Need of Advice

[C540J00]

I feel like have an interesting profile and I need advice on what I might need to do differently.

Here is some background info: I really want to attend the USAFA (and should I be lucky enough for an appointment for the c/o 26' I want to box there as well), but I am no longer in high school. I actually received an appointment to USNA c/o 23', went through plebe summer, and attended for about 3 months. I had some personal issues occur and did not feel ready for college so I left to work on myself. I also realized I wanted to be at USAFA all along. From that point forward I earned a position in a medical office and this past fall I attended college for nursing and earned a 3.75GPA. I felt it was best not to continue to attend college without having an intended major because after experience in a medical office and taking nursing classes I learned I was not as passionate about being in healthcare as I thought I was.. I also want to have time to pay on some of my loans while I have time. Now I am moving on to be a full-time nanny for two families and I am in boxing. I have already registered for the SAT because I know I will need to test again.

In high school I had plenty of leadership experience and volunteering hours, but those kinds of opportunities look a lot different when you are working full-time plus COVID.

Any advice while I have time to make changes? Has anyone else had an experience similar to mine?

 

[crymsonwynters]

That's a story I haven't heard in my short time here at SAF... but it's a story telling me that you've got a shot.

First and foremost, you've already received an appointment to a service academy in the past, which shows that you already had the necessary stuff two years ago, and now, you have another two years of life experience under your belt. Your position in a medical office, a 3.75 college GPA while studying nursing, and your full time job in a service industry look very attractive on a resume. Now, I'm not Admissions, but if I saw that while also seeing that you are in boxing, I'd give you some good odds.

However, one thing I can see being a potential road block is that, in the past few years, you've left college twice, with one of the instances being leaving a service academy. If I'm on the Admissions team, I'm seeing that as a potential red flag. It's obvious you have the skills to succeed in an Academy environment, and I fully understand your situation. But you have to make your circumstances and your reasons for leaving school explicitly clear to Admissions. This means a thorough explanation on your ALO evaluation and in your third essay. Personally, I see you as a dedicated individual, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking there's a chance that you also leave USAFA, and if I were on Admissions and convinced that you might be a liability in this regard, I might set your packet aside.

In addition, you need to be able to show USAFA that your life over the past two years has been comparable in difficulty to the structured, full-time lifestyle that the academies provide. I don't think this will be much of a problem for you, as studying nursing in college while also working in a medical office and staying fit would be a good analogue.

Here's my bottom line on how to prepare, and please take it with a grain of salt because I am not Admissions and I don't know as much as some of the ALOs on this site:

Spend a lot of time prepping for the SAT and get those scores up as high as you can get them.
Do everything you can to bring your CFA scores up to the maxes.
Find volunteering opportunities if you can. It may be difficult, but success through difficulty is what they're looking for.
Be prepared to explain your situation in-detail and be ready to defend yourself and explain why you'd be a good fit at USAFA and why you won't leave after a semester.

 

[milmomsomeday]

Is it USAFA you are after or an Air Force career? It sounds like you have changed your mind a lot since you left high school, and that's not super unusual, except that choosing a goal and sticking it out is very advantageous to reaching long-term success.

If you were my kid or one of my students (I'm a school counselor), I would say you need to take steps toward becoming an Air Force officer, if that's your dream. College is just 4 years of your life, preparing for a career. The military should be part of a long-term plan for career success. With that in mind, I would say, get back in school in the Fall, taking the best doolie-like schedule that you can. If you can, get in a school with AFROTC, even better because you are working toward an additional option of commissioning. And then apply for the next class. Stay/get in good shape, make the best possible grades you can make, and create essays that explain why you are now focused and looking to accomplish the goal of getting into USAFA.

Worst case scenario, after you apply next year, you'll have another year of college under your belt, whether it be with AFROTC or just college courses and you will be a year closer to commissioning, whether it is via ROTC or an attempt at OTS. Progress toward your long-term goal should be the bottom line.

 

[St.Katherine]

I feel like have an interesting profile and I need advice on what I might need to do differently.

Here is some background info: I really want to attend the USAFA (and should I be lucky enough for an appointment for the c/o 26' I want to box there as well), but I am no longer in high school. I actually received an appointment to USNA c/o 23', went through plebe summer, and attended for about 3 months. I had some personal issues occur and did not feel ready for college so I left to work on myself. I also realized I wanted to be at USAFA all along. From that point forward I earned a position in a medical office and this past fall I attended college for nursing and earned a 3.75GPA. I felt it was best not to continue to attend college without having an intended major because after experience in a medical office and taking nursing classes I learned I was not as passionate about being in healthcare as I thought I was.. I also want to have time to pay on some of my loans while I have time. Now I am moving on to be a full-time nanny for two families and I am in boxing. I have already registered for the SAT because I know I will need to test again.

