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Falcon Freak

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5-Year Member
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Aug 8, 2008
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Hey everybody, I noticed this forum a while back and joined because unlike the other places u can get info(and ive seen all of them) I can actually talk to people who have gone through it and can answer questions that arent going to be answered on any other sites(u kno like the little questions that arent a big deal and nobody asks them but u).
Well any ways I was wondering what u guys thought i might be able to improve so that i hav a better chance at getting accepted to the AFA
by the way I am a sophmore and home schooled

GPA 4.2/4.1
PSAT Math 65
Writing 66
Reading 66
my scores were better than 92% of juniors
I have taken 1 ap class and plan on taking at least 4 more
I have as many honor classes as possible (Ive talked to my friends at publis school and my honors classes are so much harder than their honors classes)
my 4 year plan is crammed i am taking full loads every year
I am going to start participating in my public schools track and soccer program and next year i decided to do cross country as well
I participate in a community service program called PICA(pride in community appearance) during the summer
Last year I went to an elementary school to help in a kindergarten class every monday from 1:15 to 3:00 for half a year
I have been very active in my church and have racked up over 200 community service hours with them
I am in charge of the A/V team at our church
My work experience has gone from drywall to tiling to installing toilets to painting. (these were not actual jobs but my brothers and i get requests quiote often to help people with projects such as these at peoples houses and we usualy get paid for it)

THank u for taking the time to help me to improve my chances to get an appointment
 
Well Falcon Freak as many have said before admissions will make the call, but you certainly are on track. You will want to keep up with Summer Seminar when you become eligible. If you can participate in any of the annual sports camps think about those too. Keep on track and you should be fine.
 
Wecome to the forum. We're really glad you chose to be a part of the community here. Let me know if there is anything you need.

Stealth_81
 
Looks excellent, so like ds52262 said, definitely go to the USAFA SS. Three things I can think of to improve (in order of importance, in my opinion): leadership, sports, and jobs. Academics look great, but try to take a role in leading certain activities or events, or holding positions of responsibility. Sports is also very important, and try to letter, if possible, because it will both help your CFA scores and your overall application's competitiveness. Jobs or work experience isn't very important, especially if you volunteer precipitously, but maybe volunteer just a little less, and get a job that requires only a few hours a week? It will show more responsibility.
So far, this looks very competitive already, and these suggestions are only my opinion of what will make it even more competitive. You want to rise well above the average candidate to get an early appointment/LOA. Oh, another thing to consider is the balance between GPA and AP courses, and make sure that you take AP courses in moderation, as to not kill your GPA.
 
Hey, thanks for the advice guys! I'll try to improve on it the best I can. Hopefully, my best will be enough. :) But I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks again for the advice!
 
Hi FalconF.!

I noticed this post late but just wanted to let you know that you can pm if you have any questions regarding homeschooling and AFA. My twin sons are both 4-digs now and were homeschooled.

My recommendations for you are to take (at least) a community college course or two if you can. Also, you need to focus a bit in the sports and leadership categories. The soccer and XC are good starts; make sure you stay in shape. A job with increasing responsibilities will also help you a lot.

Good luck!
 
hi!

welcome Falcon Freak!

I'm a homeschool sophomore too-- so good to know there are other homeschool high schoolers out there that have gotten into the Academy.:thumb:

does anyone know: if you have a limited amount of time, what kind of leadership/volunteer activities would be best?
 
the academy doesn't favor any one activity or organization more than another... but try Boy (or Girl) Scouts, look at your school or volunteer organization for volunteer opportunities, or get a job (shows responsibility).
 
Plenty of my friends and classmates here were homeschooled. Not abnormal at all!
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied to my question. I have two more questions.

1 Does anyone know If Iowa is competitive for nom's to SA's?

2 Does anyone know how I would be able to find out who my ALO is? I've been to sites on the internet that tell you to put your school's name in and I put the school that I dual enroll with but it always says that the name is invalid.:confused:

Thanks that would help alot.
 
One...I don't think Iowa is competitive compared to places like NY, VA, CA etc. What makes some states more comp. is the amt of military that lives there. More military bases, more dep. kids and civ. kids looking up into the sky thinking wow that plane is so cool, I want tot do that.

