have to say however that I am very familiar with applying to graduate school and beyond. Which you too could be familiar with. While "technically" you can major in whatever you want; as I mentioned previously, I advise against it. When you're in the civilian world and you have the money, you can pay to go to any school you want. Believe it or not, even admission standards are unofficially waived if you are paying 100%. Like buying a car in CASH. You WILL get them to lower the price. However; when you are competing for one of the "NORMAL" limited slots in a school, you need to present your best. A major in the hard sciences beats a degree in Art History, all other things being equal, if you are looking to go into a science/medical field. Just like a degree in criminology trumps a history degree if you are apply to Harvard Law School.

But you are correct. You can major in anything you want. Take the necessary pre-requisite classes. And kick ass on the MCAT, LSAT, or whatever it is you are wanting to further your education in. Personally, I know how hard most people worked to get into the academy. If they truly want medical or law school afterwards, I doubt very much they are the type of person who is going to major in art, history, english, etc... later... mike...
 
I was thinking of majoring in biology unless something else made me want to change it. What do you have to major in to be able to become a pilot? Can I major in biology and still have a good chance at flying fighter planes?
 
Pilot is a whole other world. Believe it or not, you CAN major in underwater basket weaving if it's available. And still be a pilot. Mind you, there are a lot of classes in flight school. Not everyone who goes to flight school and such graduates. But, if you like math and such; and those types of class don't kill you; then you can apply to be a pilot. No 1 degree is held any stronger than another for that. And obviously everyone at the academy does well enough in all the math/science type classes. If they didn't, they never would have gotten into the academy. later... mike....
 
to those whove received appointments, what does it say for status on your online application? Does it say appointee?
 
It said:
Candidate
Appointment Offered


Now it says:
Candidate
Appointment Accepted
 
Congrats packermatt. Hopefully my file will say that in a couple months. As well as the other applicants on this forum.
 
I just received a notification in the mail today saying that I received a nomination from Todd Akin. Hopefully this will make the waiting process a little easier.
 
After checking the admissions status page this morning (as I do every morning as soon as I get up), I noticed that under Nomination Status, it says received!! This made me very happy, of course, because I have already been given an LOA. However, my status is still "Candidate", and my appointment status still "Letter of Assurance". They have everything needed to offer an appointment, correct? Why is the Nomination Status updated, but the overall status not changed?
 
now that you have a nomination, your COMPLETED packet will go before the board again. They may wait to give you an appointment (sometimes until March), or they may give you one right away. I recieved my appointment letter before the status changed.
 
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