In high school I had plenty of leadership experience and volunteering hours, but those kinds of opportunities look a lot different when you are working full-time plus COVID.

Any advice while I have time to make changes? Has anyone else had an experience similar to mine?

This is from USNA Admissions website. “You must be at least 17 years of age and must not have passed your 23rd birthday on July 1 of the year of admission.”
Reapply. Period. You have a limited window of opportunity. This is not like your applying for medical school. “Am I too old for medical school?” Lots of 45 year olds in med school. You can’t go back to your precious youth. Reapply.

 

[SF_DAD]

Try AFROTC. It sounds like you are a little lost and I don’t think the SA route is the answer, if any of them would even consider you after leaving the class of ‘23.

ROTC would have the commissioning result at the end as well as let you ease into it. If you try again and figure out it’s not for you then it’s easier to walk away.

 

[C540J00]

Is it USAFA you are after or an Air Force career? It sounds like you have changed your mind a lot since you left high school, and that's not super unusual, except that choosing a goal and sticking it out is very advantageous to reaching long-term success.

If you were my kid or one of my students (I'm a school counselor), I would say you need to take steps toward becoming an Air Force officer, if that's your dream. College is just 4 years of your life, preparing for a career. The military should be part of a long-term plan for career success. With that in mind, I would say, get back in school in the Fall, taking the best doolie-like schedule that you can. If you can, get in a school with AFROTC, even better because you are working toward an additional option of commissioning. And then apply for the next class. Stay/get in good shape, make the best possible grades you can make, and create essays that explain why you are now focused and looking to accomplish the goal of getting into USAFA.

Worst case scenario, after you apply next year, you'll have another year of college under your belt, whether it be with AFROTC or just college courses and you will be a year closer to commissioning, whether it is via ROTC or an attempt at OTS. Progress toward your long-term goal should be the bottom line.

Both an affordable education and an Air Force career are what I am after. Thanks for your advice, this helps a lot!

 

[C540J00]

This is from USNA Admissions website. “You must be at least 17 years of age and must not have passed your 23rd birthday on July 1 of the year of admission.”
Reapply. Period. You have a limited window of opportunity. This is not like your applying for medical school. “Am I too old for medical school?” Lots of 45 year olds in med school. You can’t go back to your precious youth. Reapply.

I agree! This is definitely my current mindset.

 

[C540J00]

That's a story I haven't heard in my short time here at SAF... but it's a story telling me that you've got a shot.

First and foremost, you've already received an appointment to a service academy in the past, which shows that you already had the necessary stuff two years ago, and now, you have another two years of life experience under your belt. Your position in a medical office, a 3.75 college GPA while studying nursing, and your full time job in a service industry look very attractive on a resume. Now, I'm not Admissions, but if I saw that while also seeing that you are in boxing, I'd give you some good odds.

However, one thing I can see being a potential road block is that, in the past few years, you've left college twice, with one of the instances being leaving a service academy. If I'm on the Admissions team, I'm seeing that as a potential red flag. It's obvious you have the skills to succeed in an Academy environment, and I fully understand your situation. But you have to make your circumstances and your reasons for leaving school explicitly clear to Admissions. This means a thorough explanation on your ALO evaluation and in your third essay. Personally, I see you as a dedicated individual, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking there's a chance that you also leave USAFA, and if I were on Admissions and convinced that you might be a liability in this regard, I might set your packet aside.

In addition, you need to be able to show USAFA that your life over the past two years has been comparable in difficulty to the structured, full-time lifestyle that the academies provide. I don't think this will be much of a problem for you, as studying nursing in college while also working in a medical office and staying fit would be a good analogue.

Here's my bottom line on how to prepare, and please take it with a grain of salt because I am not Admissions and I don't know as much as some of the ALOs on this site:

Spend a lot of time prepping for the SAT and get those scores up as high as you can get them.
Do everything you can to bring your CFA scores up to the maxes.
Find volunteering opportunities if you can. It may be difficult, but success through difficulty is what they're looking for.
Be prepared to explain your situation in-detail and be ready to defend yourself and explain why you'd be a good fit at USAFA and why you won't leave after a semester.

Thank you so much for the advice.