Second about the ALO. Pick up the phone and call the school, ask for the gc and ask them. It's that simple. Not every answer will be found on line. If you can't find out that way. Contact the AFA admissions and ask them. They will know whom it is.
 
Every state and district is competative, some like PIMA said are just a little more competative. The Academy gets to be very selective and the nomination process is just one of the hurdles that must be contended with. The Congress Critters dont just pass out nominations, and even though some patronage nominations might be a possibility I hope they are a thing of the past.

Do your best. Get good SAT/ACT scores, find a sport and work hard at it, find a club and participate. Work hard at your resume and do well on your interveiws. In short prepare for the future you are choosing, becuase this is the starting line not the finish line.
 
The "competition" for nomination is directly proportional to the State's population. That is the general case.

Other factors include the military presence in the state (TX, VA, NC, FL, CA), which also tends to increase with population (exception:NY).

Therefore you can probably guess where Iowa stands.

EDIT: Wow, didn't see the next page and PIMA just said the same! lol.
 
Yea, the nominations can be crazy. Especially from a competitive standpoint. Of the 435 congressional districts; the average around 693,000 citizens in each district. That can sound like a lot. On the other hand, it can seem small. Take an area like Dallas, denver, Kansas City, etc... Areas with more than a million people. Whether there are 1 or 2 congressional representative there, the fact is; all the constituents basically live in a small area. Very easy for a representative to become accessible. Then, take a state like Wyoming, where there are only 550,000 people in the entire state. Yet physically, it is one of the largest states in the country. Makes it quite hard to "Get to Know" your rep.

On the other hand, the reverse is true when talking about senators. All states have 2 senators. That makes a state like Wyoming easier to contact the senator than say New York or California.

But as others have said, the competitiveness is mainly driven by the amount of military support in that district as well as the AMOUNT of applicants. I would say that one of the easiest areas (Generically speaking) for a nomination would be a large PRO-Military community, made up predominantly of retired personnel, with very few young people applying. Maybe a district in Florida or Texas with a retired population. The next easiest would be where a pro military and applicant would definitely be a MINORITY. I.e. San Francisco, Berkley, etc... Where would a difficult and more competitive place be? Central Texas; East/West coast florida; Virginia; and any large population area with military bases.

Times also change. I grew up in the New Jersey/New York City area. Growing up, they were very PRO-Military. After Vietnam, they started getting much more liberal. Still supportive, just different. Economics also plays a big part in this. Not that the military is a place where people go when they have nothing else. There is some of that; but enlisted and officer; but not as much as it use to be. However; if economics in the country are good, less people tend to apply to go to the military. Other than those who "DREAM" of being a pilot or some other military dream their whole life; the military isn't usually the 1st choice of most people. "IF" they had gotten accepted WITH A SCHOLARSHIP to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or wherever; they probably would have taken that. Usually money is the deciding factor.

Competitiveness is so difficult to determine. It's a district by district scenario. Sometimes the lower populated areas are easier. Sometimes it's the high populated where economics is good and the military isn't usually a 1st choice for most people. Good luck to you. later.... mike.....
 
Competitiveness is so difficult to determine. It's a district by district scenario. Sometimes the lower populated areas are easier. Sometimes it's the high populated where economics is good and the military isn't usually a 1st choice for most people. Good luck to you. later.... mike.....

Perfect example: USNA Class of 2010

New York City - approx 7 million residents in 10 Congressional districts.

44 TOTAL applicants

6 appointments
 
I have another question for you guys. Does anyone know, when I am working on my resume', how far back can it date? Can I put band and basketball from sixth through eighth grade or even cub scouts and boy scouts( which I was the leader of my squad as we called it, that included all of the first year BS in our group), kindergarten through fifth grade? (I would have continued through BS the whole way, but we moved and between my dad being a pastor and a bus driver, my mom working part time, school and having three other brothers who had to go to activities, I just never had the time for such a time consuming task (I was also considering CAP but that is even more time consuming) o well I really loved BS but it was just too much.:frown:
 
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